Saltriosaurus
| "Saltriosaurus" Temporal range: Early Jurassic, 195 Ma |
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| Silhouette of the Metriacanthosaurid Sinraptor, with copies of “Saltriosaurus” fossils | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Clade: | Dinosauria |
| Order: | Saurischia |
| Suborder: | Theropoda |
| Clade: | Tetanurae |
| Genus: |
†Saltriosaurus Dal Sasso, 2000 |
“Saltriosaurus” (Saltrio lizard) is the informal name for a theropod dinosaur that lived during the Sinemurian stage of the Early Jurassic of what is now Italy. Although a full skeleton has not yet been discovered, “Saltriosaurus” can be considered a bipedal predator, up to 7 metres (23 ft) long. “Saltriosaurus” can be considered the earliest known Tetanuran of Europe.
Very little is known about “Saltriosaurus”. It is thought to have been a large, bipedal carnivore that resembled Allosaurus, and has been estimated at 7 metres (23 ft) long and 500 kilograms (1,100 lb) in weight, with a 70 centimetres (28 in)-long skull and 7 centimetres (2.8 in)-long teeth (judging by the single tooth found). The arms are well developed and likely end with three clawed digits.
“Saltriosaurus” was found in 1996, when Angelo Zanella discovered its remains in a quarry in Saltrio, in northern Italy. “Saltriosaurus” likely died on the shores of an ancient beach before being washed out to sea. About ten percent of the skeleton has been discovered, including a tooth, fragments from the dorsal ribs and scapula, a well preserved but incomplete furcula, humeri, metacarpal II, phalanx II-1, phalanx III-1, phalanx III-2, manual ungual III, proximal fibula, distal tarsal III, distal tarsal IV (119 bones in total).
After death, the skeletal remains suffered from prolonged transport, during which many bones were lost. Although "Saltriosaurus" was not aquatic, the environment in which the carcass was deposited was likely pelagic, judging by the associated ammonites. The locality is also rich in crinoids, gastropodss, bivalves, brachiopods and bryozoans.(Lualdi, 1999) Deposition occurred on a slope between a shallow carbonate platform and a deeper basin. Various scratches, grooves, and striations indicate that the carcass was subject to scavenging by marine invertebrates.
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