Microsoft Dinosaurs
Piatnitzkysaurus
Piatnitzkysaurus
Piatnitzkysaurus

pyat-NITS-kee-SOR-us name means β€œPiatnitzky's lizard”

Half the size of Allosaurus but just as deadly β€” this Argentine hunter had knife-like teeth and killer claws!

KindDinosaur Period Late Jurassic Diet Carnivore

Like its larger cousin Allosaurus, Piatnitzkysaurus was a fearsome meat-eater. During the Middle and Late Jurassic periods, this primitive dinosaur stalked the plains of what is now Argentina, looking for plant-eaters to munch.

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Predator and Prey

Predator and Prey

Near Cerro Condor in Argentina, paleontologists discovered both Piatnitzkysaurus and another dinosaur, Patagosaurus. Because Piatnitzkysaurus is a meat-eater and Patagosaurus is a plant-eater, the experts naturally speculate that Piatnitzkysaurus preyed upon the slower Patagosaurus.

Slow but sureSauropods like Patagosaurus may have been slow, but they had a few defensive tricks of their own. If size alone didn't scare off a hungry predator, this dinosaur might have lashed out with its whip-like tail, delivering a stinging blow to an attacker.
Carnivore Cousins

Carnivore Cousins

Although Piatnitzkysaurus was only around half the size of its North American relative, Allosaurus, the two meat-eating dinosaurs had a lot in common.

Terrible twosomeBoth of these dinosaurs had large mouths, full of knife-like teeth for ripping apart prey, as well as menacing claws on both hands and feet.

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Source: Microsoft Dinosaurs (1993) CD-ROM. Text liberated from original screen art; images & audio restored from disc. Original media is Microsoft/supplier copyright β€” non-commercial educational preservation. Credits & Acknowledgements