Deltadromeus

Makaveli7

MemberCompsognathusJune 12, 20137534 Views7 Replies

Deltadromeus, aka Bahariasaurus, is the largest known Ceratosaur and perhaps the most underrated dinosaur of all time. [img]http://0.tqn.com/d/dinosaurs/1/0/L/Q/-/-/Deltadromeus-agilis.jpg[/img] It was unusually long, 40 feet long, but was incredibly light. It wasn't as heavily built as T-Rex, Giganotosaurus, Mapusaurus or even Allosaurus. It might not have even topped 3 tons! As frail as it sounds, it sacrificed mass for speed. Its cousins, the Carcharodontosaurids, were known for not only being speedy for their huge size, but just fast period. Deltadromeus could run circles around even the fastest Carcharodontosaurids. In a straight ahead sprint, it topped 40 mph, rivaling even the fastest dromaeosaurs! Like a giant dinosaur version of a Cheetah, it would have used its speed and arms to catch prey. Its arms were strangely long and powerful. The bite would have been weak, probably more for finishing off prey slowly while pinned down than catching them. Found in the same formations as giants like Carcharodontosaurus, Spinosaurus and Sauroniops, competition would have been fierce. Adding to the Cheetah analogy, it would have had a similar niche in the food chain. Carcharodontosaurus was like the Lion, Spinosaurus the Jaguar, and Sauroniops the Hyena. All would have competed with it and stole its kills, leaving it as not necessarily the weakest link, but perhaps a specialized predator. Its name meaning, "delta runner", was truly earned. [img]http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ONkzeDc3sOM/Say6bt2-nrI/AAAAAAAAAqk/-mLBXoM3U4c/s400/Deltadromeus2008Color.jpg[/img] Questions? Comments? What do you know about Deltadromeus/Bahariasaurus?

Future Team Raptor member

Rex Fan 684
Group: Member
Rank: Compsognathus
View Profile

June 12, 2013

I always thought Deltadromeus was around 30-35 ft long and about 2-3 tons. Who knows. Fossils are so rare it's hard to give a definite answer to anything, including size. I like your cheetah analogy. Delta was certainly fast, running somewhere between 30 and 40 miles per hour. It's similar to Albertosaurus in the fact that's it's big, but lightly built and very fast for it's size. As far as it being a ceratosaur, I can't say I fully agree. It seems to be more allosaurian to me. You mentioned it was related to the carcharodontosaurs. This group was very close to the allosaurs while the ceratosaurs were very primitive in comparison. Like I said earlier though, it's so hard to say since good fossil evidence is rare. [img]http://www.dinosaurpicturesonline.com/images/dinosaurs/theropods/Deltadromeus.jpg[/img] Deltadromeus [img]http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQbrwSIO8dk7RPLQNhfPKZ7fRCJbfebUqMb7-yvhFF3Zx0c-dq1[/img] Albertosaurus Can you imagine a race between these two? Both are probably the among the fastest dinosaurs for their overall size ever!

"Men like me don't start the wars. We just die in them. We've always died in them, and we always will. We don't expect any praise for it, no parades. No one knows our names." ―Alpha-98

Rex Fan 684
Group: Member
Rank: Compsognathus
View Profile

June 12, 2013

[img]http://ayay.co.uk/backgrounds/dinosaurs/bipedal_predator/gorgosaurus-albertosaurus.jpg[/img] Sorry, that Albertosaur pic did not work.

"Men like me don't start the wars. We just die in them. We've always died in them, and we always will. We don't expect any praise for it, no parades. No one knows our names." ―Alpha-98

Makaveli7
Group: Member
Rank: Compsognathus
View Profile

June 12, 2013

That would be pretty cool. The Deltadromeus fossil was 30 feet, but the Bahariasaurus skeleton is 40 feet. They're at least closely related, if not synonymous. It is officially a Ceratosaur as of now, but it's debated. I think it deserves its own family, being that it is possibly the lightest built theropod but has very long arms for grasping, unique to just itself. I think Deltadromeus might win the race, since that was its specialty, whereas Albertosaurus was a combination of speed and power.

Future Team Raptor member

Rex Fan 684
Group: Member
Rank: Compsognathus
View Profile

June 12, 2013

Probably, it would be a close race. Dinosaur classification is so sketchy. So many are so debatable. Acrocanthosaurus, is it a spinosaur or allosaur? Deltadromeus, is it a ceratosaur or an allosaur? Cryolophosaurus and Megalosaurus are also debatable. But that's a whole other discussion.

"Men like me don't start the wars. We just die in them. We've always died in them, and we always will. We don't expect any praise for it, no parades. No one knows our names." ―Alpha-98

Rex Fan 684
Group: Member
Rank: Compsognathus
View Profile

June 12, 2013

If Deltadromeus was indeed a ceratosaur, that still does not mean it was the largest. Keep in mind, sizes are based off of my estimates. Some isolated Ceratosaurus remains suggest these predators were able to get to 25 or more feet in length. Possibly weighing 2-3 tons. Deltadromeus seems to be about 33 feet long, which makes it the longest ceratosaur, but probably weighed no more than 2-3 tons. The largest Ceratosaurus' may have rivaled Deltadromeus in weight which is what scientists look at when it comes to what is biggest. Like I said, I don't fully believe Delta was a ceratosaur, seems more like an allosaur. However, if it was, it was probably the longest, but not necessarily the heaviest. *Sizes based on my estimates Contenders for largest ceratosaur... Ceratosaurus [img]http://images5.fanpop.com/image/photos/28300000/Ceratosaurus-dinosaurs-28340272-1542-986.jpg[/img] Deltadromeus(If it was indeed a ceratosaur) [img]http://wonjae.files.wordpress.com/2010/01/deltadromeus0031.jpg[/img]

"Men like me don't start the wars. We just die in them. We've always died in them, and we always will. We don't expect any praise for it, no parades. No one knows our names." ―Alpha-98

Deltadromeus
Group: Member
Rank: Compsognathus
View Profile

June 13, 2013

Deltadromeus was first thought to be 30 feet long, but was later revised to 26 feet long. I think it's in the family of Ceratosaurus, but it might be an Allosaur.

Rex Fan 684
Group: Member
Rank: Compsognathus
View Profile

June 13, 2013

Dinosaurs are constantly reclassified. Nanotyrannus and Dryptosaurus are a few.

"Men like me don't start the wars. We just die in them. We've always died in them, and we always will. We don't expect any praise for it, no parades. No one knows our names." ―Alpha-98

Deltadromeus

Makaveli7

Join the discussion!

Sign In to contribute!