Megalosauridae
- noun
- /ˌmɛɡəˈloʊsɔːrɪdeɪ/
- Specialized
- Scientists believe Megalosauridae were among the earliest large predatory dinosaurs of the Jurassic period.
Examples
-
The Megalosauridae family includes some of the largest carnivorous dinosaurs.
-
Fossils attributed to the Megalosauridae have been found in Europe, Africa, and South America.
-
The Megalosauridae are closely related to other large theropods like allosaurids.
-
Did you know that Megalosauridae lived during the Jurassic period?
-
Fossils attributed to the Megalosauridae have been found in Europe, Africa, and South America.
-
Scientists believe Megalosauridae were among the earliest large predatory dinosaurs of the Jurassic period.
-
The Megalosauridae family includes some of the largest carnivorous dinosaurs.
Surface Forms
Morphology
Megalosauridae = Megalosaurus (opaque) = Megalosaurus + idae
The formation uses specialized taxonomic morphology (a genus name + the family suffix '-idae') that is not transparently interpretable by average learners.
Etymology
Megalosauridae comes from Greek parts: mega ('large') and sauros ('lizard') plus the family ending -idae ('family'). So the name means 'family of large lizards', which fits these big, meat-eating dinosaurs.