Saltriovenator
Name:
Saltriovenator
(Saltrio hunter).
Phonetic: Sal-tre-o-ven-ah-tore.
Named By: C. Dal Sasso, S. Maganuco &
A. Cau - 2018.
Classification: Chordata, Reptilia, Dinosauria,
Saurischia, theropoda, Ceratosauria.
Species: S. zanellai (type).
Diet: Carnivore.
Size: Roughly estimated between 7-8 meters long.
Known locations: Italy - Saltrio Formation.
Time period: Sinemurian of the Jurassic.
Fossil representation: Partial jaw and post cranial
remains.
At
the time
of the genus naming in 2018, Italy was not particularly well known
for dinosaur discoveries, the only other theropod being Scipionyx,
named in 1998. So when it was announced that a new, much larger
theropod dinosaur had been discovered, you can imagine the news
headlines.
Named
Saltriovenator. this
new dinosaur was a large predator, and amongst the largest known in
Europe. Unfortunately Saltriovenator is still
only known from very
partial and damaged fossil bones, so precise estimates to the size of
this dinosaur are a rough guess at best. However, careful analysis
of the fossil has led the describers of this genus to conclude that
Saltriovenator was most likely a ceratosaur,
meaning similar genera
like Ceratosaurus
are our best guess for filling in the blanks.
The
holotype individual seems
to have some to its end in a coastal location with the body being swept
out to sea, an analysis confirmed by damage to the holotype fossil
bones being caused by marine scavengers. This might imply that
Saltriovenator was a bit of a beach comber,
perhaps looking for the
bodies of large marine animals washed ashore. With Europe being a
collection of islands in the early Jurassic, this seems to have been
a common survival strategy for the larger theropod dinosaurs of the
time in this area. Other genera such as Eustreptospondylus,
Piveteausaurus
and Dubreuillosaurus
among others also speculated to
have scoured beaches for food.
Further reading
- The oldest ceratosaurian (Dinosauria: Theropoda), from the
Lower Jurassic of Italy, sheds light on the evolution of the
three-fingered hand of birds. - PeerJ 6:e5976:1-78. - C.
Dal Sasso, S. Maganuco & A. Cau - 2018.
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