Masiakasaurus is a genus of small predatory noasaurid theropod dinosaurs from the Late Cretaceous of Madagascar.

The type species, Masiakasaurus knopfleri, was named after the musician Mark Knopfler, whose music inspired the expedition crew.

Masiakasaurus was a member of the group Noasauridae, small predatory ceratosaurs found primarily in South America.

Remains of Masiakasaurus have been found in the Late Cretaceous Maevarano Formation in northwestern Madagascar and were first described in the journal Nature in 2001.

The braincase, premaxilla, facial bones, ribcage, portions of the hands and pectoral girdle (coracoid), and much of the cervical and dorsal vertebral column were described for the first time.

The margin of the dentary curves downward so that the alveoli (tooth sockets) of the front teeth are directed forward.

[5] The front teeth of the upper jaw are also procumbent, and the margin of the premaxilla curves slightly upward to direct them outward.

Not including the highly modified jaws and teeth, the skull of Masiakasaurus possesses many general ceratosaurian characteristics.

The penultimate phalanx, the finger bone that immediately precedes the raptorial ungual in Noasaurus, is also known in Masiakasaurus and has a similar appearance.

In its initial 2001 description, Masiakasaurus was classified as a basal abelisauroid related to Laevisuchus and Noasaurus, two poorly known genera named in 1933 and 1980, respectively.

The robust morph includes specimens with thicker bones and more pronounced projections for the attachment of ligaments and muscles.

The back teeth, however, share the same general characteristics as those of most other theropods, suggesting that they served a similar function in Masiakasaurus such as cutting and slicing.

Because the front teeth would have been well suited for grasping, Masiakasaurus may have consumed small vertebrates, invertebrates, and possibly even fruits.

[6] In 2013, Lee and O'Connor observed that Masiakasaurus would be a good subject for an analysis of theropod growth, considering that there is an abundance of fossil material to examine from a broad range of ontogenetic stages.

The study showed that Masiakasaurus grew determinately, and reached full maturity at a small body size.

Competing theories that Masiakasaurus specimens represent the juvenile form of a larger-bodied theropod were not supported by the data.