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Dinosaurs: Allosaurus

 

Allosaurus (Different Lizard)

Allosaurus was the largest meat-eating dinosaur of the late Jurrasic. It was the first of the really large meat-eaters growing up to 8 feet (12 m) in length and 16.5 feet (5 m) in height.  Allosaurus weighed about 1400 kg and had a skull approximately 3 feet in length (90 cm) with short ridges above each of its eyes. It had large, powerful jaws with long, sharp, serrated teeth 2 to 4 inches (5 to 10 cm) in length and movable joints in its jaw to allow to bite huge chunks from its prey.

Allosaurus walked on two powerful hind legs. Its arms were short and had three-fingered hands with sharp claws that were up to 10 inches (25 cm) in length.

Allosaurus shared the planet with some of the largest dinosaurs to ever walk the earth. Allosaurus probably preyed upon stegosaurs and Iguanodonts but tooth marks found in an Apatosaurus vertebra suggest that Allosaurus may of also preyed on smaller members of these large dinosaurs. Allosaurus may have also been a scavenger.

Allosaurus belonged to a group of dinosaurs called the Allosaurids. This family also included Giganotosaurus, Acrocanthosaurus and Carcharodontosaurus. Allosaurus was also distantly related to the raptors and tyrannosaurs of the late Cretaceous.

Footprint evidence suggests that Allosaurus may have hunted in groups, possibly working as a team to ambush larger prey such as Diplodocus and Apatosaurus. Evidence also suggest that Allosaurus may have cared for its young in large nests.

 

 

Allosaurus

 

allosaurus size

Pronounced: AL-oh-SAW-rus
Name Means: "Different Lizard"
Length: 25 - 39 feet (7 - 12 m)
Height: 10 - 14 feet (3 - 4.5 m)
Weight: 1 - 5 tons(1,000 - 4,500 kg)
Diet: Carnivore (Meat)
Time: Late Jurassic - 150 million years ago
Habitat: Open Countryside
Fossils Found: Australia, Western North America

 

 

Tags: How big was Allosaurus, Allosaurus size, where does Allosaurus rex live, how tall are Allosaurus, what does Allosaurus mean, Allosaurus, Allosaurus facts

 

 

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