Dinosauria - storage.googleapis.com fileDinosauria PREDATORS Once it caught the scent of a herd of...

ISBN 978 1 7418 3770 3DIN

OSAURIA

PREDATORS

DDiinnoossaauurriiaaPREDATORS

Once it caught the scent of aherd of Triceratops, T. rexfollowed close behind, but outof sight. It chose a victim thatwas sick, hurt, very young, orvery old, and ran after its prey.Holding its victim with its feetand sharp claws, it could kill it

with a singlebite.

TYRANNOSAURUS REX isnicknamed “King of theGiants.” It had a huge head

with massive jaws. Its two muscularhind legs were gigantic, but itsarms were tiny. The long, heavy tailbalanced the weight of its body as itlumbered along. Each of its toesand fingers had a long, sharp claw.

T. rex’s skull had large eyesockets and nasal cavities, soit probably had good visionand a sharp sense of smell.It could see in 3D with itsforward-facing eyes.

T-rex was 40 ft longand 13 ft tall.

Tie-RAN-oh-SORE-us REX

30

HUNTER ORSCAVENGER?Some scientists think T-rexwas a scavenger, not ahunter. But most think itwas probably both apredator and a scavenger.Like lions today, it atewhatever food it could findwhenever it had the chance.

K ING OF THE DINOSAURSTyrannosaurus means “tyrant lizard” and“rex” means “king,” but it once had adifferent name. First, it was Manospondylusafter its remains were first found in 1892.Eight years later, a second fossil was foundand named Dynamosaurus. Only by 1905

did it officially become knownas Tyrannosaurus rex.

TWINKLE TOESTyrannosaurus rex wasenormous. An eight-year-old child could fit inside

its mouth. Its head andbody were so large that if its

tiny arms had been any bigger, it would havetipped over. But despite its great size, itwalked on tiptoe, like all other dinosaurs.

T. rex had an extra joint in its lowerjaw so that it could open its mouthvery wide. Its jaws were curved sothat when they closed, all the teethcame together. Its teeth had saw-like edges, great for slicing throughtough skin. The large holes in itsskull made its head lighter.

THE SKULL OF A TYRANT

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Tyrannosaurusrex’s enormousdagger-like teethcould crush bone.

Tyrannosaurus rex Late Cretaceous North America, 68-65 mi llion years ago

THE FLESH-EATING DINOSAURS included the largest and most powerful

predators that ever walked the Earth. With its massive skull, dagger-like

teeth, giant hind legs and tiny arms, Tyrannosaurus rex is the most famous.

But there were other, even bigger, beasts, as well as some much smaller ones

that hunted in packs and overcame their quarry by speed and stealth.

Meet them all here in this book.

DDiinnoossaauurriiaa

PREDATORS

(UK)Job: E2-23539 Title: Dinofiles - Predators

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First published in 2012 by Orpheus Books Ltd.,6 Church Green, Witney, Oxfordshire OX28 4AW, England

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Copyright © 2012 Orpheus Books Ltd.

Created and produced by Nicholas Harris, Sarah Hartley, Erica Williams, Katie Sexton and Ruth Symons

Orpheus Books Ltd.

Illustrated by Peter Scott, Simon Mendez, Studio Inklink, David Wright and John Sibbick

Text by Olivia Brookes

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic,

mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior writtenpermission of the copyright owner.

ISBN 978 1 7418 3770 3

A CIP record for this book is available from the British Library

Printed and bound in China

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DDiinnoossaauurriiaa

PREDATORS

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Contents Introduction

MANY KINDS of dinosaurs were harmless plant-eaters thatspent their days browsing on leaves or shrubs. But other kindswere far from harmless. They roamed the land searching for

other animals to kill and eat. These predators were the theropods, andincluded some of the fiercest beasts that ever walked the Earth.

