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Ceratosauria
Ceratosaurs are members of the clade Ceratosauria, a group of dinosaurs defined as all theropods sharing a more recent common ancestor with '' Ceratosaurus'' than with birds. The oldest known ceratosaur, '' Saltriovenator'', dates to the earliest part of the Jurassic, around 199 million years ago. Ceratosauria includes three major clades: Ceratosauridae, Noasauridae, and Abelisauridae, found primarily (though not exclusively) in the Southern Hemisphere. Originally, Ceratosauria included the above dinosaurs plus the Late Triassic to Early Jurassic Coelophysoidea and Dilophosauridae, implying a much earlier divergence of ceratosaurs from other theropods. However, most recent studies have shown that coelophysoids and dilophosaurids do not form a natural group with other ceratosaurs, and are excluded from this group. Ceratosauria derives its names from the type species, '' Ceratosaurus nasicornis'', described by O.C. Marsh in 1884. A moderately large predator from the Late Jura ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ceratosaurus
''Ceratosaurus'' (from Greek 'horn' and 'lizard') is a genus of carnivorous theropod dinosaur that lived in the Late Jurassic period (Kimmeridgian to Tithonian ages). The genus was first described in 1884 by American paleontologist Othniel Charles Marsh based on a nearly complete skeleton discovered in Garden Park, Colorado, in rocks belonging to the Morrison Formation. The type species is ''Ceratosaurus nasicornis''. The Garden Park specimen remains the most complete skeleton known from the genus and only a handful of additional specimens have been described since. Two additional species, ''Ceratosaurus dentisulcatus'' and ''Ceratosaurus magnicornis'', were described in 2000 from two fragmentary skeletons from the Cleveland-Lloyd Quarry of Utah and from the vicinity of Fruita, Colorado. The validity of these additional species has been questioned, however, and all three skeletons possibly represent different growth stages of the same species. In 1999, the discovery o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Abelisauridae
Abelisauridae (meaning "Abel's lizards") is a family (or clade) of ceratosaurian theropod dinosaurs. Abelisaurids thrived during the Cretaceous period, on the ancient southern supercontinent of Gondwana, and today their fossil remains are found on the modern continents of Africa and South America, as well as on the Indian subcontinent and the island of Madagascar. Isolated teeth were found in the Late Jurassic of Portugal, and the Late Cretaceous genera '' Tarascosaurus'', '' Arcovenator'' and '' Caletodraco'' have been described in France. Abelisaurids possibly first appeared during the Jurassic period based on fossil records, and some genera survived until the end of the Mesozoic era, around . Like most theropods, abelisaurids were carnivorous bipeds. They were characterized by stocky hind limbs and extensive ornamentation of the skull bones, with grooves and pits. In many abelisaurids, such as ''Carnotaurus'', the forelimbs are vestigial, the skull is shorter, and bony cres ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Berberosaurus
''Berberosaurus'' (meaning "Berber lizard", in reference to the Berbers of Morocco) is a genus of neotheropod dinosaur, possibly a ceratosaur, from the Toarcian-age (Lower Jurassic) "Toundoute Continental Series" (Azilal Formation) found in the Central High Atlas of Toundoute, Ouarzazate, Morocco. The type species of the genus ''Berberosaurus'' is ''B. liassicus'', in reference to the Lias epoch. ''Berberosaurus'' might be the oldest known ceratosaur, and is based on partial postcranial remains. This genus represents the oldest formally identified theropod from the North of Africa, as well one of the few from the region in the Early Jurassic. Discovery and history The remains of ''Berberosaurus'' were discovered during a series of expeditions to the High Atlas beginning in the early 2000s, when in 6 years, where made to dig in the local redbeds. It is based on an associated partial postcranial skeleton of a subadult individual cataloged in the Muséum d'Histoire Naturelle de M ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Elaphrosaurus
''Elaphrosaurus'' ( ) is a genus of ceratosaurian Theropoda, theropod dinosaur that lived approximately 154 to 150 million years ago during the Late Jurassic, Late Jurassic Period in what is now Tanzania in Africa. ''Elaphrosaurus'' was a medium-sized but lightly built member of the group that could grow up to long. Morphologically, this dinosaur is significant in two ways. Firstly, it has a relatively long body but is very shallow-chested for a theropod of its size. Secondly, it has very short hindlimbs in comparison with its body. Phylogenetic analyses indicate that this genus is likely a ceratosaur. Earlier suggestions that it is a late surviving coelophysoid have been examined but generally dismissed. ''Elaphrosaurus'' is currently believed to be a very close relative of ''Limusaurus'', an unusual beaked ceratosaurian which may have been either herbivorous or omnivorous. Discovery The type specimen of ''Elaphrosaurus bambergi'' HMN Gr.S. 38–44 was recovered in the Middl ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Noasauridae
Noasauridae is an extinct family of theropod dinosaurs belonging to the group Ceratosauria. They were closely related to the short-armed Abelisauridae, abelisaurids, although most noasaurids had much more traditional body types generally similar to other theropods. Their heads, on the other hand, had unusual adaptations depending on the subfamily. 'Traditional' noasaurids, sometimes grouped in the subfamily Noasaurinae, had sharp teeth which splayed outwards from a downturned lower jaw. The most complete and well-known example of these kinds of noasaurids was ''Masiakasaurus knopfleri'' from Madagascar. Another group, Elaphrosaurinae, has also been placed within Noasauridae by some studies. Elaphrosaurines developed toothless jaws and Herbivore, herbivorous diets, at least as adults. The most complete and well known elaphrosaurine was ''Limusaurus, Limusaurus inextricabilis''. At least some noasaurids had Skeletal pneumaticity, pneumatised cervical vertebrae.Arthur Souza Brum, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Deltadromeus
