Streptospondylus
"twisted vertebra"
- Lived
- 165 to 159 million years ago, Middle Jurassic to Late Jurassic
- Diet
- Carnivore
- Group
- Theropods
- Found in
- France
- Named by
- Meyer 1832
Where its fossils were found
The evidence
Today
160 million years ago
Habitat
It lived on land near a warm Jurassic sea in what is now France. Piveteausaurus and Eustreptospondylus were other predators of the wider European coastal region.
Field notes
About Streptospondylus
What it was like
Streptospondylus was a medium-sized, two-legged predator, a relative of Megalosaurus. It is known from a partial skeleton without a full skull.
Its world
It lived in the Jurassic in what is now France, near the coast of a warm sea.
How it was found
Meyer named Streptospondylus in 1832, which makes it one of the first meat-eating dinosaurs to receive a name. Its bones were first thought to belong to a crocodile.
Field gallery
More views of Streptospondylus
Scenes reconstructed from the available fossil evidence.
1 of 2
The evidence
The science behind Streptospondylus
Which parts of the picture come from its own bones, and which come from its relatives.
From its own fossils
- Vertebrae survive from the neck, back, hips and tail, along with parts of the pelvis and lower leg.
- Some back vertebrae have paired projections beneath them that help identify Streptospondylus.
Borrowed from relatives
- The missing head and much of the body are restored by comparison with megalosaurians such as Dubreuillosaurus.
- Torvosaurus provides a comparison for the grasping hands and weight-bearing toes.
Still unknown
- Its closest relatives within the megalosaurian family tree.
- The shape of its skull, hands and feet.
- Its skin covering and color.
Often drawn wrong
- Crocodile skulls once grouped with its bones belong to other animals.
- The palms should face inward, with the tail held clear of the ground.
Discovery timeline
- 1832Named itMeyer
- 2005Close relativeAllain
- 2012Family treeCarrano, Benson & Sampson
Key papers
The research behind what we know of Streptospondylus
Named it
Named Streptospondylus from an early collection of fossil reptiles, before its bones were recognized as those of a dinosaur.
Palaeologica zur Geschichte der Erde und ihrer Geschöpfe; Verlag von Siegmund Schmerber, Franfurt am Main.
No link available
Close relative
Described the body bones of Dubreuillosaurus, a megalosaurian comparison for missing parts of Streptospondylus.
The postcranial anatomy of the megalosaurDubreuillosaurus valesdunensis(Dinosauria Theropoda) from the Middle Jurassic of Normandy, France. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 25: 850-858
Read the paper : The postcranial anatomy of the megalosaurDubreuillosaurus valesdunensis(Dinosauria Theropoda) from the Middle Jurassic of Normandy, France (opens in a new tab)Family tree
Recognized distinctive back vertebrae in Streptospondylus and placed it among megalosaurians without resolving its closest relatives.
The phylogeny of Tetanurae (Dinosauria: Theropoda). Journal of Systematic Palaeontology 10: 211-300
Read the paper : The phylogeny of Tetanurae (Dinosauria: Theropoda) (opens in a new tab)
Sources: Wikidata