Ceratosaurus
Ceratosaurus nasicornis
Pronounced: sair - At - o - Saw - rus
Diet: Carnivore (Meat-Eater)
Name Means: "horned lizard"
Length: 20 feet (6 m)
Height: 8 feet (2.5 m)
Weight: 1 ton(1,000 kilos)
Time: Late Jurassic - 150 mya
Fossil remains for this Dinosaur have been found in Western
United States
Ceratosaurus was a medium sized meat-eater that lived at the
same time as the larger Allosaurus in the last part of the
Jurassic Period. What makes it different and distinctive is the
large horn on top of its nose and the two horns over its eyes.
About 100 years ago, when it was first discovered, it was one of
the most well known dinosaurs. Another unusual feature is that
Ceratosaurus had four fingers on its hands, instead of the more
common three among the other large meat eaters.
Recently, the classification for Ceratosaurus has been questioned. It
is being considered by some to be more closely associated with
Carnosauria that Ceratosauria. An interesting footnote is that the
Nanotyrannus type specimen was thought to be a Ceratosaurus when
it was first being prepared. |
