| Oxalaia | |
|---|---|
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| An artist's illustration of Oxalaia quilombensis | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Sauropsida |
| clade: | Dinosauria |
| Order: | Saurischia |
| Suborder: | Theropoda |
| Family: | †Spinosauridae |
| Subfamily: | †Spinosaurinae |
| Genus: | †Oxalaia Kellner et al., 2011 |
| Referred species | |
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Oxalaia (a reference to the African deity Oxala) is a genus of carnivorous theropod. It was a Spinosaurinin Spinosaurine Spinosaurid which lived during the late Cretaceous (early Cenomanian stage, about 98 mya) in what is now Brazil.
Fossils of Oxalaia were recovered in 2004 from the Laje do Coringa locality of the Alcantara Formation, part of the Itapecuru Group of the São Luís Basin. Besides these bone fragments, numerous spinosaurid teeth had earlier been reported from the site. The genus was named by Alexander Wilhelm Armin Kellner, Sergio A.K. Azevedeo, Elaine B. Machado, Luciana B. Carvalho and Deise D.R. Henriques in 2011 and the type species is Oxalaia quilombensis. The specific name quilombensis refers to the quilombo settlements, such as on Cajual Island, which were founded by escaped slaves. Estimates suggest that it was 11.8 to 14 metres (39 to 45 ft) in length and 5 to 7 tonnes (5.5 to 7.7 short tons)[1][2] in weight —- it is the largest theropod known from Brazil and the eighth officially named species of theropod from Brazil.
Its diet is like any known Spinosauroid Species is Generalist; It will eat any source and kind of Meat but Prefers Aquatic-based Meat. It is speculated that Oxalaia might be subspecies of Spinosaurus
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1. http://www.scielo.br/pdf/aabc/v83n1/v83n1a06.pdf
2. http://dinosaurs.about.com/od/carnivorousdinosaurs/p/Oxalaia.htm