Carnotaurus Coloring Pages

A Meat-Eating Dinosaur with Horns Like a Bull

Carnotaurus is a meat-eating dinosaur with one short, thick horn over each eye.
Its name means "meat-eating bull."
It got this name because its horns look just like a bull's horns.
The horns were about 15 centimeters long. Scientists think Carnotaurus used them to show off its strength to others or to send signals to its friends.

Very Small Front Legs

The front legs of Carnotaurus were super short, even for a big meat-eating dinosaur.
Tyrannosaurus had small front legs too, but Carnotaurus had even smaller ones!
The lower arm bones were only about a quarter as long as the upper arm bones.
Scientists think it could barely move its fingers at all.
Instead, its back legs were long and lean.

Lived in Patagonia, South America

Carnotaurus lived during the Late Cretaceous period, about 70 million years ago.
Its fossils were found in 1984 in a region called Patagonia in Argentina, South America.
It was about 8 meters long and weighed around 1.3 to 2 tons.
The huge Giganotosaurus also lived in Argentina a bit earlier in time.

A Runner Dash across the Plains

In the second coloring page, Carnotaurus is running to the right across an open plain.
It steps far forward with one back leg, kicking up a little dust at its feet.
With its body stretched straight from head to tail, it looks super fast!
On the left is a short tree with spreading branches. On the far right are two small trees, with mountains and clouds behind them.

Compare the Two Coloring Pages

The first picture shows the whole body of Carnotaurus from the side.
You can easily see its short, tall head, the horns above its eyes, its tiny front legs, its long back legs, and its long tail.
In the second picture, it leans its body far forward and uses its tail to keep its balance while running.
Compare them to see how its leg shapes change when standing and running!

Make the 2 horns stand out

The main feature of Carnotaurus is the 2 horns above its eyes.
If you color just the horns in a different color from its body, like cream or dark brown, its bull-like face will really pop!
Making the tips of the horns a bit darker will make them look thick and strong.
If you make the eyes bright yellow or orange, Carnotaurus will look sharp and cool.

Don't forget the tiny front legs

The front legs are super tiny, so be careful not to miss coloring them!
If you color them a little lighter than the body, these small front legs won't get hidden.
For the long back legs, color the thighs dark and make it lighter toward the toes. This makes Carnotaurus look like a fast, strong runner!

Dark on the back, light on the tummy

For the body, use a dark color on the back and a light color on the tummy to make it look 3D.
No one knows what color the real Carnotaurus actually was!
Try reddish-brown, gray, or green—use your favorite colors to make your Carnotaurus look awesome!

Colors of a dry plain

Color the ground on the second page with yellow-ocher or light brown to create the open plains of Patagonia.
It's great to color the grass yellow-green, the pebbles gray, and the tree leaves green.
If you color the dust clouds softly with a brown lighter than the ground, it will look like Carnotaurus is running really fast!
Color the sky light blue, and the mountains light purple or blue to make them look far away.

Skin Impressions Were Found

Carnotaurus was the very first meat-eating dinosaur found with lots of skin impressions.
Its skin was covered in tiny scales about 1 centimeter big, packed together like a mosaic.
Scattered among them were larger bump-like scales here and there.
Since no feather marks were found, scientists think its whole body was covered in scales.

Only One Has Ever Been Found

So far, only one Carnotaurus fossil has ever been found.
But those bones were preserved so well that we can easily see what it looked like from its head to its tail.
It is very rare for skin impressions to be saved right along with the bones!

Did It Run Fast Using Tail Power?

A study in 2011 showed that the base of the Carnotaurus tail had huge muscles to pull its thighs back.
Thanks to these muscles, people think it could run especially fast for a big meat-eating dinosaur.
On the other hand, it might not have been very good at making quick turns.