mallikerros

Mallikerros is a genus of small, early theropod dinosaur that lived during the Late Jurassic period, approximately 155 to 150 million years ago. Fossils of this dinosaur have been discovered in the Oxford Clay Formation of England, specifically in the region around Peterborough. The name *Mallikerros* combines the Sanskrit word *mallika*, meaning "beautiful," with the Greek word *erros*, meaning "lizard," in reference to the delicate and well-preserved nature of its remains.

The type species, *Mallikerros walteri*, was described in 2010 by paleontologists Paul Upchurch, David Norman, and Christian Sidor. The genus is known from a single, nearly complete skeleton, including a well-preserved skull, which provides significant insight into its anatomy. Mallikerros was a bipedal carnivore, standing about 1.5 meters (4.9 feet) long and weighing roughly 10 kilograms (22 pounds). Its skull was relatively small and elongated, with sharp teeth suited for a predatory lifestyle, though it may have also scavenged.

Mallikerros is classified within the Ceratosauria, a group of theropods characterized by their unique skull features, such as a secondary palate and sometimes horn-like structures. Its placement within this clade is supported by several anatomical traits, including the structure of its vertebrae and the shape of its limbs. The discovery of *Mallikerros* contributes to the understanding of theropod diversity during the Late Jurassic, a time when dinosaurs were evolving into a wide variety of forms.

The holotype specimen, housed at the Sedgwick Museum of Earth Sciences in Cambridge, England, remains one of the most important fossils from the Oxford Clay Formation. Research on Mallikerros continues to provide valuable data on the evolutionary history of theropods and the ecological dynamics of its environment.