Metriacanthosaurus
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| Genus: | Metriacanthosaurus |
| Species: | M. parkeri |
Metriacanthosaurus is a genus of theropod dinosaur that lived in Europe during the Middle Jurassic period, about 160 million years ago. Its name means "Moderate-spined lizard", because its back vertebrae are taller than other meat-eating dinosaurs such as Allosaurus, but shorter than those of other meat-eating dinosaurs, such as Acrocanthosaurus. Like most theropods, Metriacanthosaurus was a meat-eater. It had three fingers on each hand. Each finger ended in a sharp, hook-like claw that was used to grab prey before giving the killing bite with its jaws. It probably preyed on the large, long-necked sauropods, such as Pelorosaurus, that lived in the same time and place as it. It was originally classified as a megalosaurid,[1] but recent studies show that it belongs to its own family, the Metriacanthosauridae.[2]
In popular culture
In Jurassic Park, one of the vials of dinosaur DNA that Dennis Nedry steals is labeled Metriacanthosaurus.
Sources
- ↑ von Huene, F. (1923). "Carnivorous Saurischia in Europe since the Triassic". Bulletin of the Geological Society of America. 34 (3): 449–458. Bibcode:1923GSAB...34..449V. doi:10.1130/GSAB-34-449.
- ↑ Paul, Gregory S. (1988). Predatory Dinosaurs of the World. New York: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978-0-671-61946-6.