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Description
Saurophaganax "Allosaurus?" maximus

The Morrison Formation is one of the most iconic dinosaur-bearing rock formations on earth. Legendary dinosaurs like Allosaurus, Brachiosaurus, Brontosaurus, and Stegosaurus fossils have been found in the badlands of Colorado, Wyoming, and Utah, to name a few states. However, in the southernmost portion of the formation in Oklahoma, fossils have been found of a massive and controversial species of theropod that once roamed the Morrison, Saurophaganax maximus.

History and Naming:

In 1931, cattlemen near Kenton, Oklahoma tending their ranch found fossils on their land. University of Oklahoma paleontologist John W. Stovall came out to try and extract them. However, the work was contracted out to the Works Progress Administration (WPA). While they did dig up fossils, the workers who came out perhaps didn't know what was fossil and what was a generic rock. Its possible fossils were lost. However, over the course of the excavation, among the material recovered were fragments of a large theropod.
They resembled Allosaurus bones. However, they were far bigger than other fragments of Allosaurus. Allosaurus can grow to around 25-33 feet long. However, the material found was bigger than even the largest documented remains. However, Stovall did not name the creature. Local journalist Grace E. Ray who visited the dig site, named the animal in 1941. She dubbed it Saurophagus maximus, meaning "largest lizard-eater". However, given that Ray named the fossil in an article in a newspaper, not in any scientific journal and, no description was provided to the animal other than it was a large meat-eater.

Furthermore, the name "Saurophagus" was actually already occupied, prescribed to a tyrant flycatcher bird from South America. So, ultimately, the name was viewed as a "nomen nudum" or a naked name. With it already taken and not being properly described, the name is not viewed as valid.

It was not until 1995 where Paleontologist Daniel Chure re-examined the original material. Consisting of vertebral fragments from the dig, they resembled Allosaurus and were far bigger than any other specimen. He also compiled fossils with comparable sizes and similarities in a paper he published describing the remains. The fragments included the vertebral fragments, pieces of the pelvis, and other fragments from across the Morrison Formation.
Paying homage to Ray's name, he gave it a more fitting name, "Saurophaganax maximus" the "Giant Lord of the Lizard Eaters".

However, some paleontologists classify Saurophaganax as another species of Allosaurus. Paleontologist David Smith proposed this in 1998 when he proposed that the material assigned to Saurophaganax (for the most part) resembled Allosaurus and proposed it be classified as another species of Allosaurus, Allosaurus maximus.
Newer fossil material could help clear up whether or not Saurophaganax is a distinct species. While it's possible that it could be a species of Allosaurus, today, most Paleontologists classify it as a separate genus. The main reason is that the vertebral structure looks distinct compared to Allosaurus, having distinctive "meat-chopper" chevrons on its vertebra.

Description:

Saurophaganax is potentially one of the largest apex predators of the Jurassic Period and one of the largest Carnosaurs that ever lived. Size is something that is a bit of an issue in estimating fragmentary remains. However, Chure put it within the range of 36-40 feet. An absolutely massive predator, approaching the lengths of Tyrannosaurus rex, around 40 feet in length. However, it weighed just over half of the legendary Tyrant Lizard King only clocking in at 5 tons. Nonetheless, this was the largest predator that ruled Late Jurassic North America, 150,000,000 years ago.

Habitat:

The environment it lived in was largely seasonal floodplain environments. With a wet and dry season, the environment itself was a massive scrub-like ecoregion with conifers dominating the landscape. As well as regions of forested regions in the area reminiscent of Californian Redwood Forests seen today. Grass was not present at the time, the environment was covered in ferns and horsetail.

Prey and Contemporaries:

In terms of its diet, given its size, the whole of the Morrison could have been its oyster. However, many Paleontologists point to juvenile Sauropods like Barosaurus and Brontosaurus as being their primary food source. However, in May 2020, a study that examined theropods from the Mygatt-Moore Quarry in Colorado showed scraping bite marks on Allosaurus bones. Extrapolations of these bite marks are larger than other large predators from the region, and there are only two found in the quarry, Ceratosaurus, and Allosaurus. The only candidates that could have fit the bill would be Torvosaurus or Saurophaganax. Perhaps Saurophaganax not only competed with Allosaurus, but it may have also killed its smaller cousin.

