#Saurophaganax maximus

[wonartarts]

https://journals.library.ualberta.ca/vamp/index.php/VAMP/article/view/29404 So how's about that Saurophaganax description? (This is really Stupid)

Posted using PostyBirb

[toaarcan]

So how 'bout that Saurophaganax/Allosaurus information?

[saritapaleo]

Patreon request for @/rome.and.stuff (Instagram handle) - Saurophaganax maximus

Saurophaganax maximus was an allosaurid from Late Jurassic Oklahoma, USA. Reaching 10.5 metres (34 ft) in length and weighing 2.7–3.8 metric tons (3.0–4.2 short tons), it was the largest terrestrial carnivore in North America during the Late Jurassic, bigger than both its contemporaries Torvosaurus tanneri and Allosaurus fragilis. Some scientists argue that it was in fact a species of Allosaurus (making it “Allosaurus maximus”), but possible Saurophaganax material found in New Mexico may shed light on the genus. With a name meaning "lord of lizard-eaters", it was likely the apex predator of its environment.

Found in the Brushy Basin member of the Morrison Formation, Saurophaganax would have had a multitude of prey species to choose from. These ranged from small ornithischians like Camptosaurus, Dryosaurus, and Fruitadens, armoured thyreophorans like Gargoyleosaurus, Mymoorapelta, Hesperosaurus, and Stegosaurus, to a diverse array of giant sauropods like Haplocanthosaurus, Amphicoelias, Apatosaurus, Brontosaurus, Barosaurus, Diplodocus, Kaatedocus, Supersaurus, Brachiosaurus, and Camarasaurus. Small theropods included Coelurus, Hesperornithoides, Tanycolagreus, and Ornitholestes.

The Morrison didn’t only have a large diversity of dinosaurs. Many pseudosuchians lived alongside Saurophaganax, from the skittering, long-legged Hallopus to the more aquatic Amphicotylus. Pterosaurs were uncommon but widespread, and included rhamphorhynchids like Harpactognathus and ctenochasmatids like Kepodactylus. Other reptiles like rhynchocephalians, lizards, basal snakes, and turtles were common as well. Many cynodonts, mostly early mammals, also called the Morrison home.

The Morrison Formation was also rife with other large predators that could have been either competitors or prey to Saurophaganax themselves. These include the previously mentioned Allosaurus and Torvosaurus, as well as the smaller Ceratosaurus nasicornis and Marshosaurus bicentesimus. As Allosaurus seemed to be the most numerous predators in this formation, they may have been successful pack hunters while Saurophaganax was more of a “lone wolf.” Its remains are much rarer than that of its smaller, lither cousins, and it was likely an opportunistic scavenger and hunter, needing much more food to power its larger frame.

This art may be used for educational purposes, with credit, but please contact me first for permission before using my art. I would like to know where and how it is being used. If you don’t have something to add that was not already addressed in this caption, please do not repost this art. Thank you!

[new-dinosaurs]

Allosaurus anax Danison et al., 2024 (new species)

(Type postorbital [bone behind the eye] of Allosaurus anax, from Danison et al., 2024)

Meaning of name: anax = king [in Greek]

Age: Late Jurassic (Kimmeridgian–Tithonian), between 145–153 million years ago

Where found: Morrison Formation, Oklahoma, U.S.A.

How much is known: A right postorbital (bone in the skull, behind the eye), two vertebrae, and some hindlimb bones. It is unknown whether any of these bones belonged to the same individuals.

Notes: A. anax is based on fossils formerly considered specimens of Saurophaganax, which was thought to be a large theropod closely related to Allosaurus. A new study finds that specimens previously assigned to Saurophaganax actually include a mix of sauropod and theropod bones. However, the authors were not able to definitively classify the type specimen of Saurophaganax (a partial vertebra) as belonging to either a sauropod or a theropod. As a result, they argue that the type specimen lacks distinguishing features that would allow additional specimens to be identified as belonging to the same genus, rendering Saurophaganax a dubious name that should not be applied to other specimens.

Furthermore, the authors found that many of the features that supposedly differentiated Saurophaganax from Allosaurus came from the sauropod specimens once included in the genus Saurophaganax. When only the definitive theropod bones are considered among the former Saurophaganax material, the authors deem it most likely that these fossils represent specimens of Allosaurus. Nonetheless, some of the theropod bones exhibit minor differences from previously recognized species of Allosaurus, such as by being larger (belonging to animals estimated to have weighed over 3.5 tons) and lacking a rough texture on the postorbital. The authors thus classify these fossils as a new species of Allosaurus, A. anax.

