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.



----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Random favourites