View source for Neovenator

{{Short description|Extinct genus of dinosaurs}}
{{Use British English|date=January 2022}}
{{speciesbox
| fossil_range = {{fossilrange|Hauterivian|Barremian|earliest=Berriasian}} Possible Berriasian records
| image = Neovenator.jpg
| image_upright = 
| image_caption = Reconstructed skeleton in Japan
| display_parents = 4
| genus = Neovenator
| parent_authority = [[Steve Hutt|Hutt]], [[David M. Martill|Martill]] & [[Michael J. Barker|Barker]], 1996
| species = salerii
| authority = Hutt, Martill & Barker, 1996
}}

'''''Neovenator''''' ([[Help:IPA/English|nˈiːə͡ʊvˌɛne͡ɪtə]]; "new hunter") is a [[genus]] of [[carcharodontosaurian]] [[Theropoda|theropod]] [[dinosaur]]. It is known primarily from several skeletons found in the [[Early Cretaceous]] ([[Hauterivian]]-[[Barremian]]) [[Wessex Formation]] on the south coast of the [[Isle of Wight]], southern England. The first remains of ''Neovenator'' were discovered in 1978 alongside those of the [[Ornithopoda|ornithopod]] ''[[Brighstoneus]]'', after the collapse of part of [[Grange Chine and Marsh Chine|Grange Chine]]. In 1996, Steve Hutt, David Martill and Michael Barker named the genus ''Neovenator''. One species is known: the [[type species]], '''''N. salerii''''', after the Salero family who owned the site on which its remains were discovered.

Between the type specimen and multiple referred specimens, roughly seventy percent of ''Neovenator''<nowiki/>'s skeleton is known. While incompletely known, it was likely around {{convert|7|m|ft}} in length, and probably weighed {{convert|1|MT|ST|abbr=on}}, though a specimen possibly referrable to the genus indicates a larger body size of {{convert|10|m}}. Its skull is known from both [[premaxilla]]e, parts of the left [[maxilla]], right [[Nasal bone|nasal]], right [[Palatine bone|palatine]], and the front portion of a [[Mandible|dentary]]. The snout of ''Neovenator'' is covered in [[wiktionary:rugosity|rugosities]], similar to [[Carcharodontosauridae|carcharodontosaurids]] and to [[Abelisauridae|abelisaurids]], which indicates that it either had an extensive blood supply, possibly for [[thermoregulation]], or an extensive [[wiktionary:neurovascular|neurovascular]] system, possibly for [[Somatosensory system|tactile]] purposes. However, this hypothesis has seen scrutiny. Teeth found in association with the type specimen of ''Neovenator'', while they do possess the characteristic [[Tooth enamel|enamel]] wrinkles of carcharodontosaur teeth, differ in their precise pattern.

The taxonomic position of ''Neovenator'' has been a subject of debate. Prior to its description, its fragmentary remains led to a tentative referral to ''Megalosaurus''. The authors who described the genus suggested that it was a British representative of [[Allosauridae]], or at least closely related to ''Allosaurus''. In a 2008 [[monograph]] on the [[osteology]] of ''Neovenator'', a position within the [[clade]] Carcharodontosauria was suggested. Four years later, it was given a family of its own, '''Neovenatoridae'''. 

''Neovenator'' is best known from the [[Wessex Formation]] of the Isle of Wight, although teeth possibly referrable to the genus have been recovered from the [[Angeac-Charente bonebed|Angeac-Charente bone bed]] in France. Bite marks found on a fossil of the [[Iguanodontidae|iguanodontid]] ''[[Mantellisaurus]]'' suggest that it was among ''Neovenator''<nowiki/>'s prey base. Like many fossils of the closely related ''Allosaurus'', the type specimen of ''Neovenator'' bears numerous [[Pathology|pathologies]]''.''

== Discovery and species == 
[[File:Neovenator salerii-Dinosaurisle.jpg|thumb|left|Mounted skeleton and fossils, [[Dinosaur Isle]]]] 
The first bones of ''Neovenator'' were discovered in the summer of 1978 when a storm made part of the [[Grange Chine]] collapse. Rocks containing [[fossil]]s fell to the beach of [[Brighstone Bay]] on the southwestern coast of the Isle of Wight.<ref name="Brusatte2008" /> The rocks consisted of [[Wessex Formation#Plant Debris Beds|plant debris bed]] L9 within the variegated [[clay]]s and [[marl]]s of the [[Wessex Formation]],<ref name="Hutt1996" /> dating from the [[Barremian]] stage of the [[Early Cretaceous]], about 125 million years ago.<ref name="Hutt1996" /><ref name=":3">{{Cite journal |last1=Sweetman |first1=Steven |last2=Gardner |first2=James |date=2013-06-01 |title=A new albanerpetontid amphibian from the Early Cretaceous (Barremian) Wessex Formation of the Isle of Wight, southern England |url=https://researchportal.port.ac.uk/en/publications/a-new-albanerpetontid-amphibian-from-the-early-cretaceous-barremi |journal=Acta Palaeontologica Polonica |volume=58 |issue=2 |pages=295–324 |doi=10.4202/app.2011.0109 |issn=0567-7920|doi-access=free }}</ref> They were first collected by the Henwood family and shortly afterwards geology student David Richards collected additional material. Richards sent the remains to the Museum of Isle of Wight (now [[Dinosaur Isle]]) and the [[British Museum of Natural History]]. In the latter institution, [[paleontologist|palaeontologist]] [[Alan Jack Charig]] determined that the bones belonged to two kinds of animal: ''[[Iguanodon]]'' and a theropod. The "''Iguanodon''", later referred to ''[[Mantellisaurus]]'' and ultimately made the separate genus ''[[Brighstoneus]]'',<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last1=Lockwood |first1=Jeremy A. F. |last2=Martill |first2=David M. |last3=Maidment |first3=Susannah C. R. |date=2021-11-10 |title=A new hadrosauriform dinosaur from the Wessex Formation, Wealden Group (Early Cretaceous), of the Isle of Wight, southern England |journal=Journal of Systematic Palaeontology |volume=19 |issue=12 |pages=847–888 |bibcode=2021JSPal..19..847L |doi=10.1080/14772019.2021.1978005 |issn=1477-2019 |s2cid=244067410 |doi-access=free}}</ref> generated the most interest and in the early 1980s a team was sent by the BMNH to secure more material. The theropod material, meanwhile, was fairly incomplete (consisting of [[vertebra]]e and fragments of the [[pelvis]]), and a lack of diagnostic features meant that it was ignored until its significance was recognised by Dr. William Blows.<ref name="Brusatte2008" />

