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• 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

  1. Name Means: "Strange Lizard"
  2. Naming Credit: Othniel Charles Marsh (1877)
  3. Range: Western North America, Western Europe, North Africa
  4. 1. Order
     : Saurischia
  5. 1. Family
     : Allosauridae
  6. 1. Genus
     : Allosaurus
  7. 1. Type Species
     : Allosaurus fragilis
  8. Period: Late Jurassic
  9. Length: Up to 40 feet
  10. Height: Up to 14 feet
  11. Weight: Up to 4 tons
  12. Most common large predator in its territory
  13. Lifespan: Approximately 30 years
  14. Highly recognizable species
  15. 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.

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