Reference: Danison, A.D., M.J. Wedel, D.E. Barta, H.N. Woodward, H.M. Flora, A.H. Lee, and E. Snively. 2024. Chimerism in specimens referred to Saurophaganax maximus reveals a new species of Allosaurus (Dinosauria, Theropoda). Vertebrate Anatomy Morphology Palaeontology 12: 81–114. doi: 10.18435/vamp29404

[shattersaurus]

Saurophaganax maximus king of the jurassic

[mineralsrocksandfossiltalks]

Fossil Friday: The Rise of Corals

When you think of coral, I bet you think of these:

Or maybe these:

But these are all modern scleractinian corals. The first corals did not look like this. The first corals appeared during the Cambrian but did become abundant until the Ordovician Period.

Tabulate corals were the dominant coral of the Ordovician. There are over 300 species that have been described. The most common types include Aulopora that appeared in the Late Ordovician,

Favosites, or honeycomb coral which also appeared in the Late Ordovician and look very much like honeycomb,

Halysites, or chain coral, also Late Ordovician, which formed chain-like colonies,

and Heliolites.

Rugose, or Horn corals, also appeared in the Ordovician Period and unlike other corals, rugose corals don't always live in a colony. SOme lived solitary lives.

All corals are good index fossils. This is because of their abundance and short geological timespan as well as the ease of identification. You can find these corals in limestones across the world so next time you go for a hike, check geologic maps of the area and see if you can find your own coral!

Tune in Sunday for our livestream which will be broadcast at 6pm MST. We will be discussing the recently deceased (pun intended) Saurophaganax maximus and the birth of Allosaurus anax along with the rebirth of Diatryma, and early predatory bird previously lumped with Gastornis. Fossilize you later!

[tantumsconstruct]

Tantum's Construct 1-2

That’s right, your ol pal Sedge supports semiaquatic Deinocheirus theory

I’ve had to slowly stop adding paleontology jabs because they keep becoming irrelevant ����‍💫 In the original version of the following chapter, two characters argue whether a third character was a Tarbosaurus or a Turannosaurus bataar (older refrance), which I updated into two characters arguing over whether a third character was a Saurophaganax or an Allosaurus maximus. It’s apparently a sauropod now, but Saurophaganax is already in the comic. Fortunately, I preemptively designed it to be my Allosaurus but a pallet swap!

What else is there to drone on about…? Well, those who have read further through another social medium might notice that these three are also the characters we follow for the BIG episode: chapter two. The only reason for this is that Monty and Cheira are characters created FOR this version of the story. They’re barely in the original paper version of chapter one, and have the combined personality of a paperclip. I really wanted to ensure that I knew them as characters before getting too far into the project. I probably should have done that in a pretend pitch Bible instead of making it up as I went, though! I paired both of them up with Tay because he’s one of the most developed characters, if not the most. He’s super easy for me to write for, and Monty has become a breeze as well. Cheira still evades me a little bit, and you’ll see her act a bit differently as we follow this and the next chapter, but she ends up as an anxious pick me girl who flips between having none and all of the confidence in the world, which I think makes her bounce off of my other characters very well

[kaijuthespacemaniraptorian]

Saurophaganax Maximus

im not sorry to all Dinosaur King fans

[si-nequal-is]

Allosaurus anax, the new identity of well-known "Saurophaganax maximus".

[archeryenthusiast]

Troodon is the biggest fraud in the history of Dinosauria... alongside Saurophaganax. Because, come on, some guy finds a SINGLE TOOTH. NOTHING ELSE, and describes an ENTIRE TAXON based on that??? and then from 1855, all the way to 2017, it makes people discuss about WHAT THE FUCK IS TROODON? also, because they eventually found fossils fo ACTUAL, VALID troodontids, they discovered that those had REEAAALLY big brain cases. obviously, the first thought is that they were really smart right? except FUCK NO, they might have been slightly smarter than the average dinosaur, but the only REAL reason for the big brains is to process information better (like, scents, image, that kinda shit) and so the smartest dinosaur to this day, is the crow...

Also, Saurophaganax? more like SauroFRAUDanax. For a WHILE we thought that it was either a relative of allosaurus that was REALLY big, or A. Maximus, and regular allosaurus was barely 10 meters long and 2-3 tons, but THIS? that shit was 12 METERS LONG. OR MORE. and over four tons, which is weirdly low for such a long theropod, right? BECAUSE ITS NOT A FUCKING LONG THEROPOD. as it turns out, ""Saurophaganax"" was actually a chimaera, and mostly just sauropod bones. meaning that T.rex sized allosaurus was never a thing to begin with.... it truly is a sad day for allosaurus fans (which is, like, 50% of the paleo community, because FUCK ALLOSAURUS IS EVERYONES FAVORITE DINOSAUR???)

