Eustreptospondylus

Thanks to the discovery of a fine skeleton in Oxfordshire, England, 'well-curved vertebra' was Europe's best-known large,carnivorous dinosaur for many years. It had short arms, thick-walled leg bones, and large, weight-saving 'windows' in the skull.

Unable to place it in any known family, scientists simply note that a spine on one of its neck bones, and a ridge on the thigh bone, seem typical of carnosaur theropods. Among these, Allosaurus displays a possible family likeness in the bones of its skull, neck, and ankle. Eustreptospondylus shared what is now England with various plant-eaters.

This big carnivore was a longer animal than early, plated ornithischians like Lexovisaurus and early, armoured ornithischians like Sarcolestes. Even a half –grown Eustreptospondylus, such as the fossilized specimen found in Oxfordshire which would have been about the size of a lion, could have tackled these inoffensive, plodding herbivores.

Sauropods such as Cetiosaurus and Cetiosauriscus were evidently longer and certainly much heavier than a full-grown Eustreptospondylus but they, too, formed potential meals for this large, rapacious theropod.

Location: England

Diet: Herbivorous dinosaurs

Size: Length 7m

      Weight 220kg

Classification:

Family Unknown

Infraorder Ceratosauria

Suborder Theropoda

Order Saurischia

Time (million years ago): 165