Megalosaurus [SEP] parent taxon
though. Modern scientists, by comparing "Megalosaurus" with its direct relatives in the Megalosauridae, were able to obtain a more accurate picture. "Megalosaurus" was about six metres long, weighing about seven hundred kilogrammes. It was bipedal, walking on stout hindlimbs, its horizontal torso balanced by a horizontal tail. Its forelimbs were short, though very robust. "Megalosaurus" had a rather large head, equipped with long curved teeth. It was generally a robust and heavily muscled animal.
Discovery and naming.
Species and synonyms.
During the later nineteenth century, "Megalosaurus" was seen as the typical carnivorous dinosaur. If remains were found that were not deemed sufficiently distinct to warrant a separate genus, often single teeth, these were classified under "Megalosaurus", which thus began to function as a wastebasket taxon, a sort of default genus. Eventually, "Megalosaurus" contained more species than any other non-avian dinosaur genus, most of them of dubious validity. During the twentieth century, this practice was gradually