| Ceratosaurus (sair-AT-o-sawr-us) Ceratosaurus means "horned lizard"
and was so named because it belonged to an unusual family of horned flesh eaters. It is
thought to have been related to Allosaurus, another flesh eater. But Ceratosaurus is the
only dinosaur of its kind known to have had a horn on its nose.
Ceratosaurus was up to 20 feet long and had a row
of small, bony plates running down its back. It had short front legs with four fingers,
each with a small claw. Each foot had three toes, also clawed. Ceratosaurus had a large
head and a lightweight bone structure. Its teeth were shaped for tearing flesh and killing
large animals.
Ceratosaurus probably hunted in packs. Scientists
have discovered sets of Ceratosaurus footprints, suggesting that they roamed in groups. It
probably lived about the same time as Megalosaurus but a long time before Tyrannosaurus,
another flesheater. Dinosaurs like these would have been feared by all other animals. They
were big and powerful and had large appetites.
Location: USA, Tanzamia
Diet: Herbivorous dinosaurs
Size: Length 4.6-6m (15ft-19 ft 6in)
Weight 1 tonne
Classification:
Family Ceratosauridae
Infraorder Ceratosauria
Suborder Theropoda
Order Saurischia
Time (million years ago): 150
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