Megalosauridae

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Megalosauridae is a monophyletic family of carnivorous theropod dinosaurs in the order Megalosauroidea. They appeared in the Middle Jurassic,

Megalosaurids
Temporal range: Middle - Late Jurassic, Possible Berriasian-Valanginian record
Torvosaurus Museum of Ancient Life 2.jpg
Skeletal mount of Torvosaurus tanneri, Museum of Ancient Life
Scientific classification e
Unrecognized taxon (fix): Megalosauria
Family: Megalosauridae
Huxley, 1869
Type species
Megalosaurus bucklandii
Mantell, 1827
Subgroups
Synonyms

Torvosauridae Jensen, 1985
Eustreptospondylidae Paul, 1988
Streptospondylidae Kurzanov, 1989

They are closely related to the family Spinosauridae. Some members of this family include Megalosaurus, Torvosaurus, Eustreptospondylus, and Afrovenator.

Megalosaurids were among the first major adaptive radiations of large theropod dinosaurs, but they became extinct by the end of the Jurassic period.[1] They were a relatively primitive group of basal tetanurans with two main subfamilies, Megalosaurinae and Afrovenatorinae.

The basal genus Eustreptospondylus differs from both subfamilies. Its position is unclear

Megalosauridae Media

References

  1. Benson, R.B.J (2010). "A description of Megalosaurus bucklandii (Dinosauria: Theropoda) from the Bathonian of the UK and the relationships of Middle Jurassic theropods". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 158 (4): 882–935. doi:10.1111/j.1096-3642.2009.00569.x. S2CID 84266680.