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165
to 160 million years ago - Late Jurassic period
yoo-STREP-toe-spon-DIE-lus
Well-reversed vertebrae
Up to 5 metres long
Up to 500kg
England
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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.
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.
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.
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