Species
Australovenator wintonensis
Australovenator wintonensisAlso known as Banjo, Winton Cheetah
Australovenator wintonensis was a lightweight, agile predator built for pursuing fleet quarry across ancient Australian floodplains. Equipped with powerfully muscled forearms bearing massive, switchblade-like hand claws, it likely grappled struggling prey before delivering fatal slashing bites. Its slender, hollow-boned hindlimbs supported high running speeds, establishing it as one of the swiftest theropods of the mid-Cretaceous Southern Hemisphere.
PrehistoricCarnivorousBipedal
—observations
—countries
—peak records
ExtinctConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXExtinctRed List categories, explained →
Diet & preyDiamantinasaurus (juveniles), Small ornithopods, Freshwater lungfish
Predators
- Large crocodylomorphs (juveniles)
ThreatsPrehistoric extinction events and changing mid-Cretaceous ecosystems
HabitatsCretaceous floodplain forests, river deltas, and braided wetlands
Life span15–25 years
Classification
- FamilyMegaraptoridae
- SpeciesAustralovenator wintonensis
Range data is not available yet.
Interaction riskLow
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Very high
- Why interaction risk is low
- Extinct species known only from Cretaceous fossils; poses no living hazard.
Responsible observation
- Museum Displays: Examine cast skeletons and genuine holotype bones at the Australian Age of Dinosaurs Museum in Winton, Queensland.
- Dig Site Etiquette: Never disturb fossil-bearing strata on protected paleontological reserves without authorized permits.
Image unavailableCo-occurring Sauropod Neighbor 
Neighbor Smokeybjb / CC BY-SA 3.0 · cc-by-saClose Relative 
Close Relative Eight heads serpent / CC0 · cc0
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