"Different lizard"

Allosaurus

Late Jurassic · 155–145 MyaCarnivoreNorth America, Portugal

The Jurassic's top predator — lighter and faster than the tyrannosaurs that came later, with strong three-clawed arms and a skull it may have swung like a hatchet into giant prey. Its bones are so common in the Morrison Formation that one quarry alone held 46 individuals.

Length
8.5 m
Height
3.1 m
Weight
1,700 kg
Top speed
34 km/h

Field notes

  • A Stegosaurus tail spike wound was found in one Allosaurus vertebra — it fought the tank and lost.
  • "Big Al", a nearly complete skeleton, shows 19 injuries healed over a hard life.
  • It is the official state fossil of Utah.
Meet the rest of the Allosauridae family →