Theropods ran on two muscular hind legs. They had short arms withclaws for grappling and long, curved necks. Some, like Tyrannosaurusrex, were 40-feet-long giants, while the smallest were cat-sized. Onegroup of small theropods were probably the ancestors of birds, and mayhave had feathers. Another group, the ornithomimids, had a similarbuild to that of a modern ostriches. A large flesh-eater was a lone hunter,rushing at its victim and plunging its dagger-like teeth into its flesh.Smaller predators probably hunted in packs. This enabled them to bringdown victims much larger than themselves.

Oviraptor 22

Albertosaurus 24

Therizinosaurus 26

Coelophysis 6

Allosaurus 8

Compsognathus 10

Archaeopteryx 12

Baryonyx 14

Deinonychus 16

Spinosaurus 18

Struthiomimus 20

Introduction 5

Carnotaurus 28

Tyrannosaurus rex 30

Index 32

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Coelophysiswas 10 ft (3 m)long.

Another Triassic hunter,Herrerasaurus (above) wasone of the largest and mostskillful hunters of its time.It was three times the sizeof Eoraptor (below). Onlythe crocodile-like reptileSaurosuchus was biggerand more powerful.

A RARE SPECIMEN The name Coelophysis means “hollow form.” It was named for its light, hollow bones.Coelophysis was as long as a small car butweighed only as much as an eight-year-old

child.

GHOSTRANCHScientistsexcavating the

site of GhostRanch, New Mexico,

found many different Coelophysis skeletons ofdifferent sizes in one place. The dinosaurs livedtogether in a herd and probably died in a flashflood. Two of the adult skeletons had tinyskeletons inside. Scientists wondered at firstwhether these were babies that had been eaten bytheir parents. They later turned out to be smallcrocodiles that had been crushed beneath thelarger dinosaurs during the flood.

ONE OF THE FIRSTEoraptor (“Dawn plunderer”)was one of the earliestknown dinosaurs. It lived inthe forests of SouthAmerica about 228 millionyears ago.

Eoraptor was the size ofa fox. It was 3 ft (1 m)long and weighed just25 lbs (11 kg).

Coelophysis

COELOPHYSIShad astreamlined

body with light, hollowbones and a long,curved neck. With its

powerful, long legs and three-toed, bird-like feet, it could run very fast.Coelophysis’s short arms each had threeclawed fingers. Its long tail was half of itstotal body length. This gave it balance as itwalked or ran.

Coelophysis had along, narrow head,like a stork’s. Itsjaws were linedwith curved, saw-edged teeth.

Coelophysis was a ferocious pack hunter. The pack would surroundits prey, then rush at it, attacking all at once. Coelophysis couldswallow smaller prey whole. If the prey was larger, it would hold itdown with its claws and tear it apart with its teeth.

see-luh-FY-sus Triassic North America, 225 mi llion years ago


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Allosaurus a-luh-SAWR-us

ALLOSAURUS walked onits huge hind legs. It hadthree, large claws on

each foot and each arm. Itseyes had ridges above them.Another ridge ran down to thetip of its snout. Its wide jawshad 60 long, curved, fangs,good for tearing flesh. lt preyedon plant-eating dinosaurs suchas Apatosaurus, Camarasaurus,Diplodocus, and Stegosaurus.

Allosaurus was 32 ft (10 m)long and 8 ft (2.4 m) tall.

To bring down its victim,Allosaurus plunged its teeth into

its body. It held its preydown and bit off flesh as

quickly as it could.

MOVIE STARDilophosaurus (left) had adouble crest. This dinosaur hada starring role in the 1993 movieJurassic Park, although its neckfrill and its ability to spit venomwere fictional.

BIG ALThe name Allosaurus means “different lizard.”It was called this because its bones had adifferent shape from other known dinosaurswhen it was first discovered in 1877.Allosaurus also goes by “Big Al” among fossilhunters. Allosaurus’s teeth fell out very easily(these teeth are common fossils today) but theygrew back again and again during its lifetime.

