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Theropods
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Acrocanthosaurus:
Acrocanthosaurus (meaning "high-spine lizard" because of the
spikes growing out of its spine) was a fierce predator that was roughly
30-40 feet (9-12 m) long and weighed about 5,000 pounds (2300 kg). It
had a big head, with a 4.5 foot (1.4 m) long skull and 68 thin, sharp,
serrated teeth. It had 17-inch (43 cm) spikes extending from its vertebrae,
along the neck and tail that may have formed a thick, fleshy sail on its
back. It had powerful arms, and each hand had three fingers, equipped
with long, sickle-like claws. Acrocanthosaurus lived during the early
Cretaceous period, roughly 115-105 million years ago, in the tropics near
sea level.
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Albertosaurus:
Albertosaurus was a relative of Tyrannosaurus rex; Albertosaurus was smaller
than T. rex and lived a few million years earlier. Albertosaurus walked
on two legs and had a large head with sharp, saw-toothed teeth. It had
two-fingered hands on short arms. Its long tail provided balance and quick
turning. It had powerful back legs with clawed, three-toed feet. Albertosaurus
was about 30 feet (9 m) long, about 11 feet (3.4 m) tall at the hips,
and up to 3 tons in weight (averaging roughly 2500 kg). The lower jaw
of Albertosaurus had from 14 and 16 teeth; the upper jaw had 17-19 teeth.
It had one row of teeth in each jaw but had at least one replacement tooth
growing up from under each tooth.Albertosaurus lived in the late Cretaceous
period, about 76-74 million years ago, toward the end of the Mesozoic;
the Age of Reptiles.Albertosaurus was a carnivore (a meat eater). It probably
ate plant-eating dinosaurs.
Allosaurus:
Allosaurus was a large, meat-eating dinosaur. It was the biggest meat-eater
in North America during the late Jurassic period.
Allosaurus was the biggest meat-eater during the late Jurassic period,
about 154 to 144 million years ago.Allosaurus was a huge carnivore, a
meat eater equipped with sharp, pointed teeth in large, powerful jaws
- it was the biggest meat-eater in its habitat. This theropod also had
long, sharp clawed hands. Allosaurus probably ate large, plant-eating
dinosaurs, like Stegosaurus.
Baryonyx:
Baryonyx means heavy claw was an unusual theropod with huge 1-foot (30.5-cm)
long claws on its hands, and long, narrow, crocodile-like jaws with 96
small, serrated teeth (this is 1.5 times the number of teeth that most
other theropods had). It had a small crest on its snout. Baryonyx had
a long, straight neck (unlike other theropods, which had s-shaped necks)
and a long tail. Its low-slung body was supported by 2 large rear legs
and 2 slightly smaller arms. It was a carnivorous dinosaur from the early
Cretaceous period, about 125 million years ago. This predator was about
32 feet (9.5 m) long, weighing perhaps over 2 tons.Baryonyx lived during
the early Cretaceous period, about 125 million years ago, in what is now
England. Baryonyx was a carnivore, a meat eater with huge claws and many
small, sharp teeth in powerful, crocodile-like jaws. It had 64 teeth in
the lower jaw but only 32 teeth in the upper jaw (the upper teeth were
larger than the lower teeth). Baryonyx was a large predator that ate fish.
A fossilized Baryonyx was found with a fossilized meal in its stomach;
this stomach contained fish scales, fish bones, and some partially digested
bones of a young Iguanodon. So far, Baryonyx is the only known dinosaur
that ate fish. It may have waded in rivers and shallow seas to catch fish
(just as some modern-day bears do).
Carcharodontosaurus:
Carcharodontosaurus was a huge meat eater from the Cretaceous period.
This North African carnosaur had a massive tail, a bulky body, and heavy
bones. Its arms were short and had three-fingered hands with sharp claws.
Carcharodontosaurus was from 26-44 feet long (8-14 m), perhaps weighing
up to 8 tons. It had a skull that was as big as a person - 5'4" (1.6
m). It had large, powerful jaws with long, serrated, sharp teeth up to
8 inches long. Although Carcharodontosaurus was larger than T. rex, its
brain was smaller. Carcharodontosaurus was closely related to Giganotosaurus
but not to T. rex. Carcharodontosaurus was a more primitive dinosaur than
T. rex. Carcharodontosaurus lived in the Cretaceous period, about 110
to 90 million years ago. Carcharodontosaurus was a carnivore, a meat eater.
It was a large, fierce predator that could kill even large sauropods.
Carcharodontosaurus may also have been a scavenger.
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