Types of carnivorous dinosaurs - Names and characteristics

What are carnivorous dinosaurs?

The carnivorous dinosaurs, belonging to the group of the teropods , were the largest predators on the planet .Characterized by their sharp teeth, penetrating gaze and fearsome claws , some hunted alone while others did it in droves.Likewise, within the large group of carnivorous dinosaurs, there was a natural scale that classified the fiercest predators at the top, which could feed even on other smaller carnivores, and left the lower positions for carnivores that fed on other smaller dinosaurs (mainly herbivorous dinosaurs), insects or fish.

Although there are many dinosaurs that existed, in this article we will delve into the following examples of carnivorous dinosaurs :

• Tyrannosaurus rex
• Velociraptor
• Allosaurus
• Compsognathus
• Gallimimus
• Albertosaurus

Characteristics of carnivorous dinosaurs

First of all, it should be noted that not all carnivorous dinosaurs were huge and fearsome, since archeology has shown that there were also smaller predators, so they all had something in common: It was agile and very fast .Even the largest predators in the world at that time were also very fast dinosaurs, capable of reaching their prey and overwhelming them in a matter of seconds.In addition, carnivorous dinosaurs possessed powerful jaws , which allowed them to tear their prey without problem, sharp, curved and aligned teeth, as if it were a saw.

As for the characteristics of carnivorous dinosaurs referring to their physical appearance, all of them were bipedos , that is, they walked on two strong and muscular hind legs, and they had much smaller front legs but with incredible claws.Their hip was much more developed than their shoulders to offer predators that agility and speed that both represented them and their tail was long to be able to maintain the balance correctly.

In general, and as with the Today's predators, carnivorous dinosaurs presented the frontal eyes instead of lateral ones to have a direct view of their victims, calculate the distance to them and attack with greater precision.

What did carnivorous dinosaurs eat?

As with today's carnivorous animals, dinosaurs belonging to the group of teropods fed on other dinosaurs, small animals, fish or insects.Some carnivorous dinosaurs were large land predators that fed only on what they hunted, others were fishermen , since they only ate aquatic animals, others were carroneros and others practiced cannibalism.Yes, not all carnivores obtained the same food or did it in the same way.These data have been obtained, mainly, thanks to the study of fossilized feces of these large reptiles.

It was Mesozoic or dinosaur era

The age of dinosaurs lasted more than 170 million years and covers most of the Mesozoic, also known as secondary era.During the Mesozoic period, Earth experienced a whole series of changes, ranging from the position of the continents to the appearance and extinction of species.This geological era is divided into three large periods:

Triasic (251-201 Ma)

The triasic began 251 million years ago and ended 201 years ago, so it was a period that lasted about 50 million years .It was in this first period of the Mesozoic that the dinosaurs were born, and divided into three epochs or series: lower, middle and upper triasic, which are subdivided into seven ages or stratigraphic floors.The floors are the chronostrategic units used to represent a certain geological time; Its duration is a few million years.

Jurassic (201-145 Ma)

The jurassic is composed of three series: lower, middle and upper jurassic.the lower one is divided into three floors, the middle one is four and the superior also in four.As a curious fact, we can say that this time is characterized by witnessing the birth of the first birds and lizards , as well as experiencing the diversification of many dinosaurs.

Cretacic (145-66 Ma)

The Cretaceous corresponds to the period of the disappearance of dinosaurs .It marks the end of the Mesozoic era and gives rise to the Cenozoic.It lasted almost 80 million years and was divided into two series, upper and lower, the first having a total of six floors and the second five.Although there were many changes that occurred during this period, the fact that most characterizes it is the fall of the meteorite which caused the mass extinction of dinosaurs.

Examples of carnivorous dinosaurs: Tyrannosaurus rex

The most famous of dinosaurs lived during the last floor of the Cretaceous, about 66 million years ago, in what is now North America and there were two million years .Etymologically its name means "tyrant king lizard", since it derives from the Greek words "tyranno", which is translated as "despot", and "saurus", which does not mean anything other than "similar to a lizard"."Rex" , instead, comes from Latin and means "king."

The tyrannosaurus rex was one of the largest and most voracious land dinosaurs that existed, with an approximate length of 12-13 meters , 4 meters high and an average weight of 7 tons.In addition to its huge size, it is characterized by having a head much larger than the rest of carnivorous dinosaurs.Due to this, and to manage to maintain the balance of all its body, its front legs are much shorter than usual, its very long tail and prominent hips.On the other hand, it already weighs r of the appearance provided by the films, evidence has been found that the tyrannosaurus rex had part of its body covered with feathers.

