Albertosaurus
Albertosaurus sacrophagus
Pronounced:
al - Bert - o -
Saw - rus
Diet:
Carnivore
(Meat-Eater)
Name Means:
"Alberta Lizard"
Length:
28 feet (8.5 m)
Height:
10 feet (3 m)
Weight:
2.5 tons (2300
kilos)
Time:
Late Cretaceous
- 70 MYA
Fossil remains for this Dinosaur have been found
in Northern North America
Albertosaurus was
the grandfather of
T. rex. This
dinosaur looked like
a smaller, less
muscular version of
Tyrannosaurus. As an
early member of the
tyrannosaur family,
Albertosaurus was
the final design for
the large
meat-eating
dinosaurs. It only
had two fingers on
its hands, which
were at the end of
short arms. It had
long legs and it a
wide skull with lots
of power in its
bite.
Albertosaurus is
considered by many
scientists to be the
best known of the
tyrannosaurs. A
number of nearly
complete skeletons,
two adults and a
juvenile, have been
found. There are two
recognized species
and several in
dispute. It is
sometimes referenced
as a transitory
animal, a creature
on its way to
evolving into T.
rex, but it appears
that it was
extremely successful
and longer lived
than the
Tyrannosaurus genus. |
