Yangchuanosaurus shangyouensis is an oddly-named theropod with an equally odd historical taxonomy. Like many other large carnivores, it was once thought to have been a megalosaurid (theropods more closely related to Megalosaurus than to spinosaurids), but was later assigned to the Sinraptoridae, a family of primarily Chinese carnosaurs which also includes Sinraptor, Metriacanthosaurus, and possibly Gasosaurus. It is believed to have filled a niche similar to that of its American cousin Allosaurus, which lived at the same time. If this is the case, it would have hunted down sauropods, possibly in small packs, occasionally running forward and inflicting large cuts, forcing its victims to bleed to death. It could have grown up to 35 feet (10 meters) long, and could have weighed as much as almost four tons. It was named in 1978 by Dong, et. al.
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