Saurophaganax remains a fascinating and controversial dinosaur. Some think it's a distinctive animal. Others just a species of Allosaurus. Nonetheless, it offers a window into the Morrison landscape, a time when giant apex predators stalked the earth, and one can only imagine the power these animals had.

___________________________________________________________________________________________

Okay, so this was a recent touch-up I did to the old Saurophaganax from episode 2. I gave it a spruce-up and thought I'd write a profile.

Now, in my opinion, I think that it's a species of Allosaurus. They have distinctive chevrons on the vertebra and how they are structured, yes, but I've seen other dinosaurs that have less stark differences. They're classified as the same species (IE: Edmontosaurus, Dryosaurus, Carcharodontosaurus, etc.). So I prefer to think of it as just a distinct species of Allosaurus, not a large Allosaurus fragilis or jimmadseni, just Allosaurus maximus.

However, while I think it is a species of Allosaurus, I still call it Saurophaganax. Why?
1. The name is cooler. The "Lord of the Lizard Eaters", it grabs me more than Allosaurus.
2. I grew up with Dinosaur King seeing that distinctive orange and yellow animal as an antagonist looked awesome. So yeah, childhood nostalgia.
3. Finally, and most importantly, a binomial name is completely arbitrary. IE: Edmontosaurus annectens/Anatosaurus annectens, paleo enthusiasts/scientists can call them whatever they want, and it doesn't change anything.

So yeah, that's my case.

In terms of the models, I just modified the skull, using randomdinos new skeletal drawings. I gave it a slightly more downturned skull.
Saurophaganax maximus skeletal reconstruction. by randomdinos on DeviantArt

Model and skin by Alvin Abreu, modified by me.
Saurophaganax (Alvin Abreu) | ZT2 Download Library Wiki | Fandom

From Past Meets Present
Past Meets Present (Pt4 is Up) - The ZT2 Round Table

Description
Saurophaganax "Allosaurus?" maximus

The Morrison Formation is one of the most iconic dinosaur-bearing rock formations on earth. Legendary dinosaurs like Allosaurus, Brachiosaurus, Brontosaurus, and Stegosaurus fossils have been found in the badlands of Colorado, Wyoming, and Utah, to name a few states. However, in the southernmost portion of the formation in Oklahoma, fossils have been found of a massive and controversial species of theropod that once roamed the Morrison, Saurophaganax maximus.

History and Naming:

In 1931, cattlemen near Kenton, Oklahoma tending their ranch found fossils on their land. University of Oklahoma paleontologist John W. Stovall came out to try and extract them. However, the work was contracted out to the Works Progress Administration (WPA). While they did dig up fossils, the workers who came out perhaps didn't know what was fossil and what was a generic rock. Its possible fossils were lost. However, over the course of the excavation, among the material recovered were fragments of a large theropod.
They resembled Allosaurus bones. However, they were far bigger than other fragments of Allosaurus. Allosaurus can grow to around 25-33 feet long. However, the material found was bigger than even the largest documented remains. However, Stovall did not name the creature. Local journalist Grace E. Ray who visited the dig site, named the animal in 1941. She dubbed it Saurophagus maximus, meaning "largest lizard-eater". However, given that Ray named the fossil in an article in a newspaper, not in any scientific journal and, no description was provided to the animal other than it was a large meat-eater.

Furthermore, the name "Saurophagus" was actually already occupied, prescribed to a tyrant flycatcher bird from South America. So, ultimately, the name was viewed as a "nomen nudum" or a naked name. With it already taken and not being properly described, the name is not viewed as valid.

It was not until 1995 where Paleontologist Daniel Chure re-examined the original material. Consisting of vertebral fragments from the dig, they resembled Allosaurus and were far bigger than any other specimen. He also compiled fossils with comparable sizes and similarities in a paper he published describing the remains. The fragments included the vertebral fragments, pieces of the pelvis, and other fragments from across the Morrison Formation.
Paying homage to Ray's name, he gave it a more fitting name, "Saurophaganax maximus" the "Giant Lord of the Lizard Eaters".

