25 Allosaurus Facts For Kids.
Allosaurus was a carnivorous dinosaur that lived about 157 to 145 million years ago. It was a very successful predator, judging from the number of fossils that have been found, predator at this time. it was likely to be the Apex (top) predator, although it did share the area and time with two other carnivores at the time. Luckily as a lot of fossils have been found of this large dinsaour there is plenty we have learnt about it. Lets check out some Allosaurus facts below.
Allosaurus was a large 30 feet long 100lbs. carnivorous dinosaur that lived during the late Jurassic 157 to 144 million years ago. it was a successful predator and preyed on herbivores like stegosaurus and Camptosaurus. It’s limited bite force suggests it may have used its considerable teeth as an axe to fell prey.
Below we have some quick facts about Allosaurus, some more in depth ones, links to our printable Allosaurus facts sheets and coloring pages. So feel free to take what you need and enjoy these Allosaurus Facts!
Allosaurus Quick Facts
- Allosaurus was a giant carnivorous dinosaur. It could be up to 32 feet long (possibly up to 43 from bones examined in 1976
- Allosaurus was a big dinosaur, but not as big as others in its family. It would weight between 1500 to 2200 lbs.
- The average Allosaurus length could vary between 22 and 32 feet though, with some discussions around 40 ft dinosaurs but these are rare.
- Allosaurus could stand to 3-4 metres high. between 12 and 17 feet tall.
- This mighty dinosaur was a carnivore meaning it ate meat. Its sharp pointed teeth and powerful jawline made it perfect to bit and cut into plant eating dinosaurs
- Allosaurus became extinct 144 million years ago, or that’s the date of the earliest fossils found so far it has been found to live from 157 million years ago
- It is thought that Allosaurus may have used its sharp teeth more of an axe than a bite. Plunging it into a dinosaur so it actually lost so much blood it collapsed.
- Allosaurus name has 4 syllables and can be said like this Al -Low – Sore – Rus. it means “Different lizard”
24 Facts about the Allosaurus.
1. How big was the Allosaurus?
Allosaurus was a giant carnivorous dinosaur. It could be up to 32 feet long (possibly up to 43 from bones examined in 1976) . Its large body had powerful hind-limbs and three-fingered forelimbs and could weigh around 1000kg (2200 lbs.) Overall the body was balanced by heavy muscular tail.
2. How heavy was the Allosaurus?
Allosaurus was a big dinosaur, but not as big as others in its family. It would weight between 1500 to 2200 lbs. However a big Allosaurus might go up to 4000 lbs or more!
3. How long was the Allosaurus?
Allosaurus was a large carnivore who depending on the species had an average length of about 28ft long. The average Allosaurus length could vary between 22 and 32 feet though, with some discussions around 40 ft dinosaurs but these are rare. Most of their length was taken up by their tail which could be 50% of their whole length.
4. How tall was the Allosaurus?
Although little reason to stand on its toes Allosaurus could stand to 3-4 metres high. between 12 and 17 feet tall.
5. How big was the Allosaurus head?
The skull of Allosaurus could be up to 3 foot long with over 60 sharp teeth. The forceful neck of Allosaurus was short but it strongly supported its giant head. More on its powerful neck later! there are reports of Allosaurus skulls being able to reach up to 5ft however.
6. How fast could the Allosaurus run?
The average running speed of Allosaurus is estimated to be between 21 to 34 miles per hour is bursts. This speed was greater than other dinosaurs of its time, but it would have been a sprinter not a marathon runner!
7. Did the Allosaurus have good eyesight?
Allosaurus like other carnivorous did not have a very good vision. It had forward facing eyes with a very narrow binocular vision. As it was hunting large and slow prey this was expected. It is also some good news if you ever found yourself trying to run away from one. Although with that burst of speed it might be better to choose another dinosaur for that!
8. What was the bite Force of an Allosaurus?
Allosaurus powerful jawline featured 60 plus sharp-edged teeth in the front and rear edges. Its teeth were set along the sides of the skull. Allosaurus had a great bite force of 3572.56 Newton. this is about the same as a modern day wolf. it looks like there may have been another way its used those fearsome teeth ( which we look at further down the page or here if you want to jump ahead) .
9. What did an Allosaurus eat?
This mighty dinosaur was a carnivore meaning it ate meat. Its sharp pointed teeth and powerful jawline made it perfect to bit and cut into plant eating dinosaurs. So, the large herbivore dinosaurs were prey for the Allosaurus.
10.What dinosaurs were prey for Allosaurus?
Allosaurus had a large selection of prey to chose from so much so that some of them appeared to team up to give themselves more protection. ( as highlighted on the Planet Dinosaur episode) Dinosaurs like Stegosaurus and Camptosaurus have been found very often together and it is thought for mutual protection from Allosaurus attacks. .
Other prey animals for allosaurus would included, Dryosaurus juvenile brachiosaurus, Junior Camarasaurus, Diplodocus and other dinosaurs at the time.
11.What Movies Have Featured a Allosaurus?
Allosaurus has featured in a few dinosaur movies and dinosaur documentaries over the years, but not really been the star except for two. the Valley of Gwangi starred an Allosaurus, and the Ballad of Big Al documentary also follows the life of an Allosaurus. ( the second is more accurate!!)
- Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom,
- Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous,
- Battle at Big Rock,
- Jurassic World Dominion,
- Planet of Dinosaurs,A sound of thunder,
- The land that time forgot
- The Valley of Gwangi
are all movies that featured an Allosaurus. ( even of the valley of Gwangi were not sure at the time! )
12.When did the Allosaurus become extinct?
Allosaurus became extinct 144 million years ago, or that’s the date of the earliest fossils found so far. however it lived from 157 million years ago during the Late Jurassic period.
