Comments on: A Comedy of Dinosaur Errors

By: Wilson

Wilson — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 20:54:28 +0000

I wonder if a unique physical form like Tyrannosaurus rex is specialized for killing a unique kind of prey? Although popular books often depict these animals attacking anything that moves, their unique form causes me to imagine that the truth could be the exact opposite.

By: valerio

valerio — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 10:57:30 +0000

Oklahoma not worry.
Your fossil state is saved.

http://theropoda.blogspot.com/2009/04/saurophaganax-il-genericometro-di-holtz.html

By: Andrea Cau

Andrea Cau — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 09:47:26 +0000

Interesting post! Based on Chure works, I consider Saurophaganax distinct from (for example in dorsal vertebral morphology) and not closely related to Allosaurus: their shared features are mainly primitive allosauroid features, and in several ways Saurophaganax reminds me to carcharodontosaurs. The recent discovery of a carcharodontosaur from the Upper Jurassic of Tanzania shows that primitive carcharodontosaurs lived in the Jurassic, and Saurophaganax would be one of them.

It would be a good thing if someone re-study it.

By: Zhen

Zhen — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 01:52:23 +0000

That reminds me, how big is Saurophaganax anyway? Yes, I see Brian wrote 43 feet there, but I’m also seeing numbers as low as 10-11 meters for the holotype in the 36 feet range and even smaller numbers for a second specimen.

By: Henrique Niza

Henrique Niza — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 22:51:41 +0000

I wasn’t aware Saurophaganax had such twisted post-mortem story. At least it got a neater name. Saurophagus doesn’t sound as cool as Saurophaganax.

Regarding the genus validity did any study ever compared Saurophaganax and Epanterias? I don’t think two giant, almost indistinguishable theropod dinosaurs coexisting in the same environment is probable.