Cristatusaurus
Cristatusaurus was a carnivorous theropod dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous of West Africa. Its fossils look very similar to the ones from Baryonyx and Suchomimus. [1]
| Cristatusaurus | |
|---|---|
| |
| Diagram illustrating possible size and skeletal reconstruction combining several fossil specimens | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Clade: | Avetheropoda |
| Infraorder: | Carnosauria |
| Family: | Spinosauridae |
| Subfamily: | Baryonychinae |
| Genus: | Cristatusaurus Taquet and Russell, 1998 |
| Species: | C. lapparenti
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| Binomial name | |
| Cristatusaurus lapparenti | |
| Synonyms | |
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Discovery and naming
The first specimens were found in Niger in 1973 by a French paleontologist named Philippe Taquet. The name of the animal refers to the Latin word for crest, "crista", because it had a crest on its snout. The species "lapparenti" is named after another French paleontologist called Albert-Félix de Lapparent.[1] The fossils discovered so far include two broken snout bones, some pieces from the upper and lower jaws, a claw, and four backbones (also called ''vertebrae''). Scientists aren't sure if Cristatusaurus is a new species, some of them say it could be the same dinosaur as Suchomimus or Baryonyx.[2]
Another view of the fossil jaw pieces.
Claw from Cristatusaurus
Cristatusaurus Media
Holotype specimen (MNHN GDF 366), consisting of jaw fossils, Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Paris
Diagram showing the differences between an adult (A) and juvenile (B) Cristatusaurus premaxilla
Type premaxillae from reversed left side (A), bottom (B), and top (C) views
Comparison between snout fossils of Suchomimus (A, B), Cristatusaurus (C, D), and Baryonyx (E)
Baryonyx walkeri restoration
Cristatusaurus_lapparenti_by_PaleoGeek
Suchomimus_tenerensis_by_PaleoGeek
Irritator_challengeri_by_PaleoGeek
Oxalaia_quilombensis_by_PaleoGeek
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Taquet, P. and Russell, D.A. (1998). "New data on spinosaurid dinosaurs from the Early Cretaceous of the Sahara". Comptes Rendus de l'Académie des Sciences à Paris, Sciences de la Terre et des Planètes 327: 347-353
- ↑ Rauhut, O.W.M. (2003). "The interrelationships and evolution of basal theropod dinosaurs". Special Papers in Palaeontology 69: 1-213.