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"Only now do we know the true story- Megarachne was a giant prehistoric sea scorpion." |
Eustreptospondylus presents a puzzle to dinosaur scientists, but they're sure about one thing-it was a vicious killer. This predator was an early version of T-rex, tackling large prey with deadly jaws. Though only one skeleton has ever been found-and it was from a teenager-experts have speculated about this dino's lifestyle, including the fact that it might have been a good swimmer!
Sharp Smile: Eustreptospondylus had a mouth full of big, knife-like teeth, but often broke a few of them when struggling with prey. Like sharks, this dino grew replacements behind the main teeth so they could be ready when needed.
Twister: The bones in this dinosaur's spine and neck were curved and lined with flexible muscles. This would have allowed the beast to twist its head after biting into prey to easily tear the meat away.
Swim-a-Saurus[]
This single skeleton is the only evidence there is of this dino's existence.
The only known eustreptospondylus fossils were found buried in the clay of an ancient seabed. Many experts think the bones were from a carcass that washed out to sea, but some scientists have other ideas. Claw marks have been found in many dried up seabeds; some think they were made by large dinos, such as eustreptospondylus, paddling through the water. This beast could have swum short distances between islands to find new food sources, paddling with its hind legs and using its thick tail as a rudder.
Beachfront Living: Eustreptospondylus spent a lot of time near prehistoric beaches. It could have ambushed large prey from the nearby tree-lines.
Immature: This ancient reptile is known from only one set of fossils that measured five feet long when put together. The dino hadn't finished growing, though, so experts estimate the adult beast reached lengths of 30 feet!
Timeline[]
Eustreptospondylus lived 165 to 160 million years ago, during the Jurassic Period.
Trading Card[]
Trivia[]
- The trading card spells the dinosaur's name as "Eustrepospondylus", missing the "t".
- Eustreptospondylus is mislabeled as Lystrosaurus on the timeline for the American Mastodon’s knowledge card.
- Eustreptospondylus is now considered a relative of Megalosaurus, not a Tyrannosaur.