Name:
Becklespinax (Greek for "Beckles' spine"); pronounced BECK-ul-SPY-nax
Habitat:
Woodlands of western Europe
Historical Period:
Early Cretaceous (140-130 million years ago)
Size and Weight:
About 20 feet long and one ton
Diet:
Meat
Distinguishing Characteristics:
Large size; strong jaws; possible sail on back
About Becklespinax:
One of the most oddly named of all dinosaurs--try saying "Becklespinax" ten times fast and keeping a straight face--this large theropod was also one of the most mysterious, diagnosed on the basis of three fossilized vertebrae. All we know about Becklespinax is that it was a respectably sized carnivorous dinosaur of early Cretaceous England, and that it may (or may not) have sported a short sail, akin to those of later meat-eaters like Spinosaurus. Judging by the ecosystem in which it lived, Becklespinax probably made its living by chasing down and eating small- to medium-sized sauropods.
