Megalosaurus
Megalosaurus bucklandii
In 1824 William Buckland made Megalosaurus the first dinosaur to be validly described in science – before the word 'dinosaur' even existed.
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Characteristics
- Scientific name
- Megalosaurus bucklandii
- Period
- Middle Jurassic (Bathonian)
- Lived
- 168–165 Ma (168 million years ago)
- Diet
- Carnivore
- Habitat
- Coast, Forest
- Length (estimate)
- 7 m
- Mass (estimate)
- 700 kg
- Discovered/described
- 1824 · William Buckland
Description
Megalosaurus was a large, bipedal predatory dinosaur with a heavy skull and serrated teeth. The first bones were found as early as the 17th century and were then taken for the remains of elephants or giants. Many isolated finds from across Europe were later assigned to the genus; only the material from Oxfordshire is certainly Megalosaurus.
Habitat
Coastal plains and lagoons in what is now southern England.
Fossil sites
Stonesfield, Oxfordshire
Taynton Limestone Formation
Cultural profile: United Kingdom →
Contemporaries in the database
Sources: Megalosaurus