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| Creature information | |
| Scientific name : | Allosaurus maximus" (possibly Saurophaganax) |
| Time period : | Late Jurassic |
| Primary diet : | Carnivore |
| In the documentary | |
| Fatalities caused : | One Ceratosaurus
One Apatosaurus |
Allosaurus was a genus of medium-large theropod dinosaur from Late Jurassic North America and Portugal. The name Allosaurus (al-o-soar-us) translates to "different lizard". The largest of specimens measured over 43 feet long and weighed 4 tons. It is considered one of, if not the largest predator of the Late Jurassic, 153-145 million years ago, and is often referred to as “the lion of the Jurassic”. Allosaurus is featured in the latter half of the Late Jurassic segment.
Allosaurus hunting a young Apatosaurus
In When Dinosaurs Roamed America[]
Late Jurassic segment[]
Allosaurus first appears at the beginning of the wet season, when a hungry individual tries to attack a young Apatosaurus but to no avail, as one of the adults forces it away with their whip-like tail. The Allosaurus then promptly attacks and kills a Ceratosaurus which was just moments prior chasing two Dryosaurus. Later, as the Apatosaurus herd migrates to avoid the dry season, one of the sauropods falls down a steep drop, breaking its leg and mortally wounding it. Drawn by the wounded dinosaur‘s cries, a small pack of three Allosaurus arrive and eat it alive.
Errors[]
- Allosaurus's hands couldn't pronate without breaking. Instead, they faced inward towards each other.
- Allosaurus is depicted as and referred to as 'the most advanced flesh eater of its day', implying it was the top predator of its time, however there were other carnivores that were even larger than it, such as Saurophaganax (if it is a distinct genus separate from Allosaurus), and Torvosaurus.
- Allosaurus would've likely been smaller, at 32 feet long instead of 43 feet. It's possible the Allosaurus in the documentary is representative of the much larger potential genus of Allosaurid, Saurophaganax, which was similar in size to the Allosaurus in the documentary. However, there are controversial claims of Allosaurus specimens reaching lengths of 40 feet.
Trivia[]
- Allosaurus is commonly known as both the lion and tiger of the Jurassic.
- Recently, new studies been conducted on the skull of the Allosaurus specimen named “Big Al“, which reveal new, extraordinary bits of information about this predator:
- It had a weak bite, as far as predatory dinosaurs go: Allosaurus had weak jaw muscles, and a bite force of only 200 kilograms, which is the same as a modern day leopard's. As a result, it was incapable of inflicting the same bone-crushing bites as T. Rex.
- It had a strong skull: Despite its weak bite, Allosaurus's skull was extremely good at dispering force along its length. With more openings and a skull much lighter than T. Rex's, it was structured to carry tremendous levels of stress as much as 6 tons.
- Allosaurus would have used its head much like an axe or a hatchet, utilizing its strong neck muscles to sink its teeth from its upper jaw into the body of its prey. This method of attack would likely have been ruthlessly efficient, potentially allowing the dinosaur to rip chunks from larger animals such as sauropods and feed on them without having to actually bring their prey down.