Allosaurus

A Swift Hunter: Hunting Style and Physical Characteristics

Allosaurus was approximately 12 meters long, and its overall appearance was that of a typical theropod. However, its skull was more slender than other theropods, so it is believed to have been relatively lightweight for its size.
Thanks to its slim build, it was a fast runner, with some theories suggesting it could run at speeds of 30 to over 60 km/h.

There are also theories that it ran at speeds of 30 to over 60 km/h.

Allosaurus was an agile hunter that used this speed to corner its prey.
Its long, sharp teeth were serrated like a saw, making them perfect for tearing through meat.
When it attacked its prey, it is believed to have firmly grabbed it with its three curved, 15-centimeter-long claws on its forelimbs, and then, after biting deeply, it would violently shake its head to tear off the flesh.

Some studies also suggest that Allosaurus may have resorted to cannibalism when prey was scarce.
It is also believed to have lived and hunted in packs, making it a very troublesome opponent for large herbivorous dinosaurs like Stegosaurus.

Unique Skeleton and Physical Abilities

The skull of Allosaurus was long and slender, and it could open its mouth wide.
Computer analysis has revealed that there were holes on the side of its skull that made the bone lighter and helped to distribute force.
It is also believed that these holes may have housed air sacs, similar to those in birds.

The relatives of Allosaurus had a pair of raised bony ridges on their upper jaw, which helped to strengthen the skull.
Above its eyes, it had short, triangular horns that are said to have served no particular purpose and were likely a form of decoration.

It had short, triangular horns above its eyes.

It stood on two long, powerful hind limbs, and it supported its massive body by distributing its weight across four toes (three pointing forward and one pointing backward) on each foot.

It stood on two long, powerful hind limbs, supporting its massive body.

A Hero Born from the Bone Wars

The first Allosaurus fossil was discovered in the 1800s.
This era was a fierce competition in paleontology known as the “Bone Wars,” during which countless dinosaurs were discovered.
However, while many dinosaur finds from this period were fragmentary, Allosaurus is known for having had most of its body excavated.

In Utah, over 40 Allosaurus fossils were found together, suggesting that they had been lured by herbivorous dinosaurs trapped in the mud, only to get stuck themselves.

The Allosaurus specimen “AMNH 5753” became famous for a reconstruction depicting it feasting on an Apatosaurus.
After that, many fossils of various parts and age groups were discovered. One specimen excavated in 1991, known as “Big Al,” was an Allosaurus with an astonishing preservation rate of over 95% of its skeleton still intact.

Even though it was discovered in the early days of paleontology, the abundance of well-preserved specimens meant that Allosaurus quickly became a benchmark for studying subsequent carnivorous dinosaurs.
Even Tyrannosaurus‘s skull was initially reconstructed using an Allosaurus model in its early days.