The Megalosauridae Thread- Megalosaur discoveries

Adam Khor

Remember Eustreptospondylus from Walking with Dinosaurs? It seems that it may have looked quite a bit different from this classic depiction.



In fact, it may have looked quite a lot like a short-snouted spinosaur. I don´t have a link to any papers about it, sadly, but here's a reconstruction of the skull, which seems to have a slight kink on the snout very much like a spinosaur:


This adds weight to the idea that spinosaurs were related to megalosaurs and may have been descended from them- and not from dilophosaurs as has also been suggested. It seems telling to me that Baryonyx, the oldest known spinosaur, comes from the same region as Eustreptospondylus (I'm not counting those supossed Jurassic spinosaurs known only from teeth or vertebrae or miserable finger bones- they could be anything, really). Knowing the fossil record and how incomplete it is, tho, this may be mere coincidence.
Even so, it makes for a neat story- if Eustreptospondylus was living in a series of islands and living off sea creatures as we've been told, it would make it a good starting point for the evolution of spinosaurs. :>

Adam Khor

At last we have a nest of giant theropods:

http://www.nature.com/srep/2013/130530/srep01924/full/srep01924.html

Rubecula

Excellent report Adam

Adam Khor

For years it was rumored to be one of the largest theropods in the world. Turns out it was "only" 8 to 9 meters long. Still interesting, though, as megalosaurs and Mid Jurassic dinosaurs in general are rather poorly known.

http://www.eartharchives.org/articles/wiehenvenator-albati-das-monster-von-minden/

Adam Khor

http://www.nature.com/articles/srep31494

Adam Khor

https://leamingtonobserver.co.uk/news/warwick-uni-scientists-uncover-dinosaur-teeth/

Fathom

CT scanning. 3D analysis. More teeth found. Other finds may benefit from tech reexaminations?

Adam Khor

Remains and tracks of giant megalosaurs found in Spain.

Amongst them there's vertebrae that are bigger than those of some Spinosaurus specimens, and only slightly smaller than those of T. rex and the very largest carcharodontosaurs. The tracks are up to 82 cm long. These may have belonged to genus Megalosaurus or Torvosaurus, which are often overshadowed by the allosaurs and ceratosaurs that lived at the same time, yet were bigger and had huge, bone-crushing jaws akin to the much later tyrannosaurs.

Article is in Spanish:

http://www.elcomercio.es/asturias/mayor-dinosaurio-carnivoro-vivio-asturias-20180706160006-nt.html

gozunda

Looks like a new track site has been found in Scotland ...

https://m.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/new-dinosaur-footprints-are-first-evidence-of-prehistoric-beasts-on-scottish-mainland_uk_5b7ac640e4b018b93e95fd96

First ones discovered in Scotish mainland apparently ..

Adam Khor

At 170 million years, the theropod tracks may well belong to a megalosaur. Duriavenator was found in England and is the same age; it may actually be an early species of Megalosaurus, and was formerly classified as such (Megalosaurus hesperis).
It is known from incomplete remains but may have been in the 7 m long range...

Adam Khor

Megalosaur teeth found in Uruguay.

The teeth are the largest of any carnivorous dinosaur ever found in the country, and according to the discoverers may belong in genus Torvosaurus, which would greatly expand the creature's known range (currently it is known from North America, Europe and possibly Africa).

Article is in Spanish:

https://www.elobservador.com.uy/nota/encuentran-dientes-de-un-dinosaurio-carnivoro-en-tacuarembo-2019113201234

Torvosaurus is one of the largest theropods known from the late Jurassic period. It would've coexisted with the more abundant Allosaurus, and probably occupied the top predator niche, being stronger and more massive than Allosaurus, but also slower and less agile.

Adam Khor

Historic Megalosaurus statue at Crystal Palace Park damaged:

https://metro.co.uk/2020/05/25/historic-life-size-crystal-palace-dinosaur-damaged-vandals-12754988/

Adam Khor

Giant theropod footprints ("Kayentapus") found in Queensland, Australia, would represent the country's largest known theropod, with tracks up to 80 cm long suggesting an animal at least 3 m tall at the hips and around 10 m long- in the same league as most tyrannosaurids.

It lived much earlier, however, during the Jurassic. Although the tracks alone do not allow for identification beyond "large theropod", their age would make it at least possible that they were left by a megalosaur or megalosaur-like creature, so I'm posting this here for the moment- to honor the old tradition of classifying every new, incompletely known theropod as "Megalosaurus"

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-06-18/australias-largest-meat-eating-theropod-identified-southern-qld/12366880