Proceratosaurus
PRO-seh-RAT-oh-SORE-us /ˌproʊsɛˌrætoʊˈsɔːrəs/
Accepted genus
before horned lizard (before Ceratosaurus)
- pro · Greek · before
- keras · Greek · horn
- sauros · Greek · lizard
The name means "before Ceratosaurus". Friedrich von Huene chose it in 1926 because he thought this small theropod was an ancestor of the later, horned Ceratosaurus, since its snout had a small nasal crest like a horn. Later studies showed it is actually a basal tyrannosauroid and not closely related to Ceratosaurus.
- Named by
- von Huene
- Year named
- 1926
- Period
- Middle Jurassic
- Stage
- Bathonian
- Found in
- Cornbrash Formation, Gloucestershire, England, UK
Known from a skull found near Minchinhampton. It is one of the earliest known tyrannosauroids. Its crest suggests display, and it may have had feathers.