It hunted in a pack and also fed on carrona, since, although we have It was pointed out that the great dinosaurs were also fast, they were not as fast as others because of their volume and, therefore, it is assumed that sometimes they preferred to take advantage of the work of another and feed on remains of corpses.Likewise, it has been shown that, Despite popular belief, the tyrannosaurus rex was one of the most intelligent.

How did the tyrannosaurus rex feed?

Two theories differ as to how the tyrannosaurus rex hunted The first supports the vision of Spielberg in his movie Jurassic Park, which shows that he was a great predator, located on the top of the food chain and that he never misses the opportunity to hunt new prey.With a clear preference for large herbivorous dinosaurs.The second defense that the rex tyrannosaurus was, above all, carronero.For this reason, we emphasize that it is a dinosaur that could have been fed through hunting or other people's work.

Information about the rex tyrannosaurus

Studies conducted so far estimate that the longevity of T.rex ranged from 28-30 years. Thanks to the fossils found, it has been possible determine that the young specimens, with approximately 14 years of age, weighed no more than 1800 kg, and that from here their size began to increase considerably until 18 years, age at which it is suspected that the maximum was reached.

The short and thin arms of the rex tyranny have always been mocked, and their size is ridiculously small compared to their entire body.So much so, that they only measured one meter.Everything seems to indicate that they developed in this way to balance the weight of your head and to grab your p resas.

Examples of carnivorous dinosaurs: Velociraptor

Etymologically, the name "velociraptor", from Latin, means "speedy thief", and it is that thanks to the fossils found it has been determined that it was one of the most powerful and effective carnivorous dinosaurs of the history.With more than 50 sharp and serrated teeth , his jaw was one of the most powerful in the Cretaceous, since the Velociraptor lived during the end of the period in what today We know as Asia.

Features from Velociraptor

Despite what the famous Jurassic World movie shows, the Velociraptor was a dinosaur quite small , with a maximum length of 2 meters, a weight of 15 kg and a half meter high to the hip.One of its main features is the shape of its skull, elongated, narrow and flattened, as well as its three powerful claws in each extreme.Their morphology, in general, was very similar to that of the current birds.

On the other hand, another fact that does not appear in the films of Dinosaurs is that the Velociraptor had feathers all over his body, since fossilized remains have been found to prove it.However, despite its bird appearance, this dinosaur could not fly, it ran on its two hind legs and reached great speeds.Studies indicate that it could run up to 60 kilometers per hour.It is suspected that the development of the feathers was a mechanism of the body to regulate its temperature.

How did the Velociraptor?

hunt the velociraptor had a retractable claw that it allowed him to hold and tear his prey without the possibility of error.Yes, he is supposed to take his prey around the neck area with the claws and attack with the jaw.He is supposed to hunt in packs and he is credited with the title of " excellent predator ", although it has been shown that it could also feed on carrona.

Examples of carnivorous dinosaurs: Allosaurus

The name "allosaurus" translates as "different or strange lizard." This carnivorous dinosaur inhabited the planet more than 150 million years ago in what is now North America and Europe during the end of the jurassic .It is one of the most studied and known teropods due to the number of fossils that have been found, which is why it is not surprising to see it present in exhibitions and movies.

Features of the Allosaurus

As with the rest of carnivorous dinosaurs, the Allosaurus was a bipedo, so that it walked on its two powerful hind legs.tail was long and strong, used as a pendulum to maintain balance.Like the Velociraptor , it had three claws on each limb it used to hunt.Its jaw was also powerful and had about 70 sharp teeth.

It is suspected that the Allosaurus could measure 8 to 12 meters long, about 4 meters high and weigh some 2 tons.

How did the Allosaurus?

feed this carnivorous dinosaur fed primarily of herbivorous dinosaurs as the Stegosaurus .As for the hunting method, due to the fossils found, some theories consider the hypothesis that the Allosaurus hunted in groups while others assume that it was a dinosaur that practiced cannibalism, that is, fed on specimens of the same species.It is also believed that they fed on carrona if they needed it.

Examples of carnivorous dinosaurs: Compsognathus

Like the Allosaurus , the Compsognathus inhabited the Earth during the end of the jurassic in what is now Europe.Its name translates as "delicate jaw" and was one of the smallest carnivorous dinosaurs.Thanks to the magnificent state of the fossils found, its morphology and feeding have been studied in depth.

Characteristics of Compsognathus

Although it is not known with certainty the maximum size that the Compshognathus could reach, the largest of the fossils found indicates that it could measure around one meter long , 40-50 cm high and 3 kg in weight.This reduced size allowed it to reach high speeds, of more than 60 km/h.

