Cretaceous
Noasaurus
Noasaurus leali
The catalogue presents Noasaurus as a carnivore member of Noasauridae that lived during the Cretaceous, between 70.6–66.0 Ma. Its estimated range is 2.5 m in length and 20–30 kg in mass, giving a practical sense of scale. Reference material comes from El Brete Formation, Salta, Argentina. Size and mass are approximations and may change with new fossils or methods.
Evidence-backed summary
For Noasaurus, the PBDB records the taxonomic attribution as Bonaparte and Powell (1980).
The PBDB places it in Noasaurinae, and the catalogue record assigns it to the family Noasauridae.
- PBDB · taxon.parent
- Noasauridae
In the PBDB record, the reported stratigraphic range is the Maastrichtian.
The PBDB catalogues 1 occurrence, with material from the Lecho Formation (1). Provenance: Argentina.
The catalogue records the holotype as PVL 4061 and the type locality as “El Brete Formation, Salta, Argentina”.
- PVL 4061
- El Brete Formation, Salta, Argentina
The catalogue's reference measurements are 2.5 m in length and 20–30 kg in mass — estimates, which vary with specimen and method.
- 2.5 m
- 20-30 kg
The record gathers 40 bibliographic references registered in the PBDB, listed below.
Where it lived
Fossil occurrences on today’s map and in the tectonic reconstruction.
Positions reconstructed by PBDB/GPlates, not observed; this is not an exact habitat map.
Artistic 3D reconstruction
There is no approved species-specific 3D model yet. Generic anatomy will not be presented as if it were evidence.
Physical Specifications
- Length
- 2.5 m
- Weight
- 20–30 kg
- Period
- Cretaceous
- Time range
- 70.6–66.0 Ma
Discovery Information
- First Discovery
- 1980
- Described by
- Bonaparte & Powell
Taxonomic Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Reptilia
- Order
- Saurischia
- Family
- Noasauridae
- Genus
- Noasaurus
- Species
- N. leali
Data status
Taxonomic name matched to PBDB and checked on 2026-08-08.
Taxonomic linkage does not automatically validate size, mass, behaviour or appearance.
- Type specimen
- PVL 4061
- Type locality
- El Brete Formation, Salta, Argentina