DINOSAUR TRAPThe Cleveland-Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry in Utah could havebeen a “predator trap.” Usually, plant-eaters outnumberbig predators. But here 40 Allosauruses were found,many more than their victims. There might have been avolcanic mud pit on this spot. Plant-eaters trapped in themud probably lured predators to their deaths.

Allosaurus'sskull was about 3 ft (1 m)long. The large space forits nose showed it had astrong sense of smell. Itslower jaws were fairlyloosely jointed. This gaveit a wide gape.

Ornitholestes

Late Jurassic North America, 155-145 mi llion years ago

Allosaurus’s armswere short butmuscular.



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Compsognathus had a long, flexible neck. Itshead was narrow and came to a point at itssnout. Its jaws were full of sharp,

curved teeth.

Compsognathuswas 3 ft (1 m)long and 1 ft (61 cm) tall.

CLOSE RELATIVESCompsognathus andArchaeopteryx both lived in thesame place at the same time.For years, scientists mistook

Archaeopteryxskeletons for thoseof Compsognathus

(above) because theywere so similar in size and

shape. In fact, Archaeopteryxwas more closely related toDeinonychus and Velociraptor.

Compsognathus’s slim body wasthe perfect shape for running athigh speeds, chasing prey throughthick vegetation. It had excellent

eyesight, good for spotting theslightest of movements.

Compsognathusate small, quick-movinginsects and lizards.

DELICATE BUT DEADLY The name Compsognathus means “dainty jaw.”It was so named because of the fine, delicatefeatures of its skeleton. Until the recentdiscovery of fossils of a number of other smallerfeathered dinosaurs in East Asia,Compsognathus was the smallest dinosaurknown to scientists.

FIRST COMPLETECompsognathus was the first dinosaur to befound as a complete skeleton. Only twoskeletons have been found in all. The first wasfound in Germany in the 1850s. The secondskeleton was found in France in 1972.

komp-SOG-nuh-thusCompsognathus

COMPSOGNATHUS was atiny—but vicious—bird-liketheropod. It was about the size

of a turkey, but with a slender bodyand a long thin tail. It weighed onlyabout 7 lbs (3 kg). It walked on twohind legs and had short armswith sharp, curved claws.

Compsognathus

Archaeopteryx

Sinosauropteryx (right) arelative of Compsognathus

Late Jurassic European is lands, 150 mi llion years ago



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Archaeopteryx

Archaeopteryx looked like Compsognathus,but it was more closely related to othersmall theropods such as Microraptor.

All Archaeopteryx fossils come fromlimestone quarries near Solnhofen,Germany. The fossils show prints offeathers. The wing and tail feathersare similar to those of modern birds.The body feathers were fluffy.

ANCESTOR OF THE BIRDS?Archaeopteryx was probably not adirect ancestor of modernbirds. Birds are descendedfrom dinosaurs, but it couldhave been an offshoot from theearliest line of birds.

ARCHAEOPTERYXwas a bird-dinosaur. Like a

bird, it had broad wings,a small, light body, andflight feathers. Like adinosaur, it had sharpteeth, a long neck, andthree-clawed fingers. Italso had a long bony tailand a “killing claw” onits feet for catching prey.

LIFE ON THE GROUND The name Archaeopteryx means “ancientwing.” It is the earliest and most primitive

bird known. It lived in dry scrublands,with plants and bushes growing

low to the ground instead oftrees. Because ofthis, it was mostlikely agrounddweller.

Without the strongbreastbone birds havetoday, Archaeopteryxwould have taken offin short hops or bygliding down from aperch.

TINY PLUNDERERMicroraptor (right) was atiny feathered theropodfrom Asia. It had smallwings on both its armsand legs. It was one ofthe smallest of all thedinosaurs, weighing just2 lbs (1 kg). It was a closerelative of Archaeopteryx.

ahr-kee-OP-teh-riks Late Jurassic European is lands, 150 mi llion years ago

Able to fly,Archaeopteryx couldswoop down to catchits prey and escapefrom its predators.

