Megalosaurus Information

Megalosaurus, a massive meat-eating dinosaur, holds a special place in paleontology as one of the first dinosaurs ever discovered and the very first to be named. Unearthed in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries around Oxfordshire, England, its fossils puzzled scientists for decades.

Initially, single teeth, leg bones, and jaw fragments were found, leaving experts like William Buckland and Georges Cuvier speculating about its origins. Buckland, an Oxford professor, first studied the remains in detail around 1818, and in 1824, Megalosaurus became the first dinosaur to receive a name, even before the term “dinosaur” was coined in 1842.

Early misconceptions likened Megalosaurus to an oversized lizard walking on four legs. However, later discoveries revealed it walked on two legs, much like other bipedal dinosaurs. Despite being called “big lizard,” Megalosaurus was about six meters long—modest by Jurassic theropod standards, compared to the larger Allosaurus.

Megalosaurus roamed during the Bathonian Age (168-165 million years ago) but went extinct by the period’s end. While artists often depicted it alongside Iguanodon, these dinosaurs lived in different eras.

Although uncertain whether Megalosaurus had feathers, its legacy as a pioneering fossil discovery remains undeniable.