Carnosauria

Carnosaurs
Temporal range:
Middle JurassicLate Cretaceous, 174–89 Ma Possible Late Toarcian and Late Maastrichtian records.
Four carnosaurs (top to bottom): Sinraptor, Acrocanthosaurus, Concavenator, Allosaurus
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Clade: Dinosauria
Clade: Saurischia
Clade: Theropoda
Clade: Avetheropoda
Clade: Carnosauria
von Huene, 1920
Subgroups
Synonyms

Allosauroidea? Marsh, 1878

Carnosauria is an extinct group of carnivorous theropod dinosaurs that lived during the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods.

While Carnosauria was historically considered largely synonymous with Allosauroidea, some recent studies have revived Carnosauria as clade including both Allosauroidea and Megalosauroidea (which is sometimes recovered as paraphyletic with respect to Allosauroidea), and thus including the majority of non-coleurosaurian members of theropod clade Tetanurae.[1] Other researchers have found Allosauroidea and Megalosauroidea to be unrelated groups.[2]

Distinctive characteristics of carnosaurs include large eye sockets, a long narrow skull and modifications of the legs and pelvis such as the thigh (femur) being longer than the shin (tibia).[3]

Carnosaurs first appeared in the Middle Jurassic, around 176 mya. The last definite known carnosaurs, the carcharodontosaurs, became extinct in the Turonian epoch of the Cretaceous, roughly 90 mya; reportedly later remains of carcharodontosaurids, from the late Maastrichtian (70–66 mya) Bauru Group in Brazil, were later interpreted as those of abelisaurids.[4] The phylogenetically problematic megaraptorans, which may or may not be carnosaurs, became extinct around 66 mya.[5] Unquillosaurus, discovered in rocks dated to 75-70 mya,[6][7] might potentially also be a carnosaur.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Rauhut2019 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cau A. (2024). A Unified Framework for Predatory Dinosaur Macroevolution. Bollettino della Società Paleontologica Italiana, 63(1): 1-19.
  3. ^ Hutchinson, John R. (7 November 2005) [Originally published 11 November 1995]. Smith, Dave (ed.). "Tremble Before the Carnosauria!". University of California Museum of Paleontology. Retrieved 5 March 2024.
  4. ^ Delcourt, R.; Grillo, O.N. (2017). "Carcharodontosaurids remained extinct in the Campanian-Maastrichtian: Reassessment of a fragmentary maxilla from Presidente Prudente Formation, Brazil". Cretaceous Research. 84: 515–524. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2017.09.008.
  5. ^ Fernandes de Azevedo, R. P.; Simbras, F. M.; Furtado, M. R.; Candeiro, C. R. A.; Bergqvist, L. P. (2013). "First Brazilian carcharodontosaurid and other new theropod dinosaur fossils from the Campanian–Maastrichtian Presidente Prudente Formation, São Paulo State, southeastern Brazil". Cretaceous Research. 40: 131–142. Bibcode:2013CrRes..40..131F. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2012.06.004.
  6. ^ Novas and Agnolin, (2004). "Unquillosaurus ceibalii Powell, a giant maniraptoran (Dinosauria, Theropoda) from the Late Cretaceous of Argentina." Rev. Mus. Argentino Cienc. Nat., n.s. 6(1): 61-66.
  7. ^ Matthew, Carrano (2012). "The phylogeny of Tetanurae (Dinosauria: Theropoda)". Journal of Systematic Palaeontology. 10 (2): 211–300. Bibcode:2012JSPal..10..211C. doi:10.1080/14772019.2011.630927. S2CID 85354215.