Happy 200th birthday, Megalosaurus!

[ceratopsian]

On 20th February, 1824, Buckland presented his paper "Notice on the Megalosaurus or great Fossil Lizard of Stonesfield", describing Megalosaurus, at a meeting of the Geological Society of London.

The fossil belongs to the Oxford University Museum of Natural History.  The original is not on display because of its fragility - it's a cast in the public gallery.  But curators brought it [ed. i.e. the original] for a single day to the NHM, London, so that attendees at an international palaeontological conference celebrating 200 years of dinosaurs could gather round and celebrate its imminent birthday.  There was much wielding of phone cameras!  Here's my snap.



The conference also served as a celebration of the end of the Patagotitan exhibition.  Apparently it was phenomenally successful in terms of visitor numbers and far exceeded pre-exhibition estimates.  The public like dinosaurs - hardly a surprise!

[EmperorDinobot]

The year of the dragon continues to bless us. Happy Bday Megalosaurus, you wastebasket bin for taxa, you!

[Fembrogon]

Such a humble fossil, yet it carries so much weight for us naked apes.    It's fascinating to think about just how long we've lived with dinosaurs, so to speak.

[SidB]

Such a humble fossil, yet it carries so much weight for us naked apes.    It's fascinating to think about just how long we've lived with dinosaurs, so to speak.

Your review of the classic Invicta came as a complete surprise to me, @Fembrogon , and caught me in a nostalgic mood. Perfect, so thanks for the short trip!

[Gwangi]

I had no idea that such a momentous day was upon us! If I had known I would have timed my review of the PNSO Megalosaurus better. Thankfully, Fembrogon pulled through with representing Megalosaurus on the blog in celebration.

[Faelrin]

I mentioned this in the Mattel thread, but I'm glad they finally released a Megalosaurus this year. CollectA and PNSO jumped the gun. Of course no big deal, folks have wanted one for quite a while now.

I also went and tamed one in Ark a few days ago (though I'm trying to tame one of everything as it is). I actually really dig the model in this game (more so the bioluminescent Aberration version). I'll share a pic once I'm on my PC.

Anyways I wouldn't know what my life would be like without awareness of these amazing creatures. Never mind the countless media (like uh Jurassic Park that released 2 years after I was born), and figures that have followed since. Or even the wonderful Crystal Palace sculptures.

Edit: Also seeing the jaw piece next to you @ceratopsian helps put it in perspective that this was a small guy. I mean the fossil of course, lol. But maybe the dinosaur too.

Also man I can't believe 200 years we still don't have any better remains. I mean aside from the substantial amount of referred material in a 2010 paper by Roger Benson. But I mean like some kind of actual skeleton. Would have been nice to have anyways.

[Gwangi]

I also went and tamed one in Ark a few days ago (though I'm trying to tame one of everything as it is). I actually really dig the model in this game (more so the bioluminescent Aberration version). I'll share a pic once I'm on my PC.

If I get the chance I'll have to try to tame a Megalosaurus in Paleo Pines today. 

Hard to believe that the entire breadth of our dinosaur knowledge was gained over a "short" span of 200 years.

[VD231991]

I mentioned this in the Mattel thread, but I'm glad they finally released a Megalosaurus this year. CollectA and PNSO jumped the gun. Of course no big deal, folks have wanted one for quite a while now.

I also went and tamed one in Ark a few days ago (though I'm trying to tame one of everything as it is). I actually really dig the model in this game (more so the bioluminescent Aberration version). I'll share a pic once I'm on my PC.

Anyways I wouldn't know what my life would be like without awareness of these amazing creatures. Never mind the countless media (like uh Jurassic Park that released 2 years after I was born), and figures that have followed since. Or even the wonderful Crystal Palace sculptures.

Edit: Also seeing the jaw piece next to you @ceratopsian helps put it in perspective that this was a small guy. I mean the fossil of course, lol. But maybe the dinosaur too.

Also man I can't believe 200 years we still don't have any better remains. I mean aside from the substantial amount of referred material in a 2010 paper by Roger Benson. But I mean like some kind of actual skeleton. Would have been nice to have anyways.

The ooidal lithology of the Taynton Limestone Formation probably dismembered a few regions of the skeletal remains of dead Megalosaurus individuals by creating erosion to the most delicate cranial bones of Megalosaurus. Although William Buckland wrongly assumed that Megalosaurus was a gigantic quadrupedal reptile, he would be glad today to see Megalosaurus confirmed as distinct from other megalosaurids. Richard Owen paid enough attention to the postcrania of Megalosaurus, Hylaeosaurus, and the holotype of Mantellodon carpenteri (which was assigned to Iguanodon at the time) to recognize that Megalosaurus and Hylaeosaurus shared a suite of postcranial features to be placed in a distinct reptile group for which he bestowed the name Dinosauria.

[ceratopsian]

@Faelrin: yes, when the sheet covering the display case was whipped away to reveal the fossil with theatrical panache, I was surprised at how small the jaw actually is - even though I'd seen the cast before in the Oxford museum display.

[Faelrin]

Definitely getting to this much later then I had planned, but anyways here is my Megalosaurus in Ark. Look at this sleepy boi: