Carnosauria
Extinct carnivorous theropods from the Jurassic and Cretaceous.
Carnosauria is an extinct group of carnivorous theropod dinosaurs that lived during the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods. Historically considered largely synonymous with Allosauroidea, some recent studies have revived Carnosauria as a clade including both Allosauroidea and Megalosauroidea, encompassing the majority of non-coelurosaurian members of the theropod clade Tetanurae. Other researchers have found Allosauroidea and Megalosauroidea to be unrelated groups, and the composition of Carnosauria remains controversial.
- died
- Late Cretaceous, Turonian epoch, around 90 million years ago
- field
- Paleontology
- known_for
- Large carnivorous theropods with distinctive skull and limb features
Lore & Background
Carnosauria has traditionally been used as a dumping ground for all large theropods, including non-dinosaurs such as the rauisuchian Teratosaurus. However, analyses in the 1980s and 1990s revealed that the group shared very few characteristics, making it polyphyletic. Most former carnosaurs were reclassified as more primitive theropods or placed in Coelurosauria. Modern cladistic analysis defines Carnosauria as those tetanurans sharing a more recent common ancestor with Allosaurus than with modern birds.
Reader's Guide
Carnosauria represents a significant group of large predatory dinosaurs that dominated terrestrial ecosystems during the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods. Their distinctive anatomy, including large eye sockets, long narrow skulls, and modifications of the legs and pelvis, allowed them to become effective predators. The group's classification has been highly controversial, with some studies reviving Carnosauria to include both Allosauroidea and Megalosauroidea, while others find these groups unrelated. The last definitive carnosaur family, Carcharodontosauridae, became extinct around 90 million years ago, though some later theropod remains once thought to be carcharodontosaurids were reinterpreted as belonging to other groups. Carnosaurs scaled their limbs relative to body size similarly to tyrannosaurids, and during the Cretaceous some grew to sizes comparable to the largest tyrannosaurids. Their fossils, including skin impressions from Allosaurus and Concavenator, provide insights into their integument and biology. The ongoing debate over their classification highlights the dynamic nature of paleontological research.
Did You Know?
- The last definitive carnosaur family, Carcharodontosauridae, became extinct in the Turonian epoch of the Late Cretaceous around 90 million years ago.
- Distinctive characteristics of carnosaurs include large eye sockets, a long narrow skull, and the femur being longer than the tibia.
- Carnosaur teeth are flat with equally-sized denticles on both edges, and the flat side faces the sides of the skull.
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