Also, Suchomimus is whatever the opposite of a fraud is. most people thnk suchomimus is just Slightly Bigger Baryonyx, but ACTUALLY? Suchomimus is what JP3 WANTED spinosaurus to be. The Holotype for suchomimus is ELEVEN meters long, and around 3 tons... except thats a JUVENILE. it's completely possible, if not outright LIKELY, that adult suchomimus rivalred even SPINOSAURUS ITSELF in length. albeit likely not in weight, meaning spinosaurus is still the biggest spinosaurid. Also, unlike Spinosaurus, suchomimus had LONG legs!

oh, wait, spino's legs weren't even that small, ibrahim chimaerad his way to a quadruped spino... eh, 15 meter grizzly bear it is.

[paleonativeart]

Saurophaganax lives in reaction. First the election and now heard about the recent studies about S. maximus lives.

[terry-the-insane]

Animal of the Day for November 10: Allosaurus (Genus Allosaurus)

One of the most famous dinosaurs from the Jurassic period, Allosaurus was a large carnivore which was likely a rather aggressive animal, given that Allosaurus bite marks have been found on most large animals it shared its habitat with. There are multiple species of Allosaurus, with the largest, Allosaurus maximus, having been assigned to a separate (but closely related) species called Saurophaganax, which in more recent studies turns out to possibly not even be an theropod at all.

[tchiaroscuro]

"I love how people give the common nameS for dinoSaurS. OrnithologiStS are the funnieSt fucking people on earth. They can have badaSS Scientific nameS like Saurophaganax maximuS but then you talk to an ordinary perSon and you gotta call it the Green Kingeater. ParaSaurolophuS walkeri. Okay call a Spade a Spade. You can't dignify the Alberta Horny-duck. It'S not even a duck."

[kajitokage]

THIS IS BEAUTIFUL THANK YOU

*yeets this at you ( @firealpha2004 )* TAKE IT MY GOOD FRIEND. YOU’VE INSPIRED ME TO DRAW DINO’s

[the-original-b]

Other cool dinosaurs

As a few of you know, I recently made a post about a statue of a T. Rex using the dimensions of Specimen FMNH PR 2081, known as SUE by the community, and it got more attention than I ever thought something like that would. And while I’m thrilled that so many of you share my passion for dinosaurs, I mentioned a few other creatures in that post that I feel were outshined by the T. Rex. And they deserve our respect and admiration too.

So this post is about them.

First, I want to introduce you to my friend Al.

...short for Allosaurus, regarded by many as the Jurassic’s alpha predator; measuring 32 feet (10 meters) from nose to tail, standing 10 feet (3 meters) tall, and weighing between two and three tons, it’s easy to see why.

The name Allosaurus is derived from Greek, meaning “Different Lizard,” for its vertebral structure which was different from everything else at the time of its discovery. Based on tiny fractures found in their bones, we know Allosaurus was an active predator, but its legs were comparatively short and not great for running long distances. So it’s believed that it preferred to use stealth to close the gap on its target then pounce when close enough, similar to a leopard. When it did, it shot out at speeds of 20 to 30 miles per hour (32 - 48kph), and used its long arms tipped with large, clawed hands to hold its prey down while its mouth finished the job. 

And this mouth was nothing to sneeze at.

Its mouth, loaded with 4-inch (10cm) teeth, could open almost 80 degrees, wider than T. Rex and most other known predatory dinosaurs. However its bite was pretty modest for something its size--comparable to what a lion can deliver--so its widely believed that Allosaurus would swing its head downward with its mouth open like a battle axe to deliver more force in its killing blow.

There’s also the belief that Allosaurus hunted in packs to address larger prey like sauropods. In a behavior known as flesh-grazing, they would rip chunks out of large prey to get just enough food to get by, rather than risking life and limb trying to kill something several times its own size. We see similar behavior in cookie-cutter sharks when they attack whales.

But, as awesome as Allosaurus is, it still lives in the shadow of its bigger, nastier cousin: Saurophaganax Maximus, the “Lord of Lizard Eaters,” standing 13 feet (4 meters) tall and measuring 42 feet (13 meters) from snout to tail. Consider it the Jurassic’s T. Rex.

That’s it in dark red, compared to other Allosaurus specimens in bright red and green. You’ll notice its silhouette is virtually identical to the Allosaurus, and its bones are similar too, and some paleontologists would agree with you. In fact, there’s a lot of history surrounding the Saurophaganax genus as a whole.

