Afrovenator

Phylogeny: Dinosauria > Saurischia > Theropoda > Neotheropoda > Tetanurae > Megalosauroidea (?) > Megalosauridae > Afrovenatorinae

Overview: Afrovenator was probably the apex predator of its own local environment. It would’ve lived in the latter part of the Middle Jurassic or into the Late Jurassic, in what is now Niger. Fossils of the animal come from the Tiourarén Formation and possibly the older Irhazer Shale. There are some fossils in Tanzania and as far away as South America, specifically in Uruguay, that may belong to Afrovenator, though their referral to this genus remains questionable. Afrovenator lived in what appears to have been a seasonal environment, where it stalked woodlands and open plains alike. It preyed on basal sauropods like Jobaria and possibly Spinophorosaurus. Afrovenator is estimated to have been seven or eight meters long, so it was decently large, especially for its time. Even if it was unable to take down the largest of the adult sauropods in its region, juveniles were vulnerable. Its legs suggest it was probably decently fast for a theropod of its size.

Phylogenetic studies usually place Afrovenator within the family Megalosauridae, making it related to the famous Megalosaurus, as well as other taxa like Torvosaurus and Eustreptospondylus. Some studies refer it to its own subfamily within the group, called the Afrovenatorinae. Some European megalosaurids also may have belonged to this lineage, though the internal classifications within the Megalosauridae remain unstable. There have even been some studies that classify Afrovenator not in the Megalosauridae, but closer to the spinosaurids, as a basal relative, but not as a spinosaurid itself. Afrovenator did, however, share its basic body plan with most megalosaurids. It possessed fairly strong arms, the hands of which sported three clawed digits. The jaws were low and long, with studies suggesting it had fairly strong neck muscles, making it easy to tear away chunks of flesh. In front of each eye was a small crest, probably used for visual display purposes, to signal health and vitality.