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Dilophosaurus lived 190 million years ago and was a medium-sized dinosaur. Dilophosaurus was a dinosaur from the early Jurassic period. Dilophosaurus was one of the first great carnivorous dinosaurs, and at the time, it was the largest known terrestrial animal in North America.
Dilophosaurus was a meat-eating dinosaur that could move quickly. A kink in its upper jaw could indicate that it ate a certain type of food or that it attacked by grasping and holding victims. Dilophosaurus has been studied many times throughout the years and classified into nine different theropod groups.
In the 1993 film “Jurassic Park,” the frilled-neck dinosaur spits venom. Thanks to director Steven Spielberg, every moviegoer is undoubtedly familiar with this species. It was made popular by Steven Spielberg’s portrayal of it as a cute, curious, shorter-than-human dinosaur with huge neck frills that could murder people by shooting venom into their eyes. While the scene is iconic, the Dilophosaurus representation is far from accurate.
Let’s learn more facts about Dilophosaurus.
1: Dilophosaurus quick facts:
Name: Dilophosaurus (Greek for “two-ridged lizard”); pronounced die-LOAF-oh-sore-us
When it lived: Early Jurassic, 190 million years ago
Type of dinosaur: Large Theropod
Location: USA
Habitat: Rivers and streams abound in a rainforest or swampy terrain.
Length/Weight: 6 meters/300-450kg
Diet: Carnivorous
Distinguishing Characteristics: A pair of rounded crests on the skull.
Named by: Welles (1954)
2: What Did Dilophosaurus Look Like?
Dilophosaurus was a Saurischian dinosaur that possessed lizard-like hips. Saurischia refers to all theropods with a three-pronged pelvic anatomy. The forward-pointing pubis of the Saurischian dinosaur represents the hip anatomy of modern-day lizard species. Dilophosaurus was a carnivore that belonged to the Theropoda suborder and is thought to be connected to modern birds.
The rounded crests on the Dilophosaurus’ skull were its most distinctive characteristic. These adorned a considerable portion of its head and were thought to be purely decorative. They were far too delicate to be utilised as weapons.
3: What does the name Dilophosaurus mean?
Dilophosaurus is derived from Greek words that mean “two,” “crest,” and “lizard.” Dilophosaurus hence means “two-crested lizard.”
4: How do you pronounce ‘Dilophosaurus’?
The pronunciation of Dilophosaurus is die-LOAF-oh-sore-us.’
5: What is the nickname of Dilophosaurus?
Dilophosaurus is also known as the “two-crested lizard” or the “two-ridged lizard.” The name Dilophosaurus was derived from their distinctive head crests. These two crests were positioned atop the Dilophosaurus’s skull. No one knows for certain what purpose these crests were created.
6: What did Dilophosaurus eat?
The Dilophosaurus was a meat eater. Because of the jaw configuration, hunting would have been difficult for them. They only hunted little preys with their clawed limbs and legs. It’s possible that this theropod ate any meat it could find, as well as smaller lizards, fish and carnivores that didn’t require much jaw power to capture and kill.
7: Who discovered Dilophosaurus?
In 1940, Jesse Williams, a Navajo, discovered the first Dilophosaurus specimens on Navajo Nation territory in Tuba City, Arizona. Williams first brought the fossils to palaeontologists at the University of California, Berkeley in 1942, including Samuel Welles, who described the species in 1954.
8: Was Dilophosaurus an apex predator?
Paleontologists believe Dilophosaurus was the top predator instead of a scavenger with small jaws in the ecology at the time. Dilophosaurus may have lived with other Theropods later in its history, but in the early Jurassic, it was one of the largest Theropods around.
9: Where was Dilophosaurus found?
Dilophosaurus existed 193 million years ago in what is now Arizona and Utah, on the western side of the North American continent, which was divided by sea. Following the discovery of a probable specimen in Yunnan Province in 1987, some scientists believe that Dilophosaurus also lived in China.
10: What kind of climate did Dilophosaurus inhabit?
The Dilophosaurus lived in an area with many rivers, streams, and other water supplies. Its surroundings most likely had a lot of rain.
11: What was Dilophosaurus’s height and weight?
An adult Dilophosaurus weighed 650-1000 pounds and measured 6 metres in length, with the tail and neck taking up most of that.
This dinosaur would be roughly half the size of a full-grown T. rex, but with a long and muscular tail. The dinosaur had medium-sized arms and long fingers, with one prominent finger terminating in a claw.
12: Did the Dilophosaurus spit poison?
Dilophosaurus did not spit venom. There’s no proof that any Mesozoic dinosaur utilised poison in attack or defence. Unlike the Jurassic Park movie, the Dilophosaurus did not have vibrating fins in real life. There is no proof that any carnivorous dinosaurs with neck frills existed. The Dilophosaurus dinosaur in the film was given neck frills to distinguish it from the Velociraptor.
13: How did the Dilophosaurus hunt and eat?
The Dilophosaurus was a bipedal, energetic dinosaur. They moved quickly, which was beneficial for hunting. Their forelimbs are powerful and flexible, allowing them to attack and defend. They could grab and cut their opponent’s throat with their muscular hands. They can also bounce when fighting an adversary on their tail. Their upper jaw has a kink that allows them to grab or hold prey.
14: How did Dilophosaurus move?
Dilophosaurus was a dinosaur that walked on two legs, and its big, strong back legs made it a fast runner. This dinosaur could run so fast that some of the fossilised footprints have only claw marks because the whole foot did not touch the ground. Researchers think that Dilophosaurus was a small pack-moving carnivore like the Velociraptor. They also think that Dilophosaurus may have hunted in groups by ambushing their prey.
15: How many Dilophosaurus have been found?
In the 1940s, the first fossil Dilophosaurus skeleton was discovered in Arizona, USA. Three Dilophosaurus fossils have been discovered in the United States, all in Arizona. They are now on display at the University of California’s Paleontology Museum in Berkeley, California. Dilophosaurus-like fossils have been discovered in a variety of locations around the world.
16: How fast can Dilophosaurus run?
Dilophosaurus was a bipedal predator with a twin crest on its head that moved quickly. According to current estimates, this dinosaur could reach speeds of up to 30 miles per hour.
17: Why is the finding of Dilophosaurus significant?
While palaeontologists know very little about Dilophosaurus because of the few specimens that have been discovered so far, there are many things this species can reveal to them.
As one of the first and biggest theropods to show up in the early Jurassic, this member of the Dilophosauridae family gives scientists a way to track how theropods changed up until they died out at the end of the Cretaceous period. Dilophosaurus might also be able to tell us important things about how birds evolved from dinosaurs.
18: Other interesting Dilophosaurus facts:
- It is thought that the double-crest on the head was not present on all Dilophosaurus individuals, and that it was only present on males as a secondary sexual trait for mating appeal.
- The Dilophosaurus sat like a bird, according to footprints discovered in Utah. Their footprints looked like they were stooping down like a bird. It’s conceivable that the Dilophosaurus had feathers, based on imprints found in mud.
- Dilophosaurus appears in both Michael Crichton’s novel Jurassic Park (1990) and the Jurassic Park film (1993).
- In 2017, Dilophosaurus was named the state dinosaur of Connecticut in the United States.
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