Veterupristisaurus
"ancient shark lizard"
Type species Veterupristisaurus milneri
- Lived
- 152 to 149 million years ago, Late Jurassic
- Diet
- Carnivore
- Group
- Theropods, Carcharodontosauridae
- Found in
- Tanzania
- Named by
- Rauhut 2011
Where its fossils were found
The evidence
Today
150 million years ago
Habitat
Low coastal plains bordered tidal flats in the Tendaguru Formation of Tanzania, with conifers growing inland. Neighbors included Giraffatitan, Kentrosaurus and Elaphrosaurus.
Field notes
About Veterupristisaurus
What it was like
Veterupristisaurus was a large meat eater known only from some backbones. It may be one of the oldest members of the carcharodontosaurids, the family of "shark-toothed" predators that later included Giganotosaurus and Carcharodontosaurus.
Its world
It lived about 152 to 149 million years ago, in the Late Jurassic, in what is now Tanzania. Its bones come from the Tendaguru Formation, a rich site shared with the giant sauropod Giraffatitan, the spiked stegosaur Kentrosaurus and the predator Elaphrosaurus.
How it was found
Rauhut named it in 2011. The type species is Veterupristisaurus milneri.
Field gallery
More views of Veterupristisaurus
Scenes reconstructed from the available fossil evidence.
1 of 3
Lived alongside
Found in the same rock formations
A rock formation can hold fossils laid down millions of years apart, so not every animal here met Veterupristisaurus.
The evidence
The science behind Veterupristisaurus
Which parts of the picture come from its own bones, and which come from its relatives.
From its own fossils
- Tail vertebrae preserve the distinctive features used to name Veterupristisaurus.
- The ridges connecting parts of those vertebrae resemble features in Acrocanthosaurus.
Borrowed from relatives
- Acrocanthosaurus provides a guide to the missing head, neck, body and limbs.
- Its grasping hands and strong supporting toes are restored by comparison with Acrocanthosaurus.
Still unknown
- The shape of its skull and teeth.
- Its body proportions and the height of the spines along its back.
- Its skin covering and color.
Discovery timeline
- 2011Named itRauhut
- 2011Close relativeEddy & Clarke
Key papers
The research behind what we know of Veterupristisaurus
Named it
Named Veterupristisaurus from distinctive tail vertebrae and linked it to the family that includes Acrocanthosaurus.
Theropod dinosaurs from the Late Jurassic of Tendaguru (Tanzania). Special Papers in Palaeontology 86: 195-239
No link available
Close relative
Described the long skull and narrow jaws of Acrocanthosaurus, a comparison for the missing head of Veterupristisaurus.
New Information on the Cranial Anatomy of Acrocanthosaurus atokensis and Its Implications for the Phylogeny of Allosauroidea (Dinosauria: Theropoda). PLoS ONE 6: e17932
Read the paper : New Information on the Cranial Anatomy of Acrocanthosaurus atokensis and Its Implications for the Phylogeny of Allosauroidea (Dinosauria: Theropoda) (opens in a new tab)
Close relatives
Other members of Carcharodontosauridae
Sources: Wikidata