Footprint type
Megalosauropus
Megalosauropus is a footprint type: the name is for the fossil footprints themselves. The animal that made them is not known for certain. Its footprints are found in rocks 154.8–100.5 million years old in 5 countries, most often Algeria and Australia.
Confidence labels are switched off. Facts with low confidence, or where sources disagree, still carry a small dot: tap it for the reason.
At a glance
Data as of 11 October 2026- Named by
- Kaever and Lapparent 1974
medium
medium: Only PBDB gives this; nothing contradicts it.Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: PBDB leads.
- Described in
- M. Kaever, A. F. d. Lapparent (1974). Les traces de pas de Dinosaures du Jurassique de Barkhausen (Basse Saxe, Allemagne) [Dinosaur footprints from the Jurassic of Barkhausen (Lower Saxony, Germany)]. Bulletin de la Société Géologique de France, 7e série 16(5): 516–525. Read it
medium
medium: Only PBDB gives this; its author and year match the naming authority (Kaever and Lapparent 1974).Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database. The publication the Paleobiology Database gives as the authority for this genus name, usually the one that first named and described it.
- Dated to
- Hettangian to Tithonian, 201.4–143.1 million years ago
disputed
low: Sources disagree and an editor has not ruled yet.Omnisaura calculation154.8–100.5 million years ago, from its dated fossil recordsmedium
medium: Omnisaura's calculation from 14 confirmed PBDB records.Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: PBDB leads.
- Found in
- AlgeriaAustralia
medium
medium: Only PBDB records it (5 records).Croatiamedium
medium: Only PBDB records it (6 records).Portugallow
low: Only one PBDB record.United Stateslow
low: Only one PBDB record.low
low: Only one PBDB record.mixed
mixed: Levels differ between entries; each has its own.Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: Union of all sources (ISO 3166).
- Rock formations
- Broome SandstoneTiloula
medium
medium: Only PBDB records it (6 records).Camadas de Almargemmedium
medium: Only PBDB records it (2 records).Continental Intercalairelow
low: Only one PBDB record.Patuxentlow
low: Only one PBDB record.low
low: Only one PBDB record.mixed
mixed: Levels differ between entries; each has its own.Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: Canonical names, automatic and editor-approved matches applied.
- Footprint family
- Eubrontidae
medium
medium: Only PBDB gives this; nothing contradicts it.Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: PBDB leads.
- Parent group
- Eubrontidae
medium
medium: Only PBDB gives this; nothing contradicts it.Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: PBDB leads.
- Species named in its records
- Megalosauropus brionensis, Megalosauropus broomensis
Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database (the species its fossil records are identified as).
- Known from
- Footprints and traces
Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database (what the name was based on).
- Made by
- Not known for certain. Footprints rarely show which animal made them.
Gaps are answers
What isn't known yet
- The animal that made them: not known for certain, as for most footprint types.
- Type species: no source we use gives it yet.
- Order: no source we use gives it yet.
- Common names: no source we use gives it yet.
- What it was named after: no source we use gives it yet.
- Held back: 1 fossil record left out: identified only tentatively (for example "cf.", "?" or the name in quotation marks).
- Held back: 65 fossil records left out: identified as a related genus rather than this one.
- Resting on one source: 4 facts come from a single source with nothing against them (rated medium): name (PBDB); authority (PBDB); parent group (PBDB); family (PBDB).
Size and appearance aren't covered yet, and diet and way of life only as PBDB infers them for the wider group. Omnisaura leaves the rest out rather than guess.
Where sources disagree
1 openAge
- 201.4–143.1 MaPBDB
- 154.8–100.5 MaPBDB's own confirmed records
The ages of the records reach well beyond the published range. An editor hasn't ruled yet, so this is rated low until they do.
Did it meet…?
No. Megalosauropus had gone at least 16.9 million years before Tyrannosaurus appears in the fossil record.
Going by the ages and rock formations of their dated fossils, as on the map. Compare their fossil sites on the map.
Connections
Genera linked to Megalosauropus by where and when their fossils were found, by classification and by who named them. Select a name to open its page.
Found in the same rocks 16
Genera and other fossil types from the same rock units, from rocks of overlapping age, the most shared fossil sites first.
Same family: Eubrontidae 4
Other genera in Eubrontidae with a full profile.
Found in Australia 7
Other genera found in Australia, from rocks of overlapping age, the most fossil sites there first.
Credits
Where this page comes from
- Paleobiology DatabaseCC BY 4.0 · fossil records, ages, classification
- OmnisauraOmnisaura editorial · confidence levels and gaps
- PaleoMAP PaleoCoastlines (Kocsis and Scotese 2021)CC BY 4.0 · ancient coastlines on the small map
- Natural EarthPublic domain · today's coastlines