Cristatusaurus

genus of reptiles (fossil)

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 (AlbianAptian),
~112 Ma
Diagram illustrating possible size and skeletal reconstruction combining several fossil specimens
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
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
Synonyms

Discovery and naming

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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]

References

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  1. 1.0 1.1 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.