Thanos
Named after the Marvel Comics supervillain Thanos, whose name derives from Greek 'Thanatos' meaning 'death', reflecting the dinosaur's perceived fearsome nature.
Late Cretaceous stages
Thanos is a genus of abelisaurid theropod dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous (Campanian) São José do Rio Preto Formation of São Paulo State, Brazil. The type species is Thanos simonattoi, described in 2020.
Diagnosis
- Well-developed keel on ventral surface becoming wider and deeper posteriorly
- Two lateral small foramina separated by a relatively wide wall on each lateral surface of the centrum
- Well-developed and deep prezygapophyseal spinodiapophyseal fossae
Species
Thanos simonattoi Delcourt & Iori, 2020
Type species
Named in honor of Sérgio Luis Simonatto, who with a team from the Museu de Paleontologia 'Prof. Antonio Celso de Arruda Campos' discovered the holotype near São José do Rio Preto.
- Holotype
- MPMA 08-0016/95 , Museu de Paleontologia "Prof
- Material
- Almost complete axis fused with axial intercentrum, missing several processes
- Horizon
- São José do Rio Preto Formation, Santonian–Campanian, Late Cretaceous , 85.7–72.2 million years ago
- Locality
- property near the farm of Sérgio Luis Simonatto, São Paulo, Brazil
References
- Delcourt, R.; Iori, F. V. (2020). A new Abelisauridae (Dinosauria: Theropoda) from São José do Rio Preto Formation, Upper Cretaceous of Brazil and comments on the Bauru Group fauna. Historical Biology 32(7): 917-924. Informa UK Limited. doi:10.1080/08912963.2018.1546700 delcourt2020a
-
Jones, B. (2026). The Princeton Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs: Theropods. Princeton University Press.
Source of the body length, mass, and hip height estimates.
jones2026c