For a while it was designated Allosaurus Maximus since the bones were so similar they could almost be classified under the same genus, like a lion and tiger (Panthera Leo and Panthera Tigris respectively). But experts were able to discern enough differences in comparable bones to make a strong enough case for Saurophaganax to stand as a unique genus, despite its similarity to Allosaurus. As of writing this, the greater scientific community recognizes them as two distinct genera; I personally hope they remain so, because Saurophaganax is such a cool name.

Now I want to shift gears and address another predator I mentioned. 

Charcarodontosaurus, the Great White Shark Lizard, a giant with enormous jaws loaded with combat knives. 

These beasts were among the largest terrestrial predators to ever walk the earth, measuring between 39 and 44 feet (12 - 13.3 meters) and weighing between 7 and 16 tons (approx. 6 - 15 metric tons). They belong to the same family as giants like Siats, and were widely agreed to be larger than T. Rex. However many paleontologists agree they weren’t quite as powerful as T. Rex, and theorize that they used different methods to kill their prey.

Here’s an image I found comparing the two which I hope better illustrates what I mean by that; on the left we have Carcharodontosaurus bones in gray, and on the right we have T. Rex in tan (with a human skeleton for funsies). Notice how much bulkier T. Rex’s bone structure is than Carcharodontosaurus’s, namely how much more massive its head is. T. Rex needs that gargantuan head to better deal with the ungodly forces its legendary bite subjects its jaws to. (unrelated, but I just read T. Rex holds the title for the longest teeth in the fossil record at twelve inches or 30cm, but that’s beside the point of this post)

Carcharodontosaurus’s jaws weren’t designed to deal with the stresses that struggling prey would subject them to, and if it bit its prey with the strength that T. Rex did, it would probably shatter its own skull. This is why paleontologists believe it adapted a bite-and-wait strategy when hunting; Carcharodontosaurus would sink its eight-inch (20cm) serrated teeth into its prey and carve out a huge chunk of meat, then stalk its victim as it bled out, eventually weakening to the point where Carcharodontosaurus could kill it without a struggle. 

This is actually similar to how sharks hunt, excising huge chunks out of prey so they bleed to death and can be eaten without a fuss. 

I didn’t write this to downplay how awesome T. Rex is, or to prove T. Rex’s  superiority over other giant dinosaurs. I merely wrote this hoping that I was able to show you guys something new, and share my undying admiration for these amazing creatures that deserve our respect.

[smokeybrand]

Lord Lizard Eater

So i'm writing this soft fantasy light novel and i need to sprinkle it with monster battles or whatever. I decided to incorporate the requisite mythological monsters but with a natural history twist. Most of the fantastical creatures in my are extinct versions of actual animals like Dinosaurs or Sea Reptiles or Terror Birds. Nature is often the most creatively dynamic, and wildly terrifying, in body plans, especially a couple million years ago. I always thought it was a shame there weren't more Dunkleosteus or Eurypterids in Middle Earth or whatever, you know? I mean, just think about how our ancestors had to live side-by-side with Megalania; Basically Komodo Dragons the size of buses, or having to hide from a goddamn Kelenken; Basically a ten-foot-tall, terrestrial, Bird of Prey. THAT sh*t is more terrifying to me than some orc or goblin, not that i don’t respect the lore and creativity. Just, i mean, f*ck an ocean full of Mosasaur, you know?

So i'm doing research on cool ass body forms i can make into formidable challenges for my characters. Originally, i wanted to introduce the two main characters, the POV  and the character whose story we actually follow, with a battle against a massive, terrestrial, creature i call a titan. Titans are basically giant Therapods and the most famous of which is Tyrannosaurus Rex. Made sense. So, after i type this thing up, i’m reading it over and it feels... Okay. It feels adequate. It feels very Jurassic Park. I realized that this is too Rexy for my tastes. I thought about using a Baryonx, my second favorite dinosaur, but the Bary is too small. An Allosaurs feels right but it’s smaller than a Tyranno. I almost went with a Carcharodontosaurus but i figured i should do a little more research before committing. That’s wen i stumbled upon Saurophaganax Maximus. Holy sh*t, man, this thing is a nightmare! an Allosaur as big as a Rex? Are you serious? How can i not use this monstrosity?! Also, the f*cking name, tho!

I am really excited about this because i had no idea this thing existed and i f*cking love dinosaurs, man. I wanted to be a paleontologist before trauma and the world sh*t on my enthusiasm for things. Suffice it to say, i have fallen down a paleontological spiral and it feels like i am a kid again. I f*cking love dinosaurs, man.