Liliensternus

A Dinosaur Bearing a Count’s Name and Featured on a Town’s “Coat of Arms”

Liliensternus is a dinosaur with a unique history regarding its discovery and subsequent treatment.

Dedication to Count Lilienstern

The scientific name derives from “Count Hugo Rühle von Lilienstern,” a German amateur paleontologist and medical doctor.
The Count contributed greatly to the promotion of paleontology in Germany, such as by opening his own castle as a museum.
His name was preserved as the dinosaur’s scientific name to honor his passion and achievements.

The Coat of Arms of Bedheim

The Count’s achievements are still handed down today, and the figure of Liliensternus is depicted on the “coat of arms” of Bedheim, Germany, where the fossils were found.
It is a rare case globally for a dinosaur to become a municipal symbol.

History of Classification

When first described in 1934, it was considered a species of “Halticosaurus,” but subsequent research recognized its uniqueness, and it was reclassified as the new genus and species “Liliensternus” in 1984.

One of the Largest of the Triassic! Physical Characteristics of the “Slender Giant”

One of the World’s Largest at the Time

The total length of Liliensternus was about 3 to 5.2 meters.
Although medium-sized compared to the later Tyrannosaurus, considering that many carnivorous dinosaurs of the same era were 2 to 3 meters long, it was undoubtedly one of the “world’s largest” giant predators at that time.

Slender Physique and the Mystery of the Crest

Despite its large size, it weighed only about 200 kg.
It was not a mass of muscle but had a very slender physique with a long neck and tail.
Resembling Dilophosaurus and Coelophysis, it seems to have been a dinosaur that utilized speed and reach rather than power.

Also, while it is often depicted with “two crests” on its head in illustrated books, this is a reconstruction based on close relatives.
The crucial fossil of the top of the head has not been found, so whether it actually had crests remains a mystery.

Hunter or Scavenger? Flexible Survival Strategy

Being at the top of the ecosystem at the time, Liliensternus is believed to have used its large body to attack and eat large herbivorous dinosaurs such as Plateosaurus.

On the other hand, fossils have been found suggesting they scavenged the carcasses of dinosaurs that had died after getting stuck in swamps.
This suggests the possibility that they had a flexible survival strategy, acting as noble hunters while also utilizing easy food sources as scavengers when the opportunity arose.