Scientific name Lourinhanosaurus Rank Genus | Phylum Chordata Species †L. antunesi Higher classification Coelurosauria | |
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Similar Dinosaur, Becklespinax, Zupaysaurus, Ilokelesia, Sinovenator | ||
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Lourinhanosaurus (meaning "Lourinhã [Formation] lizard") was a carnivorous theropod dinosaur genus that lived during the Late Jurassic Period (Kimmeridgian/Tithonian). Its first remains were found at Peralta, near Lourinhã, Portugal in 1982, but were not described until 1998, by Portuguese paleontologist Octávio Mateus.
Contents
- Lourinhanosaurus vs rajasaurus dinosaurs reviews from collecta dinosaur battle
- MaterialEdit
- ClassificationEdit
- PaleobiologyEdit
- References
Its type (and to date only) species is L. antunesi, in honour of Portuguese paleontologist Miguel Telles Antunes.
MaterialEdit
To date, the most complete specimen of L. antunesi found is a partial skeleton. The holotype, ML 370, consists of the remains of six cervical vertebrae with six ribs, five sacral vertebrae with ribs, 14 caudal vertebrae, eight chevrons, both femora, right tibia and fibula, one metatarsus, two ilia and both pubes and ischia, as well as an associated 32 gastroliths.
A femur (ML 555) found at Porto das Barcas (Lourinhã Formation; Late Jurassic) has also been referred to L. antunesi.
Besides these specimens, around 100 eggs (specimen number ML 565), some of them containing embryonic bones, have been found in 1993 at the nearby beach of Paimogo. These were in 2001 assigned to L. antunesi.
Both the skeleton and the eggs are on display at Museu da Lourinhã.
ClassificationEdit
Relationships of Lourinhanosaurus have been uncertain, and no firm consensus has been reached as to its relationships. Initially regarded as a primitive member of Allosauroidea, it was later discussed as being closely related to Sinraptoridae, a more inclusive clade within Allosauroidea. Recently, some researchers have been favourable to the idea that L. antunesi is not even an allosauroid, but in fact a member of Megalosauroidea, a more primitive group of tetanuran theropods. Benson et al. (2010) found it and Poekilopleuron to belong to Sinraptoridae. Carrano et al. (2012) found it to be a coelurosaur.
PaleobiologyEdit
L. antunesi was a rather large carnivorous dinosaur. The specimen found was a sub-adult, measuring some 4.5 m in length and weighing around 160 kg. A full grown adult would have reached 8 meters, taking 10 years to reach that size.
Though gastroliths have been found in other theropods since the description of L. antunesi, this was the first theropod dinosaur for which this kind of remains have been assigned. It was concluded during the description that these stones belonged to the animal, and were not swallowed while eating an herbivorous dinosaur.
Dinosaur eggs and embryos, believed to be those of Lourinhanosaurus, have also been discovered; a nest containing more than 100 eggs, some with well-preserved embryos, was announced in 1998.
Lourinhanosaurus probably competed with coeval Torvosaurus gurneyi, Allosaurus europaeus, and Ceratosaurus.