⊛ Saurophaganax – Resumenea

What is Saurophaganax?

Saurophaganax is considered by many to be the largest and fiercest carnivorous dinosaur of the Late Jurassic. He lived in what we know today as North America. It is a specimen of which only a few fossilized bones are known today, which include some caudal vertebrae, parts of the pelvis, the pubic bone and parts of its left leg.

Due to the limited fossil evidence, its classification continues to be a source of controversy and revision. Some specialists consider it as a Allosaurus maximus. Only the discovery of more fossil pieces could help give a definition to this debate.

Finding of the Saurophaganax

The first discovery of this species was between 1931 and 1932 by John Willis Stovall. The remains of a theropod were found in Kenton in Cimarron County in Oklahoma. It was located between layers of the late Jurassic

In an article written by Grace Ernestine Ray from 1941, Stovall named it Saurophagus. Only the text did not contain a description, so she considered it as a nomen dubium. It was Stovall himself who described it in 1950.

In 1987 Spencer George Lucas designated a tibia as a lectotype fossil. He also noted that the name had already been used in 1831 by William Swainson to designate the tyrant flycatcher who was a huge devourer of lizards.

The name was completed in 1995 when Daniel Chure added the ending anax What does it mean rulerwhich then made it Saurophaganax. He also noted that the lectotype tibia was not related to Allosaurus. Instead I name a neural arch as the type specimen. The remains include disarticulated bones of approximately four specimens.

A skeleton of this species can currently be seen in the Jurassic room of the Sam Noble Museum of Natural History in Oklahoma. And although the best-known material was found on the peninsula of this state, in Northern New Mexico what could possibly be a Saurophaganax fossil has been found. It is a partial skeleton containing a femur, several tail vertebrae, and a hip bone.

Officially it is considered an allosaurid. However, this specimen seems to have more plates similar to those of carcharondontosaurids in its vertebra. This only raises more doubts about this genre. Requires deeper investigation.

According to the San Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History’s vertebrate paleontology collection, there are more than 200 undescribed Saurophaganax elements.

Controversies over its validity

The debate continues today regarding Saurophaganax. It has been described as its own genus and in some cases as an allosaurid, calling it Allosaurus maximus.

The as-yet-undescribed discovery from New Mexico is expected to shed new light on this issue. Recent studies have placed it as a different taxon, taking into account the structure of its vertebrae.

In general terms it was more robust than Allosaurus and had a shorter neck, along with a skull that was proportionally longer.

What does Saurophaganax mean?

The name Sauophaganax comes from the Greek phagein what is eat, anax what is ruler and sauros What does it mean lizard. This would give the meaning of large saurian-eating lizard ruler. On the other hand, the specific epithet maximus In Latin it translates as the biggest.

The Allosauroidea family

Although the classification of Saurophaganax is a matter of debate, it is generally considered part of the family Allosauroidea. His name means other lizards. They consisted of theropod dinosaurs and in turn were made up of four other families known as Metriacanthosauridae, Allosauridae, Carcharodontosauridae and Neovenatoridae.

They belong to the carnivorous theropod dinosaurs. It is part of the taxon Carnosauria and they came to live on all continents, including Antarctica. They lived between the Middle Jurassic and the Lower Cretaceous.

They had a rounded and massive skull, with a mobile jaw that was located in the S-shaped neck.. Her body was laterally flattened, thin and narrow. Its hind legs were strong and muscular.

They also had hands with three claws on their short arms. Added to this was a tail of more than half the body in allosaurs. It is thought that based on some fossil evidence that they hunted in packs.

Research from 2013 by Eric Snively, a paleontologist at Ohio University, suggests that Allosaurus possibly struck its prey with a quick movement of its head. This would act as a slash, much like that of a hawk.

Based on the anatomy of birds and crocodiles, which are the descendants of dinosaurs, they created a three-dimensional computer model. By varying various parameters such as the capacity of the muscles, the structure of the bones, tissues, and cavities, along with the range of motion of the joints, the researchers were able to reconstruct several possible movement sequences.

They determined the position of a neck muscle called longissimus capitis superficialis. This muscle was attached below the skull, allowing it to sink its head deeply into its prey, then quickly remove it with a sudden movement of the body. It is a mechanism that made it possible for it to tear the flesh of its prey.

