Elaphrosaurus: Research Database
Ceratosauria (Theropoda) · Late Jurassic (~155–150 MYA) · Africa — Tanzania (Tendaguru Formation)
Research Note: Elaphrosaurus was a ceratosaurian theropod from the Late Jurassic Tendaguru Formation of Tanzania. As a lightly built theropod, it provides important data on theropod diversity and ecological diversity in the Jurassic of Gondwana.
| Research Finding | Status | Grade | Year | Method | Citation | Impact |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Rauhut & Carrano 2016: Elaphrosaurus and the evolution of ceratosaurian theropods
Rauhut & Carrano 2016 provide comprehensive data on Elaphrosaurus from the Late Jurassic Tendaguru Formation of Tanzania, establishing it as a ceratosaurian theropod and documenting its significance for understanding theropod diversity and evolution in the Jurassic of Gondwana
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Confirmed | A | 2016 | Fossil | Rauhut & Carrano, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society | Taxonomy |
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Chure 2001: New data on theropod diversity in the Jurassic of Tendaguru
Chure 2001 provides additional data on theropod diversity from the Jurassic Tendaguru Formation, contextualising Elaphrosaurus within the broader evolutionary and ecological context of Jurassic theropod communities in Gondwana
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Confirmed | B | 2001 | Fossil | Chure, Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie | Diversity |
Active Debate: The Phylogenetic Position of Elaphrosaurus
Whether Elaphrosaurus is a ceratosaurian or a tetanuran is debated.
What We Still Do Not Know About Elaphrosaurus
- Complete skeletal morphology: Well known.
- Body mass: Estimated at ~200–500 kg.
- Feather integration: Unknown.
- Diet: Likely carnivorous/omnivorous.
In Depth
Elaphrosaurus has been something of an enigma for palaeontologists as while it is generally regarded as a ceratosaur, its proportions are similar to some other kinds of theropods. The overall appearance of Elaphrosaurus is that of a lightweight hunter that relied more upon speed rather than strength to take down prey. The tibia in particular is longer than the femur which is a good sign that Elaphrosaurus would have been a fast runner. In fact it is these leg proportions that once led to the suggestion that Elaphrosaurus may have been a primitive ornithomimosaur after it was initially thought to have been a late surviving coelophysid. The latter conclusion was based upon the long neck that probably supported a smaller skull than other theropods which are known to have larger skulls on shorter necks.
Some changes regarding the assignment of fossils have taken place over the years. A former species named from Nigerian fossil material called Elaphrosaurus gautieri was renamed in 2004 as Spinostropheus. Other remains from the Morrison Formation of the United States have been regarded as possibly being the same genus as Elaphrosaurus, but at the time of writing are not yet officially recognised.
Further Reading
– Ueber Elaphrosaurus bambergi und die Megalosaurier aus den Tendaguru-Schichten Deutsch-Ostafrikas [On Elaphrosaurus bambergi and the megalosaurs of the Tendaguru Formation of German East Africa] – Sitzungsberichte der Gesellschaft Naturforschender Freunde zu Berlin 1920:225-235 – W. Janensch – 1920. – Elaphrosaurus, an ornithomimid dinosaur from the Upper Jurassic of North America and Africa – Pal�ontologische Zeitschrift. 56, 265-275 – P. Galton – 1982. – The second record of the African theropod Elaphrosaurus (Dinosauria, Ceratosauria) from the Western Hemisphere – Neues Jahrbuch f�r Geologie und Pal�ontologie Monatshefte. 2001(9), 565-576 – Chure – 2001.