Several amateur paleontologists, among them Keith and Jenny Simmonds, now began to search for additional remains of the predator. Ultimately, the total of secured bones included the snout, teeth, the front of a [[mandible]] (lower jaw), most of the vertebral column, ribs, belly ribs, chevrons, the left shoulder girdle, pelvis bones and a hindlimb. These were accessioned under numbers BMNH R10001 and MIWG 6348. They equalled approximately 70% of the skeleton. In 1985, excavations undertaken by [[Steve Hutt]] of the MIWG revealed two vertebrae of a second individual, specimen MIWG.5470. In 1987, Jenny Simmonds found a third skeleton, containing vertebra and pelvic bones, specimen MIWG.6352.  A fourth individual found by Nick Oliver is represented by specimen IWCMS 2002.186,<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.dinosaurisle.com/neovenator.html |title= Neovenator salerii |publisher= [[Dinosaur Isle]] |access-date= 3 January 2022}}</ref> consisting of a lower jaw, parts of the [[Cervical vertebrae|cervical]] (neck) vertebrae and limb elements.  In 1990 the material, then considered a possible new species of ''[[Megalosaurus]]'', was provisionally described by Hutt. Having mistaken the [[ischium]] of MIWG 6352 for a pubic bone, Hutt suggested this specimen represented a separate species.<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Hutt | first1 = S. | last2 = Simmonds | first2 = K. | last3 = Hullman | first3 = G. | year = 1990 | title = Predatory dinosaurs from the Isle of Wight | journal = Proceedings of the Isle of Wight Natural History and Archaeological Society | volume = 9 | pages = 137–146 }}</ref>

In 1996, Steve Hutt, [[David Martill]] and [[Michael J. Barker|Michael Barker]] named and described the [[type species]] ''Neovenator salerii''. The generic name ''Neovenator'' means "new hunter" from the Greek ''neo~'', "new" and [[Latin]] ''venator'', "hunter". The [[specific name (zoology)|specific name]] ''salerii'' honours the land owners of the site, the Salero family. In view of the large number of individuals involved in the discovery process, it was considered improper to single out one of them as discoverer. The [[holotype]] is the skeleton accessioned as BMNH R10001 and MIWG 6348.<ref name="Hutt1996">{{cite journal | last1 = Hutt | first1 = S. | last2 = Martill | first2 = D.M. | last3 = Barker | first3 = M.J. | year = 1996 | title = The first European allosauroid dinosaur (Lower Cretaceous, Wealden Group, England) | journal = Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie - Monatshefte | volume = 1996 | issue = 10| pages = 635–644 | doi = 10.1127/njgpm/1996/1996/635 }}</ref>

In 1999, Hutt dedicated his (unpublished) master thesis to ''Neovenator''.<ref name=":11">Hutt, S.C. 1999. Neovenator salerii: ''A new theropod dinosaur from the Wealden of the Isle of Wight: its status and significance for Theropod evolution''. A thesis submitted for the award of degree of Master of Philosophy (unpublished). University of Portsmouth</ref> This thesis would form the foundation for a [[monograph]] discussing the [[osteology]] of the genus. That monograph was published in 2008, and was authored by [[Stephen L. Brusatte]], Roger B. J. Benson, and Hutt by the [[Palaeontographical Society]].<ref name="Brusatte2008">{{cite journal | last1 = Brusatte | first1 = S.L. | last2 = Benson | first2 = R.B.J. | last3 = Hutt | year = 2008 | title = The osteology of'' Neovenator salerii ''(Dinosauria: Theropoda) from the Wealden Group (Barremian) of the Isle of Wight | journal = Monograph of the Palaeontographical Society | volume = 162 | issue = 631| page = 166 | doi = 10.1080/25761900.2008.12452864 | bibcode = 2008MPalS.162....1B }}</ref>

In 2012, teeth indistinguishable from those associated with the holotype of ''Neovenator'' were found in the [[Angeac-Charente bonebed|Angeac-Charente]] bone bed, in France,<ref name=":4">{{cite journal |last1=Néraudeau |first1=Didier |last2=Allain |first2=Ronan |last3=Ballèvre |first3=Michel |last4=Batten |first4=David |last5=Buffetaut |first5=Eric |last6=Colin |first6=Jean-Paul |last7=Dabard |first7=Marie Pierre |last8=Daviero-Gomez |first8=Véronique |last9=El Albani |first9=Abderrazak |last10=Gomez |first10=Bernard |last11=Grosheny |first11=D |last12=Le Loeuff |first12=Jean |last13=Leprince |first13=A |last14=Martín-Closas |first14=Carles |last15=Masure |first15=Edwige |year=2012 |title=The Hauterivian-Barremian lignitic bone bed of Angeac (Charente, south-west France): Stratigraphical, palaeobiological and palaeogeographical implications |journal=Cretaceous Research |volume=37 |pages=1–14 |doi=10.1016/j.cretres.2012.01.006 |last16=Mazin |first16=J.-M |last17=Philippe |first17=Marc |last18=Pouech |first18=Joane |last19=Tong |first19=Haiyan |last20=Vullo |first20=Romain|bibcode=2012CrRes..37....1N }}</ref> dating to the [[Berriasian]].<ref name=":04">Ronan Allain, Romain Vullo, Lee Rozada, Jérémy Anquetin, Renaud Bourgeais, et al.. [https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-03264773/document Vertebrate paleobiodiversity of the Early Cretaceous (Berriasian) Angeac-Charente Lagerstätte (southwestern France): implications for continental faunal turnover at the J/K boundary]. Geodiversitas, Museum National d’Histoire Naturelle Paris, In press. ffhal-03264773f</ref> They were distinguished from those of ''[[Erectopus]]'', a basal allosauroid also known from the Early Cretaceous of France, by differences in the carinae of their teeth.<ref name=":4" />

== Description ==

=== Size ===
[[File:Neovenator Scale.png|thumb|Estimated size based on the holotype]]''Neovenator'' was a mid-sized, lightly built carcharodontosaurid. The holotype specimen measured approximately {{convert|7|m|ft}} in length, and was fairly lightly built. Gregory S. Paul estimated its mass at around {{convert|1|MT|ST|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Paul|first=Gregory S.|url=http://worldcat.org/oclc/985402380|title=The Princeton Field Guide to Dinosaurs|year=2016|publisher=Princeton University Press|isbn=978-1-78684-190-2|oclc=985402380|pages=104}}</ref> It has been suggested that the holotype may be a [[Juvenile (organism)|subadult]], and if this is the case, it may not be reflective of the maximum body size of the genus. However, in 2016, Jeremy Lockwood noted that most of the elements referred to ''Neovenator'' are roughly the same size as the holotype, suggesting that adults would have had a similar body size.<ref name=":7">{{Cite journal |last=Lockwood |first=Jeremy |date=2016 |title=Ichnological evidence for large predatory dinosaurs in the Wessex Formation (Wealden Group, Early Cretaceous) of the Isle of Wight |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/307421475 |journal=Proceedings of the Isle of Wight Natural History and Archaeological Society |volume=30}}</ref> Specimen MIWG 4199 indicates an individual with a possible length of about {{convert|10|m}}, but it only consists of a toe phalanx and its position in ''Neovenator'' is dubious.<ref name="Brusatte2008" /><ref>Dodson P., Weishampel D. B. & Osmólska H., ''[[The Dinosauria (book)|The Dinosauria]]'', 2nd edition (2004), [[University of North Carolina Press]], p. 104.</ref> A [[Trace fossil|footprint]] (IWCMS:2016.273) is believed to have been left by an animal with a hip height of {{Convert|2.5|m|ft}}, and while the trackmaker is uncertain, it has been suggested that it was left by a mature ''Neovenator''.<ref name=":7" />