''Deltadromeus'' (meaning "delta runner") is an extinct genus of controversial theropod dinosaurs from the Aoufous Formation (Kem Kem Beds) of Morocco. The genus contains a single species, ''Deltadromeus agilis'', known from multiple partial skeletons from the mid-Cretaceous period (mid-Cenomanian age), about 95 million years ago. The classification of ''Deltadromeus'' has been in flux since its original description. In 2016, the South American megaraptoran ''Gualicho'' was noted to have many similarities with ''Deltadromeus''. Other studies have considered it a ceratosaurian, potentially as a member of the family Noasauridae. It may be a junior synonym of the contemporary ''Bahariasaurus''. Discovery The holotype of ''Deltadromeus agilis'' (museum catalogue number SGM-Din2) is a partial skeleton. A number of specimens (catalogued under IPHG 1912 VIII) from the Bahariya Formation of Egypt were originally considered by Ernst Stromer to be conspecific with ''Bahariasaurus'',S ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Afromimus
''Afromimus'' (meaning "Africa mimic") is a genus of ceratosaurian theropod dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous Elrhaz Formation of Niger. It contains a single species, ''A. tenerensis'', named in 2017 by Paul Sereno from parts of the right leg, vertebrae, and ribs found in the Ténéré Desert. It was originally described as a genus of ornithomimosaurian, but subsequent arguments have placed it as a taxon within or close to the superfamily Abelisauroidea. Discovery and naming The only known specimen of ''Afromimus'' is a partial skeleton consisting of seven (originating from the middle of the tail and estimated to be the 15th, 16th, 18th, 20th, 22nd, 24th, and 27th tail vertebrae), bones from the right hindlimb (the , , , and ), and part of a rib, all found within a radius of . It was discovered in 1997 at the Gadoufaoua locality in the Elrhaz Formation, in the Ténéré Desert of Niger. The specimen is catalogued as MNBH GAD112 in the Musée National Boubou Hama, the natio ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bahariasaurus
''Bahariasaurus'' (meaning " Bahariya lizard") is an enigmatic genus of large theropod dinosaur. The genus contains a single species, ''Bahariasaurus ingens'', which was found in North African rock layers dating to the Cenomanian age of the Late Cretaceous. The only fossils confidently assigned to ''Bahariasaurus'' were found in the Bahariya Formation of the Bahariya Oasis in Egypt by Ernst Stromer. This material was destroyed during a World War II bombing raid, with the same raid also destroying the holotypes of ''Spinosaurus'', '' Aegyptosaurus'', and other other animals found in the Bahariya Formation. ''Bahariasaurus'' is among the largest known theropods, estimated at long and around in weight. This approaches the size of other large theropods such as ''Tyrannosaurus rex'' and the contemporaneous '' Carcharodontosaurus''. The exact phylogenetic placement of ''Bahariasaurus'' has been debated. Some research has proposed close affiinities or even synonymy of ''Bahariasau ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Carnotaurus
''Carnotaurus'' (; ) is a genus of Theropoda, theropod dinosaur that lived in South America during the Late Cretaceous period, probably sometime between 72 and 69 million years ago. The only species is ''Carnotaurus sastrei''. Known from a single well-preserved skeleton, it is one of the best-understood theropods from the Southern Hemisphere. The skeleton, found in 1984, was uncovered in the Chubut Province of Argentina from rocks of the La Colonia Formation. ''Carnotaurus'' is a derived member of the Abelisauridae, a group of large theropods that occupied the large predation, predatorial ecological niche, niche in the southern landmasses of Gondwana during the late Cretaceous. Within the Abelisauridae, the genus is often considered a member of the Brachyrostra, a clade of short-snouted forms restricted to South America. ''Carnotaurus'' was a lightly built, bipedal predator, measuring in length and weighing . As a theropod, ''Carnotaurus'' was highly specialized and distincti ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Betasuchus
''Betasuchus'' is a genus of theropod dinosaur which lived during the Late Cretaceous Period. ''Betasuchus'' is, besides ''Orthomerus'', the only dinosaur genus named from remains found in the Netherlands and the only non-avian theropod found in the Maastrichtian Beds. Discovery Its fossil, holotype BMNH 42997 (now NHM R 42997), a part of a right femur, 312 mm long, was found in the Netherlands near Maastricht, and originally described as a new species of ''Megalosaurus'' in 1883 by Harry Seeley: ''M. bredai'', honouring the late Dutch biologist and geologist Jacob Gijsbertus Samuël van Breda, a director of the Teylers Museum, who had collected the fossil at some time between 1820 and 1860 from the chalkstone quarry at the St Pietersberg. Van Breda did not excavate the remains himself but bought them from quarry workers who in this period dug stone from tunnels at several levels in the mountain; it is therefore impossible to determine the exact temporal horizon, apart fro ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Spinostropheus
''Spinostropheus'' is a genus of carnivorous neotheropod theropod dinosaur that lived in the Middle Jurassic period and has been found in the Tiouraren Formation, Niger. The type and only species is ''S. gautieri''. History of discovery In 1959, Albert-Félix de Lapparent excavated fossils near Oued Timmersöi, west of In Tedreft in the Agadez desert. Among the finds were the remains of a theropod. In 1960, de Lapparent, based on these, named a second species of the genus ''Elaphrosaurus'', ''E. gautieri''. The specific name honours François Gautier, the discoverer of the type locality. In 2004, Paul Sereno, John Wilson and John Conrad named a separate genus: ''Spinostropheus''. The generic name is derived from Latin ''spina'', "spine", and Greek στροφεύς, ''stropheus'', "vertebra", and refers to the epipophyseal processes of the cervical vertebrae, which are prominent and dorso-ventrally flattened. The holotype, MNHN 1961-28, was found in a layer of the Tiour ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
