Majungasaurus crenatissimus bust

A new work. Portrait of the abelisaurid Majungasaurus crenatissimus from the Late Cretaceous of Madagascar. I've been wanting to draw this theropod for a long time, and now it's here. I also wanted to add variety to the lighting: most of my animals are lit from above.

Majungasaurus was described from the Maevarano Formation dating from the Maastrichtian. For the first time, its remains were described back in 1896 by Charles Depéret who attributed fossils to the genus Megalosaurus (the subject of the drawing turned out to be one of many dinosaurs that suffered this fate). The name "Majungasaurus" appeared in 1955, when René Lavocat described a jaw and teeth from the same location, and in 1979 a dome-shaped fragment of the skull was described under the name "Majungatholus" (the animal was considered a pachycephalosaurid). The understanding that all these names refer to one animal came after new excavations, which revealed to the world a rich material of very good quality, including the perfectly preserved skull FMNH PR 2100, which became the basis for this drawing. Since then, Majungasaurus has been the most studied abelisaurid.

Majungasaurus is a medium-sized theropod with a length of 6-7 meters, although there are fragmentary remains of larger individuals. Like most abelisaurids, it had a shortened skull with a blunt snout and a rough texture. However, its head was much wider than that of his relatives. The nasal bones were very thickened, and there was an outgrowth on the top of the head, which gave the name "Majungatholus" to the fragmentary "pachycephalosaurid". The teeth are small and numerous, adapted more for holding than cutting. Postcranium is very similar to other abelisaurids. In particular, Majungasaurus had the same reduced "hands". The legs, on the contrary, were very strong, although relatively short. Majungasaurus was a top predator who led a cruel lifestyle. Pathologies are visible on some specimens (one specimen lost part of the tail), in addition, there is evidence of cannibalism.

Here I focused on the head of Majungasaurus. As already mentioned, his skull had a rough texture. It was of two types: a monotonous rugose surface on the top of the skull and the lateral surface of the maxilla and dental bones, covered with pits and grooves. I wanted to show the possible differences between the covers of these parts of the head: the top is covered with a lumpy-wrinkled texture, the sides and are dressed in a relatively smooth, dense skin. Interestingly, such keratinized tissues covered even the oral cavity and gums. Most likely, the rough covers protected the head in fights. The neck integument is based on a close relative of Majungasaurus Carnotaurus sastrei. Another aspect of the work is lighting. I must say, side lighting is one of my favorite types of lighting, so I regret that I don't use it so often in my work. The result turned out quite good.

Black ballpoint pen, black and gray colored pencils and black watercolor, 2021.