Acro Rex
MemberCompsognathusMar-12-2014 8:03 AMA couple of years ago, Fernando Novas put forward a radical hypothesis: that South America's dominant predators in the latest Cretaceous, the megaraptorans, were not neovenatorids, allosauroids or even carnosaurs, but coelurosaurs in the Tyrannosauroidea superfamily. He considered this to be evidence that dinosaurs were in decline towards the end of their temporal range, with carnosaurs added to the list of fauna lost before the K-Pg extinction.
Shortly afterwards, Andrea Cau stated that the anatomical similarities in the hip bones which led Novas to his conclusions were more likely due to convergent evolution than to any phylogenetic relation to tyrannosauroids. He also pointed out the fact that Aerosteon more closely resembled the Cenomanian giganotosaurines than Neovenator itself, and reclassified Megaraptora as a subfamily of Carcharodontosauridae. Thomas Holtz agreed with Cau on the issue of convergent evolution, but still believed Megaraptora to be part of Neovenatoridae.
So, what do you guys think? Where do these theropods fit?
Sci-Fi King25
MemberAllosaurusMar-12-2014 8:10 AMMind=Blown
“Banana oil.”- George Takei, Gigantis: The Fire Monster
Lord Vader
MemberTyrannosaurus RexMar-12-2014 9:58 AMI'm with Sci-fi on this one.
Sure as hell is interesting and plausible, not to mention cool.
Jack of all trades. Master of none
Rex Fan 684
MemberCompsognathusMar-12-2014 5:42 PMYeah, I've heard of this. I currently have them under the carcharodontosaurs on my site, but I certainly consider it a possibility that they are tyrannosaurs. Dryptosaurus(a primitive tyrannosaur) strongly resembles the megaraptors.
Rex Fan 684
MemberCompsognathusMar-12-2014 7:39 PMTo illustrate the similarity between megaraptors and tyrannosaurs...
Australovenator, a classic megaraptor
Dryptosaurus, a basal tyrannosaur
Both have long arms with massive claws(8 inches long in Dryptosaurus), long slender legs, etc.
Carnosaur
MemberCompsognathusMar-12-2014 11:44 PMthey are neovenatorids.
Nature doesn't deceive us; it is we who deceive ourselves.