| Metriacanthosaurus | |
|---|---|
| |
| Artist's illustration of Metriacanthosaurus | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryote |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Sauropsida |
| clade: | Dinosauria |
| Order: | Saurischia |
| Infraorder: | Carnosauria |
| Superfamily: | Allosauroidae |
| Family: | Metriacanthosauridae |
| Subfamily: | Metriacanthosaurinae |
| Genus: | Metriacanthosaurus Walker, 1963 |
| Species: | Metriacanthosaurus parkeri Von Huene, 1923 |
Metriacanthosaurus (Greek, "moderately-spined lizard") is a genus of carnivorous dinosaurs. It belongs to the recently classified Sinraptoridae, which is its own distinct family, in its own right - like so many other Victorian Era discovered theropod Dinosaurs, the fossils of what were to be named Metriacanthosaurus, were dumped in the 'wastebasket taxon' of Megalosaurus, which was thought to have been a genus of dozens of species. In time, Paleontologists shunned the old ways which were lazy and inaccurate, leading to many so called Megalosaurs being reclassified as something else. In some cases, the 'Megalosaur' remains did not even belong to any kind of Dinosaur. Sinraptor, from China, is one of its closest relatives. The only species that is known of this genus is Metriacanthosaurus parkeria. This Theropod lived during the late Jurassic Period of Europe, hunting contemporary herbivores, such as Callovosaurus. It lived in the central southern region of England, primarily Oxford.
In 1923, the paleontologist Friedrich von Hume described a few fossils and concluded that they belonged to a new species of the Megalosaurus genus. In the 1960s Alick Walker concluded that the fossils where to different from Megalosaurus and concluded that this species belonged to a unique genus, he called Metriacanthosaurus. The species was named Parkeria.
In 1977, an almost complete skeleton of large Theropod was discovered in China. It was classified as a new species (shangyouensis) and a member of a new genus (Yangchuanosaurus). According to Gregory S. Paul, the genus Yangchuanosaurus was identical to the genus Metriacanthosaurus and therefore classified the animal in 1988 as Metriacanthosaurus shangyouensis. But this reclassification was later canceled.
Metriacanthosaurus size
In Popular Culture[]
- Metriacanthosaurus was recreated by InGen in the InGen Compoundon on Isla Sorna. Metriacanthosaurus was planned to live in its own paddock on Jurassic Park probably during Phase 1 or Phase 2. It is unknown if any Metriacanthosaurs were on Isla Nublar, though an x-ray of its skull inside the Isla Nublar Field Lab could imply that there could have been at least one on the island. It is also unknown if Metriacanthosaurus was one of the dinosaurs that survived being wild on Isla Sorna after Hurricane Clarissa.
Jurassic World Metriacanthosaurus
- It appears on the Jurassic World website and is stated to be in the park, but it is unfortunately never seen in the film.
- Metriacanthosaurus apparently fell back into extinction after the Isla Nublar Incident of 2015 before Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. However, Metriacanthosaurus was planned to be in the film before being cut.
- It will appear in Jurassic World: The Game as a tournament creature. This is the first time it has physically appeared in a Jurassic Park video game. The Metriacanthosaurus in Jurassic World: The Game uses the same animations and sound effects of the Tyrannosaurus, Carnotaurus, Majungasaurus, Allosaurus, Megalosaurus, Rajasaurus, Giganotosaurus, Tyrannotitan, Gorgosaurus, and Yutyrannus, but unlike most, it has an accurate number of fingers: 3.
- Metriacanthosaurus is planned to appear in Jurassic World: Evolution. It seems to be based on the Jurassic World website design.
- It also appears in Dinosaur King.
Gallery[]
Metriacanthosaurus/Gallery