Afrovenator

Skeletal reconstruction of Afrovenator

• Niger ( Tiouarén Formation)

Afrovenator ( African hunters ) is a genus of bipedal, carnivorous dinosaur from the group of theropods that lived in Africa in the middle or early Late Jurassic.

His remains were discovered in the Tiouarén formation in the Tenere Desert in Agadez, in Niger and described in 1994 by researchers Paul Sereno, Wilson, Larsson, Hans-Dieter Sues Dutheil and scientific. Originally dated to the Early Cretaceous, which Afrovenator abakensis made ​​at the time of discovery for the first relatively complete theropods from the Cretaceous of Africa, the formation in 2009 was identified as the archaeological site of the Middle and Upper Jurassic.

So far, only the only kind Afrovenator was abakensis, and described by this only a single copy. The Style epithet refers (albeit in a somewhat modified form). Locality on the Agadez

Features

The holotype UC UBA 1 consists of a cranium without partials premaxilla, nasal, frontal, parietal and Quadratojugale, a Präartikulare, a large part of the arms, the nearly complete pelvis and hind legs and parts of the neck, trunk and tail spine. The total length of Afrovenator was just under 7-8 meters according to various estimates. The proportions of long bones indicate a quite slim built animal.

In relation to the used for comparison copy of the Carnosauriers Allosaurus ( Topotypus, USNM 4734 ) has Afrovenator although similar long arms but shorter legs ( The dimensions of the thigh of USNM 4734 are not entirely clear, some sources cite a length of 85cm, others only 77cm. latter is due to the typical proportions of Allosaurus much more likely ), proportionally longer humeri and a lower but longer head. The maxillary cranial window is shifted to the rear, the promaxillare window is slit-shaped. The quadrate is long and represents more than half of the orbital skull depth. Skull chamber and other ornaments are compared to some other theropod slightly marked, the crest of the lacrimal is hollow. The cervical vertebrae have deep, pneumatic foramina and form an upward curve that keeps the head above the back height articulation ..

Life and habitat

Its habitat consisted of lush wooded areas near lakes or rivers. It coexisted with the original Aryans Macro Jobaria whose pups he could have hunted. About his social behavior, nothing is known from finds of other theropods ( Allosaurus, Mapusaurus [ Coria & Currie, 2006] and Deinonychus ) can be concluded, however, that he could possibly have hunted adult sauropods in swarms.

System

Afrovenator is ( it lacks the characteristic sickle- shaped first claw of the due synapomorphies of the skull ( maxillary window, pneumatic Jugale ) and the skeleton (half -moon shaped carpals, atrophied third finger, ring -shaped anterior trochanter of the femur, plate-shaped extension of the astragalus ) as Tetanure and basal relative hand) of Torvosaurus and Spinosauridae classified and forms with them a monophyletic sister group of Avetheropoda / Neotetanura. More recent studies have confirmed this in part and classify him as Megalosauridae.