Lajasvenator
Temporal range:
Reconstruction of the animal based on its fossil remains and those of its close relatives
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Clade: Dinosauria
Clade: Saurischia
Clade: Theropoda
Family: †Carcharodontosauridae
Genus: †Lajasvenator
Coria et al., 2020
Type species
†Lajasvenator ascheriae
Coria et al., 2020

Lajasvenator (meaning "Las Lajas hunter" after the city of Las Lajas in Neuquén, Argentina) is a genus of carcharodontosaurid dinosaur from the Mulichinco Formation from Neuquén Province in Argentina. The type and only species is Lajasvenator ascheriae. It was probably one of the smallest known allosauroids, being approximately only half the length of Concavenator, about 2.9 m (9.5 ft).[1] Lajasvenator consists of 2 specimens, MLL-PV-Pv-05 and MLL-PV-Pv-07. MLL-PV-Pv-07 preserved the proximal end of a cervical rib that is identical to the 7th cervical rib of the MLL-PV-Pv-05. The origin of Lajasvenator is based on these materials collected from Argentina. Possibly, the early evolutionary stage for the Carcharodontosauridae started with these medium sized predators that later evolved into the heavily built carcharodontosaurs such as Meraxes or Giganotosaurus. Lajasvenator is the oldest Carcharodontosaur from the Cretaceous in South America and a key element for its future evolutionary giants.

References

  1. ↑ Coria, Rodolfo A.; Currie, Philip J.; Ortega, Francisco; Baiano, Mattia A. (2020-07-01). "An Early Cretaceous, medium-sized carcharodontosaurid theropod (Dinosauria, Saurischia) from the Mulichinco Formation (upper Valanginian), Neuquén Province, Patagonia, Argentina". Cretaceous Research. 111: 104319. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2019.104319. hdl:11336/122794. ISSN 0195-6671.


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