Eustreptospondylus lived:165 to 145 million years ago in the Late Jurassic period.
| Name:
Pronunciation: Meaning: Animal Type: Dietary Type: Size: Weight: Major Fossil Finds: |
Eustreptospondylus yoo-STREP-toe-spon-DIE-lus Well-reversed vertebrae Dinosaur (theropod) Carnivore - scavenger of jellyfish, sharks, turtles, stranded reptiles Up to 5 to 7 metres long Up to 500kg Oxford, England |
Evidence Only one fossilised specimen of Eustreptospondylus has been found in a quarry north of Oxford, England. The skeleton was found in marine clays so it was probably a carcass that had drifted out to sea. Despite the limited fossil remains it is clear that Eustreptospondylus was a bipedal, carnivorous, theropod dinosaur, related to the line that ultimately gave rise to Tyrannosaurus rex.
The single skeleton is of an animal about 5 metres long. This is fairly small for a theropod. However vertebrae of this specimen looked as if they had not finished growing so this individual was probably not fully grown, and just how big this animal got is not certainly known.