Saurophaganax maximus

 Saurophaganax Maximus means lizard eating king. It lived during the Late Jurassic period. That was approximately 151 Million years ago. Most of Saurophaganax Maximus' fossils have been found in Oklahoma, U.S.A, so we can infer that it lived there. Most scientists estimate that the Saurophaganax Maximus was 35-40 feet long. Its weight was probably around 3-4 tons. 

 It was a top predator at the time. It hunted giant herbivores like Apatosaurus and Camarasaurus to name a few. It also has use short bursts of speed to attack prey quickly. It most likely was a solitary hunter. It had large, serrated teeth that were used for slicing through flesh. Unlike the T. Rex that crushed bones, it most likely used a bite slash technique biting and slashing constantly to make its prey get exhausted and bleed.  

Throughout 1931 and 1932, paleontologist John Willis Stovall found the fossils of a large dinosaur in Oklahoma. About 10 years later after the findings, John Willis Stovall named it Saurophagus maximus. Later on, they realized that the name Saurophagus was already used for a tyrant fly catcher by William Swainson in 1831. In 1995,  Daniel Chure renamed it to Saurophaganax maximus, replacing the old name. Some studies on Saurophaganax suggest it may be an Allosaurus species or a sauropod. Re examinations also show that some specimens of Saurophaganax might be from a sauropod, and other specimens from a species of Allosaurus.

Whether Saurophaganax was a distinct genus of dinosaur or an Allosaurus, or a sauropod was a mystery. But a review and examination in 2004, of basal tetanurae (Carnivore dinosaurs) and another examination in 2012 suggest that Saurophaganax likely was it's own genus and not a species of another dinosaur. But a 2024 analysis show that some Saurophaganax specimens are from a recently named, and new genus (species) of Allosaurus named Allosaurus anax.