Allosaurus
fragilis
Todd Marshall
Anatomy
Allosaurus
was a large carnivorous dinosaur with a length of
up to 12 meters (39 feet), and 16 feet tall. This
animal had a skull that measured 3 feet long with
two blunt horns just above its eyes, in the orbital
region. It had a strong, S-shaped
neck, and had vertebrae that were different from those
of other dinosaurs.
It
had a large powerful jaw with long, sharp, serrated
teeth 2 to 4 inches long. These teeth were curved
inward, shaped like a"D" to help secure
its pray. It had a massive tail, a bulky body, and
thick bones. Its arms were short and had three fingered
hands with sharp claws that were up to 6 inches long.
Time
Periods and Habitats
Allosaurus
was one of the largest meat eating dinosaurs of the
Late Jurassic, 156-145 MYA. Allosaurus was
the largest predator until the tyrannosaurs which
appeared some 50 million years later. Allosaurus
was the most common carnivorous dinosaurs in Jurassic
North America. Allosaurus fossils may have
also been found in Africa and Portugal, Europe.
Mobility
This
dinosaur may have been built for high speed chases,
there is a probability that this animal hunted in
packs when tracking large animals such as Diplodocus.Thereis
some debate to whether this animals were fast moving
animals or slow stalking predators. Even though these
animals possessed powerful legs to carry their enormous
weight, they had a risk of hurting themselves if ever
falling on a fast run. X-ray studies have shown some
Allosaurus ribs being fractured from a fall,
the x-rays also showed these ribs to have healed.
These animals could not afford to hurt themselves,
hindering their ability to hunt.
Eating
Habits
Allosaurus
was a massive carnivore, the biggest of its time and
habitat. This animal possibly hunted down large herbivores
such as Diplodocus and Stegosaurus, to satisfy its
big appetite.
Discovery
Paleontologist
Othniel C. Marsh, gave the name "Allosaurus"
in 1877. The first complete Allosaurus skeleton,
was discovered by a rancher M. P. Felch in 1883, Colorado,
USA. Over 60 Allosaurus fossils have been
found, mostly in the Morrisson Formation in Colorado,
USA.
Paleo
Art
John Bindon
Todd Marshall.
Todd Marshall.
Todd Marshall.