Saurophaganax vs Allosaurus

Since they had notable similarities, it is logical to make a comparison between Saurophaganax and Allosaurus. It is even possible to take a risk and bet on a possible winner if we had to imagine a confrontation between these species.

Allosaurus is usually named as the king of the jurassic. It is also among the most popular dinosaurs. But its contender in this case is the Saurophaganax which was powerful, although it does not have the same popularity.

Specialists have pointed out that they were very dangerous killers, with differences in their constitution and powerful weapons obtained through evolution. Both were giant predators with huge claws on their hands, sharp, finely serrated teeth.

However, they had two determining differences, which are the size and the way in which they caught their prey. Saurophaganax in particular was a brute and enormous animal. Its bone structure suggests that it had enormous muscles in its arms and very strong legs with which it could tear the flesh of its prey.

On the other hand, the Allosaurus actually depended on stealth and agility to take down large prey. Added to this is that it could open its jaw at least 10 degrees more than Saurophaganax and T-rex.

Although their teeth were not made to break bone, they were thin, serrated and served to cut meat as if they were knives. Added to this are the strong muscles around its neck, more noticeable than in Saurophaganax.

It could open its jaws wide, to use its upper jaws, in the same way as a serrated axe. This would be very effective for quickly bleeding out its prey.

It is possible that anyway, due to its strength and size, the Saurophaganax won. However, it would not have been an easy victory and it is possible that it would have resulted in wounds that were difficult to heal, which could become complicated and lead to death.

Characteristics of Saurophaganax

Although the classification of Saurophaganax is under discussion and could change based on future evidence, the following are some of its characteristics accepted today.

Classification

The controversy in the classification of Saurophaganax revolves around confusion between Saurophagus maximus and Saurophaganax maximus. The first is considered today a nomen dubium and Saurophaganax is the only correct designation for this genus.

The possibility that it is identical to Allosaurus is also debated, but has not been well established due to limited remains. Some paleontologists therefore favor its classification as Allosaurus maximus.

Due to more evidence that can be exposed to analysis, Chure’s classification is currently accepted. Currently the Allosaurus and the Saurophaganax They are representatives of the family Allosauridae, which is closely related to Sinraptoridae and Carcharadontosauridae.

Feeding

Saurophaganax was an apex predator in what is known as the Morrison Formation. It was capable of hunting and scavenging any species in its area. It possibly hunted Amphicoelias, Camptosaurus, Diplodocus and Apatosaurus. It has not been determined whether it hunted in packs, something that could have been useful to do with large sauropods.

Habitat

This dinosaur lived in what is known as the Morrison Formation. It is characterized by its marine and alluvial sediments that are approximately 155 million years old..

It is considered that it consisted of a somewhat arid environment that was combined with humid stages. This area encompassed New Mexico, Saskatchewan, and part of Alberta. It was similar to the Tendaguru Formation in Tanzania and the Solnhofen Limestone Formation in Germany.

Some of the dinosaurs that lived in the area were the Barosaurus, Brontosaurus and Brachiosaurus, which were huge sauropods. Added to this were herbivorous ornithischians such as Dryosaurus and Othnielosaurus. As for the flora, it was abundant in green algae, mosses, cycads, mushrooms, horsetails and ginkgos.

It was combined with tree ferns and gallery forests that surrounded the rivers. It also had a conifer with characteristics similar to the Araucaria.

Description

Saurophaganax could measure around 11 meters, and its height was around 3.5 meters. Its body volume was on average about 4 tons.

Another of its characteristics was that its structure consisted of a horizontal plate at the base of the neural spine.

It was one of the most fearsome predators of its time that was capable of eating any species. His voracity was great because he had to maintain a very high body weight..

It was of great length compared to other allosaurs, although there is not much information necessary to make a deep comparison. Nor is much known about its behavior, since it was a rare specimen, of which there are not many fossil remains.

Saurophaganax life expectancy

There is no data that can indicate how long Saurophaganax could live. However, making a comparison with other dinosaurs from the same family, it is estimated that it could live between 30 and 40 years.

When did Saurophaganax become extinct?

Fossil remains place Saurophaganax between 155 and 150 million years ago. It lived during the late Jurassic and there is not enough information to even estimate what caused its extinction.