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Wikipedia:Today's featured article/requests/Oxalaia

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Oxalaia

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This is the archived discussion of the TFAR nomination for the article below. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as Wikipedia talk:Today's featured article/requests). Please do not modify this page.

The result was: scheduled for Wikipedia:Today's featured article/19 August 2018 by Ealdgyth - Talk 15:19, 25 July 2018 (UTC)[reply]

Speculative restoration based on relatives

Oxalaia is a spinosaurid dinosaur that lived in what is now Brazil during the Late Cretaceous Period, sometime between 93.9 to 100.5 million years ago. The genus name comes from Oxalá, an African deity. Oxalaia's only known fossils, a partial snout and upper jaw bone, were found in 1999 in the Alcântara Formation. At an estimated 12-14 metres (39 to 46 feet) in length, it is the largest carnivorous dinosaur discovered in Brazil, the African genus Spinosaurus was its closest relative. Oxalaia bore two replacement teeth in each socket (similarly to sharks) and a very sculptured secondary palate; features which are not known in other theropod or spinosaurid dinosaurs. Its habitat would have been tropical, heavily forested, and surrounded by dry regions. Oxalaia's skull and teeth resembled that of modern crocodilians, meaning it may have hunted largely fish. Although spinosaurids are known to have occasionally preyed on other animals such as small dinosaurs and pterosaurs. (Full article...)