Megaraptora is a group of large carnivorous
theropod dinosaurs with controversial relationships. Phylogenetic studies conducted by Benson, Carrano and Brusatte (2010) and Carrano, Benson and Sampson (2012) recovered the group as a branch of the
allosauroids (specifically within the family
Neovenatoridae), part of a large group of carnosaurs that also includes the
metriacanthosaurids,
carcharodontosaurids, and
allosaurids. This would make megaraptorans the last surviving allosauroids; at least a few megaraptorans, including
Orkoraptor, lived near the end of the
Mesozoic era, dating to the late
Santonian stage of the late
Cretaceous period, about 84 million years ago. On the other hand, Novas
et al. (2012), while confirming that
Neovenator was closely related to carcharodontosaurids, simultaneously found
Megaraptor and related genera to probably be
coelurosaurs closely related to
tyrannosaurids. A juvenile specimen of
Megaraptor suggests it to be within
Tyrannosauroidea, as well. From these debated relations, megaraptorans have been, at the moment, simply placed by some under
avetheropods, mostly to remain neutral between
carnosaurs and coelurosaurs.
