Neovenatoridae

Animalia

Neovenatorids Temporal range: Early Cretaceous-Late Cretaceous, 128–70 Ma PreЄ Є O S D C P T J K Pg N
File:Neovenator mount (1).jpg
Restoration of Neovenator
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Superorder:	Dinosauria
Order:	Saurischia
Suborder:	Theropoda
Branch:	†Carcharodontosauria
Family:	†Neovenatoridae Benson, Carrano & Brusatte, 2010
Type species
Neovenator salerii Hutt, Martill, & Barker, 1996
Subgroups
†Chilantaisaurus †Megaraptora †Neovenator

Neovenatoridae is a family of large carnivorous dinosaurs. The group is a branch of the allosauroids, a large group of carnosaurs that also includes the sinraptorids, carcharodontosaurids, and allosaurids. Neovenatorids are the latest-surviving allosauroids; at least one neovenatorid, Orkoraptor, lived near the end of the Mesozoic era, dating to the early Maastrichtian stage of the latest Cretaceous period, about 70 million years ago.^[1] Compared to other allosauroids, neovenatorids had short, wide shoulder blades, and their ilia (upper hip bones) had many cavities.^[1]

Classification

The cladogram presented here follows the 2010 analysis by Benson, Carrano and Brusatte.^[1] Another study published later in 2010 also found the Australian theropod Rapator to be a megaraptoran extremely similar to Australovenator.^[2]

Neovenatoridae	Neovenator unnamed Chilantaisaurus Megaraptora unnamed Australovenator ?Rapator Fukuiraptor ?Orkoraptor unnamed Aerosteon Megaraptor

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} Benson, R.B.J.; Carrano, M.T; Brusatte, S.L. (2010). "A new clade of archaic large-bodied predatory dinosaurs (Theropoda: Allosauroidea) that survived to the latest Mesozoic". Naturwissenschaften 97 (1): 71–78. Bibcode 2010NW.....97...71B. doi:10.1007/s00114-009-0614-x. PMID 19826771. 
2. ^ Agnolin, Ezcurra; Pais; Salisbury (2010). "A reappraisal of the Cretaceous non-avian dinosaur faunas from Australia and New Zealand: Evidence for their Gondwanan affinities". Journal of Systematic Palaeontology 8 (2): 257–300.