Cruxicheiros

Name: Cruxicheiros ‭(‬Cross hand‭)‬.
Phonetic: Cruks-e-ky-ross.
Named By: R.‭ ‬B.‭ ‬J.‭ ‬Benson‭ & ‬J.‭ ‬D.‭ ‬Radley‭ ‬-‭ ‬2010.
Classification: Chordata,‭ ‬Reptilia,‭ ‬Dinosauria,‭ ‬Saurischia,‭ ‬Theropoda,‭ ‬Tetanurae.
Species: C.‭ ‬newmanorum‭ (‬type‭)‬.
Diet: Carnivore.‭
Size: Uncertain due to lack of remains,‭ ‬but possibly as large as‭ ‬10‭ ‬meters long.
Known locations: England
Time period: Bathonian of the Jurassic.
Fossil representation: Very partial post cranial remains including parts of the hands,‭ ‬partial pelvis,‭ ‬partial right femur and partial vertebrae.




       Fossils of Cruxicheiros were first discovered in‭ ‬1960‭ ‬when they were discovered in the Cross Hand Quarry of Warwickshire,‭ ‬which as you have no doubt already realised is the inspiration for the name Cruxicheiros which means‭ ‘‬Cross Hand‭’‬.‭ ‬At the time the fossils were just lumped in‭ ‬with Megalosaurus,‭ ‬which has for a long time been used as a wastebasket for any large theropod dinosaur remains discovered in England.‭ ‬When the fossils were finally given a proper and in depth examination,‭ ‬the result was that they were found to be different to known similar remains of Megalosaurus,‭ ‬and so they were given their own genus in‭ ‬2010.
       Unfortunately we still don’t know too much about Cruxicheiros,‭ ‬what parts are known are very incomplete,‭ ‬and so leading to three theories as to what kind of theropod Cruxicheiros was.‭ ‬First is that Cruxicheiros was a megalosauroid and relative to Megalosaurus,‭ ‬which‭ ‬would fit given what we currently know about other theropods around Western Europe during the same time period.‭ ‬The second is that Cruxicheiros might represent a primitive allosauroid,‭ ‬and possible relative to Allosaurus.‭ ‬Third is that Cruxicheiros is none of the above and the genus represents a hitherto unknown theropod.

Further reading
-‭ ‬A new large-bodied theropod dinosaur from the Middle Jurassic of Warwickshire,‭ ‬United Kingdom.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Acta Palaeontologica Polonica‭ ‬55‭(‬1‭)‬:35-42.‭ ‬-‭ ‬R.‭ ‬B.‭ ‬J.‭ ‬Benson‭ & ‬J.‭ ‬D.‭ ‬Radley‭ ‬-‭ ‬2010.



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