Allosaurus

Allosaurus

The Allosaurus genus of large, bipedal carnivorous therapod dinosaurs consisted of four species, the most well known of which lived during the late Jurassic period in the Western United States and Canada.

Fast Facts

Name Means: "Strange Lizard"
Naming Credit: Othniel Charles Marsh (1877)
Range: Western North America, Western Europe, North Africa
Classification:
1. Order: Saurischia
2. Family: Allosauridae
3. Genus: Allosaurus
4. Type Species: Allosaurus fragilis
Period: Late Jurassic
Length: Up to 40 feet
Height: Up to 14 feet
Weight: Up to 4 tons
Most common large predator in its territory
Lifespan: Approximately 30 years
Highly recognizable species
Popular Culture: The Lost World, The Valley of Gwangi

An Active Hunter

Unlike the most well-known predatory dinosaur, Tyrannosaurus rex, there is little doubt over whether Allosaurus was a scavenger or an active hunter. Fossil evidence directly links this lightweight killer to kills, such as the Allosaurus teeth found in sauropod bones and a Stegosaurus spinal plate with an Allosaurus jaw-shaped bite taken out of it! Scientists are still divided as to whether or not this top predator hunted alone or in packs.

Categories

Science | Biology | Animals

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The Mahalo Top 7

Wikipedia: Allosaurus
BBC Science & Nature: The Ballad of Big Al
Sciencecenter: Allosaurus
Walking With Dinosaurs: Allosaurus Fact Sheet
Planet Dinosaur: Allosaurus Profile
University of Naples Natural Science Center: Allosaurus
University of Wyoming: "Life Wasn't Easy for "Big Al" 145 Million Years Ago" (January 29, 1996)

Allosaurus News and Articles

Google News: Allosaurus
BBC News: " Dinosaur bites back" (February 23, 2001)
ABC News in Science: "The Jurassic Hatchet Head " (February 28, 2001)
People's Daily Online: "Allosaurus Fossil Found in NE Thailand" (December 18, 2007)

Allosaurus Background and Behavior

Palaeos: Theropoda: Avetheropoda: Allosauridae
Cleveland Museum of Natural History: Pack Behavior in Allosaurus
Olympus Microscopy Resource Center: Allosaurus: The Leaping Reptile
Carnegie Museum of Natural History: Allosaurus (497.94 KB)
Dino Data: Allosaurus
About.com: Allosaurus

Allosaurus Fun Stuff

Discovery Education: Allosaurus Clip Art
Kidsdino.com: Allosaurus
Howstuffworks: How to Draw the Allosaurus
National Geographic: Allosaurus Artwork
Post-Gazette: Interactive Dinosaur Map
First School.ws: Allosaurus Coloring Page

Allosaurus Photos and Videos

Google Image Search: Allosaurus
YouTube and Google Video Search: Allosaurus
Yahoo! Image Search: Allosaurus
Yahoo! Video Search: Allosaurus
YouTube: Walking With Dinosaurs - Allosaurus (Time 1:59)

Allosaurus Books and Related Merchandise

Google Product Search: Allosaurus Merchandise
Yahoo! Product Search: Allosaurus Merchandise
Barnes & Noble: Allosaurus Merchandise
Amazon.com: Allosaurus Merchandise

Related Pages on Mahalo

Dinosaurs | Pterodactyl | Albertosaurus | Diplodocus | Ankylosaurus | Iguanodon | Triceratops | Velociraptor | Stegosaurus | Jurassic Park | Mummified Dinosaur | Biology | Geological Periods | Spinosaurus | Glyptodon | Tyrannosaurus

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