Megalosauridae

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

Megalosaurids Temporal range: Middle - Early Cretaceous, Possible Berriasian-Valanginian record
File: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
†Megalosaurinae †Megalosaurus †Torvosaurus †Duriavenator †Wiehenvenator †Eustreptospondylinae †Eustreptospondylus †Afrovenatorinae †Streptospondylus? †Afrovenator †Dubreuillosaurus †Leshansaurus †Magnosaurus †Piveteausaurus †Poekilopleuron?
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. 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

• Afrovenatorinae Size Comparison by PaleoGeek.svg

  Scale comparison of 3 afrovenatorines

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  Size comparison of the two species of Torvosaurus, among the largest megalosaurids

• Megalosaur skulls.png

  Megalosaurid skulls. Clockwise from top left: Dubreuillosaurus, Torvosaurus, Afrovenator, Megalosaurus, Eustreptospondylus

• Megalosaurus bucklandi tooth 2.jpg

  Tooth from Megalosaurus

• Megalosaurus femur.jpg

  Megalosaurus femur

• Torvosaurus tanneri Reconstruction.png

  Life reconstruction of Torvosaurus tanneri. Based on Hartman.

• Eustrept1DB1 (Flipped).jpg

  Eustreptospondylus Reconstruction flipped for use in cladograms, etc.

• 

  Magnosaurus reconstruction flipped for use in cladograms and such.

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  Duriavenator reconstruction flipped for use in cladograms and such.

• 

  Afrovenator Abakensis by PaleoGeek

References

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