Neovenator
| Neovenator | ||||||||||||
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Reconstruction of Neovenator salerii |
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| Temporal occurrence | ||||||||||||
| Lower Cretaceous ( Barremium ) | ||||||||||||
| 130.7 to 126.3 million years | ||||||||||||
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Neovenator | ||||||||||||
| Hutt , Martill & Barker , 1996 | ||||||||||||
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Neovenator is a dinosaur that belongs to the Allosauroidea , a group within the Carnosauria . It comes from the early Cretaceous ( Barremium , 131 to 126 million years before today) Wessex Formation , and thus from the Wealden Group , a rock unit that is famous for its rich dinosaur fauna. His remains were discovered at Grange Chine, Isle of Wight ( England ). The only species is Neovenator salerii .
Like all Carnosauria, it was a two-legged carnivore. With a length of 7.5 m, it was one of the largest predators of the Wealden fauna. Its prey probably included the ornithopod Iguanodon or sauropod . Another larger theropod from the Wealden fauna is the early Tyrannosaurus relative, Eotyrannus lengi .
Neovenator was scientifically described in 1996 by Hutt, Martill and Barker. At the time of the description it was the only confirmed allosauroid find from Europe. The name is made up of the Greek “neos” (new) and the Latin “venator” (hunter).
About 70% of the skeleton is known, making it one of the better known theropods . The forearms have not survived and only the front part of the skull has survived. The most important features can be found there, however: Compared to other theropods, the nasal bone is huge, which gives the skull a strange shape, described as a puffin- like shape. The premaxillae has, unlike any other carnosaur (except Allosaurus ), five teeth. Overall, Neovenator was built lighter than its relatives, e.g. B. Allosaurus .
Its systematic position within the Allosauroidae, which is divided into the families Sinraptoridae , Allosauridae and Carcharodontosauridae , is controversial. Mostly it is classified as Allosauridae, many researchers also consider it a primitive Carcharodontosauriden. A closer relationship with the Sinraptorids cannot be ruled out either.
literature
- Steve Hutt, Dave M. Martill, Mike J. Barker: The first European allosaurid dinosaur (Lower Cretaceous, Wealden Group, England). In: New Yearbook for Geology and Paleontology. Monthly books. Vol. 10, 1996, ISSN 0028-3630 , pp. 635-644.
Web links
- Dinosaur info - Neovenator requires Flash and JavaScript
Individual evidence
- ^ Gregory S. Paul: The Princeton Field Guide To Dinosaurs. Princeton University Press, Princeton NJ et al. 2010, ISBN 978-0-691-13720-9 , p. 98
- ^ Dougal Dixon: The World Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs & Prehistoric Creatures. Lorenz Books, London 2007, ISBN 978-0-7548-1730-7 , p. 240.