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Saurophaganax

Say it: SORE-oh-FAY-guh-nax

Name means: “lord of lizard-eaters”1

Ate: MeatMeat-eating dinosLate Jurassic to Early Cretaceous

Saurophaganax was a huge meat-eating dinosaur that lived in what is now Oklahoma, USA, about 150 million years ago. It was one of the biggest predators of its time, but scientists now think its fossils might actually belong to several different dinosaurs mixed together.1 2

Lived

152 to 143 million years ago4

Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous

Fossils found in

Oklahoma, USA1 4

Food

Meat4

When did it live?

Triassic

Jurassic

Cretaceous

252 million years ago20114566, the asteroid

cool stuff

Fun facts

Saurophaganax was first named Saurophagus maximus in 1941, but that name was already used for a bird, so it was changed in 1995.1

The fossils of Saurophaganax were found in the Morrison Formation, the same rock layer that produced famous dinosaurs like Apatosaurus and Diplodocus.1

Some scientists think Saurophaganax might not be a real dinosaur at all. They say its bones could be a mix of a sauropod and a new species of Allosaurus.2

The name Saurophaganax means 'lord of lizard-eaters', which sounds scary, but it might just be a giant Allosaurus.1

Only a few bones of Saurophaganax have ever been found, including a neural arch (part of the spine) and some leg bones.1

The fossils were dug up in 1931 and 1932 by a man named John Willis Stovall near Kenton, Oklahoma.1

AI-made picture of Saurophaganax — An AI-made picture of how Saurophaganax might have looked, made by a computer from what scientists know. It is a guess: the real animal may have looked different, and nobody knows its true colours.

you asked

Most asked questions about Saurophaganax

?Was Saurophaganax a real dinosaur?

Scientists are not sure. Some of its bones might belong to a sauropod, and the rest might be a new species of Allosaurus called Allosaurus anax. So Saurophaganax might not be a real dinosaur.1 2 3

?How big was Saurophaganax?

If it was a real dinosaur, it was about 12 metres long and weighed up to 5,000 kilograms, about as heavy as an African elephant.3

?What did Saurophaganax eat?

It was a meat-eater, so it ate other dinosaurs. Its name means 'lord of lizard-eaters'.1

?When did Saurophaganax live?

It lived about 150 million years ago, during the Late Jurassic period.1

?Where was Saurophaganax found?

Its fossils were found in Oklahoma, USA, in the Morrison Formation near the town of Kenton.1

?Is Saurophaganax bigger than T. rex?

No. Saurophaganax was about 12 metres long, but Tyrannosaurus rex was bigger, at about 12 to 13 metres long and much heavier.3

?Why is Saurophaganax called a chimera?

Because its fossils might be a mix of bones from different dinosaurs, like a sauropod and a new species of Allosaurus, all jumbled together.1 2

?Did Saurophaganax have feathers?

Nobody knows for sure. No feathers have been found with its fossils, and most large Jurassic theropods are not known to have had feathers.1

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Myth buster

Myth: Saurophaganax was definitely a giant, unique predator.

Truth: New research suggests its fossils are a mix of different dinosaurs, so it may not be a real species.2

For dino experts

Scientific name: Saurophaganax
Named by: Chure 19954
Group: Meat-eating dinos
Family / clade: Allosauridae4
Classification: Theropoda > Allosauroidea4
Age of the rocks: 152 to 143 million years (Kimmeridgian / Tithonian)4
Rock formations: Morrison4
Countries: USA4
Fossil records: 2 in the Paleobiology Database4
Discovery: John Willis Stovall found the first fossils in 1931 and 1932 near Kenton, Oklahoma. The name Saurophagus maximus was used in a 1941 article, but the official name Saurophaganax was given by Daniel Chure in 1995.1
Still debated: Scientists are still debating whether Saurophaganax is a real dinosaur or just a mix of bones from different animals.2

Where the facts come from

Saurophaganax (en.wikipedia.org)
Chimerism of specimens referred to Saurophaganax maximus reveals a new species of Allosaurus (Dinosauria, Theropoda) (dinodata.de)
The truth of Oklahoma’s state fossil revealed | Oklahoma State University (news.okstate.edu)
Saurophaganax in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.

Every fact on this page has a number that points to its source. If we got something wrong, sorry, we are dino fans, not a science journal. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.

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