=== Skull and dentition ===
[[File:Neovenator skull reconstruction.png|thumb|Reconstructed skull in anterior (left) and left lateral (right) views|left]]The skull of ''Neovenator'' is not known in its entirety, but is instead represented by both [[premaxilla]]e (both complete), a left [[maxilla]], a right [[Nasal bone|nasal]], a right [[Palatine bone|palatine]], and the anterior (front) portion of a left [[Mandible|dentary]], part of the mandible. The premaxillae were longer than they were tall, measuring {{Convert|8.7|cm|in|abbr=on}} in length and {{Convert|7|cm|in|abbr=on}} in height. This condition is seen in several non-carcharodontosaurid taxa (i.e. ''[[Allosaurus]]'' and ''[[Sinraptor]]''), but not in other, more derived carcharodontosaurs, such as ''[[Acrocanthosaurus]]''.<ref name="Brusatte2008" /> The premaxillae have an additional connection (referred to in 2001 as a "pen-in-socket connection"), by not seen in other theropods.<ref name=":1">Naish, D., Hutt S. and Martill, D., 2001, "Saurischian dinosaurs 2: Theropods". In: Martill D. and Naish D. (eds.), ''Dinosaurs of the Isle of Wight'' The Palaeontological Association, pp. 242-309</ref> The left maxilla, as preserved, measures around {{Convert|30|cm|in|abbr=on}} in length, and {{Convert|7.5|cm|in|abbr=on}} in depth. Only a small portion near where the [[Jugal bone|jugal]] connected is missing. As in many basal tetanurans (and the more derived ''Carcharodontosaurus''), the maxilla contributed to the posterior (rear) border of the [[Nostril|external naris]] (nasal opening). Similar to [[Abelisauridae|abelisaurids]] and other allosauroids (i.e. ''[[Giganotosaurus]]'', ''[[Mapusaurus]]'', and ''[[Sinraptor]]''), the surface of the maxilla bore prominent rugosities, and contains a high density of [[Foramen|foramina]], particularly at its anteriormost portion, ventral to (below) the external naris. It has been suggested that ''Neovenator''<nowiki/>'s snout was highly [[wiktionary:vascularization|vascularised]] or [[Nerve|innervated]].<ref>Barker, C., Dyke, G., Naish, D., Newham, E. and Katsamenis, O., 2015, "Complex neurovascular network in the rostrum of ''Neovenator salerii''", ''SVPCA 2015 abstracts'', '''78'''</ref><ref name=":22">{{cite journal |last1=Barker |first1=Chris Tijani |last2=Naish |first2=Darren |last3=Newham |first3=Elis |last4=Katsamenis |first4=Orestis L. |last5=Dyke |first5=Gareth |date=2017 |title=Complex neuroanatomy in the rostrum of the Isle of Wight theropod ''Neovenator salerii'' |journal=Scientific Reports |volume=7 |issue=1 |pages=3749 |bibcode=2017NatSR...7.3749B |doi=10.1038/s41598-017-03671-3 |pmc=5473926 |pmid=28623335}}</ref> Unlike many other allosauroids and [[Ceratosauria|ceratosaurs]], the ascending [[wiktionary:ramus|ramus]] lacked pneumatic excavation (hollow spaces containing air pockets).<ref name="Brusatte2008" /> A large [[Glossary of dinosaur anatomy|maxillary fenestra]], with a diameter roughly one-sixth of the length of the tooth row, penetrated the maxilla.<ref name="Hutt1996" /> Similar to the maxilla, ''Neovenator''<nowiki/>'s nasal was rugose, though the extent of its rugosity is slightly weaker than in ''Carcharodontosaurus''. The dorsal (upper) and lateral (side) surfaces of the nasal were separated by a rugose ridge. While initially regarded as a diagnostic feature of ''Neovenator'',<ref name=":1" /> the same is also known in ''Allosaurus''. As evidenced by the presence of a single large pneumatopore, the nasal was likely hollow and highly pneumatised. Similar conditions are observed in other allosauroids, though the amount of pneumatopores varied, sometimes within the same genus.<ref name="Brusatte2008" />

The holotype of ''Neovenator'' preserved a near-complete left dentary, measuring {{Convert|23.5|cm|in|abbr=on}} in length and {{Convert|6.8|cm|in|abbr=on}}, though it was lost at the time of the 2008 monograph's publication. What was written in that monograph was therefore based on figures in published works and examinations of a [[Plaster cast|cast]]. Unlike some other carcharodontosaurs (particularly later genera such as ''Carcharodontosaurus'' and ''Giganotosaurus''), the anterior tip of the dentary was not squared-off. It was instead rounded, as in most other theropods.<ref name="Brusatte2008" /> Unlike the maxilla and nasal, the dentary of ''Neovenator'' was fairly smooth, lacking rugosities, unlike what is seen in taxa like ''Carcharodontosaurus''. The largest foramina present were directly ventral to the [[Alveolar process|alveolar margin]] (the tooth row), set in a longitudinal groove which deflected ventrally at around the fifth alveolus. The third alveolus of the dentary was enlarged, which is unique among allosauroids, save for ''Acrocanthosaurus''. When viewed from above, the alveoli on both upper and lower jaws were arranged in a weakly sinuous curve, though this may be the result of taphonomy.<ref name="Brusatte2008" />

As preserved, ''Neovenator''<nowiki/>'s premaxilla five [[Alveolus|alveoli]] (tooth sockets), and its maxilla bears fifteen, though at least one or two are likely to have been present. No teeth are preserved in the premaxilla or maxilla, and no erupted teeth are known from the dentary, though four replacement teeth are preserved. Additionally, isolated theropod teeth were found around the holotype specimen, tentatively assigned to the genus. Based on these, ''Neovenator''<nowiki/>'s teeth were fairly typical for theropod teeth, though differ from those of other carcharodontosaurs in details of the enamel wrinkles. The teeth were asymmetrical in cross-section, due to the orientation of the distal [[Carina (anatomy)|carina]].<ref name="Brusatte2008" />

=== Vertebral column ===
The majority of ''Neovenator''<nowiki/>'s [[Spinal column|vertebral column]] is known from the holotype. Six cervical (neck) vertebrae, including the [[Axis (anatomy)|axis]] (the second cervical vertebra positionally), are known, as are twelve [[Dorsal vertebra|dorsal]] (back) vertebrae. Also known are twenty-three [[Caudal vertebrae|caudal]] (tail) vertebrae.<ref name="Brusatte2008" /> The front joint surface of the intercentrum of the axis was widened transversely. The [[Axis (anatomy)|odontoid process]] of the axis had small openings along the side edge of the front facet, and the neural process of the axis had a single small opening in the side. The more rearward cervical vertebrae were fused with their cervical ribs; while this is known in many other theropod clades, ''Neovenator'' is the only allosauroid in which this was the case.<ref name="Brusatte2008" /><ref name="bensonetal2010">Benson, R.B.J., Carrano, M.T and Brusatte, S.L. (2010). "A new clade of archaic large-bodied predatory dinosaurs (Theropoda: Allosauroidea) that survived to the latest Mesozoic." ''Naturwissenschaften'', 97:71-78 . {{doi|10.1007/s00114-009-0614-x}}</ref> The neural spines of the cervical vertebrae were narrow anteroposteriorly (from front-to-back), are thick transversely, and were overall rod-like in shape. The seventh was inclined posteriorly, the eighth anteriorly, and the ninth directly vertically.[[File:Neovenator salerii dorsal vertebra.jpg|thumb|First dorsal vertebra]]The first two dorsal vertebrae were morphologically intermediate between the cervical and dorsal vertebrae, being, among other things, short anteroposteriorly when compared to dorsal vertebrae further along the column. The remaining dorsal vertebrae were fairly homogenous in morphology, characterised by their tall [[Vertebra|centra]] and [[wiktionary:biconcave|biconcave]] [[Joint|articular surfaces]]. Each dorsal vertebra had [[Vertebra|transverse processes]] which are broad anteroposteriorly yet thin dorsoventrally (up-and-down). Their neural spines are subrectangular in lateral view and are thick transversely, at least in comparison to most non-allosauroid tetanurans. Two large fragments of the dorsal ribs are known, one better-preserved and coming from the left side of the torso, and the other coming from the right side. Some disarticulated [[gastralia]] (constituent bones of the gastral basket, which supported the organs and aided in respiration) are known. [[Sacrum|Sacral]] vertebrae are known from referred specimens. The second and third sacral vertebrae were fused, unlike ''Acrocanthosaurus'' and ''Sinraptor'', but like some specimens of ''Allosaurus''. The second and fourth sacrals are known exclusively from their centra, so the neural arches of the sacra are poorly known.<ref name="Brusatte2008" />

