Megalosauridae is a monophyletic family of carnivorous theropod dinosaurs in the order Megalosauroidea. They appeared in the Middle Jurassic,
| Megalosaurids | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Skeletal mount of Torvosaurus tanneri, Museum of Ancient Life | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Clade: | Dinosauria |
| Clade: | Saurischia |
| Clade: | Theropoda |
| Clade: | †Megalosauria |
| Family: | †Megalosauridae Huxley, 1869 |
| Type species | |
| †Megalosaurus bucklandii Mantell, 1827 | |
| Subgroups | |
| |
| Synonyms | |
|
Torvosauridae Jensen, 1985 | |
They are closely related to the family Spinosauridae. Some members of this family include Megalosaurus, Torvosaurus, Eustreptospondylus, and Afrovenator.
Megalosaurids were among the first major adaptive radiations of large theropod dinosaurs, but they became extinct by the end of the Jurassic period.[1] They were a relatively primitive group of basal tetanurans with two main subfamilies, Megalosaurinae and Afrovenatorinae.
The basal genus Eustreptospondylus differs from both subfamilies. Its position is unclear
References
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