Dilophosaurus photo from Wikipedia
Dilophosaurus or Dilophosaurus wetherilli pronounced duh·laa·fuh·saw·ruhs was a large, therepodial, carnivorous dinosaur that lived in the early Jurassic Period, about 190 million years ago. The dilophosaurus has been found in parts of the United States and China. The name dilophosaurus means double crested lizard.
Dilophosaurus are presumed to hunt in packs because in many fossil sites dilophosaurus were found together. Despite many movies telling you otherwise dilophosaurus never spat acid or had frills on the side of its head.
The dilophosaurus weighed between 650 and 1000 lbs, between 20 and 23 ft long, and between 5 and 6 ft tall. It was one of the earliest, largest, carnivorous dinosaurs of its time period. Some dinosaurs that are related to the dilophosaurus are the Dracovenator and Sinosaurus.
Despite its widespread popularity only five dilophosaurus skeletons have been found. Most of the dilophosaurus skeletons have been found in sandstone, siltstone, and shale.
The dilophosaurus mostly feeds on fish and smaller herbivorous dinosaurs. The dilophosaurus’s teeth were unevenly anchored and were about 2.5 in long. It had a weak jaw so it is predicted that it would use its powerful arms to take down prey.
Its classification is unsure with some paleontologist calling it a ceratosaur what others call it a coelophysis. The dilophosaurus is guessed to be warm blooded. The dilophosaurus has a top speed of 30 mph. The dilophosaurus is said to not have feathers unlike other dinosaurs.
Despite its size the dilophosaurus was light on its feet.
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