File talk:Dino - Allosaurus - 1.jpg
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Allosaurus?
[edit]Hi Gretarsson,
You don't agree that this skull belongs to a Megalosaurus, File:Dino - Megalosaurus - 1.jpg. But I think that on the label in the museum they wrote Megalosaurus. Regards. DenesFeri (talk) 08:29, 17 September 2019 (UTC)
- Hi DenesFeri,
- then there are three possibilities:
- 1) The labelling was plain wrong, which would be a really severe lapsus, and I can hardly imagine that.
- 2) You confused the label with that of a nearby exhibit of Megalosaurus.
- 3) Your memory is incorrect.
- Anyhow, the skull reconstruction on your picture is extremely similar to the skull reconstruction of Allosaurus fragilis as published by Madsen (1976, Plate 1). Furthermore, there are only a few skull bones known from Megalosaurus (cf. drawing in the upper image to the right). For instance, the lacrimal is not known. So reconstructing the skull of Megalosaurus with a prominent lacrimal “horn” would be quite speculative since most Megalosaurids from which the lacrimal is known do not have a pronounced lacrimal “horn” (e.g. Torvosaurus, Dubreuillosaurus, Eustreptospondylus). Also, the skulls of megalosaurids are generally rather low and elongated, accompanied by a dorsal/nasal process of the maxilla that is directed posteriorly rather than dorsally. So the skull of Megalosaurus may have resembled that of Torvosaurus rather than that of Allosaurus… --Gretarsson (talk) 11:53, 17 September 2019 (UTC)
- Hi Gretarsson, I'm not an expert in dinosaurs, so I believe you. And thank you for the correction! Regards. DenesFeri (talk) 08:29, 18 September 2019 (UTC)