Berberosaurus
"Berber lizard"
Type species Berberosaurus liassicus
- Lived
- 193 to 175 million years ago, Early Jurassic
- Diet
- Carnivore
- Group
- Theropods, Ceratosauridae
- Found in
- Morocco
- Named by
- Allain et al. 2007
Where its fossils were found
The evidence
Today
185 million years ago
Habitat
A warm floodplain crossed by river channels, with strong wet and dry seasons. The long-necked Tazoudasaurus lived in the same area.
Field notes
About Berberosaurus
What it was like
Berberosaurus was a two-legged meat eater known from parts of the backbone, hips and legs. It may be one of the oldest known ceratosaurs, the group that later included Ceratosaurus and Carnotaurus.
Its world
It lived in the Early Jurassic in what is now Morocco. Few meat-eating dinosaurs of this age are known from northern Africa.
How it was found
Allain and colleagues named it in 2007. The type species is Berberosaurus liassicus. Its name honors the native people of Morocco.
Field gallery
More views of Berberosaurus
Scenes reconstructed from the available fossil evidence.
1 of 3
The evidence
The science behind Berberosaurus
Which parts of the picture come from its own bones, and which come from its relatives.
From its own fossils
- The original skeleton preserves parts of the neck, backbone over the hips and hind legs.
- A hand bone is known, and a smaller thigh bone was also assigned to the genus.
Borrowed from relatives
- Saltriovenator provides a comparison for substantial grasping arms.
- Dilophosaurus guides the general reconstruction of the missing head and limbs.
Still unknown
- Its exact place in the theropod family tree.
- The shape of its skull and any head ornaments.
- Its complete hand structure and skin covering.
Often drawn wrong
- Tiny arms and a short, deep face like Carnotaurus are speculative.
- Horns like those of Ceratosaurus or paired crests like those of Dilophosaurus are speculative.
Discovery timeline
- 2007Named itAllain et al.
- 2018Family treeDal Sasso, Maganuco & Cau
- 2020Close relativeMarsh & Rowe
Key papers
The research behind what we know of Berberosaurus
Named it
Named a meat eater from partial skeletal remains and proposed that it was an early member of the ceratosaur branch.
An abelisauroid (Dinosauria: Theropoda) from the Early Jurassic of the High Atlas Mountains, Morocco, and the radiation of ceratosaurs. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 27: 610-624
Read the paper : An abelisauroid (Dinosauria: Theropoda) from the Early Jurassic of the High Atlas Mountains, Morocco, and the radiation of ceratosaurs (opens in a new tab)Family tree
Placed Saltriovenator near Berberosaurus in the ceratosaur family tree and described strong grasping arms in this early relative.
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
Read the paper : The oldest ceratosaurian (Dinosauria: Theropoda), from the Lower Jurassic of Italy, sheds light on the evolution of the three-fingered hand of birds (opens in a new tab)Close relative
Described Dilophosaurus skulls and limbs in detail, providing a broader early theropod comparison for the missing parts of Berberosaurus.
A comprehensive anatomical and phylogenetic evaluation of Dilophosaurus wetherilli (Dinosauria, Theropoda) with descriptions of new specimens from the Kayenta Formation of northern Arizona. Journal of Paleontology 94: 1-103
Read the paper : A comprehensive anatomical and phylogenetic evaluation of Dilophosaurus wetherilli (Dinosauria, Theropoda) with descriptions of new specimens from the Kayenta Formation of northern Arizona (opens in a new tab)
Close relatives
Other members of Ceratosauridae
Sources: Wikidata