The first caudal vertebra of the holotype is poorly preserved due to damage sustained during the cliff fall, thus leaving the second as the best preserved. Though most of the anterior and middle caudal vertebrae are damaged, the distal ones are fairly complete. The anterior caudal centra had suboval articular surfaces, and posterior surfaces smaller than the anterior surface (a pattern which continues until the vertebra tentatively identified as the twenty-second).<ref name="Brusatte2008" />

=== Appendicular skeleton ===
The left [[scapula]] and [[coracoid]] of ''Neovenator''<nowiki/>'s holotype are nearly complete, though its forelimbs are not known. Around two-thirds of the [[glenoid fossa]]'s length is taken up by the scapula. While well-preserved, the coracoid is damaged enough that most of the point where it articulated with the scapula is absent.<ref name="Brusatte2008" /> The shoulder joint is wider transversely than anteroposteriorly.<ref name="bensonetal2010" /> On the medial surface of the [[scapulocoracoid]], the glenoid is buttressed by a slight ridge, which fans out posteriorly to unite with the ventral margin of the scapular blade.<ref name="Brusatte2008" />

The [[Ilium (bone)|ilia]] of ''Neovenator'', including referred elements, are fragmentary.<ref name="Brusatte2008" /> Ventral to the ilium's front blade is a notch, which has a robust shelf on the inner side. The ilium overall is highly pneumatised.<ref name="Brusatte2008" /><ref name="bensonetal2010" /> While a right [[Pubis (bone)|pubis]] is preserved, it is fragmentary, heavily abraded, and badly crushed. Distally, it expands into a large pubic boot, similar to that of other carcharodontosaurs and tyrannosaurids. The "feet" of the [[Ischium|ischia]] are connected at their fronts but diverge at their rears. As in other carcharodontosaurs, and in some tyrannosaurids, ''Neovenator''<nowiki/>'s [[femoral head]] is angled dorsomedially (upwards and towards the centrum). The [[lesser trochanter]] of the [[femur]] has a robust ridge on its outer side, and is itself extremely robust. The [[fourth trochanter]] has a depression in the form of a thumbprint located laterally on its dorsal border. The distal portion of the [[tibia]] shows an oval rough area at the inner side. The top of the outer [[malleolus]] of the tibia is pinched from the front to the rear. The outer front bulge of the top surface of the tibia has a spur deflected ventrally. In the foot, the outer side of the second [[metatarsal]] has a hollow surface to contact the third metatarsal.<ref name="Brusatte2008" />

== Classification ==
[[File:Neovenator.png|thumb|[[Paleoart|Restoration]]|left]]In the 1996 paper describing ''Neovenator'', Hutt, Martill and Barker suggested a close relationship with ''Allosaurus'', and that ''Neovenator'' might itself have been a member of Allosauridae.<ref name="Hutt1996" /> The findings of that paper were based on morphological comparisons, rather than [[Phylogenetics|phylogenetic analysis]].<ref name="Brusatte2008" /> The first analysis to include ''Neovenator'' was published in 2000 by [[Thomas R. Holtz Jr.|Thomas R. Holtz Jr]]., and indeed recovered as the sister taxon to ''Allosaurus''.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Holtz Jr. |first=Thomas R. |author-link=Thomas R. Holtz Jr. |date=2000 |title=A new phylogeny of the carnivorous dinosaurs |url=https://www.dinochecker.com/papers/a_new_phylogeny_of_carnivorous_dinosaurs.pdf |journal=Gaia |pages=5–61}}</ref> However, that topology was the result of incorrect scoring, and two of the characters used to unite the two genera ([[Articular process|prezygapophysis]] morphology and the distal expansion of the scapula) are respectively erroneous and uncorrelated with phylogeny.<ref name=":8">{{Cite journal |last1=Brusatte |first1=Stephen L. |last2=and Sereno |first2=Paul C. |date=2008-01-01 |title=Phylogeny of Allosauroidea (Dinosauria: Theropoda): Comparative analysis and resolution |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1017/S1477201907002404 |journal=Journal of Systematic Palaeontology |volume=6 |issue=2 |pages=155–182 |doi=10.1017/S1477201907002404 |bibcode=2008JSPal...6..155B |issn=1477-2019}}</ref>  In a 2008 phylogenetic analysis of Allosauroidea, which slightly predated the ''Neovenator'' monograph, Steve Brusatte and [[Paul Sereno]] recovered ''Neovenator'' as the most basal member of Carcharodontosauridae.<ref name="Brusatte2008" /><ref name=":8" /> In 2010, Brusatte, along with Roger B. J. Benson and Matt Carrano, recovered ''Neovenator'' in a similar position. However, their database included megaraptorans, which were recovered in a clade with ''Neovenator''. Therefore, Benson, Carrano and Brusatte erected the family '''Neovenatoridae''', to encompass both taxa.<ref name="bensonetal2010" />

The [[cladogram]] below follows the 2010 analysis by Benson, Carrano and Brusatte.<ref name="bensonetal2010" />

{{clade| style=font-size:100%;line-height:80%
|label1=[[Neovenatoridae]]
|1={{clade 
      |1='''''Neovenator'''''  <div style="{{MirrorH}}">[[File:Neovenator.png|80px]]</div>
      |label2=<span style="color:white;">unnamed</span>
      |2={{clade
         |1=''[[Chilantaisaurus]]'' <div style="{{MirrorH}}">[[File:Chilantaisaurus.jpg|90px]]</div>
         |label2=[[Megaraptora]]
         |2={{clade
            |label1=<span style="color:white;">unnamed</span>
            |1={{clade
               |1=''[[Australovenator]]'' <div style="{{MirrorH}}">[[File:Australovenator reconstruction.jpg|70px]]</div>
                |2=''[[Fukuiraptor]]''
               }}
            |2=''[[Orkoraptor]]?''[[File:Orkoraptor drawing.jpg|75px]]
            |3={{clade
               |1=''[[Aerosteon]]''
               |2=''[[Megaraptor]]''
               }}
            }}
         }}
      }}
   }}

