Theropod dinosaur
Place Collected(Object)
: North America, USA, Utah, Uintah County, Vernal, Cleveland-Lloyd Quarry Dimensions:length=640; width=130; height=197 cm
Taxonomy
- Attributes
- Objects
- Taxonomy
- Kingdom:
Animalia
- Phylum:
Chordata
- Class:
Reptilia
- Order:
Saurischia
- Family:
Allosauridae
- Genus:
Allosaurus
- SpecificEpithet:
fragilis
Object number: ROMVP12868
DescriptionAllosaurus was a theropod – one of the largest carnivorous dinosaurs of the Jurassic. It had a strong flexible neck, powerful legs and heavy bones. Its front limbs were equipped with long claws for grasping prey. The skull had large jaws with long, curved, serrated teeth for slashing. The skull was designed to deform slightly to absorb stress while biting. Allosaurus probably hunted large animals, such as sauropods. Although a predator of this size would have been capable of taking down Stegosaurus or Camptosaurus, it is unlikely that it could have handled a large sauropod, which suggests that Allosaurus may have hunted in packs.
