Sarcosaurus, which translates to "flesh lizard," is a genus of early neotheropod dinosaur measuring approximately 3.5 meters (11 feet) in length. It inhabited what is now England during the Hettangian-Sinemurian stages of the Early Jurassic, roughly 199-194 million years ago. Sarcosaurus holds significance as one of the earliest-known Jurassic theropods, representing one of the few theropod genera documented from this specific time frame. In fact, it is one of only two described neotheropods from the lowermost Jurassic period found in the United Kingdom, the other being Dracoraptor hanigani.

There is limited information available about Sarcosaurus, primarily because the remains are relatively incomplete, consisting only of pelvic region fossils. This incomplete fossil record makes it challenging to determine the morphology and features of other body parts, such as the head, hands, and feet. Consequently, accurately classifying this dinosaur has proven to be extremely difficult. In the past, Sarcosaurus has been tentatively categorized as a megalosauroid, akin to Megalosaurus, a ceratosaur, resembling Ceratosaurus, and even a coelophysoid, bearing similarities to Coelophysis.