Australovenator

Name: Australovenator‭ (‬Southern hunter‭).
Phonetic: Aw-strah-low-ven-ah-tor.
Named By: Scott Kocknull et al.‭ ‬-‭ ‬2009.
Classification: Chordata,‭ ‬Reptilia,‭ ‬Dinosauria,‭ ‬Saurischia,‭ ‬Theropoda,‭ ‬Neovenatoridae,‭ ‬Megaraptora.
Species: A.‭ ‬wintonensis‭ (‬type‭)‬.
Type: Carnivore.
Size: Estimated‭ ‬6‭ ‬meters long.
Known locations: Australia,‭ ‬Queensland,‭ ‬Winton Formation.‭
Time period: Aptian of the Cretaceous.
Fossil representation: Partial post cranial skeleton,‭ ‬partial left dentary‭ (‬lower jaw bone‭)‬.




       Much of Australovenator is missing but the parts which are known show a lightweight and fast carnivore that could run down its prey.‭ ‬Study of the fossils have also brought similarities and comparisons between Fukuiraptor from Japan,‭ ‬and Megaraptor from South America, and for this reasons Australovenator is usually termed as a megaraptoran theropod dinosaur.
       Australovenator was given the nickname‭ '‬Banjo‭'‬,‭ ‬in reference to the Australian poet Banjo Patterson.‭ ‬References to Banjo and his works were also made for the sauropod dinosaurs Wintonotitan and Diamantinasaurus,‭ ‬both also from the Winton Formation and named in the same year as Australovenator.

Further reading
- New mid-Cretaceous (latest Albian) dinosaurs from Winton, Queensland, Australia. - PLoS ONE 4(7):e6190: 1-51. - S. A. Hocknull, M. A. White, T. R. Tischler, A. G. Cook, N. D. Calleja, T. Sloan & D. A. Elliot - 2009.
- New Forearm Elements Discovered of Holotype Specimen Australovenator wintonensis from Winton, Queensland, Australia. - In Dodson, Peter. PLoS ONE 7 (6). - M. A. White, A. G. Cook, S. A. Hocknull, T. Sloan, G. H. K. Sinapius & D. A. Elliot - 2012.
- Morphological comparisons of metacarpal I for Australovenator wintonensis and Rapator ornitholestoides: Implications for their taxonomic relationships. - Alcheringa: an Australasian Journal of Palaeontology: 1. - M. A. White, P. L. Falkingham, A. G. Cook, S. A. Hocknull & D. A. Elliot - 2013.
- Forearm Range of Motion in Australovenator wintonensis (Theropoda, Megaraptoridae). - PLOS ONE. 10 (9): e0137709. - Matt A. White, Phil R. Bell, Alex G. Cook, David G. Barnes, Travis R. Tischler, Brant J. Bassam & David A. Elliot - 2015.
- The pes of Australovenator wintonensis (Theropoda: Megaraptoridae): analysis of the pedal range of motion and biological restoration. - PeerJ. 4: e2312. - Matt A. White, Alex G. Cook , Ada. J. Klinkhamer & David A. Ellio - 2016.
- A methodology of theropod print replication utilising the pedal reconstruction of Australovenator and a simulated paleo-sediment. - PeerJ. 5: e3427. - Matt. A. White, Alex G. Cook & Steven J. Rumbold - 2017.



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