Saltriovenator

Sal-tre-o-ven-ah-tore.
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Lilah Turner

Evolutionary Biologist

Lilah Turner investigates how prehistoric animals adapted to changing environments, offering insights into evolution's mechanisms.

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Name

Saltriovenator ‭(‬Saltrio hunter‭)‬.

Phonetic

Sal-tre-o-ven-ah-tore.

Named By

C.‭ ‬Dal Sasso,‭ ‬S.‭ ‬Maganuco‭ & ‬A.‭ ‬Cau‭ ‬-‭ ‬2018.

Classification

Chordata,‭ ‬Reptilia,‭ ‬Dinosauria,‭ ‬Saurischia,‭ ‬theropoda,‭ ‬Ceratosauria.

Diet

Carnivore.

Species

S.‭ ‬zanellai‭

Size

Roughly estimated between‭ ‬7-8‭ ‬meters long.

Known locations

Italy‭ ‬-‭ ‬Saltrio Formation.

Time Period

Sinemurian of the Jurassic.

Fossil representation

Partial jaw and post cranial remains.

In Depth

       At the time of the genus naming in‭ ‬2018,‭ ‬Italy was not particularly well known for dinosaur discoveries,‭ ‬the only other theropod being Scipionyx,‭ ‬named in‭ ‬1998.‭ ‬So when it was announced that a new,‭ ‬much larger theropod dinosaur had been discovered,‭ ‬you can imagine the news headlines.

       Named Saltriovenator.‭ ‬this new dinosaur was a large predator,‭ ‬and amongst the largest known in Europe.‭ ‬Unfortunately Saltriovenator is still only known from very partial and damaged fossil bones,‭ ‬so precise estimates to the size of this dinosaur are a rough guess at best.‭ ‬However,‭ ‬careful analysis of the fossil has led the describers of this genus to conclude that Saltriovenator was most likely a ceratosaur,‭ ‬meaning similar genera like Ceratosaurus are our best guess for filling in the blanks.

       The holotype individual seems to have some to its end in a coastal location with the body being swept out to sea,‭ ‬an analysis confirmed by damage to the holotype fossil bones being caused by marine scavengers.‭ ‬This might imply that Saltriovenator was a bit of a beach comber,‭ ‬perhaps‭ ‬looking for the bodies of large marine animals washed ashore.‭ ‬With Europe being a collection of islands in the early Jurassic,‭ ‬this seems to have been a common survival strategy for the larger theropod dinosaurs of the time in this area.‭ ‬Other genera such as Eustreptospondylus,‭ ‬Piveteausaurus and Dubreuillosaurus among others also speculated to have scoured beaches for food.

Further Reading

-‭ ‬The oldest ceratosaurian‭ (‬Dinosauria:‭ ‬Theropoda‭)‬,‭ ‬from the Lower Jurassic of Italy,‭ ‬sheds light on the evolution of the three-fingered hand of birds.‭ ‬-‭ ‬PeerJ‭ ‬6:e5976:1-78.‭ ‬-‭ ‬C.‭ ‬Dal Sasso,‭ ‬S.‭ ‬Maganuco‭ & ‬A.‭ ‬Cau‭ ‬-‭ ‬2018.

SPECIES SPOTLIGHT