Teratosaurus
Encyclopedia
Teratosaurus was a genus
of rauisuchia
n known from the Triassic
Stubensandstein (Löwenstein Formation - Norian
age) of Germany
. The type specimen was described by von Meyer
on the basis of a left maxilla
(upper jaw bone) with large teeth, which he declared to be distinct from Belodon
.
Later authors, such as von Huene
, Osborn
, and Edwin H. Colbert, incorrectly attributed postcrania
of the sauropodomorph dinosaur Efraasia
to this species, and as a result it was thought to be a very primitive theropod. Following this lead, many popular books in the 20th century depicted "teratosaurs" as the earliest sort of large bodied meat-eating dinosaur, walking on two legs and preying on the prosauropods of its day. It was thought by many to be a Triassic ancestor to the carnosaurs of the Jurassic
.
In 1985 and 1986 Peter Galton
and Michael Benton
independently showed that Teratosaurus is actually a nondinosaurian rauisuchia
n, a type of large predatory archosaur
which lived alongside dinosaurs during the Late Triassic.
T. silesiacus, described in 2005 by Tomasz Sulej, was transferred to genus Polonosuchus
by Brussatte
et al. in 2009.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of rauisuchia
Rauisuchia
Rauisuchia is a group of predatory and mostly large Triassic archosaurs. As a clade, Rauisuchia includes these Triassic forms and all crocodylomorphs, which are descendants of Triassic rauisuchians. The group in its traditional sense is paraphyletic, because it does not include crocodylomorph...
n known from the Triassic
Triassic
The Triassic is a geologic period and system that extends from about 250 to 200 Mya . As the first period of the Mesozoic Era, the Triassic follows the Permian and is followed by the Jurassic. Both the start and end of the Triassic are marked by major extinction events...
Stubensandstein (Löwenstein Formation - Norian
Norian
The Norian is a division of the Triassic geological period. It has the rank of an age or stage . The Norian lasted from 216.5 ± 2.0 to 203.6 ± 1.5 million years ago. It was preceded by the Carnian and succeeded by the Rhaetian.-Stratigraphic definitions:The Norian was named after the Noric Alps in...
age) of Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. The type specimen was described by von Meyer
Christian Erich Hermann von Meyer
Christian Erich Hermann von Meyer was a German palaeontologist.He was born at Frankfurt am Main.In 1832 von Meyer issued a work entitled Palaeologica, and in course of time he published a series of memoirs on various fossil organic remains: molluscs, crustaceans, fishes and higher vertebrata,...
on the basis of a left maxilla
Maxilla
The maxilla is a fusion of two bones along the palatal fissure that form the upper jaw. This is similar to the mandible , which is also a fusion of two halves at the mental symphysis. Sometimes The maxilla (plural: maxillae) is a fusion of two bones along the palatal fissure that form the upper...
(upper jaw bone) with large teeth, which he declared to be distinct from Belodon
Belodon
Belodon is a genus of phytosaur, a crocodile-like reptile that lived during the Triassic. Its fossils have been found in Europe and elsewhere...
.
Later authors, such as von Huene
Friedrich von Huene
Friedrich von Huene was a German paleontologist who named more dinosaurs in the early 20th century than anyone else in Europe.-Biography:...
, Osborn
Henry Fairfield Osborn
Henry Fairfield Osborn, Sr. ForMemRS was an American geologist, paleontologist, and eugenicist.-Early life and career:...
, and Edwin H. Colbert, incorrectly attributed postcrania
Postcrania
Postcrania[p] in zoology and vertebrate paleontology refers to all or part of the skeleton apart from the skull. Frequently, fossil remains, e.g...
of the sauropodomorph dinosaur Efraasia
Efraasia
Efraasia is a genus of basal sauropodomorph dinosaur. It was a herbivore which lived during the middle Norian stage of the Late Triassic, around 210 million years ago, in what is now Germany...
to this species, and as a result it was thought to be a very primitive theropod. Following this lead, many popular books in the 20th century depicted "teratosaurs" as the earliest sort of large bodied meat-eating dinosaur, walking on two legs and preying on the prosauropods of its day. It was thought by many to be a Triassic ancestor to the carnosaurs of the Jurassic
Jurassic
The Jurassic is a geologic period and system that extends from about Mya to Mya, that is, from the end of the Triassic to the beginning of the Cretaceous. The Jurassic constitutes the middle period of the Mesozoic era, also known as the age of reptiles. The start of the period is marked by...
.
In 1985 and 1986 Peter Galton
Peter Galton
Peter M. Galton is a British vertebrate paleontologist working in America, who has to date written or co-written about a hundred papers in scientific journals or chapters in paleontology textbooks, especially on ornithischian and prosauropod dinosaurs.With Robert Bakker in a joint article...
and Michael Benton
Michael J. Benton
Michael J. Benton is a British paleontologist, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, and professor of vertebrate palaeontology in the Department of Earth Sciences at the University of Bristol....
independently showed that Teratosaurus is actually a nondinosaurian rauisuchia
Rauisuchia
Rauisuchia is a group of predatory and mostly large Triassic archosaurs. As a clade, Rauisuchia includes these Triassic forms and all crocodylomorphs, which are descendants of Triassic rauisuchians. The group in its traditional sense is paraphyletic, because it does not include crocodylomorph...
n, a type of large predatory archosaur
Archosaur
Archosaurs are a group of diapsid amniotes whose living representatives consist of modern birds and crocodilians. This group also includes all extinct non-avian dinosaurs, many extinct crocodilian relatives, and pterosaurs. Archosauria, the archosaur clade, is a crown group that includes the most...
which lived alongside dinosaurs during the Late Triassic.
T. silesiacus, described in 2005 by Tomasz Sulej, was transferred to genus Polonosuchus
Polonosuchus
Polonosuchus is a genus of rauisuchian known from the late Triassic of Poland.It was described as Teratosaurus silesiacus in 2005 by Tomasz Sulej, and was transferred to the genus Polonosuchus by Brusatte et al. in 2009....
by Brussatte
Stephen L. Brusatte
Stephen Louis Brusatte , is an American paleontologist.-Biography:He is the author of the 2002 book Stately Fossils: A Comprehensive Look at the State Fossils and Other Official Fossils and the 2008 book Dinosaurs...
et al. in 2009.