|
Allosaurus
| |
|
| |
|
Species
|
Allosaurus maximus
|
|
Size
|
up to 40 feet (12 meters) long, 16 feet (5 meters) tall at the hips, 8,000 lbs (4 tons) weigh
|
|
Defense/weaponry
|
Sharp talons
Powerful muscles Sharp teeth |
|
Turf
|
Canada/USA, North America
|
|
Timespan
|
Late Jurassic, 150 MYA
|
|
Appearances
|
|
Allosaurus ("different lizard") is a genus of large theropod dinosaur that lived during the late Jurassic period. It was the largest Jurassic meat-eating dinosaur in North America. It was famous for hunting both alone for smaller prey AND in packs for larger prey such as the sauropods of its habitat. Though it was relatively intelligent, it probably wasn't much smarter than a hawk, but it was still an effective predator.
Allosaurus died out at the end of the Jurassic period, alongside with its contemporaries - Camarasaurus, Ceratosaurus, Stegosaurus, etc. George Blasing (aka Dinosaur George), the host of Jurassic Fight Club, states that Allosaurus is his favorite dinosaur.
It appears in three episodes of Jurassic Fight Club, the first being "Bloodiest Battle", which is the fourth episode of the series. The other two appearances include "Hunter Becomes Hunted" and "Biggest Killers".
Description[]
Allosaurus was the very first giant predatory dinosaur that ever lived in North America and was among the largest carnivores of the Jurassic Period. Measuring 30 – 40 feet (9 – 12 meters) long, standing about 13 – 16 feet (4 – 5 meters) tall, weighing up to 3 – 5 tons, and moving at a top speed about 30 mph, the Allosaurus was also one of the largest predatory dinosaurs on Earth. They walked on two legs and had relatively long forearms with three fingers each one tipped with a long, sharp claw. Its three-foot-long head was marked by a distinctive pair of bony ridges above and in front of its eyes.
Fighting style[]
Allosaurus used its tail for balance and killed its prey with the sharp talons on its forelimbs. Powerful neck muscles enabled it to drive its saber-like teeth into the tough hide of its prey, while its hinged jaw meant it could swallow large amounts of meat whole.
Diet[]
Allosaurus was the biggest meat-eater in North America during the Late Jurassic Period. Evidence suggests that its likely victims were herbivores such as stegosaurs, like Stegosaurus, and sauropods, like Apatosaurus, Camarasaurus, Diplodocus and Brachiosaurus. Being that it was a large predator and favored large prey, Allosaurus might have hunted in packs to take on these much larger dinosaurs, and might have even done the same with aggressive smaller prey such as Stegosaurus. It may have faced competition for its prey from the carnivorous dinosaur, Ceratosaurus.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Allosaurus maximus is the official state fossil of Oklahoma, and a large skeleton of Allosaurus maximus can be seen in the Jurassic hall in the Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History.