Megalosaurus fossil map
Where fossils of Megalosaurus have been found, shown on the Earth as it looked about 160 million years ago and on today’s map.
Dots are fossil collections recorded in the Paleobiology Database. The “then” view moves today’s fossil sites back to their positions 160 million years ago (the time slice nearest the median age of the fossils) using the Merdith et al. (2021) plate model; positions are approximate. Open on the timeline map →
| Group | Theropods |
|---|---|
| Lived | 205.7–66 million years ago (Rhaetian to Maastrichtian) |
| Periods | Triassic, Jurassic, Cretaceous |
| Family | Megalosauridae |
| Named by | Parkinson 1822 |
| Fossil records | 60 occurrences at 52 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | UK, France, Spain, Germany, China, Tanzania, Poland, Belgium, India |
| Rock formations | txn:38574, Forest Marble, Cotswold Slate, Marnes de Dives, Chipping Norton Limestone, Kimmeridge Clay |
About Megalosaurus
Megalosaurus (meaning "great lizard", from Greek μέγας, megas, meaning 'big', 'tall' or 'great' and σαῦρος, sauros, meaning 'lizard') is an extinct genus of large carnivorous theropod dinosaurs that lived during the Middle Jurassic (Bathonian age, ~166 million years ago) in what is now southern England. Although fossils from other areas have been assigned to the genus, the only certain remains of Megalosaurus come from Oxfordshire and date to the late Middle Jurassic.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Megalosaurus (revision 1376000117), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0; introduction excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Ages, family, authority and fossil records: Paleobiology Database, accessed 22 October 2026. Ages are those of the rock layers the fossils were found in. Wikidata: Q131056.
