Species · GBIF taxon 4822588
Allosaurus fragilis
Allosaurus fragilisAllosaurus fragilis dominated Late Jurassic floodplains as an agile apex predator, wielding robust three-clawed forelimbs and a lightly built skull engineered for slashing downward strikes. Fossil specimens frequently display severe healed injuries, pointing to frequent, violent confrontations with armored prey like Stegosaurus. Dense bonebed accumulations, such as those found at the Cleveland-Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry, suggest these theropods congregated around drying waterholes or shared massive sauropod carcasses.
CarnivorePrehistoricBipedal
Licensed reference(c) Allosaurus_SDNHM.jpg, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · cc-by-sa
—observations
—countries
—peak records
ExtinctConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXExtinctRed List categories, explained →
Diet & prey
- Stegosaurus stenops
- Camptosaurus dispar
- Camarasaurus supremus
ThreatsEnvironmental droughts, disease, and rival theropods
HabitatsSemi-arid floodplains, open savannah-like woodlands, and river systems
Life spanEstimated 20–30 years
Classification
- FamilyAllosauridae
- SpeciesAllosaurus fragilis
Range data is not available yet.
Interaction riskLow
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Very high
- Why interaction risk is low
- Extinct species known only from fossils; safe to observe in museum displays and field collections.
Responsible observation
- Museum Study: Inspect the distinctive paired crests above the eyes on mounted skull casts to differentiate them from other theropods.
- Field Ethics: Leave any fossil discoveries undisturbed in situ and alert professional paleontological surveys or land managers.
Prey (c) Ryan Somma, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · cc-by-sa
Competitor Jens Lallensack / CC BY-SA 4.0 · cc-by-sa
Competitor Etemenanki3 / CC BY-SA 4.0 · cc-by-sa
Close Relative (c) Chris Dodds, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · cc-by-sa
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