| Size:
12 metres long
Weight: 3.5 tonnes
Distribution: North America and
possibly Western Europe
Description: Allosaurus
was the largest and most dominant predator of the North American Late
Jurassic and would likely have preyed upon some of the largest dinosaurs
of the time such as diplodocus, stegosaurus and camptosaurus.
It was also the commonest large predator and vast numbers of
remains have been found from animals of different ages, most of which
come from the very productive Morrisson Formation.
Unlike tyrannosaurus, the body, and especially the head, are very
narrow, making allosaurus surprisingly lightweight for a dinosaur of its
size. The skull also had
two small bony ridges running from the snout to the eyes.
These culminated in a crest over each eye although the exact
purpose of this is unknown. There
is evidence that suggests that allosaurus may have raised its babies in
a nest where they were looked after by at least one parent.
This
drawing is based upon an incredible display at the American Museum of
Natural History in New work where an allosaurus attacks an adult
barosaurus and its baby.
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