THE CARNOSAURIAN DINOSAURS
AK-ro-KAN-thoh-SAW-rus
High-spined reptile
Saurischia: Carnosauria
Early Cretaceous
Oklahoma, USA
Acrocanthosaurus was a very large and terrifying meat-eater,
about 40ft. (12m) long. It had foot-long spines on its backbone.
These Suggest that it may have had a raised ridge or small sail
along its back, similar to that of SPINOSAURUS. Several skeletons
were found around 1950.
al-BERT-oh-SAW-rus
Alberta reptile
Saurischia: Carnosauria
Late Cretaceous
Alberta, Canada, and Montana, USA
Albertosaurus (sometimes called Gorgosaurus) also
lived right at the end of the age of the dinosaurus. It was
smaller than TYRANNOSAURUS at about 26ft. (8m) long, but it was
still a fearsome beast. Dozens of bones and skeletones of Albertosaurus
have been collected over the past hundred yeares, which have
been given different names. Recently paleontologists have decided
that they belong to the same type of dinosaur.
AL-oh-SAW-rus
Different reptile
Saurischia: Carnosauria
Late Jurassic
USA and Tanzania
Allosaurus Was the main meat-eithing dinosaur in North
America in the late Jurassic period and it may have fed on well-known
dinosaurus like APATOSAURUS, STEGOSAURUS, and DRYOSAURUS. Apatosaurus
was probably too big for Allosaurus to kill, but it
may have fed on dead bodies. A skeleton of Apatosaurus has
been found with Allosaurus tooth marks on some tail bones.
Allosaurus was different from other meat-eathing dinosaurs
in the shape of its skull, which had a ridge along the top that
ran from between the eyes to the tip of the snout. There were
also bumps above the eyes.
Kar-KAR-oh-DONT-oh-SAW-rus
Shapr-toothed reptileSaurischua: Carnosauria
Early Cretaceous
North Africa
Carcharodontosarus was a giant 26-foot-lnog (8m) meat-eater.
It is known from incoplete remains found in the Sahara area.
These include giant sharp teeth, 5in (13cm) long. However, the
fossils are not good enough to reconstruct the whole animal. It
may have fed on plant-eaters that lived in the same area, as
ouranosaurus.
SER-a-toe-SAW-rus
Horned reptile
Saurischia: Carnosauria
Late Jurassic
Colorado, Oklahoma, and Utah, USA, and Tanzania
Ceratosaurus was one of the most unusual meat-eating
dinosaurs. It was quite large: up to 20ft (6m) long, and it had
massive sharp fangs. However, it had a horn on its nose. This was
probably not to protect itself; it may have been used by males in
fighting for a mate.
Da-SPLEET-oh-SAW-rus
Frightul reptile
Saurischia: Carnosauria
Late Cretaceous
Alberta, Canada
Daspletosaurus was a fearsome huge 30-foot-long (9m)
meat-eater. It had a huge head, deep jaws, and daggerlike teeth.
It had powerful hind legs, each with three toes, but the arms
were weak and had only two fingers each, Daspletosaurus could
have attacked and eaten the duck-billed dinosaurs or ceratopsian
that lived with it.
Die-LOAF-oh-SAW-rus
Two-crested reptile
Saurischia: Carnosauria
Early Jurassic
Arizona
Dilophosaurus is the oldest well-known large meat-eating
dinosaur. It is related to megalosaurus. The most amazing fact
about which were shaped like a pair of hlaf dinners plates set up
on edge and side by side. Dilophosautus had long sharp fangs and
was 20ft (6m) long.
DRIP-toe-SAW-rus
Wounding reptile
Saurischia: Carnosauria
Late Cretaceous
USA
Dryptosaurus was a meat-eater that lived all over
North America. Many finds of odd teeth and jawbones have been
designated as belonging to Dryptosaurus. At least 12 species have
been described, and yet no one realy knows what it looked like.
The only skeleton was collected in 1866 and nammed Laelaps by
Edward D. Cope. One of the famous dinosaur collectors of the
North American «bone wars». The name Laelaps was based on
hunting dog from the ancienz Greek myth, and Cope had a model
made that showed Laelaps flercely.leaping through the air to
attack another dinosaur. Unfortuntrly, we cannot use that name
because it had already been given to an insect.
MEG-a-low-SAW-rus
Big reptile
Saurischia: Carnosauria
Early Jurassic to early Cretaceous
Europe North Africa, Asia, South America
Megalosaurus was the first dinosaur to be named –
in 1824. The teeth of Megalosaurus had long roots that fixed
firmly into the jaw bone. The tops of the teeth were curved
backward and flattened from side to side, and the back and front
edges had jagged ridges, like the edge of a serrated knife. The
hand had three fingers, and the foot four toes, each with a
strong claw, and Megalosaurus have been described from rocks
ranging in age over 100 million years. It is unlikely that one
animal could have lived for so long, and many of the species have
been based on very small bits of evidence that could belong to
any meat-eating dinosaur.
SPINE-o-SAW-rus
Spiny reptile
Saurischia: Carnosauria
Late Cratecous
Niger, Egypt
Spinosaurus was a strange meat-eating dinosaur with a
sail on its back. The sail was made from skin and it was held up
by tall spines on the back of each vertebra of the backbone. Some
of these spises were 6.5ft. (2m) high – taller than a human.
Spinosaurus may have used its sail to control its body
temperature: it could lose heat if it was too hot, or it could
heat it if it was too cold. Spinosaurus had typical teeth
for eating meat, but they were straight instead of curved. The
animal was up to 40ft. (12m) long, and its closest relative may
have been acrocanthosaurus.
TAR-bo-SAW-rus
Terrible reptile
Saurischia: Carnosauria
Late Cratecous
Mongolia
Tarbosaurus was a lare meat-eater, an Asian relative
of tyrannosaurus. It was about the same size as Tyrannosaurus,
but less heavily built. Tarbosaurus had a longer skulland
27 large curved kinfelike teeth along its upper jaw. It had very
short arms with only two fingers on each hand. Tarbosaurus
was up to 45ft. (14m) long, and it could have fed on the duck-billed
dinosaurs and armored dinosaurs that lived with it in Mongolia.
Tie-RAN-oh-SAW-rus
Tyrant reptile
Saurischia: Carnosauria
Late Cratecous
Alberta, Canada, and Montana, USA
Tyannosaurus may be the best-known dinosaur. It was
probably the most frightening, and certainly one of the biggest,
mea-eater that has ever lived. It was up to 50ft. (15m) long and
20ft. (6m) high. A person would hardly have reached its knee. Tyannosaurus
had a massive head which was 5ft. (1.5m) long. The powerful jaws
were lined with large sharp teeth. Single teeth were up to 7in. (18cm)
long. This animal could probably swallow humans whole if it were
around today.
