Metriacanthosauridae

Metriacanthosaurids were a family of carnivorous theropod dinosaurs. They tended to be large predators, and some were 30 ft (10 m) long.

Metriacanthosauridae Temporal range: Middle Jurassic-Early Cretaceous,
Sinraptor dongi, Royal Tyrrell Museum
Scientific classification
Unrecognized taxon (fix):	Metriacanthosauridae
Type species
†Megalosaurus parkeri Huene, 1923
Subgroups
†Yangchuanosaurus †Xuanhanosaurus †Metriacanthosaurinae †Metriacanthosaurus †Shidaisaurus †Siamotyrannus †Sinraptor
Synonyms
Sinraptoridae Currie & Zhao, 1993

Metriacanthosaurids are carnosaurs. At first they were classified in the Megalosauridae or Allosauridae, now they are put in their own family. A gigantic tooth, which may come from a giant metriacanthosaurid, was described recently (2008).

Classification

The Metriacanthosauridae is a monophyletic group. Cladistically it includes Metriacanthosaurus parkeri and species closer related to Metriacanthosaurus than to Allosaurus fragilis, Carcharodontosaurus saharicus, or to birds. These theropods are close to the ancestors of the allosaurs.

Metriacanthosauridae is often referred to as "Sinraptoridae", but Metriacanthosauridae is the correct name under ICZN rules, since Metriacanthosaurus was the first member of the family to be described and named.

The cladogram here follows a study by Benson and colleagues.

Metriacanthosauridae	Metriacanthosaurus Sinraptor <unnamed Poekilopleuron Lourinhanosaurus

Metriacanthosauridae Media

• 

  Life restoration of Yangchuanosaurus shangyouensis

Other websites

• Taxon Search - Sinraptoridae Archived 2011-07-17 at the Wayback Machine
• Carnosauria Archived 2009-04-25 at the Wayback Machine