Dubreuillosaurus

Doo-brai-ul-o-sore-us.

Megalosaurid theropod dinosaur from the Middle Jurassic of France

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Benjamin Gutierrez

Vertebrate Paleontologist

Benjamin Gutierrez is a leading expert on dinosaurs, particularly the mighty theropods. His fieldwork in South America has uncovered new species and provided insights into dinosaur social structures.

John Stewart

John Stewart is a distinguished paleoecologist whose work has significantly advanced our understanding of prehistoric ecosystems. With over two decades dedicated to unearthing fossils across Asia and Africa

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Name

Dubreuillosaurus ‭(‬Dunreuil's lizard‭)‬.

Phonetic

Doo-brai-ul-o-sore-us.

Named By

Allain‭ ‬-‭ ‬2005.

Classification

Chordata,‭ ‬Reptilia,‭ ‬Dinosauria,‭ ‬Saurischia,‭ ‬Theropoda,‭ ‬Megalosauridae,‭ ‬Megalosaurinae.

Diet

Carnivore/Piscivore.

Species

D.‭ ‬valesdunensis‭ (‬type‭)‬.

Size

9‭ ‬meters long.

Known locations

France‭ ‬-‭ ‬Caen Formation.

Time Period

Bathonian of the Jurassic.

Fossil representation

Partial skeleton.

Fossil Map

Interactive fossil Map of Dubreuillosaurus, along with its chronological bar chart of fossil discoveries.

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In Depth

Size comparison chart showing a human alongside five theropod dinosaurs: Torvosaurus (largest, red), Megalosaurus (green), Afrovenator (orange), Eustreptospondylus (purple), and Dubreuillosaurus (smallest, brown).
Eotyrannu5, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Discovered in‭ ‬1994‭ ‬and originally classed as a species of Poekilopleuron,‭ ‬Dubreuillosaurus (Poekilopleuron valesdunensis.) was placed into its own genus in‭ ‬2005‭ ‬on the basis of differences of the post cranial remains of the two.‭

‬Dubreuillosaurus itself was a large carnivore for the Jurassic,‭ ‬and would have probably been similar to the much more famous Megalosaurus.

Because Dubreuillosaurus like other megalosaurids was found in marine sediment it has been suggested as being a coastal animal.‭ ‬

While it may have fed upon fish caught in tidal pools,‭ ‬it may have also been a beach comber,‭ ‬perhaps scavenging the bodies of dead marine reptiles washed ashore.‭ ‬

Size comparison chart showing Afrovenator abakensis (8 m, brown), Dubreuillosaurus valesdunensis (5 m, yellow), and Magnosaurus nethercombensis (4.5 m, green), next to a 1.8 m tall human silhouette.
PaleoGeekSquared, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

This lifestyle is of course speculation based upon circumstantial evidence,‭ ‬but unless remains of an inland individual are recovered,‭ ‬it remains a good starting area for reconstructing the living animal.‭

‬The skull of Dubreuillosaurus does lend some support to the piscivorous fish hunting lifestyle as it is proportionately long,‭ ‬something that would give Dubreuillosaurus added reach to snatch a fish from the water.

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