THE PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE OF MEGALOSAURUS BUCKLANDII IN PALEOART

ABSTRACT Seven years separate the naming of Megalosaurus bucklandii from its inauguration into paleoart in 1831, an event that also marked the first flesh reconstruction of a non-avian dinosaur. Megalosaurus has been a mainstay of paleoart ever since, but its popularity as subject matter has wavered. Widespread interest was achieved in the mid-1800s, associated with display of a life-size model in the Crystal Palace park grounds of Victorian London, but competition from other, more completely known dinosaurs diminished its paleoart role in the 20th century. Internationally, modern paleoartists have featured Megalosaurus increasingly rarely and, in professional paleoartistry, projects associated with British research institutions have largely driven contemporary M. bucklandii reconstructions. The reconstructed appearance of Megalosaurus has perhaps changed to a greater degree than that of any other dinosaur and recent opinions on their restorability vary. An assessment of M. bucklandii fossils suggests that they are neither beyond restoration nor the ‘generic’ theropods of many depictions, but stout-limbed, long-snouted and potentially crested species of unique visual character.