Paleontologists working in northern Italy have announced the oldest large-size predatory dinosaur known to the fossil record. Saltriovenator zanellai weighed about a ton and, at nearly 200 million years old, predates more famous megapredators by at least 25 million years.
Saltriovenator’s bones are also the first dinosaur remains to preserve evidence of marine animals that gnawed on its carcass. The biggest thing about S. zanellai, however, may be its hands: The animal’s fingers could solve a long-running debate about how bird wings evolved.
Saltriovenator would be a source of significant national pride at any size: It’s the first Jurassic dinosaur ever found in Italy. But the animal’s robust build and estimated length of more than 24 feet make it especially noteworthy, because other predatory dinosaurs of the period were typically less stocky and much smaller. Even bigger news: Researchers believe the Saltriovenator speciman was a sub-adult, with plenty of growing left to do.
