Dilophosaurus is a very distinct dinosaur and a quite famous one as well. Dilophosaurus lived in North America and
possibly Asia roughly 190-205 million years ago. With it's trademark double crests and notched jaw, Dilophosaurus has really left it's mark on the scientific world.
Description[]
It's not hard to recognize a Dilophosaurus when you see one. It's most famous feature is it's double crests on the top of the animal's head. They were thin and rounded at the top. Most scientists agree that they were used for display. Dilophosaurus also had four fingered hands, a trait of primitive dinosaurs. Dilophosaurus' upper jaw had a notch towards the front of it and a long tooth on the bottom jaw fit into this notch. All in all, Dilophosaurus was not your typical theropod dinosaur.
Size[]
Dilophosaurus was one of the largest predators in it's environment. The lower estimates for this dinosaur put it at roughly 16 feet(5 meters) in length and about 900-1,000 pounds in weight. The upper one's suggest a size of 20-23 feet(6-7 meters) long and 1,200-2,000 pounds. (500-900kg)
Dilophosaurus size comparison
Hunter or Scavenger[]
Dilophosaurus was once thought to be a fearsome hunter. However, recent studies have casted doubt on this theory. The skull and jaw design of Dilophosaurus is somewhat weak, suggesting it could not bite very hard. This has been used as evidence for scavenging. It's teeth on the other hand are razor sharp and perfect for slicing flesh. Recently, a more complete skull of Dilophosaurus was discovered, and, with this, we can know that actually dilophosaurus had a pretty strong bite force. Dilophosaurus was also pretty fast, being capable of running at more than 27 miles/h. (43 km/h) Scientists are still debating on whether Dilophosaurus was a hunter or scavenger, but, as with all carnivores, it was probably something of both.
In Popular Culture[]
Dilophosaurus has been featured in many forms of media. The dinosaur made an apperance in the book Jurassic Park and then in the movie version. In the movie, it was inaccuratley shown with a retractable frill and the ability to spit venom. There is no fossil evidence to support this, and, if the real animal had this, the skull should have some adaptations that are not there. A more accurate version was seen in the documentary When Dinosaurs Roamed America. Dilophosaurus is also in a number of video games such as Jurassic Park: Operation Genesis, Jurassic Wolrd Evolution, and others
Dilophosaurus as seen in Jurassic Park
See Also[]
Gallery[]