Archaeo-pteryx was20 in (51 cm)long and 6 in (15 cm)tall.

Shuvuuia was abird-like dinosaurfrom Mongolia.Its pointed beak,which was full ofsharp teeth, couldopen very wide.



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Scientists think fish-eatingBaryonyx might have alsoeaten meat. No large landanimals alive today couldsurvive eating only fish. Itis possible that Baryonyxwas a scavenger. Its longsnout was perfect fordigging inside a carcass.Its hooked claws were alsogood for tearing flesh.Bones from a youngIguanodon have beenfound inside Baryonyx’sstomach, so it could havesnacked on a corpse of oneof them (below).

GIANT CLAWS, LOTS OF TEETH The name Baryonyx means “heavy claw.” It was namedfor its huge thumb claws. Its skull was set at an obtuseangle to its neck. Most other dinosaur skulls were set atright angles. This meant that Baryonyx’s head and neckwere almost in a straight line like a modern crocodile oralligator. Inside its jaws, there were 96 teeth: twice asmany as the other theropods.

FISH FOR DINNER The fossil remains of Baryonyx were discovered in 1983by William Walker, an amateur fossil hunter. He cameacross an enormous claw sticking out of the side of aclay pit on the Isle of Wight in England. It was about 30 ft (9 m) long. This specimen may not even have beenfully grown. Inside its belly were fossilized scales from a type of fish called Lepidotes.

BARYONYX had a long,narrow snout. Looked downon from above, it was

shaped like a spoon. A row ofsharp, sawlike teeth lined its jaws.Its nostrils were close to its eyes,which meant it could breathe whilealmost entirely underwater. It hada long, straight neck and held itshead low. Baryonyx’s musculararms had a 1-foot- (61 cm) longthumb claw on each hand.

HOW TO CATCH A FISHBaryonyx could wade into a riverand hook fish with its thumb claws.It could also stand underwater withonly its eyes and nostrils above thesurface, and catch fish in its jaws.

BAR-ee-on-iksBaryonyx Early Cretaceous Europe 120 mi llion years ago

Baryonyx was 35 ft (11 m) long and 8 ft(2.4 m) tall.



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Deinonychus

Deinonychus hunted inpacks. Hiding in densevegetation, they surroundedtheir prey. They attacked allat once, stabbing their victimwith their lethal toe claws.

A QUICK, SMART KILLER The name Deinonychus means “terribleclaw.” It was named for the deadly scythe-shaped claws on its feet. The claws were solong that they had to be raised up as thedinosaur ran or else they would get in the way.Deinonychus was probably one of the

smartest dinosaurs. Its brain was largecompared to its body size.

SCENE OF THE CRIMEDeinonychus was discovered by accidentwhile scientists were excavating the remainsof Tenontosaurus, one of the large dinosaursDeinonychus preyed on. Teeth found nearTenontosaurus show that severalDeinonychuses hunted the larger dinosaur.Deinonychus was fierce, but it also had a

softer side. Fossil eggshells have been foundnear an adult dinosaur, and scientists thinkDeinonychus probably cared for its young.

THE PERFECT WEAPONDeinonychus’s toe claw (above) wasperfect for stabbing through thick skinwhen attacking its prey. The dinosaurwould use its other claws to grip itsvictim while it tore at the flesh withboth its large toe claw and its teeth.Its long tail helped with its balance.

A gang of Deinonychuses ambush a Tenontosaurus.

dy-NO-nih-kus

DEINONYCHUS walked on its longback legs. It had a large, curvedclaw on each foot.

It had muscular armsand hands with threeclawed fingers. Its tailwas very long and stiff.It had a large headwith powerful jaws.Inside its mouth were60 saw-edged teeth.

Deinonychus mighthave had featherslike its close relativeDromaeosaurus(below).

