Animal Profiles
Reptiles

Allosaurus

Allosaurus

Extinct

This animal is extinct. No living individuals remain.

Status source

Allosaurus was a large meat-eating dinosaur of the Late Jurassic. It walked on two legs and carried a deep, tooth-filled skull with small projections above the eyes.

Allosaurus, AI-generated lifelike reconstruction
AI-generated reconstruction. Colors and soft tissues are interpretive.

At a glance

Diet
Carnivore
Food
Other dinosaurs and carrion.

Classification

Common name
Allosaurus
Browse group
Reptiles
Scientific name or taxon
Allosaurus
Taxon rank
genus
Family
Allosauridae
Genus
Allosaurus
Source classification
Reptilia

Taxonomy checked against GBIF. For breeds and hybrids, this describes the listed parent taxon.

Three things to know

  • It had three fingers on each hand.
  • Its teeth had serrated edges.
  • Pack hunting has not been established.

Habitat and range

Allosaurus fossils are known from Jurassic rocks in North America. They occur alongside the remains of large plant-eating dinosaurs, placing this predator within a diverse terrestrial ecosystem.

Appearance and adaptations

Three-fingered hands and small bony projections above the eyes distinguish the body plan. Serrated teeth were suited to cutting flesh. The purpose of the head projections remains uncertain.

Diet and behaviour

Bite marks and associated fossils show feeding on other dinosaurs, including scavenging. Whether Allosaurus regularly hunted cooperatively is unresolved: several skeletons together do not by themselves prove pack hunting.

Sources

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