In the years since that paper, however, an increasing number of phylogenies have recovered megaraptorans in Coelurosauria, as opposed to being sisters to ''Neovenator''.<ref name="Porfiri2014">{{cite journal |author=Porfiri, J. D., Novas, F. E., Calvo, J. O., Agnolín, F. L., Ezcurra, M. D. & Cerda, I. A. |last2=Novas |last3=Calvo |last4=Agnolín |last5=Ezcurra |last6=Cerda |year=2014 |title=Juvenile specimen of Megaraptor (Dinosauria, Theropoda) sheds light about tyrannosauroid radiation |journal=Cretaceous Research |volume=51 |pages=35–55 |bibcode=2014CrRes..51...35P |doi=10.1016/j.cretres.2014.04.007 |hdl-access=free |hdl=11336/12129}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Aranciaga Rolando |first1=Alexis M. |last2=Novas |first2=Fernando E. |last3=Agnolín |first3=Federico L. |date=1 March 2019 |title=A reanalysis of ''Murusraptor barrosaensis'' Coria & Currie (2016) affords new evidence about the phylogenetical relationships of Megaraptora |journal=Cretaceous Research |volume=99 |pages=104–127 |doi=10.1016/j.cretres.2019.02.021 |bibcode=2019CrRes..99..104A |s2cid=134503923}}</ref><ref name=":52">{{cite journal |last1=Naish |first1=D. |last2=Cau |first2=A. |date=July 2022 |title=The osteology and affinities of ''Eotyrannus lengi'', a tyrannosauroid theropod from the Wealden Supergroup of southern England |journal=PeerJ |volume=10 |pages=e12727≠ |doi=10.7717/peerj.12727 |pmc=9271276 |pmid=35821895 |doi-access=free}}</ref> If this is the case, Neovenatoridae is likely [[Monotypic taxon|monotypic]]. Fernano Novas et al. (2013) recovered ''Neovenator'' at the base of Carcharodontosauridae, in a [[polytomy]] with ''[[Eocarcharia]]'' and ''[[Concavenator]]''.<ref name="sciencedirect.com" />

Cladogram after Novas ''et al.'', 2013<ref name="sciencedirect.com">{{cite journal | doi = 10.1016/j.cretres.2013.04.001 | title=Evolution of the carnivorous dinosaurs during the Cretaceous: The evidence from Patagonia | journal=Cretaceous Research | date=2013 | volume=45 | pages=174–215 | first=Fernando E. | last=Novas| bibcode=2013CrRes..45..174N | hdl=11336/102037 | hdl-access=free }}</ref>

{{clade| style=font-size:100%;line-height:80%
|1={{clade
   |1=''[[Allosaurus]]'' [[File:Allosaurus Revised.jpg|80px]]
   |label2=[[Carcharodontosauridae]]
   |2={{clade
      |1='''''Neovenator''''' <div style="{{MirrorH}}">[[File:Neovenator.png|80px]]</div>
      |2=''[[Eocarcharia ]]'' <div style="{{MirrorH}}">[[File:Eocarcharia, improved.png|55px]]</div>
      |3=''[[Concavenator]]''[[File:Concavenator corcovatus by Daniel Vidal 2012.png|80px]]
      |4={{clade
         |1=''[[Acrocanthosaurus]]'' <div style="{{MirrorH}}">[[File:Acrocanthosaurus restoration.jpg|85px]]</div>
         |2={{clade
            |1=''[[Shaochilong]]'' <div style="{{MirrorH}}">[[File:Shaochilong.jpg|80px]]</div>
            |label2=[[Carcharodontosaurinae]]
            |2={{clade
               |1=''[[Carcharodontosaurus]]'' <div style="{{MirrorH}}">[[File:Carcharodontosaurus.png|80px]]</div>
               |label2=[[Giganotosaurini]]
               |2={{clade
                  |1=''[[Tyrannotitan]]''
                  |2={{clade
                     |1=''[[Mapusaurus]]'' <div style="{{MirrorH}}">[[File:Mapusaurus Roseae restoration.png|80px]]</div>
                     |2=''[[Giganotosaurus]]'' <div style="{{MirrorH}}">[[File:Giganotos Db.jpg|80px]]</div> }} }} }} }} }} }} }} }}

== Palaeobiology ==
=== Senses === 
[[File:Premaxilla and maxilla of Neovenator.jpg|thumb|upright|Praemaxilla and maxilla, with neurovascular network and CT sections]] 
Chris Barker and colleagues suggested that ''Neovenator'' may have possessed integumentary sensory organs on its snout, much as modern waterfowl and crocodilians use to find food in muddy water, based on neurovascular structures found on the skull. As ''Neovenator'' is believed to be completely terrestrial, unlike the modern species, it is assumed that these sensory organs were used for other purposes, such as sensitivity to pressure and temperature, controlling jaw pressure and precision feeding. In support of this, the tooth wear for ''Neovenator'' seems to indicate that it avoided eating or biting into bone while it fed. Additionally, ''Neovenator'' might have used these integumentary sensory organs in courtship and sensing nest conditions, a technique seen today in most species of crocodilians and megapode birds. Though such structures are known for another theropod, the [[tyrannosaurid]] ''[[Daspletosaurus|Daspletosaurus horneri]]'', ''Neovenator''{{'}}s neurovascular structures that likely supported these organs are the best preserved and most complete in any known theropod yet discovered.<ref name=":22"/><ref>[https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/06/170627142435.htm University of Southampton. "Sensitive faces helped dinosaurs eat, woo and take temperature." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 27 June 2017]</ref> However, a more recent study reviewing the evolution of the trigeminal canals among sauropsids notes that a much denser network of neurovascular canals in the snout and lower jaw is more commonly encountered in aquatic or semiaquatic taxa (e.g., ''[[Spinosaurus]]'', ''[[Halszkaraptor]]'', ''[[Plesiosaurus]]''), and taxa that developed a rhamphotheca (e.g., ''[[Caenagnathasia]]''), while terrestrial taxa such as tyrannosaurids and ''Neovenator'' may have had average facial sensitivity for non-edentulous terrestrial theropods, although further research is needed.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Benoit|first=Florian Bouabdellah, Emily Lessner, and Julien|date=2022-01-20|title=The rostral neurovascular system of Tyrannosaurus rex|url=https://palaeo-electronica.org/content/2022/3518-t-rex-trigeminal-canals|journal=Palaeontologia Electronica|language=English|volume=25|issue=1|pages=1–20|doi=10.26879/1178|issn=1094-8074|doi-access=free}}</ref>

=== Palaeopathology ===
{{Main|Theropod palaeopathology}}
As with many specimens of ''Allosaurus'', the holotype of ''Neovenator salerii'' was highly [[Pathology|pathological]].<ref name="Brusatte2008" /><ref name="molnar-pathology">Molnar, R. E., 2001, Theropod paleopathology: a literature survey: In: Mesozoic  Vertebrate Life, edited by Tanke, D. H., and Carpenter, K., Indiana University  Press, p. 337-363.</ref> The pathologies listed in the 1996 paper and the 2008 monograph: are the fusion of two caudal vertebrae and their associated chevron into a single mass (also seen in certain ''Allosaurus'' and likely the result of [[Ankylosis|neoplastic ankylosis]]);<ref name="Brusatte2008" /> healed fractures to the gastralia;<ref name="molnar-pathology" /> a fracture to the scapula; one gastralium which appears to exhibit regrowth across its entire length,<ref name="Brusatte2008" /><ref name="molnar-pathology" /> and [[osteophyte]]s on some of the [[Foot|pedal]] (foot) [[Phalanx bone|phalanges]]. One of the left pedal phalanges has been almost completely covered by exostotic bone growth and small lesions, suggesting osteomyelitis, similar to one specimen of ''Allosaurus''.<ref name="Brusatte2008" />

