Megapnosaurus

Say it like this: “meg-AP-no-SAWR-us”

Megapnosaurus rhodesiensis

Megapnosaurus ate meat and walked on two legs. It lived in the Early Jurassic. Bones have been found in Zimbabwe.

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When: Early Jurassic (Hettangian · Sinemurian) · roughly 201.4 to 192.9 million years ago
Named in: 1969 · Raath, M. A.
Hip height: 0.7 m · 2 ft
Length: 2.2 m · 7 ft
Weight: 13 kg · 29 lb
Found in: Zimbabwe · Forest Sandstone
Food and walking: Carnivore · Two legs
Kind: sharp-clawed runner · Theropod
Family branch: Coelophysidae

The story in short

The genus Megapnosaurus dates to 1969, the year M. A. Raath described it.

Fossils referred to Megapnosaurus date to the Early Jurassic (Hettangian · Sinemurian), roughly 201.4 to 192.9 million years ago. Finds come from Zimbabwe, including the Forest Sandstone Formation. It was a carnivore and walked on two legs.

Published estimates put Megapnosaurus at a length near 2.2 m, hips about 0.7 m high, and a body mass around 13 kg.

On the family tree it sits in Coelophysidae, among the theropod dinosaurs.

Close relatives

Camposaurus

Camposaurus arizonensis

Late Triassic (Norian) · roughly 227.3 to 205.7 million years ago

Coelophysis

Coelophysis bauri

Late Triassic (Norian · Rhaetian) · roughly 227.3 to 201.4 million years ago

Lucianovenator

Lucianovenator bonoi

Late Triassic (Norian) · roughly 227.3 to 205.7 million years ago