Dahalokely

Dah-hah-lo-kee-ley.
Published on

Benjamin Gutierrez

Vertebrate Paleontologist

Benjamin Gutierrez is a leading expert on dinosaurs, particularly the mighty theropods. His fieldwork in South America has uncovered new species and provided insights into dinosaur social structures.

Cite Feedback Print

Name

Dahalokely ‭(‬Small thief‭)‬.

Phonetic

Dah-hah-lo-kee-ley.

Named By

Andrew A.‭ ‬Farke‭ & ‬Joseph J.‭ ‬W.‭ ‬Sertich‭ ‬-‭ ‬2013.

Classification

Chordata,‭ ‬Reptilia,‭ ‬Dinosauria,‭ ‬Saurischia,‭ ‬Theropoda,‭ ‬Abelisauroidea.

Diet

Carnivore.

Species

D.‭ ‬tokana‭

Size

Unknown due to lack of remains,‭ ‬but roughly estimated to have been around‭ ‬3.5 to 4‭ ‬meters long,‭ ‬but only if it was built like other abelisaurids.

Known locations

Madagascar‭ ‬-‭ ‘‬Ambolafotsy Formation‭’‬.

Time Period

Turonian of the Cretaceous.

Fossil representation

Partial post cranial remains including cervical‭ (‬neck‭) ‬and dorsal‭ (‬back‭) ‬vertebrae and partial ribs.

In Depth

       Dahalokely is so far only known by very incomplete remains,‭ ‬but if it‭’‬s identification as an abelisauroid is correct,‭ ‬then it certainly was very small for its type.‭ ‬Alternatively,‭ ‬if Dahalokely turns out to be a noasaur,‭ ‬a group of theropods closely related to abelisaurs,‭ ‬then it would be expected to have a more elongated build,‭ ‬making Dahalokely‭ ‬ more like around the four to five and a half meter mark.‭ ‬Unfortunately it is difficult to infer anything else about this dinosaur due to the lack of remains.

Further Reading

-‭ ‬An Abelisauroid Theropod Dinosaur from the Turonian of Madagascar,‭ ‬Andrew A.‭ ‬Farke‭ & ‬Joseph J.‭ ‬W.‭ ‬Sertich‭ ‬-‭ ‬2013.

Adopt A Species
prehistoric-wildlife new logo

Love this species?

Adopt it today!

(UPDATED!)

SPECIES SPOTLIGHT

varanus priscus a.k.a Megalania
Velociraptor