ALLOSAURUS
Allosaurus fragilis
Meaning: "Different Lizard"
📊 STATS
Size comparison:
As long as a school bus!
📖 ABOUT ALLOSAURUS
Meet Allosaurus, the 'Different Lizard'! This speedy carnivore roamed North America and Portugal during the Late Jurassic, hunting prey with its powerful jaws and sharp teeth.
Allosaurus, whose name means 'Different Lizard', was a top predator during the Late Jurassic period. Imagine a super-sized, scaly eagle, but instead of flying, it ran on two powerful legs! These dinosaurs were big, reaching up to 12 meters long, about the size of a large truck. Their strong legs allowed them to run at speeds of up to 34 kilometers per hour, which is faster than you can ride your bike! Allosaurus had a large head with bony crests above its eyes, giving it a fierce appearance.
Allosaurus hunted other dinosaurs, using its strong jaws and sharp, serrated teeth to tear into their prey. Scientists believe Allosaurus didn't have the strongest bite force compared to other big predators, so it might have used its head like an axe to weaken its prey with powerful blows. Fossils of Allosaurus have been found in North America and even Portugal, showing that these dinosaurs were widespread and successful hunters. They lived in a world filled with giant herbivores, making it a land of giants!
🔬 CLASSIFICATION
- Group
- Theropoda
- Family
- Allosauridae
- Period
- Late Jurassic (163-145 Ma)
- Era
- 155.0 - 150.0 million years ago
🗺️ DISCOVERY
- Year
- 1877
- Discovered by
- Othniel Charles Marsh
- Location
- Colorado, USA
- Fossils found in
- USA (Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, Montana), Portugal
🎨 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATION
Artistic reconstruction of Allosaurus based on fossil evidence
🗺️ WHERE FOSSILS WERE FOUND
USA (Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, Montana), Portugal
🤓 FUN FACTS
- ✨ Allosaurus had serrated teeth, just like a steak knife, to help it tear meat!
- ✨ The name 'Allosaurus' means 'Different Lizard' because its vertebrae were different from other dinosaurs known at the time.
- ✨ Allosaurus lived during the Late Jurassic period, the same time as Stegosaurus!
- ✨ Scientists think Allosaurus might have hunted in packs sometimes!
- ✨ Baby Allosaurus probably looked a lot like smaller versions of their parents, but maybe with even bigger eyes!
💡 DID YOU KNOW?
Get this! Some scientists think Allosaurus might have used its upper jaw like a hatchet to deliver powerful blows to its prey!
