Veterupristisaurus
Veterupristisaurus was a huge meat-eating dinosaur that lived in what is now Tanzania. It was one of the earliest members of the shark-toothed lizard family, the carcharodontosaurids. This dinosaur stomped through the Late Jurassic landscape about 154 to 150 million years ago.1
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as long as 2.5 cars parked in a row🍌as long as 61 bananas end to end🏃could run 100 metres in 13 seconds (the fastest human needs 9.6)How big was Veterupristisaurus compared to YOU?
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Fun facts
Veterupristisaurus is known mostly from a single tail vertebra, which is about 12.3 cm (4.8 inches) long. Scientists use this bone to learn about the dinosaur.1
Its name means 'old shark lizard' because it is the oldest known member of the shark-toothed lizard family, the carcharodontosaurids.1
This dinosaur lived during the Late Jurassic period, about 154 to 150 million years ago, in the Tendaguru Formation of Tanzania.1
Veterupristisaurus was a large bipedal animal, meaning it walked on two legs. It was about 8 to 11 meters (26 to 36 feet) long.1
Some scientists think Veterupristisaurus might be closely related to Acrocanthosaurus, another large meat-eating dinosaur.1
The type species is named Veterupristisaurus milneri, in honor of paleontologist Angela C. Milner.1
Most asked questions about Veterupristisaurus
?How big was Veterupristisaurus?
It was about 8 to 11 metres (26 to 36 feet) long. That is roughly as long as a school bus.1
?What did Veterupristisaurus eat?
It was a meat-eater, like other theropod dinosaurs. It probably hunted other animals that lived in its area.1
?Is Veterupristisaurus a dinosaur?
Yes, it is a dinosaur. It belongs to a group of meat-eating dinosaurs called theropods.1
?When did Veterupristisaurus live?
It lived during the Late Jurassic period, about 154 to 150 million years ago. That is before the first birds appeared.1
?Why is it called Veterupristisaurus?
Its name means 'old shark lizard'. It is the oldest known member of the shark-toothed lizard family, the carcharodontosaurids.1
?Was Veterupristisaurus bigger than T. rex?
No, it was smaller. Veterupristisaurus was about 8 to 11 metres long, while T. rex could be over 12 metres long.1
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For dino experts
- Scientific name
- Veterupristisaurus
- Named by
- Rauhut 20112
- Group
- Meat-eating dinos
- Family / clade
- Carcharodontosauridae2
- Classification
- Theropoda > Allosauroidea > Carcharodontosauridae2
- Age of the rocks
- 152 to 149 million years (Kimmeridgian)2
- Rock formations
- Tendaguru2
- Countries
- Tanzania2
- Fossil records
- 2 in the Paleobiology Database2
- Discovery
- Veterupristisaurus was named by paleontologist Oliver W. M. Rauhut in 2011. The fossils were originally thought to belong to another dinosaur, Ceratosaurus, but later studies showed they were a new species.1
- Still debated
- Scientists are not sure if Veterupristisaurus is a valid genus. Some studies suggest its only unique feature is also found in another dinosaur, Lusovenator, which makes its status uncertain.1
Where the facts come from
- Veterupristisaurus (en.wikipedia.org)
- Veterupristisaurus in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.
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