Carnosaur
| Carnosaurs Temporal range: Jurassic – Cretaceous |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| A replica Allosaurus skeleton. | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Sauropsida |
| Superorder: | Dinosauria |
| Order: | Saurischia |
| Suborder: | Theropoda |
| Infraorder: | Carnosauria von Huene, 1920 |
Carnosaurs are a subgroup of the theropod dinosaurs. They are the infraclass Carnosauria. The term was once used very widely, but is now defined more narrowly.
The group includes some of the main carnivores of the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods, such as Allosaurus, Carcharodontosaurus and Neovenator.
Carnosaurs are characterized by several features, mostly modifications of the pelvis and hind legs. (possibly adaptations evolved along with their increased size). For example, the carnosaurian femur ("thigh bone") is usually larger than the tibia ("shin bone"). Also characteristic of the Carnosauria are large orbits (eye openings in the skull) and a generally long, narrow skull.
Classification [change]
- Infraorder Carnosauria
- Erectopus
- Fukuiraptor
- Gasosaurus?
- Monolophosaurus
- Siamotyrannus
- Superfamily Allosauroidea
- Becklespinax?
- Megaraptor?
- Family Allosauridae
- Family Carcharodontosauridae
- Family Sinraptoridae
Cladogram [change]
The cladogram presented here follows the 2010 analysis by Benson, Carrano and Brusatte.[1]
| Allosauroidea |
|
||||||||||||||||||
References [change]
- ↑ Benson, R.B.J; Carrano, M.T; Brusatte, S.L. (2010). "A new clade of archaic large-bodied predatory dinosaurs (Theropoda: Allosauroidea) that survived to the latest Mesozoic". Naturwissenschaften 97 (1): 71–78. doi:10.1007/s00114-009-0614-x. PMID 19826771.