Early Cretaceous North America, 113 mi llion years ago

Deinonychus was 10 ft (3 m)long and 2.5 ft (0.8 m) tall.



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Below is a tropical river in North Africa 95 million years ago. The fearsome giant,Spinosaurus, spots an easy lunch: a small,herbivorous dinosaur by the edge of thewater. This tiny creature is no match forSpinosaurus’s strong arms and jaws.

SAIL OR HUMP?Spinosaurus means “spine lizard.” Itwas named for the spines on its back.Some scientists think these could havebeen covered in fat to form a humpinstead of a sail. But many think the sailhad blood vessels inside it that helpedthe animal both to warm up or cooldown as needed.

AMPHIBIOUS LIFESTYLESpinosaurus lived in tropical swampsand mangrove forests. It spent part ofits day in the water catching fish (above,right). Its long jaws and pointed teethwere perfect for this. The rest of the dayit spent on land scavenging for food orhunting smaller plant-eating dinosaurs.

SPINOSAURUS had a distinctivesail along its back made up ofspines connected

by skin.

The sail was upto 5 feet (1.5 m)high. It had along, narrow skulllike a crocodile today.

Spinosaurus

Spinosaurus

T. rex

The sail helped keep itsbody temperature thesame by giving off andabsorbing heat. It alsoattracted mates andfrightened enemies.

spy-noh-SAWR-us Middle Cretaceous North Africa, 97-95 mi llion years ago

Spinosaurus was 55 ft(17 m) long and

20 ft (6 m) tall.

Tyrannosaurus rex was once thoughtto be the largest predator ever. Itwas 40 ft (12 m) long andweighed over 6 tons (5 t).But now it seems it haslost its crown.

Giganotosaurus was a45-ft (14 m)-long flesh-

eater. Spinosaurus, 55 ft (17 m) long, wasprobably thebiggest. Thisguess isbased on the size of its skull,which was over 6 ft (1.8 m) long.

Giganotosaurus



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STRUTHIOMIMUS was one ofthe smartest and fastestdinosaurs that ever lived. With

its long legs and agile feet, it could runat speeds of 30-50 mph (48-80 km/h).Holding its stiff tail straight behind, itcould make quick turns while runningat speed. Its favorite foods were fruit,nuts, plants, insects, and smallanimals. It was a good hunter, andmight have hunted at night.

Struthiomimus was a typical“ostrich dinosaur”(ornithomimid). It had a smallhead, large eyes, a bony, toothlessbeak, and a long, slender neck.This neck was nearly half thelength of its whole body.

Struthiomimus probably lived in wandering herds.These dinosaurs probably roamed across hot, dryplains, eating whatever food was available. Theytook care of their young while on the move. Whendanger came, they would all run away at high speed.

strooth-ee-uh-MY-musStruthiomimus

Struthiomimus was14 ft (4 m) long and5 ft (1.5 m) tall.

HANDY HOOKSOrnithomimus’shands were similar tothose of a slothtoday. And, just like asloth, it probablyused them to hookbranches down andpull leaves off.

In a race between dinosaurs, anostrich, and a human, who would win?

1 Struthiomimus 50 mph (80 km/h)2 Ostrich 45 mph (72 km/h)3 Velociraptor 25 mph (40 km/h)4 Allosaurus 21 mph (34 km/h)5 Tyrannosaurus 19 mph (31 km/h)6 Human 17 mph (27 km/h)

DYING OF THIRSTStruthiomimus means “ostrich mimic.” Itwas so named because it is similar toostriches today. (Struthio is the scientificname for “ostrich.”) Many of its fossilremains have been found complete, withthe head and tail pulled back. This is usuallya sign of drying out. The dinosaurs mighthave died of thirst in adrought. Dry conditionscould also explain whythese fossils are so wellpreserved. Scavengerswould normally eatcarcasses, scatteringbones all around. Butscavengers could not survivesuch a harshenvironmentany betterthan Struthiomimuscould.

