Carnotaurus
Carnotaurus is a large theropod dinosaur that once inhabited planet Earth, around seventy million years ago. DeoVita has revived this species through genetic engineering.
Carnotauruses were apex predators in their native region of South America. At the time, abelisaurids were the most dominant predators, dwarfing other carnivores.
The species was revived by human scientists under DeoVita, and the practice was continued after human extinction. Genetic copies of these artificial creatures can now be found across the Milky Way,
Taxonomy
The genus Carnotaurus contains three subspecies, two artificial. Carnotaurus sastrei is the only known natural carnotaurus species. C. spinacapii and C. naviga were created by splicing DNA from C. sastrei and genes from a handful of other species, to enhance certain features of the animals.
C. spinacapii have longer horns than C. sastrei, and C. naviga has a small sail, similar to spinosaurids.
Anatomy
Carnotaurus is easily recognisable among theropod dinosaurs. A brightly coloured species, their thick scales are a mesmerising blend of blues and purples, with deep crimson stripes running along the spine. The skull is rather short and sout, with two thick horns just above the eyes. Carnotauruses have very small front arms, serving no purpose other than as a display to attract mates.
Along the spine are several rows of small spines, growing taller and thicker with age. The longest recorded spines were five inches in length, on a 63 year old individual.
Adults grow around eight to nine metres in length, and stand around two and a half metres tall. Some individuals grow much larger thanks to genetic engineering, but it is not normal for the species.
Phylum: Chordata
Clade: Dinosauria
Clade: Saurischia
Clade: Theropoda
Family: Abelidauridae
Genus: Carnotaurus
Body:
Stripes:
Average Height:2.5 metres/8.2 feet
Average Length: 8 - 9 metres/26 - 29.5 feet
Average Lifespan:25 - 35 years
Diet
These dinosaurs are speedy predators, preferring to strike when the time is right. They are not capable of crushing bites, instead quick ones, enabling them to capture fast-moving prey. Their lower jaw can dislocate, enabling them to swallow large prey.
Carnotauruses, in its native time period and habitat, typically fed on small dinosaurs, both herbivores and carnivores. They regularly chased their prey, enjoying the hunt. Some carnotauruses would hunt larger dinosaurs in small packs. Their favourite prey to hunt in packs was amargasaurus, a sauropod of a similar size. Carnotauruses living in unfamiliar environments presently often struggle to find their place within a food web. They tend to dominate the ecosystem they are put into, having free range of whatever prey they like, causing massive effects on prey populations.
Reproduction & Growth
During mating seasons, the arms, horns, and tail tip of the males of these dinosaurs turn a deep red colour. Males attract a female by showing off these features. They wave their arms in the air, as far as they can reach, swaying sideways, and back and forth. Their horns continue to glow brighter during the mating ritual, while the tip of the tail rises as high as it can stretch.
Fun Fact!
A single litter can contain anywhere from six to sixty babies! Unfortunately, it is rare for more than one to make it to adulthood.Carnotauruses create small nests, dragging soft materials into a pile using their feet. Their eggs are small and spherical, a bluish-brown with small red spots. The eggs are incubated for approximately six weeks, before hatching.
Hatchling carnotauruses have no horns or spines along their backs, making them extremely vulnerable to predation. For that reason, both parents remain by their hatchling's sides for the first two years, protecting them from predators, particularly other adults of the species.
Behaviour
Carnotauruses are known to be violent animals, especially when they enter urban areas. Feral populations of these dinosaurs have learnt to be wary of humans and jovians, and tend to attack on sight. Lone carnotauruses often run from a group of jovians, but a group will attack. Wild populations of carnotauruses can be found on almost five hundred planets, including Daenis, Capepo, and Karkhala. Most of these populations were accidentally released, but a few are scientific experiments studying the viability of dinosaurs in ecosystems.
These dinosaurs are known to fight others of the same species, particularly during mating and nesting season. Adult males often fight one another over females, using their thick skulls and horns to headbutt each other. Adult males will prey on hatchling carnotauruses, in an attempt to help their own hatchlings make it to adulthood by eliminating possible competition for resources.
Feral carnotauruses will avoid populated areas as much as possible, but on planets with severe urbanisation, expanding settlements encroach on carnotaur territory, forcing these dinosaurs to enter towns and cities. These animals are either killed on site, or sedated and moved deeper into the wilderness, only for the cycle to continue.
Genetic Reconstruction & Revival
IUCN Classifications
The Revived classification is reserved for extinct organisms that have given another chance at survival. No matter what population these organisms may now have, they are not supposed to exist, and are not protected by the same laws that include threatened animals and plants.
Carnotaurus was first reconstructed in October 2011, as part of DeoVita's 40th anniversary. The species was unveiled at the organisation's Sao Paulo facility, in an underground chamber with no entrances nor exits larger than two metres in height. After previous incidents involving escaped tyrannosaurids, DeoVita has since learnt to not provide their genetic creations with easy ways of escaping and terrorising local civilian populations.
The species' genetic makeup was initially supplemented with glass frog DNA which gave the very first specimen translucent skin and muscles, and the ability to conceal their red blood cells within the liver and shrink organs. This prevented as much light as possible from interacting with the animal, giving it the ability to camouflage. The animal was euthanised upon reaching adulthood, its genetic makeup studied and used in later concoctions.
Improved carnotaurus specimens were created in later years, with buyers from around the planet purchasing individuals for millions. After the human species went extinct and jovians took control of Earth, the genetic industry and the revived dinosaur market spread throughout the Milky Way. Buyers from almost a thousand planets have purchased carnotaurus specimens, many of which escaping captivity and have now formed wild populations on around five hundred different planets.
Silly humans, reviving terrifying dinosaurs. :( Sixty babies is insane! :O
Explore Etrea | Summer Camp 2025
I feel it'd make a lot of sense for most dinosaurs to have a ton of babies - greater chance of survival if you've got a tooooon of little babies! there are a lot of dangerous critters around, ready to gobble some hatchlings up.