Archaeovenator is a species of late Carboniferous synapsid named in 2003. The generic name is derived from the Latin Archaeo and venator, meaning "ancient hunter". The specific name is named after its finding place Hamilton Quarry. Archaeovenator is the oldest and the basalmost known varanopid, as it is the sister taxon to all other known varanopsids.
Description[]
Archaeovenator is known from a holotype KUVP 12483 which was 3 dimensionally preserved. this predator was about 30 centimetres long and was an insectivorous species varanopsid. the Archaeovenator is the oldest and most basal known varanopsid. it is possible that archaeovenator was an ambush predator, waiting for an insect to pass by before lunging at it or could've chased down small prey.
Discovery[]
Archaeovenator was collected in the Hamilton Quarry, from the Calhouns Shale Formation of the Shawnee Group, dating to the Virgilian stage (or alternatvely late Kasimovian to early Gzhelian stage) of the Late Pennsylvanian Series and then named by Robert R. Reisz and David W. Dilkes in 2003[1]