== Palaeoecology ==

=== Palaeoenvironment ===
The only definite remains of ''Neovenator'' are known from the [[Barremian]]-age [[Wessex Formation]] of the Isle of Wight, though teeth identical to the genus are known from the Berriasian-age<ref name=":04"/> [[Angeac-Charente bonebed|Angeac-Charente]] bone bed in France.<ref name=":4" />
[[File:Wessex_Formation_dinosaurs.jpg|thumb|A selection of Wessex Formation dinosaurs. On the left is ''Iguanodon''. In the foreground is a group of ''Hypsilophodon'' being pursued by an ''Eotyrannus''. In the right background is a ''Neovenator''. In the midground is a pair of basal ornithomimosaurs.|left]][[Sedimentology|Sedimentological]] data suggests that the depositional environment of the Wessex Formation was a [[floodplain]] intersected by [[River|fluvial]] (river) and [[Lake|lacustrine]] (lake) deposits. Water levels likely varied throughout the year,<ref name=":9">{{Cite journal |last1=Insole |first1=Allan N. |last2=Hutt |first2=Stephen |date=1994 |title=The palaeoecology of the dinosaurs of the Wessex Formation (Wealden Group, Early Cretaceous), Isle of Wight, Southern England |url=https://academic.oup.com/zoolinnean/article-lookup/doi/10.1111/j.1096-3642.1994.tb00318.x |journal=Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society |language=en |volume=112 |issue=1–2 |pages=197–215 |doi=10.1111/j.1096-3642.1994.tb00318.x|url-access=subscription }}</ref> due to there being more evaporation than precipitation, though precipitation was regardless quite high. The Wessex seems to have regularly experienced extreme storms<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Marsden |first1=Marie K. |last2=Gunn |first2=Joshua |last3=Maidment |first3=Susannah C. R. |last4=Nichols |first4=Gary |last5=Wheeley |first5=James R. |last6=Russell |first6=Catherine E. |last7=Boomer |first7=Ian |last8=Stukins |first8=Stephen |last9=Butler |first9=Richard J. |date=2025-01-06 |title=Palaeoenvironment and taphonomy of the Hypsilophodon Bed, Lower Cretaceous Wessex Formation, Isle of Wight |journal=Journal of the Geological Society |volume=182 |issue=1 |pages=jgs2024–046 |doi=10.1144/jgs2024-046|doi-access=free |bibcode=2025JGSoc.182...46M }}</ref> and periodic flood events, resulting in debris flows which would have deposited dead organisms in ponds.<ref name=":10">{{Cite journal |last1=Pond |first1=Stuart |last2=Strachan |first2=Sarah-Jane |last3=Raven |first3=Thomas J. |last4=Simpson |first4=Martin I. |last5=Morgan |first5=Kirsty |last6=Maidment |first6=Susannah C. R. |date=2023 |title=Vectipelta barretti , a new ankylosaurian dinosaur from the Lower Cretaceous Wessex Formation of the Isle of Wight, UK |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14772019.2023.2210577 |journal=Journal of Systematic Palaeontology |language=en |volume=21 |issue=1 |doi=10.1080/14772019.2023.2210577 |bibcode=2023JSPal..2110577P |issn=1477-2019|url-access=subscription }}</ref> Burned plant and insect material and [[fusain]] suggests that the environment experienced frequent [[wildfire]]s, stifling for the most part the dense growth of [[gymnosperm]]s.<ref name=":9" /><ref name=":10" /> Much of the flora of the formed of low ground cover, consisting primarily of [[pteridophyte]]s, with occasional stands of [[conifer]]s, [[cycad]]s, and the tree fern ''[[Tempskya]]''.<ref name=":9" /> Most vertebrate material from the Wessex Formation originates from plant debris beds, resulting from the aforementioned flooding events.<ref name=":10" /> Aside from ''Neovenator'', the dinosaur fauna of the Isle of Wight include the theropods ''[[Aristosuchus]]'', ''[[Calamospondylus]]'', ''[[Ceratosuchops]]'', ''[[Eotyrannus]]'', ''[[Ornithodesmus]]'', ''[[Riparovenator]]'', and ''[[Thecocoelurus]]'', the sauropods ''[[Chondrosteosaurus]]'', ''[[Eucamerotus]]'', and ''[[Ornithopsis]]'',<ref name="barker2021">{{cite journal |last1=Barker |first1=C.T. |last2=Hone |first2=D. |last3=Naish |first3=D. |last4=Cau |first4=A. |last5=Lockwood |first5=J. |last6=Foster |first6=B. |last7=Clarkin |first7=C. |last8=Schneider |first8=P. |last9=Gostling |first9=N. |year=2021 |title=New spinosaurids from the Wessex Formation (Early Cretaceous, UK) and the European origins of Spinosauridae |journal=Scientific Reports |volume=11 |issue=1 |page=19340 |bibcode=2021NatSR..1119340B |doi=10.1038/s41598-021-97870-8 |pmc=8481559 |pmid=34588472}}</ref><ref name=":5">{{Cite journal |last1=Martill |first1=D. M. |last2=Hutt |first2=S. |year=1996 |title=Possible baryonychid dinosaur teeth from the Wessex Formation (Lower Cretaceous, Barremian) of the Isle of Wight, England |journal=Proceedings of the Geologists' Association |volume=107 |issue=2 |pages=81–84 |bibcode=1996PrGA..107...81M |doi=10.1016/S0016-7878(96)80001-0}}</ref> the thyreophorans ''[[Polacanthus]]<ref name=":5" />'' and ''[[Vectipelta]]'',<ref name="Vectipelta">{{Cite journal |last1=Pond |first1=Stuart |last2=Strachan |first2=Sarah-Jane |last3=Raven |first3=Thomas J. |last4=Simpson |first4=Martin I. |last5=Morgan |first5=Kirsty |last6=Maidment |first6=Susannah C. R. |date=2023-01-01 |title=''Vectipelta barretti'', a new ankylosaurian dinosaur from the Lower Cretaceous Wessex Formation of the Isle of Wight, UK |url=https://figshare.com/articles/journal_contribution/23528329 |journal=Journal of Systematic Palaeontology |language=en |volume=21 |issue=1 |bibcode=2023JSPal..2110577P |doi=10.1080/14772019.2023.2210577 |issn=1477-2019 |s2cid=259393929|url-access=subscription }}</ref> and the ornithopods ''[[Brighstoneus]]'',<ref name=":0" /> ''[[Comptonatus]]'',<ref name="Comptonatus2">{{Cite journal |last1=Lockwood |first1=Jeremy A. F. |last2=Martill |first2=David M. |last3=Maidment |first3=Susannah C. R. |date=2024-12-31 |title=''Comptonatus chasei'', a new iguanodontian dinosaur from the Lower Cretaceous Wessex Formation of the Isle of Wight, southern England |journal=[[Journal of Systematic Palaeontology]] |language=en |volume=22 |issue=1 |bibcode=2024JSPal..2246573L |doi=10.1080/14772019.2024.2346573 |issn=1477-2019 |doi-access=free}}</ref> ''[[Hypsilophodon]]'', ''[[Iguanodon]]'',<ref name=":5" /> ''[[Mantellisaurus]]'',<ref name="iguanodonts2010carpenter2">{{Cite journal |author1=Carpenter, K. |author2=Ishida, Y. |name-list-style=amp |year=2010 |title=Early and "Middle" Cretaceous Iguanodonts in Time and Space |journal=[[Journal of Iberian Geology]] |volume=36 |issue=2 |pages=145–164 |doi=10.5209/rev_JIGE.2010.v36.n2.3 |doi-access=free}}</ref> ''[[Valdosaurus]]'',<ref name="barker2021" /><ref name=":5" /> and ''[[Vectidromeus]].''<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Longrich |first1=Nicholas R. |last2=Martill |first2=David M. |last3=Munt |first3=Martin |last4=Green |first4=Mick |last5=Penn |first5=Mark |last6=Smith |first6=Shaun |date=2024-02-01 |title=Vectidromeus insularis, a new hypsilophodontid dinosaur from the Lower Cretaceous Wessex Formation of the Isle of Wight, England |url=https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0195667123002355 |journal=Cretaceous Research |volume=154 |pages=105707 |doi=10.1016/j.cretres.2023.105707 |bibcode=2024CrRes.15405707L |issn=0195-6671|url-access=subscription }}</ref> The [[pterosaur]] fauna of the Wessex Formation consists of ''[[Coloborhynchus]]'', ''[[Caulkicephalus]]'', ''[[Istiodactylus]]'',<ref name=":6">{{Cite journal |last1=Martill |first1=David M. |last2=Coram |first2=Robert A. |date=2020-08-01 |title=Additional evidence for very large wing-span pterosaurs in the Wessex Formation (Early Cretaceous, Barremian) of southern England |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0016787819300446 |journal=Proceedings of the Geologists' Association |volume=131 |issue=3 |pages=293–300 |doi=10.1016/j.pgeola.2019.05.002 |bibcode=2020PrGA..131..293M |issn=0016-7878}}</ref> ''[[Vectidraco]]'',<ref name="Vremir2013">{{Cite journal |last1=Naish |first1=D. |last2=Simpson |first2=M. |last3=Dyke |first3=G. |year=2013 |editor1-last=Farke |editor1-first=Andrew A |title=A New Small-Bodied Azhdarchoid Pterosaur from the Lower Cretaceous of England and Its Implications for Pterosaur Anatomy, Diversity and Phylogeny |journal=PLOS ONE |volume=8 |issue=3 |pages=e58451 |bibcode=2013PLoSO...858451N |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0058451 |pmc=3601094 |pmid=23526986 |doi-access=free}}</ref> and ''[[Wightia declivirostris|Wightia]]'';<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Martill |first1=David M. |last2=Green |first2=Mick |last3=Smith |first3=Roy E. |last4=Jacobs |first4=Megan L. |last5=Winch |first5=John |date=2020-09-01 |title=First tapejarid pterosaur from the Wessex Formation (Wealden Group: Lower Cretaceous, Barremian) of the United Kingdom |url=https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0195667120301737 |journal=Cretaceous Research |volume=113 |pages=104487 |doi=10.1016/j.cretres.2020.104487 |bibcode=2020CrRes.11304487M |issn=0195-6671}}</ref> multiple unnamed pterosaur taxa, including a [[Ctenochasmatidae|ctenochasmatid]], are also known.<ref name=":6" /> [[Neosuchia]]n [[Crocodyliformes|crocodyliforms]] include ''[[Bernissartia]]'', ''[[Koumpiodontosuchus]]'',<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Sweetman |first1=Steven |last2=Pedreira-Segade |first2=Ulysse |last3=Vidovic |first3=Steven |date=2014 |title=A new bernissartiid crocodyliform from the Lower Cretaceous Wessex Formation (Wealden Group, Barremian) of the Isle of Wight, southern England |url=https://www.app.pan.pl/article/item/app000382013.html |journal=Acta Palaeontologica Polonica |language=en |doi=10.4202/app.00038.2013 |issn=0567-7920}}</ref> and ''[[Vectisuchus]]''.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Buffetaut |first1=Eric |last2=Hutt |first2=Stephen |date=1980-07-31 |title=Vectisuchus leptognathus, n. g. n. sp., a slender-snouted goniopholid crocodilian from the Wealden of the Isle of Wight |url=https://www.schweizerbart.de/papers/njgpm/detail/1980/96289/Vectisuchus_leptognathus_n_g_n_sp_a_slender_snouted_goniopholid_crocodilian_from_the_Wealden_of_the_Isle_of_Wight |journal=Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie - Monatshefte |issue=7 |language=en |pages=385–390 |doi=10.1127/njgpm/1980/1980/385|url-access=subscription }}</ref> Limited evidence exists of [[Elasmosauridae|elasmosaurids]] and [[Leptocleidus|leptocleidid]] [[plesiosaur]]s.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=KEAR |first1=BENJAMIN P. |last2=BARRETT |first2=PAUL M. |date=2011-03-01 |title=Reassessment of the Lower Cretaceous (Barremian) pliosauroid Leptocleidus superstes Andrews, 1922 and other plesiosaur remains from the nonmarine Wealden succession of southern England |url=https://academic.oup.com/zoolinnean/article-abstract/161/3/663/2732045?redirectedFrom=fulltext |journal=Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society |volume=161 |issue=3 |pages=663–691 |doi=10.1111/j.1096-3642.2010.00648.x |issn=0024-4082|url-access=subscription }}</ref> The mammal fauna of the Wessex Formation includes the [[Multituberculata|multituberculate]] ''[[Eobaatar|Eobataar]]''<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Sweetman |first=Steven C. |date=2009 |title=A New Species of the Plagiaulacoid Multituberculate Mammal''Eobaatar''from the Early Cretaceous of Southern Britain |url=https://www.app.pan.pl/article/item/app20080003.html |journal=Acta Palaeontologica Polonica |language=en |volume=54 |issue=3 |pages=373–384 |doi=10.4202/app.2008.0003 |issn=0567-7920|doi-access=free }}</ref> and the [[Spalacotheriidae|spalacotheriid]] ''[[Yaverlestes]]''.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Sweetman |first=Steven C. |date=2008 |title=A Spalacolestine Spalacotheriid (mammalia, Trechnotheria) from the Early Cretaceous (barremian) of Southern England and Its Bearing on Spalacotheriid Evolution |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1475-4983.2008.00816.x |journal=Palaeontology |language=en |volume=51 |issue=6 |pages=1367–1385 |doi=10.1111/j.1475-4983.2008.00816.x |bibcode=2008Palgy..51.1367S |issn=1475-4983|url-access=subscription }}</ref> [[Albanerpetontidae|Albanerpetontid]] amphibians are represented by ''[[Wesserpeton]]''.<ref name=":3" /> The fish fauna of the Wessex Formation, both [[Osteichthyes|bony]] and [[Chondrichthyes|cartilaginous]], is extensive, including [[Hybodontiformes|hybodontiform]] and modern [[Shark|sharks]] (Selachii), [[Pycnodontiformes|pycnodontiforms]], ''[[Lepidotes]]'', and [[Scheenstia]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Sweetman |first1=Steven C. |last2=Goedert |first2=Jean |last3=Martill |first3=David M. |date=2014-11-01 |title=A preliminary account of the fishes of the Lower Cretaceous Wessex Formation (Wealden Group, Barremian) of the Isle of Wight, southern England |url=https://academic.oup.com/biolinnean/article-abstract/113/3/872/2416004?redirectedFrom=fulltext |journal=Biological Journal of the Linnean Society |volume=113 |issue=3 |pages=872–896 |doi=10.1111/bij.12369 |issn=0024-4066}}</ref> Invertebrates are represented by an assortment of [[Chironomidae|non-biting midges]],<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Baranov |first1=Viktor |last2=Giłka |first2=Wojciech |last3=Zakrzewska |first3=Marta |last4=Jarzembowski |first4=Edmund |date=2019-03-01 |title=New non-biting midges (Diptera: Chironomidae) from Lower Cretaceous Wealden amber of the Isle of Wight (UK) |url=https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0195667118303689 |journal=Cretaceous Research |volume=95 |pages=138–145 |doi=10.1016/j.cretres.2018.11.012 |bibcode=2019CrRes..95..138B |issn=0195-6671|url-access=subscription }}</ref> [[hymenoptera]]ns (wasps) including multiple [[Parasitoid wasp|parasitoid taxa]],<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Perkovsky |first1=Evgeny E. |last2=Olmi |first2=Massimo |last3=Müller |first3=Patrick |last4=Guglielmino |first4=Adalgisa |last5=Jarzembowski |first5=Edmund A. |last6=Capradossi |first6=Leonardo |last7=Rasnitsyn |first7=Alexandr P. |date=2021-05-01 |title=A review of the fossil Embolemidae (Hymenoptera: Chrysidoidea), with description of seven new species and history of the family |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0195667120303955 |journal=Cretaceous Research |volume=121 |pages=104708 |doi=10.1016/j.cretres.2020.104708 |bibcode=2021CrRes.12104708P |issn=0195-6671|url-access=subscription }}</ref> [[Beetle|coleopterans]] (beetles), the [[Avicularioidea|avicularoid]] spider ''[[Cretamygale]]'',<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Selden |first=Paul A. |date=2002 |title=First British Mesozoic Spider, From Cretaceous Amber Of The Isle Of Wight, Southern England |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/1475-4983.00271 |journal=Palaeontology |language=en |volume=45 |issue=5 |pages=973–983 |doi=10.1111/1475-4983.00271 |bibcode=2002Palgy..45..973S |issn=1475-4983|hdl=1808/8357 |hdl-access=free }}</ref> and the [[ostracod]] ''Cypridea''.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Penn |first1=Simon J. |last2=Sweetman |first2=Steven C. |date=2023-03-01 |title=Microvertebrate-rich gutter casts from the basal Wessex Formation (Wealden Group, Lower Cretaceous) of Dungy Head, Dorset: Insights into the palaeoecology and palaeoenvironment of a non-marine wetland |url=https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0195667122002610 |journal=Cretaceous Research |volume=143 |pages=105397 |doi=10.1016/j.cretres.2022.105397 |bibcode=2023CrRes.14305397P |issn=0195-6671|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

