Saurophaganax facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Saurophaganax Temporal range: Upper Jurassic
Saurophaganax vs Apatosaurus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Class:	Sauropsida
Superorder:	Dinosauria
Order:	Saurischia
Suborder:	Theropoda
Superfamily:	Allosauroidea
Family:	Allosauridae
Genus:	Saurophaganax Chure, 1995

Saurophaganax ("lizard-eating master") is a genus of allosaurid dinosaur from the Morrison Formation of Upper Jurassic in Oklahoma. It lived about 151 million years ago).

Saurophaganax was a very large Morrison allosaurid. The maximum size of S. maximus has been estimated at anywhere from 10.5 metres (34 ft) to 13 m (43 ft) in length, and around 3 tonnes (3.0 long tons; 3.3 short tons) in weight. This means it was perhaps similar in size to Tyrannosaurus or Carcharodontosaurus.

Some paleontologists think it is a species of Allosaurus (Allosaurus maximus). It has also been described as a separate genus. The most recent review of basal tetanurans accepted Saurophaganax as a distinct genus. New possible Saurophaganax material from New Mexico may clear up the status of the genus.

Images for kids

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  A drawer of Saurophaganax vertebrae, Oklahoma Museum of Natural History

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  Mounted skeleton posed attacking a Diplodocus, New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science.

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  Mounted Saurophaganax hunting an Apatosaurus, Oklahoma Museum of Natural History.

See also

In Spanish: Saurophaganax maximus para niños