Dilophosaurus

The Surprising Ecology, Different from the Movies

In the movie Jurassic Park, Dilophosaurus was portrayed as a venom-spitting dinosaur, but no evidence of this has ever been found.

Dilophosaurus was about 5 to 7 meters long and slightly taller than a human, which made it one of the largest carnivorous dinosaurs of the Early Jurassic period.
Despite its slender build, it was a typical theropod, with a mouth full of sharp, thin teeth and sharp claws on its forelimbs.
Its teeth were well-suited for slicing soft meat, and it has been suggested that it may have been a scavenger.
Furthermore, because its upper jaw curved like a hook, it is also believed to have played a role in holding open space when it put its head into an animal’s carcass to eat its internal organs.

The Mysterious Role of the Crests

The two crests that are the trademark of Dilophosaurus were made of bone but were as thin as paper and very fragile, making them unsuitable as weapons.

There are various theories about their role, but the most plausible ones suggest they were used for display among their own kind or as a marker to distinguish them from other species.
It is also known that they had air sacs, so it is possible that they inflated them to intimidate enemies or send signals to other Dilophosaurus.
They may have also served as a “visor” to protect their eyes from strong sunlight.

The Mysterious Role of the Crests

Vast Habitat and Clues to Evolution

The first Dilophosaurus fossil was discovered in Arizona, USA, but a very similar fossil was later found in China.
While the Chinese fossil has now been classified as a separate genus called Sinosaurus, this fact suggests that Dilophosaurus lived in a wide range of areas during a time when the supercontinent Pangea had not yet fully split.

Footprint fossils have also been found in places like Italy, which further suggests that they had a wide habitat around the world.