Neovenator salerii

Neovenator salerii was a large, lightly built predatory theropod from the Early Cretaceous Wessex Formation of the Isle of Wight. The holotype and referred material together represent about 70 percent of the skeleton, making it the most complete large theropod known from Europe. It had a deep, narrow skull with serrated blade-like teeth, powerful three-fingered arms, long hind limbs and a stiff balancing tail. CT scans revealed an extensive network of nerve and blood-vessel canals inside the snout, suggesting enhanced facial sensitivity. Neovenator was an allosauroid, although analyses differ over whether it belongs in a distinct Neovenatoridae or close to the base of Carcharodontosauridae.

Its fossils occur between approximately 130 and 125 million years ago. Values shown here are approximate and reflect the current curated seed dataset.

The skull was deep and laterally compressed, with a large nasal opening and recurved, serrated teeth. Numerous small openings peppered the face and connected to branching internal canals carrying parts of the trigeminal nerve and blood vessels. The neck and trunk vertebrae contained extensive air spaces, while robust shoulder and arm bones supported three-clawed hands. Long hind limbs, narrow feet and a muscular tail produced the balanced bipedal build typical of large allosauroids.

• Deep, laterally compressed skull with serrated blade-like teeth
• Complex branching neurovascular canals within the snout
• Air-filled spaces in many vertebrae and parts of the pelvis
• Strong three-fingered arms with curved claws
• Long hind limbs supporting bipedal pursuit and ambush movement
• Holotype and referred bones together representing about 70 percent of the skeleton

The first remains were exposed after part of Grange Chine collapsed during a storm in 1978. A long programme of collecting recovered pieces of a large theropod from the Wessex Formation, alongside bones later recognized as the ornithopod Brighstoneus. Steve Hutt, David Martill and Michael Barker named Neovenator salerii in 1996. The genus means new hunter and the species honours the Salero family, owners of the land. A detailed 2008 monograph united the holotype and referred material into an anatomical description covering about 70 percent of the skeleton.

Naming authors: Steve Hutt, David M. Martill, Michael J. Barker.

Neovenator lived on the warm, seasonally wet floodplains of the Wessex Formation. Rivers crossed a landscape of conifers, cycads, ferns and flowering plants, while wildfires and floods regularly disturbed the environment. Potential prey included Iguanodon, Mantellisaurus, Hypsilophodon and young sauropods. The Grange Chine marker is deliberately generalized along the eroding southwest Isle of Wight coast.

Its teeth and allosauroid skull identify Neovenator as a terrestrial predator of vertebrate prey and carrion. The sensitive snout may have helped it control bites, strip flesh, manipulate objects or communicate through facial contact, but no single behaviour can be demonstrated. Tooth wear has been interpreted as consistent with avoiding hard bone. Hunting style, sociality and parental care remain unknown.

• Neovenator is the most complete large theropod currently known from Europe.
• CT scans revealed a dense sensory network inside its facial bones.
• Its name means new hunter.
• The first fossils appeared after a storm-triggered cliff collapse in 1978.
• Its exact position between Neovenatoridae and Carcharodontosauridae remains debated.

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1. 01
   The first European allosaurid (Lower Cretaceous, Wealden Group, England)

   Steve Hutt, David M. Martill, Michael J. Barker · Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie, Monatshefte 1996, 635-644 · 1996

   Open source
2. 02
   The osteology of Neovenator salerii (Dinosauria: Theropoda) from the Wealden Group (Barremian) of the Isle of Wight

   Stephen L. Brusatte, Roger B. J. Benson, Steve Hutt · Palaeontographical Society Monograph 162 · 2008

   Open source
3. 03
   Complex neuroanatomy in the rostrum of the Isle of Wight theropod Neovenator salerii

   Chris Tijani Barker, Darren Naish, Elis Newham and 2 coauthors · Scientific Reports 7, 3749 · 2017

   Open source
4. 04
   Neovenator salerii holotype MIWG 6348

   GB3D Type Fossils

   Open source
5. 05
   Dinosaur Isle Museum visitor and collections information

   Dinosaur Isle Museum

   Open source