Poekilopleuron

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Poekilopleuron
Conservation status
Extinct (fossil)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Sauropsida Superorder: Dinosauria Order: Saurischia Suborder: Theropoda Family: Megalosauridae Genus: Poekilopleuron Eudes-Deslongchamps, 1837
Species
P. bucklandii

Poekilopleuron was a 30 foot (9 meters) long megalosaur from the Middle Jurassic. It is mostly known from a partial skeleton discovered in Europe in 1824 but named as Megalosaurus; it was renamed in 1923. This fossil was the first dinosaur remains ever discovered, but it was destroyed during World War II. Poekilopleuron's most striking feature was the size of its arms, a sign of its primitive nature. Unlike later theropods, whose arms were greatly reduced, Poekilopleuron's arms were long and powerful.

Because the original fossil was destroyed and no other remains of this species have since been found, and also because of its name change, there is much controversy surrounding this classification that cannot be resolved.