Megalosaurus

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* Evolution 2

***Megalosaurus*** is a genus of carnosaurian dinosaur in *Evolution 2*. The very first dinosaur to be discovered, it originated from Middle Jurassic Europe.

## Characteristics

Among the first non-flying dinosaurs ever to be discovered and living around 155-170 million years ago, *Megalosaurus* has the general build of a large theropod dinosaur; a bipedal, horizontal body, long and strong legs, elongated head, etc. It's name translates to "*Great Lizard*", an apt description for a dinosaur that measures between six and nine meters in length and weighs more than 800kg, smaller compared to larger and similar looking theropod dinosaurs like the carnosaurian dinosaurs, such as *Allosaurus*, *Acrocanthosaurus*, *Carcharodontosaurus*, and *Giganotosaurus*. Nevertheless, *Megalosaurus'* large size, powerful jaw and serrated teeth made it the apex predator of its environment.

## Gameplay

### Behaviour

The behavior of the *Megalosaurus* mirrors that of its fellow dinosaurs. It strolls leisurely, transitioning into a swift run if circumstances require. When thirst strikes, it gravitates towards water sources for a drink. Rest is essential, prompting the *Megalosaurus* to take a pause and rest, occasionally settling down on the ground. When hunger looms, it adopts either a hunting stance or dines from a carnivore feeder if available.

The *Megalosaurus* is inherently sociable, requiring at least one companion to feel at ease. In cases of multiple individuals, social interactions and dominance struggles unfold. As a competitive creature, the *Megalosaurus* doesn't readily share its territory with most carnivores, standing its ground against *intruders*.

## Palaeontology

*Megalosaurus* was the first genus of non-avian dinosaur to be officially named. Possible remains of *Megalosaurus* may have been found in Oxfordshire, England as early as 1676, when a lower part of a femur was found in an Oxford quarry. This was initially believed to have been from a Roman war elephant, and then later as the remains of a giant human. The location of the femur was lost in the late 1700s, so any work on it since has been based on contemporary drawings. Paleontologist Richard Owen, who created the name 'dinosaur', later proposed that the femur was that of a *Megalosaurus*, but without any physical evidence, the identity of the femur is still a mystery. The most substantial fossil remains of *Megalosaurus* were unearthed in the late 1700s across Oxfordshire. These included pelvic bones, parts of the vertebrae, the upper half of legs and a lower jawbone. It was considered a type of large lizard until over a century later, as dinosaurs were not yet a well-known concept. It wasn't until 1824 that the animal was formally named *Megalosaurus* by English geologist William Buckland, who studied the fossils, and another 18 years later, paleontologist Richard Owen coined the term "dinosaur". He assumed that these belonged to a gigantic lizard and thus until the late 1850s, *Megalosaurus* was shown as a quadrupedal animal. It was only with the discovery of new fossils, such as *Compsognathus* and *Eustreptospondylus* between 1859 and 1870, that bipedal dinosaurs became widely accepted. Due to the discovery of new, and more well represented genera of Megalosauridae such as *Torvosaurus*, the general description of *Megalosaurus* was better understood. In modern times, *Megalosaurus* is generally depicted as a fairly typical large theropod, with a robust heavily muscled body, well built hindlegs and a large head.

In 1842, Richard Owen created a new clade of animals, the dinosaurs, based on *Megalosaurus*, *Iguanodon*, and *Hylaeosaurus*. During the Victorian era, and well into the 1940s, many theropods found were named as species of *Megalosaurus*, such as *Metriacanthosaurus*, *Dilophosaurus*, *Carcharodontosaurus*, *Majungasaurus*, *Proceratosaurus* and *Ceratosaurus*. This was a result of *Megalosaurus* being accepted as the standard large carnivore for much of the nineteenth century and many contemporary paleontologists did not extensively study the hundreds of fossils found. Additionally, most remains found in Europe were very incomplete, leading to many concluding they were simply scattered remains of a single larger animal. It was only after the extensive discoveries of new large theropods from North America that the *Megalosaurus* remains were studied more closely and many were moved to new genera. There is now only a single accepted species of *Megalosaurus*, which is the first species found, *Megalosaurus bucklandii*. Other megalosaurine genera that have since been differentiated from the 'wastebasket' taxon include *Duriavenator* and *Magnosaurus.*

This carnivorous theropod’s name translates to "*Great Lizard*", an apt description for a dinosaur that grows up to six meters in length and can weigh about seven hundred kilograms. *Megalosaurus*’ large size, powerful jaw and serrated teeth made it the apex predator of its environment.

### Paleoecology

Founded in the Taynton Limestone and Chipping Norton Limestone formations in England, *Megalosaurus* lived in the tropical climes of Europe during the Middle Jurassic period, roaming forests in search of prey. The formations were home to various species of fish, mammals and marine reptiles. The close association of *Megalosaurus* fossils and marine deposits suggests that it occasionally fed on dead plesiosaurs and other carrion washed up on the shore. Other dinosaur remains are scarce, but include the sauropod *Cetiosaurus*. Other possible *Megalosaurus* species have been found in the El Mers Group in Morocco and the Lourinhã Formation in Portugal.

## Behind the scenes

*Megalosaurus* was first revealed to be in *Evolution 2* with the release of corresponding forum post for the *Evolution 2* Pre-Order trailer on August 25, 2021.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Erik, Jens. (August 25, 2021). *Jurassic World Evolution 2 is Now Available to Pre-Order - Coming 9 November* [Online forum post]. Frontier Forums. Retrieved August 25, 2021.
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 *Megalosaurus*. Prehistoric Wildlife. Retrieved April 28, 2023.
3. ↑ *Megalosaurus*. Jurassic World Evolution 2 Database. Retrieved April 28, 2023.