What is Metriacanthosauridae?
{{Automatic taxobox | fossil_range = [[Middle Jurassic]]-[[Early Cretaceous]], {{fossilrange|175.6|135}} | image = Sinraptor dongi.jpg | image_upright = 1.15 | image_caption = ''Sinraptor dongi'', Royal Tyrrell Museum | display_parents = 2 | taxon = Metriacanthosauridae | authority = [[Gregory S. Paul|Paul]], 1988 | type_species = {{extinct}}''[[Megalosaurus parkeri]]'' | type_species_authority = [[Friedrich von Huene|Huene]], 1923 | subdivision_ranks = Subgroups | subdivision = *{{extinct}}''[[Yangchuanosaurus]]'' *{{extinct}}''[[Xuanhanosaurus]]'' *{{extinct}}'''Metriacanthosaurinae''' **{{extinct}}''[[Metriacanthosaurus]]'' **{{extinct}}''[[Shidaisaurus]]'' **{{extinct}}''[[Siamotyrannus]]'' **{{extinct}}''[[Sinraptor]]'' | synonyms = * '''Sinraptoridae''' <small>[[Phil Currie|Currie]] & Zhao, 1993</small> }} '''Metriacanthosaurids''' were a [[Family (biology)|family]] of [[carnivore|carnivorous]] [[theropod]] [[dinosaur]]s. They tended to be large [[predator]]s, and some were 30 [[Foot (length)|ft]] (10 [[Metre|m]]) long. Metriacanthosaurids are [[Carnosauria|carnosaurs]]. At first they were classified in the [[Megalosauridae]] or [[Allosauridae]], now they are put in their own family. A gigantic tooth, which may come from a giant metriacanthosaurid, was described recently (2008).<ref>Xu X. & Clark J.M. 2008. The presence of a gigantic theropod in the Jurassic Shishugou Formation, Junggar Basin, western China. ''Vertebrata PalAsiatica'', '''46''': 158-160. [http://www.ivpp.cas.cn/xscbw/xsqk/gjzdwxb/xbwzxz/200811/W020090813369286986655.pdf] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303191350/http://www.ivpp.cas.cn/xscbw/xsqk/gjzdwxb/xbwzxz/200811/W020090813369286986655.pdf |date=2016-03-03 }}</ref> == Classification == The Metriacanthosauridae is a [[Monophyly|monophyletic]] group. [[Cladistics|Cladistically]] it includes ''[[Metriacanthosaurus|Metriacanthosaurus parkeri]]'' and species closer related to ''Metriacanthosaurus'' than to ''[[Allosaurus|Allosaurus fragilis]]'', ''[[Carcharodontosaurus|C