If ''Neovenator'' was indeed present during in the older Angeac-Charente bone bed, it would have been part of an entirely different, less well-understood [[faunal assemblage]]. The depositional environment of the Angeac-Charente was likely a tropical or subtropical floodplain combined with a poorly oxygenated swamp, with a flora dominated by [[Cheirolepidiaceae|cheirolepidiacean]] conifers. Most of the vertebrate fauna of the locality appear to have inhabited and been preserved in the swamp, making it among the few swamp bonebeds<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Rozada |first1=Lee |last2=Allain |first2=Ronan |last3=Vullo |first3=Romain |last4=Goedert |first4=Jean |last5=Augier |first5=Dominique |last6=Jean |first6=Amandine |last7=Marchal |first7=Jonathan |last8=Peyre de Fabrègues |first8=Claire |last9=Qvarnström |first9=Martin |last10=Royo-Torres |first10=Rafael |date=2021 |title=A Lower Cretaceous Lagerstätte from France: a taphonomic overview of the Angeac-Charente vertebrate assemblage |url=https://www.idunn.no/doi/10.1111/let.12394 |journal=Lethaia |language=en |volume=54 |issue=2 |pages=141–165 |doi=10.1111/let.12394 |bibcode=2021Letha..54..141R |issn=0024-1164}}</ref> The most well-known dinosaur fossils from the Angeac-Charente are an indeterminate [[Basal (phylogenetics)|basal]] [[Ornithomimosauria|ornithomimosaur]], whose fossils are known in great numbers.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Pintore |first1=Romain |last2=Cornette |first2=Raphaël |last3=Houssaye |first3=Alexandra |last4=Allain |first4=Ronan |date=2023-06-13 |editor-last=Ibrahim |editor-first=Nizar |editor2-last=Rutz |editor2-first=Christian |editor3-last=Benton |editor3-first=Michael |title=Femora from an exceptionally large population of coeval ornithomimosaurs yield evidence of sexual dimorphism in extinct theropod dinosaurs |journal=eLife |volume=12 |pages=e83413 |doi=10.7554/eLife.83413 |doi-access=free |pmid=37309177 |pmc=10264075 |issn=2050-084X}}</ref><ref name=":04"/> Other theropod clades are represented by teeth, including large teeth which have been tentatively assigned to [[Megalosauridae|megalosaurids]]. Remains of a [[Stegosauria|dacentrurine stegosaurian]], similar to ''[[Dacentrurus]],'' are also known. Some ornithischians are known, including [[Camptosaurus|camptosaurs]], [[Hypsilophodontidae|hypsilophodontids]], an indeterminate [[Ankylosauria|ankylosaur]], and ''[[Echinodon]]'' sp. Two indeterminate [[Pterodactyloidea|pterodactyloid]] pterosaurs have been identified.<ref name=":04" />

=== Predation ===
''Neovenator'' was likely similar to other allosauroids in terms of feeding and hunting behaviour, likely targeting smaller species (or juveniles of larger species). There is evidence in the form of [[Biting|bite marks]] that ''Neovenator'' likely preyed on ''[[Mantellisaurus]]''.<ref name=":22"/>

=== Taphonomy ===
The holotype of ''Neovenator'' was recovered from a plant debris bed, underlain by sandstone and mudstone, and overlain by further mudstone. Its remains were found in association with multiple fossil logs, [[Bivalvia|bivalves]] of the family [[Unionidae]],<ref name="Brusatte2008" /> and a partial skeleton of the iguanodontid ''Brighstoneus''.<ref name="Brusatte2008" /><ref name=":0" /> Despite being discovered close to one another, it is likely that the two specimens were swept together by one of two sedimentary pulses (one indicative of a small flood, the other indicative of a far larger flood) which formed the locality.<ref name="Brusatte2008" /><ref name=":11" />

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* {{Wikispecies-inline|''Neovenator''}}
* [http://www.dinowight.org.uk/neovenator.html ''Neovenator'' at DinoWight]
* [http://www.dinosaurisle.com/neovenator.aspx Dinosaur Isle on ''Neovenator'']
* [http://www.gavinrymill.com/dinosaurs/holiday/neobits.jpg Fossil pieces of ''Neovenator'']

{{Theropoda|A.}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q132848}}
{{Portal bar|Dinosaurs|England}}

[[Category:Carnosauria]]
[[Category:Dinosaur genera]]
[[Category:Barremian dinosaurs]]
[[Category:Wessex Formation]]
[[Category:Fossil taxa described in 1996]]
[[Category:Dinosaurs of the United Kingdom]]