13.Could the Allosaurus swim?
there is evidence that some theropods dinosaurs ( like T-Rex and Allosaurus) could swim, not quite at olympic standard that was lift to the only swimming dinosaur we know about the Spinosaurus, but enough to move in the water.
this evidence comes from claw marks in the bottom of a river and at the banks that, allegedly show a dinosaur crossing a river.
14.Which museums have an Allosaurus skeleton?
The Creation Museum has the skeleton of Allosaurus fragilis. You can see Allosaurus in The Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History and The Natural History Museum of Utah The Utah museum has the best collection of Allosaurus fossils anywhere in the world and the newest discovered Allosaurus as well.
15.What does the name Allosaurus mean?
The name Allosaurus is derived from Greek word állos (different) and saûros (lizard). So, Allosaurus means a strange and different reptile. Although the name is not that exciting is describes the back bone ( vertebrae) being a different shape than – at the time- other dinosaurs)
16.Was Allosaurus the biggest predator on Earth?
Allosaurus is thought to be the one biggest predator on Earth – at that time! but Spinosaurus is the largest meat-eating dinosaur and predator ever known on earth, although as with everything Dinosaur there are always challenges to these biggest, longest, heaviest dinosaur titles emerging as we learn more.
17. How long did an Allosaurus Live for?
As there have been lots of Allosaurus fossils found scientists have been able to work out how old an Allosaurus would live for . It is estimated to be around 22-28 years old and it would be full size at about 15 years old. This is similar to other large therapods like Tyrannosaurus rex and others.
18. Was Allosaurus Warm or Cold Blooded?
The experts after a long debate have come up to a conclusion that Allosaurus were neither warm blooded nor cold blooded but in between the two. The metabolic rates and growth of Allosaurus was different from warm blooded or cold blooded organisms.
19. Where did Allosaurus live?
Allosaurus was quite widespread for a carnivore dinosaur, its fossils have been found in North America, germany, and Africa.
19. How much does an Allosaurus skeleton cost?
An Allosaurus skeleton 28.5 feet in length and 9 feet high sold for approximately US3.5 million when it was auctioned in 2020. Fossils, especially big complete ones are serious money. Even a replica can cost 10000 dollars! i think we better stick to the fossil teeth instead!
21. How many teeth did Allosaurus have?
Allosaurus continued to grow and replace its teeth. The total knife-like sharp teeth of Allosaurus could be over 60. There were 14-17 teeth in each side of the upper jaw and 14 -17 in each side in the lower jaw.
22. The Axe headed dinosaur?
There was something special about those teeth and those jaws it is thought. According to Planet Dinosaur it is thought that Allosaurus may have used its sharp teeth more of an axe than a bite. Plunging it into a dinosaur so it actually lost so much blood it collapsed.
Scientists think that Allosaurus may have been actually the Axe mouthed killer as its bite was actually quite week 9 compared to other dinosaurs – still much stronger than yours! ) but its mouth could open at about 90 degrees, and its neck was really REALLy strong. Strong enough to wield its mouth like an axe. certainly.
Maybe allosaurs was the Axe murderer of the dinosaurs!
Allosaurus coloring pages, and other dinosaur coloring pages can be downloaded from the link above.
23. How long were Allosaurus teeth?
The sharp teeth of the mighty Allosaurus were 2-4 inches long. These sharp teeth and the powerful neck were the reason behind Allosaurus specialized attacks.
24. Who discovered the Allosaurus?
Allosaurus was first classified by Othniel Charles Marsh in Colorado in 1877. However these were the few fragments of Allosaurus discovered at that time. Since them they have become a very well studied dinosaur. Allosaurus fossils were first found in 1869 in Colorado.
25. What other Carnivore dinosaurs lived with Allosaurus?
Although Allosaurus appears to be the most successful of the Late Jurassic dinosaurs it was not without competition for resources. there were two other carnivores that lived at the same time and in the same area as Allosaurus these were Ceratosaurus, torvosaurus and saurophaganax also prowled these lands.
it was bout 80 million years before tyrannosaurus walked on Earth so the two would neer have met.
.
26. How to pronounce Allosaurus?
As Allosaurus is pretty easy to say for a dinosaur name It has just four syllables and is said like this Al – Low – Sore – Rus. we decided to make this 26 facts about allosaurus, not 25
Al – Low – Sore -Rus
Conclusion
Allosaurus is often over looked because of its bigger “more teeth” cousins, but it really shouldn’t be. it lived 80 million years before t-rex even appeared, had carnivore competition and came out on top of all those to be the most successful predator of the Late Jurassic.
it had the teeth, the speed, the size to be, for the time, an almost perfect killing machine. If scientists are right about the Aze like use of its jaw then it also had a swingable weapon. Maybe other predators should be pleased they came after this awesome predatory dinosaur.
We also have been lucky enough to fine fossils up to 90% compete, which a lot of other “record breaking” dinosaurs just can”t compete with. So, yes, in our opinion the Allosaurus Certainly deserves some more attention.
We may call tyrannosaurus rex the King of the Tyrant lizards, but surely the Allosaurus could be called the Prince!
If you would like to more about all the dinosaurs both big and small then you can click on the big button below this which takes you to our article list. There are loads of different herbivore and carnivore pages there to keep you busy and keep you learning. If you want to do something a little more creative we also have coloring pages and facts sheets to download
.
References
https://nhmu.utah.edu/newsdesk/kits/new-species-allosaurus-discovered-utah
Hi, I am Roy Ford a General Studies and English Teacher who has taught all over the world. What started as a fossil collection became a great way to teach, motivate and inspire students of all ages and all over the world about dinosaurs and from that and children’s love of dinosaurs came the site dinosaur facts for kids, a resource for all ages.
