| Cristatusaurus | |
|---|---|
| Holotype (MNHN GDF 366), consisting of jaw fossils, Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Paris | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Sauropsida |
| Order: | Saurischia |
| Family: | †Spinosauridae |
| Subfamily: | †Baryonychinae |
| Genus: | †Cristatusaurus |
| Species: | †C. lapparenti |
| Binomial name | |
| Cristatusaurus lapparenti Taquet and Russell, 1998 |
|
Cristatusaurus (meaning "Crested reptile") is an extinct genus of spinosaurid theropod dinosaur. It lived during the Early Cretaceous Period of what is now Africa.
Its fossils were found at Gadoufaoua in Niger, Africa, in 1973. These fossils are quite similar to those of Baryonyx and Suchomimus. The type species, C. lapparenti, was formally described by Taquet and Russell, in 1998.[1]
There is some debate over the identity of this creature, in that some argue that it may be the same dinosaur as Suchomimus, which has also been found in Niger. Some therefore suggest that Cristatusaurus is a dubious name.[2]