Description and Classification

Saltriovenator was a large meat-eating dinosaur for its time, especially compared to other Early Jurassic theropods. Scientists estimate it grew to be about 7.5 meters (25 feet) long and may have weighed around 1 ton (2,000 pounds). Like other theropods, it walked on two legs and had a long tail for balance. The bones of Saltriovenator show that it was a solidly built predator.

It is classified as a theropod dinosaur, belonging to the group Ceratosauria. This means it was an early relative of later, more famous ceratosaurs like Ceratosaurus and Carnotaurus. The discovery of Saltriovenator showed that ceratosaurs appeared much earlier in dinosaur history than previously thought, pushing back their record by about 25 million years. The fossil remains are incomplete but include parts of the ribs, shoulder, forelimbs, and several teeth. Interestingly, the bones show bite marks from ancient sharks and feeding traces from marine invertebrates, suggesting that after the Saltriovenator died, its body washed out to sea where it was scavenged before becoming a fossil.

Distinguishing Features

Saltriovenator had several features that help scientists identify it and understand its place in the dinosaur family tree:

• It was one of the largest known predators of the Early Jurassic period.
• It possessed a hand with three well-developed, clawed fingers (fingers I, II, and III). The first finger was robust with a large claw, the second finger was the longest, and the third was more slender. A small bone for a fourth finger (metacarpal IV) was present but did not form an external, usable finger. This hand structure is important for understanding how theropod hands evolved.
• It had a furcula, also known as a wishbone, which is a feature shared with birds and many other theropod dinosaurs.
• Specific details in its forelimb bones (like the humerus and ulna) distinguish it from other early theropods such as Dilophosaurus.

Paleoenvironment and Diet

During the Early Jurassic, the area where Saltriovenator lived was a coastal environment. Its remains were found in marine limestone, indicating that the animal’s carcass ended up in the sea. It likely lived on nearby landmasses or islands that were part of a warm, tropical region. The sea it was washed into was a shallow part of the Tethys Ocean.

As a large theropod, Saltriovenator was a carnivore. It would have hunted other dinosaurs, such as early sauropodomorphs (long-necked plant-eaters) or ornithischians (bird-hipped dinosaurs) that lived in the same region. Its strong, clawed hands may have been used to grasp prey. Its teeth were sharp and blade-like, suited for slicing flesh.

Significance and Ongoing Research

The discovery of Saltriovenator is very significant for paleontology. It provides strong evidence that large-bodied theropods and the ceratosaurian lineage existed very early in the Jurassic period. This helps fill gaps in our understanding of early dinosaur evolution and how different groups of theropods, like the ceratosaurs (which includes dinosaurs like Abelisaurus) and tetanurans (which includes birds and dinosaurs like Allosaurus and Tyrannosaurus rex), began to diversify.

Its hand structure is particularly important, showing an early stage in the evolution of the three-fingered hand common to many later theropods. Ongoing research will likely continue to analyze its bones to refine its exact place in the dinosaur family tree and learn more about its biology. Future fossil discoveries in Italy and other parts of the world from the Early Jurassic period may provide more information about Saltriovenator and the world it inhabited.