Ostrich dinosaurs looked alike, withonly small differences. In NorthAmerica, Dromiceiomimus (left)had a short back, long arms andlegs, and small claws. Gallimimus(above), from East Asia,had a long skull, shorthands, and curved claws.

Late Cretaceous North America, 75-73 mi llion years ago



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Oviraptor

If it werealive today,Velociraptor couldeasily pass for a funny-looking flightless bird—butwith some very sharp teeth in itsbeak! The long claws on its toescame in handy when attackingProtoceratops.

ACCUSED OF THEFTOviraptor means “egg thief.” When the firstfossil of Oviraptor was discovered in 1924, itwas on top of a pile of Protoceratops eggs.Its full species name, Oviraptorphiloceratops, means “egg plunderer, loverof ceratopsians.” Later, scientists learnedthat the eggs probably belonged toOviraptor itself and that the dinosaur wasactually sitting on its own eggs.

JUST LIKE A BIRD Oviraptor was one of the most bird-like

dinosaurs. Skin impressions fromfossils of its close relatives

clearly show wingsand feathers. Anumber of Citipatifossils have beenfound sitting on nests.

Oviraptor was 6.5 ft (2 m)long and 3 ft (1 m) tall.

MISTAKENIDENTITY?Oviraptor is oftenconfused with itscousin Citipati.Citipati also hada tall crest. In fact,many pictures of Oviraptor areactually of Citipati. Scientistsare not sure how bigOviraptor’s crest was.

OVIRAPTOR had a parrot-shapedhead with a bony crest and ashort, toothless beak. Its body

was covered with feathers, including itstwo wings and tail fan. Its strong jawscould crush prey. It had a flexible S-shaped neck, a long tail, andlong, slender legs withthree-toed feet.Oviraptor’s short,strong arms each hadthree curved claws.

Oviraptor had verypowerful jaws for

crushing shelledinvertebrates or eggs. The

nasal cavity in its crestprobably made its calls louder.

oh-vih-RAP-tur Late Cretaceous Mongolia, 75 mi llion years ago

This is Oviraptorwithout itsfeathers. It was a maniraptor, a group ofdinosaurs related tobirds. They hadlong arms withthree- fingeredhands. Theywere the onlydinosaurs withbreast bones.

Citipatispreads itsfeatheredwings over itsnest, keepingits eggs warm.



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How did dinosaurs sleep? Likebirds today, they adopted asquatting position (left). Sometucked their heads into theirbodies. Albertosaurus rested itsheavy head on the ground.

Daspletosaurus had tiny horns above its eyes.

ALBERTOSAURUS’S gianthead was 3 ft (1 m) long. Ithad bony crests above each

eye. It had a slender S-shaped neckand was slimmer than its cousinTyrannosaurus rex. It walked on itsfour-toed feet. Its long tail gave itbalance and allowed it to turnquickly while running. Its tiny armshad two fingers on each hand.

Albertosaurus

Daspletosaurus

LEADER OF THE PACKThe name Albertosaurus means“Alberta lizard.” It was named forthe Canadian province where itsfossils were first found. Mostpredators hunted alone, but 22individual Albertosaurus fossils werefound at one site. This led scientiststo think it probably hunted in packs.

GROWING UPAlbertosaurus became an adult atbetween 12 and 16 years old. Thecrests above its eyes could havebeen brightly colored to help attracta mate.

Gorgosaurus was a relative of Albertosaurus.It lived at the same time and in the sameplace as Daspletosaurus. They got alongbecause they hunted different prey.

Albertosaurus could sprint at speeds of up to25 mph (40 km/h). Fast, strong, and wellequipped with many sharp teeth,Albertosaurus would have been a deadlyattacker—particularly when hunting in packs.

Albertosaurus’slong, powerful jawscontained more than60 curved teeth. When old teeth fell out,new ones would grow in their place.

al-bert-uh-SAWR-us Late Cretaceous North America, 73-70 mi llion years ago

Albertosaurus was 30 ft (9 m)long and 12 ft (4 m) tall.