However, some paleontologists classify Saurophaganax as another species of Allosaurus. Paleontologist David Smith proposed this in 1998 when he proposed that the material assigned to Saurophaganax (for the most part) resembled Allosaurus and proposed it be classified as another species of Allosaurus, Allosaurus maximus.
Newer fossil material could help clear up whether or not Saurophaganax is a distinct species. While it's possible that it could be a species of Allosaurus, today, most Paleontologists classify it as a separate genus. The main reason is that the vertebral structure looks distinct compared to Allosaurus, having distinctive "meat-chopper" chevrons on its vertebra.

Description:

Saurophaganax is potentially one of the largest apex predators of the Jurassic Period and one of the largest Carnosaurs that ever lived. Size is something that is a bit of an issue in estimating fragmentary remains. However, Chure put it within the range of 36-40 feet. An absolutely massive predator, approaching the lengths of Tyrannosaurus rex, around 40 feet in length. However, it weighed just over half of the legendary Tyrant Lizard King only clocking in at 5 tons. Nonetheless, this was the largest predator that ruled Late Jurassic North America, 150,000,000 years ago.

Habitat:

The environment it lived in was largely seasonal floodplain environments. With a wet and dry season, the environment itself was a massive scrub-like ecoregion with conifers dominating the landscape. As well as regions of forested regions in the area reminiscent of Californian Redwood Forests seen today. Grass was not present at the time, the environment was covered in ferns and horsetail.

Prey and Contemporaries:

In terms of its diet, given its size, the whole of the Morrison could have been its oyster. However, many Paleontologists point to juvenile Sauropods like Barosaurus and Brontosaurus as being their primary food source. However, in May 2020, a study that examined theropods from the Mygatt-Moore Quarry in Colorado showed scraping bite marks on Allosaurus bones. Extrapolations of these bite marks are larger than other large predators from the region, and there are only two found in the quarry, Ceratosaurus, and Allosaurus. The only candidates that could have fit the bill would be Torvosaurus or Saurophaganax. Perhaps Saurophaganax not only competed with Allosaurus, but it may have also killed its smaller cousin.

Saurophaganax remains a fascinating and controversial dinosaur. Some think it's a distinctive animal. Others just a species of Allosaurus. Nonetheless, it offers a window into the Morrison landscape, a time when giant apex predators stalked the earth, and one can only imagine the power these animals had.

___________________________________________________________________________________________

Okay, so this was a recent touch-up I did to the old Saurophaganax from episode 2. I gave it a spruce-up and thought I'd write a profile.

Now, in my opinion, I think that it's a species of Allosaurus. They have distinctive chevrons on the vertebra and how they are structured, yes, but I've seen other dinosaurs that have less stark differences. They're classified as the same species (IE: Edmontosaurus, Dryosaurus, Carcharodontosaurus, etc.). So I prefer to think of it as just a distinct species of Allosaurus, not a large Allosaurus fragilis or jimmadseni, just Allosaurus maximus.

However, while I think it is a species of Allosaurus, I still call it Saurophaganax. Why?
1. The name is cooler. The "Lord of the Lizard Eaters", it grabs me more than Allosaurus.
2. I grew up with Dinosaur King seeing that distinctive orange and yellow animal as an antagonist looked awesome. So yeah, childhood nostalgia.
3. Finally, and most importantly, a binomial name is completely arbitrary. IE: Edmontosaurus annectens/Anatosaurus annectens, paleo enthusiasts/scientists can call them whatever they want, and it doesn't change anything.

So yeah, that's my case.

In terms of the models, I just modified the skull, using randomdinos new skeletal drawings. I gave it a slightly more downturned skull.
Saurophaganax maximus skeletal reconstruction. by randomdinos on DeviantArt

Model and skin by Alvin Abreu, modified by me.
Saurophaganax (Alvin Abreu) | ZT2 Download Library Wiki | Fandom

From Past Meets Present
Past Meets Present (Pt4 is Up) - The ZT2 Round Table