Tuesday, October 13, 2015

The horror of October. Dubreuillosaurus

 Discovered in‭ ‬1994‭ ‬and originally classed as a species of Poekilopleuron,‭ ‬Dubreuillosaurus was placed into its own genus in‭ ‬2005‭ ‬on the basis of differences of the post cranial remains of the two.‭ ‬Dubreuillosaurus itself was a large carnivore for the Jurassic,‭ ‬and would have probably been similar to the much more famous Megalosaurus.
       Because Dubreuillosaurus like other megalosaurids was found in marine sediment it has been suggested as being a coastal animal.‭ ‬While it may have fed upon fish caught in tidal pools,‭ ‬it may have also been a beach comber,‭ ‬perhaps scavenging the bodies of dead marine reptiles washed ashore.‭ ‬This lifestyle is of course speculation based upon circumstantial evidence,‭ ‬but unless remains of an inland individual are recovered,‭ ‬it remains a good starting area for reconstructing the living animal.‭ ‬The skull of Dubreuillosaurus does lend some support to the piscivorous fish hunting lifestyle as it is proportionately long,‭ ‬something that would give Dubreuillosaurus added reach to snatch a fish from the water.

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