Allosaurus

Allosaurus's History

Allosaurus (meaning "different lizard") was the most common predator of the Late Jurassic period and among the most dangerous. Like most theropod dinosaurs, its jaws were filled with serrated teeth shaped like blades. Computer studies suggest that Allosaurus attacked by using its upper jaw like a machete to hack at its victim, then it used its lower jaw to bite out a slice of meat, although recent studies have proven this unlikely. In terms of size, it was the third-largest theropod of its era, only the likes of the megalosaurid Torvosaurus (10-11 meters or 33-36 feet with 4-5 tons of weight behind it) and Saurophaganax (12-13 meters or 39-43 feet with 6 tons of weight behind it) exceeded it in size and weight. It averaged around 8.5 meters long (28 feet) and around 3 meters (10 feet) tall. However fragmentary remains suggest larger lengths of 11 to 12 meters (36-39 feet), though its weight would be less than the Saurophaganax, which was the heavyweight theropod of the Jurassic.

It might have been easy for an Allosaurus to kill a fairly defenseless dinosaur-like Camptosaurus, but Stegosaurus could certainly fight back with a blow from its tail. Thus it is thought that the Allosaurus hunted in large hunting gangs, similar to that of the Komodo dragon. While this means they hunted 'together', it was still every Allosaurus for itself. Often at times, an entire gang of these dinosaurs would be killed by their prey or by natural hazards, showing they had poor group coordination.