biology

Iliosuchus

Iliosuchus is a biology topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Iliosuchus rather than just read about it. In short: Iliosuchus (meaning "crocodile-hipped") is a genus of theropod dinosaur known from Bathonian-aged (168.3-166.1 mya) rocks of England. It was perhaps 2 metres (6.6 ft) long.

Key takeaways

Iliosuchus belongs to biology; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Iliosuchus to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Iliosuchus from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Iliosuchus (meaning "crocodile-hipped") is a genus of theropod dinosaur known from Bathonian-aged (168.3-166.1 mya) rocks of England. It was perhaps 2 metres (6.6 ft) long. The only known fossils of this genus are three ilia (BMNH R83, OUM J29780 and OUM J28971) from the Stonesfield Slate, Oxfordshire, England. From the holotype BMNH R83, Friedrich von Huene described and named the only species, I. incognitus, in 1932. The generic name is derived from the ilium and Greek Souchos, the crocodile god. The specific name means "unknown" in Latin. Another species, I. clevelandi, was proposed in 1976 by Peter Galton, who assigned Stokesosaurus clevelandi to Iliosuchus, but this has found no acceptance among other researchers; in 1980 Galton himself withdrew his opinion. The Iliosuchus ilia were very small, with a length of nine to ten centimeters, having a vertical supra–acetabular ridge on the surface, similar to tyrannosaurids and many other predatory dinosaurs belonging to the group Tetanurae, including Piatnitzkysaurus and Megalosaurus. Such fragmentary and incomplete material is inadequate for accurate classification; nonetheless, Iliosuchus has sometimes been considered a tyrannosaurid ancestor. This is unlikely to be correct as the bones cannot be distinguished from small individuals of Megalosaurus, a megalosaurid. Whatever the case, Iliosuchus is not diagnostic and is therefore dubious. If Iliosuchus incognitus is a tyrannosauroid, it would be a possible ancestor to Proceratosaurus, the earliest recognized tyrannosauroid, and would be the earliest of the tyrannosauroids.

See also Timeline of tyrannosaur research

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Iliosuchus

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Iliosuchus claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Iliosuchus before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Iliosuchus ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Iliosuchus

In research: Iliosuchus appears in biology research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Iliosuchus in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Iliosuchus is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Bathonian dinosaurs, Coelurosauria, Dinosaur genera, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Iliosuchus outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Iliosuchus in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Iliosuchus means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Iliosuchus out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Iliosuchus in simple terms?

Iliosuchus (meaning "crocodile-hipped") is a genus of theropod dinosaur known from Bathonian-aged (168.3-166.1 mya) rocks of England. It was perhaps 2 metres (6.6 ft) long.

Why does Iliosuchus matter?

Because it connects several biology ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Iliosuchus?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Iliosuchus.