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Name: |
Allosaurus, meaning
'Different Reptile' |
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Length: |
About 12
metre (39ft) |
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Weight: |
About 2000kg (4400lb) |
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Range: |
Fossils have been
found in parts of Northern America, Europe, Africa and Australia |
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Feeding: |
Carnivore eating meat
including large Sauropod plant eaters |
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Period: |
Late Jurassic about
140 million years ago |
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Allosaurus was a
large saurischian (lizard hipped) bi-pedal dinosaur that lived
during the late Jurassic period about 140 million years ago. |
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Allosaurus was a
large predator that hunted in packs; it was probably a more
efficient killer than Tyrannosaurus Rex that lived much later during
the Cretaceous period. It was the biggest carnivore that lived in
North America during the Jurassic Period. |
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Allosaurus had
two short arms, but longer than those of T-Rex, each having 3 long
and sharp claws, which could tear lumps of flesh from its prey. It
was a large muscular animal with strong heavy bones, it had small
bony knobs and ridges above the eyes and a powerful jaw lined with
sharp teeth. Its vertebrae weren't the same as other dinosaurs,
which is where it gets it's name from, meaning 'different lizard'. |
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Allosaurus
Prints |
Allosaurus preyed
upon other animals and would have probably been a scavenger as
well, feeding off animals that had died or been killed by other
carnivores. Its prey would have included Stegosaurs and
Iguanodons, and possibly even the large Sauropods such as
Apatosaurus and Diplodocus. |
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Fossils have
mainly been found in North America but a few have also been found
in Europe and Africa and possibly one specimen in Australia. |
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