Cristatusaurus

Cristatusaurus was a carnivorous theropod dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous of West Africa. Its fossils look very similar to the ones from Baryonyx and Suchomimus. [1]

Cristatusaurus
Temporal range: Early Cretaceous (Albian–Aptian),
~112 Ma
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Diagram illustrating possible size and skeletal reconstruction combining several fossil specimens
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Clade: Archosauria
Clade: Dinosauria
Clade: Saurischia
Clade: Theropoda
Clade: Avetheropoda
Infraorder: †Carnosauria
Family: †Spinosauridae
Subfamily: †Baryonychinae
Genus: †Cristatusaurus
Taquet and Russell, 1998
Species:
†C. lapparenti
Binomial name
Cristatusaurus lapparenti
Taquet and Russell, 1998
Synonyms

Discovery and naming

The first specimens were found in Niger in 1973 by a french paleontologist named Philippe Taquet. The name of the animal refers to the latin word for crest, "crista", because it had a crest on its snout. The species "lapparenti" is named after another french paleontologist called Albert-Félix de Lapparent.[1] The fossils discovered so far include two broken snout bones, some pieces from the upper and lower jaws, a claw, and four backbones (also called ''vertebrae''). Scientists aren't sure if Cristatusaurus is a new species, some of them say it could be the same dinosaur as Suchomimus or Baryonyx.[2]

  • Another view of the fossil jaw pieces.
  • Claw from Cristatusaurus

References
  1. Taquet, P. and Russell, D.A. (1998). "New data on spinosaurid dinosaurs from the Early Cretaceous of the Sahara". Comptes Rendus de l'Académie des Sciences à Paris, Sciences de la Terre et des Planètes 327: 347-353
  2. Rauhut, O.W.M. (2003). "The interrelationships and evolution of basal theropod dinosaurs". Special Papers in Palaeontology 69: 1-213.


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