Albertosaurus



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THERIZINOSAURUS had a bulkybody covered in feathers. It was sobig that many predators would have

thought twice before attacking, thoughTarbosaurus was always a threat. Itwalked on its hind legs and had short,four-toed feet. Therizinosaurus hada small head, a toothless beak,and a short tail. It could reachhigh into the trees with itslong neck and its threegigantic claws. Thelongest of thesewas 3 ft (1 m)!

MULTIPURPOSE CLAWSTherizinosaurus means “scythelizard.”It was named for its extremelylong claws. Scientists thought theseclaws must have belonged to a giantturtle, but later changed theirminds. The claws were good forripping open termite’s nests(right), raking out water plants(below), or pulling downbranches. During courtship, they couldbe used to attract amate or fight rivalmales. They weregood for self-defense, too.

Caudipteryxhad a bird-like beak andfeathers, butran like atheropod.

The maledinosaur’scolorfulfeathers mayhave attractedmates.

I’M A VEGETARIAN!Therizinosaurus and itsrelatives were not only the

weirdest-looking dinosaurs thatever lived. They were also unusualbecause, although they weretheropods (normally meat-eaters),they ate only plants.

ther-uh-zee-nuh-SAWR-usTherizinosaurusBeipiaosaurus,a cousin, wasalso covered infine feathers.

Late Cretaceous East Asia, 70 mi llion years ago

Therizinosauruswas 16 ft

(5 m) tall.



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Carnotaurus kar-nuh-TAWR-us

Carnotaurus was 25 ft (8 m)long and 7 ft (2.1 m) tall.

LIKE A BULLThe name Carnotaurus means “flesh-eating bull.” Itwas named because it looked like a bull. Carnotaurus,along with other dinosaurs from South America in theCretaceous period, was different from its relatives onother continents. This was because South Americawas geographically isolated from the rest of the world.

SKIN AND BONES . .. AND SCALESOnly one fossil of Carnotaurus has ever been found. It was almost a complete skeleton, which, unusually,still had skin impressions. Its skin was made up ofdisklike scales. But, unlike a lizard’s or a snake’sscales today, these did not overlap.

A gang of Aucasaurusraid a Titanosaur nestfor an easy lunch.

Carnotaurus was a descendant ofCeratosaurus (below), a theropod thatlived in North America, Europe, andAfrica in Jurassic times. Ceratosaurushad a large horn on its snout.

CARNOTAURUS hada short, bull-like head.There were thick horns

above its forward-facingeyes. Its arms were veryshort with four stifffingers and no claws. Carnotaurus’sskin was lined with rows of bonylumps. It had a long, thin tail.

Carnotaurus’s bull-likehead might have been usedfor head-butting itsenemies. Its forward-facingeyes gave it 3D vision. Itsteeth were like blades,perfect for tearing flesh.

Late Cretaceous South America, 70 mi llion years ago



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Once it caught the scent of aherd of Triceratops, T. rexfollowed close behind, but outof sight. It chose a victim thatwas sick, hurt, very young, orvery old, and ran after its prey.Holding its victim with its feetand sharp claws, it could kill it

with a singlebite.

TYRANNOSAURUS REX isnicknamed “King of theGiants.” It had a huge head

with massive jaws. Its two muscularhind legs were gigantic, but itsarms were tiny. The long, heavy tailbalanced the weight of its body as itlumbered along. Each of its toesand fingers had a long, sharp claw.

T. rex’s skull had large eyesockets and nasal cavities, soit probably had good visionand a sharp sense of smell. It could see in 3D with itsforward-facing eyes.

T. rex was 40 ft (12 m)long and 13 ft (4 m) tall.

tuh-ra-nuh-SAWR-us REX

HUNTER ORSCAVENGER?Some scientists think T. rexwas a scavenger, not ahunter. But most think itwas probably both apredator and a scavenger.Like lions today, it atewhatever food it could findwhenever it had the chance.

KING OF THE DINOSAURS“Tyrannosaurus” means “tyrant lizard” and“rex” means “king,” but it once had adifferent name. First, it was Manospondylusafter its remains were first found in 1892.Eight years later, a second fossil was foundand named Dynamosaurus. Only by 1905

did it officially become knownas Tyrannosaurus rex.

TW INKLE TOESTyrannosaurus rex wasenormous. An eight-year-old child could fitinside its mouth. Its head

and body were so large that ifits tiny arms had been any bigger, it wouldhave tipped over. But despite its great size,it walked on tiptoe, like all other dinosaurs.

T. rex had an extra joint in its lowerjaw so that it could open its mouthvery wide. Its jaws were curved sothat when they closed, all the teethcame together. Its teeth had saw-like edges, great for slicing throughtough skin. The large holes in itsskull made its head lighter.

THE SKULL OF A TYRANT

Late Cretaceous North America, 68-65 mi llion years agoTyrannosaurus rex

Tyrannosaurusrex’s enormousdagger-like teethcould crush bone.



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IndexPage numbers in bold refer toillustrations

AAcrocanthosaurus 8Albertosaurus 20, 24-25, 30Alioramus 24, 30Allosaurus 8-9, 21Anserimimus 20Apatosaurus 28Archaeopteryx 10, 11, 12-13“Archaeoraptor” 13Aucasaurus 28, 29

BCBaryonyx 14-15, 18Beipiaosaurus 26, 27birds 12-13, 17, 22-23cannibalism 7Carcharodontosaurus 8Carnotaurus 28-29Caudipteryx 27Ceratosaurus 28Citipati 22, 23Cleveland-Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry,

Utah 9Coelophysis 6-7Compsognathus 10-11, 12, 21crest 8, 22, 24-25

DEFDaspletosaurus 20, 24, 25, 30Deinonychus 12, 16-17Dilophosaurus 8, 21Dinocheirus 20Dromaeosaurus 20Dromiceiomimus 20, 21eggs 17, 22-23Eoraptor 7feathers 10-11, 12-13, 16, 22-23,

26-27fish (as prey) 10, 12, 14-15, 18-19, 27

GHGallimimus 20, 21Ghost Ranch, New Mexico 7Giganotosaurus 8, 18, 31Gigantoraptor 22Gojirasaurus 6Gorgosaurus 20, 24, 25, 30Herrerasaurus 7heterodonts 25

IJKIguanodon 15intelligence 17, 21Irritator 14, 18Juravenator 10Khaan 22

MNMajungasaurus 28maniraptor 22Microraptor 12, 13Nanshiungosaurus 26Nemgtomaia 22Neovenator 8Nomingia 22

OOrnitholestes 8ornithomimids 5, 20Ornithomimus 20, 21ostrich dinosaurs 20-21Ostrom, John 17Ouranosaurus 19Oviraptor 12, 22-23

PRpack hunting 6, 16-17, 25Podokesaurus 6Procompsognathus 6Protoceratops 23Rajasaurus 28Rinchenia 22

SSaltopus 7Sauromitholestes 16Saurosuchus 7scavenging 8, 14-15, 17, 19, 31Segisaurus 6Segnosaurus 26Shuvuuia 13Sinocalliopteryx 10Sinusauropteryx 10skin 29skull 9, 31sleeping 24Solnhofen, Germany 13speed 20-21, 22, 24-25, 30Spinosaurus 14, 18-19, 31Struthiomimus 20-21Suchomimus 14, 18

TVTarbosaurus 24, 26, 27, 30Tenontosaurus 17Therizinosaurus 26-27Triceratops 30, 31Tsaagan 16Tyrannosaurus rex 18, 21, 24, 25,

30-31Velociraptor 12, 16, 21, 23


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