The back legs of the Compshognathus were long, its tail was also elongated and used to maintain balance.The forelimbs were much smaller, with three fingers and claws.As for its head, it was narrow cha, elongated and pointed.In proportion to its general size, the teeth They were also small but sharp and fully adapted to their food.In general, it was a thin and light dinosaur.

Feeding the Compshognathus

The discovery of the fossils has indicated that the Compsognathus fed primarily on smaller animals , such as lizards, and insects .In fact, one of the fossils he presented the skeleton of an entire lizard in his stomach, a fact that led him to initially confuse it with a female in a state of gestation.Yes, it is suspected that his complete prey could be treated./serviciodeviajes.com/seo2/img/5d3a56b7d3cd9.jpg "alt=" Types of carnivorous dinosaurs-Names and characteristics ">

Examples of carnivorous dinosaurs: Gallimimus

Etymologically, "gallimimus" means "that imitates a chicken." This dinosaur lived during the end of the Cretaceous period in what is now Asia.That is, the translation of the name does not confuse us, because the Gallimimus was similar to an ostrich in terms of size and morphology, so that, although it was one of the lightest dinosaurs, it was much larger than the previous one, because example.

Characteristics of Gallimimus

The Gallimimus was one of the thermopod dinosaurs belonging to the genus Ornithomimus larger, since I measure between 4 and 6 meters long and weigh up to 440 kg.As we have said, its appearance was similar to that of the current ostrich, with a small head, a long neck, large and situated eyes on each side of the skull, long and strong hind limbs, short front legs and a long tail.Due to its physical characteristics, it is suspected that it was a dinosaur fast, capable of fleeing from major predators, although it is not known exactly how fast it could reach.

Feeding the Gallimimus

It is suspected that the Gallimimus was rather a omnivorous dinosaur , since it is believed that it fed on plants and small animals, especially eggs.The latter theory is backed by the type of claws it had , perfect for digging into the earth and digging up its "prey".

Examples of carnivorous dinosaurs: Albertosaurus

This tyrannosaurus teropod dinosaur inhabited the Earth during the end of the Cretaceous period in present-day North America.Its name translates as "Alberta lizard" and only one species is known, Albertosaurus sacrophagus , so it is still unknown how many could exist.Most of the specimens found lived in Alberta, a Canadian province, a factor that gave rise to its name.

Characteristics of Albertosaurus

The Albertosaurus belongs to the same family as the T.rex , so that they are direct relatives, although the former was much smaller than the latter.He was one of the greatest predators of the area where he lived thanks, above all, to his powerful jaw with more than 70 curved teeth, a fairly high number compared to other carnivorous dinosaurs.

It could reach a length of 10 meters and an average weight of 2 tons.Its extremedi front walls were short, while the rear ones were long and strong, balanced by a long tail that, together, allowed the Albertosaurus to reach an average speed of 40 km/h, something that is not not bad for his size.His neck was short and his skull was large, about a meter long.

How did he hunt the Albertosaurus?

Thank you to the discovery of several copies together, it has been deduced that the Albertosaurus was a carnivorous dinosaur that hunted in groups of about 10-26 individuals .With this data, it is easy to understand because he was one of the biggest predators of the moment, right? No prey could escape the lethal attack of 20 Albertosaurus ...However, this theory is not fully corroborated, since there are other hypotheses about the group finding, such as competition between them for dams dead.

Image: teratophoneus.deviantart.com

Carnivorous dinosaurs in Jurassic World

In the previous sections we have talked about the characteristics of carnivorous dinosaurs in general and deepened in the most popular ones, but what about those that appear in Jurassic World ? Due to the popularity of this saga of movies it is not surprising that many people arouse some curiosity in these great reptiles.Well, then we name the carnivorous dinosaurs that come out in Jurassic World :

• Tyranosaurus rex (end of the Cretaceous)
• Velociraptor (end of the Cretaceous)
• Suchomimus (half of the Cretaceous)
• Pteranodon (half-end of the Cretaceous)
• Mosasaurus (end of Cretaceous; not really a dinosaur)
• Metriacanthosaurus (end of the jurassic)
• Gallimimus (end of the cretaceous)
• Dimorphodon (beginning of the jurassic)
• Baryonyx (half of the Cretaceous)
• Apatosaurus (end of the Jurassic)

As we can see, most of the carnivorous dinosaurs of Jurassic World belonged to the Cretaceous period and not to the Jurassic, so that I didn't even coexist n in reality, this being one of the biggest mistakes of the movie.In addition, it is worth mentioning the aforementioned, such as the appearance of Velociraptor , which has been shown to have feathers in his body.

List of carnivorous dinosaur names

Next, we show a list with more examples of carnivorous dinosaur genres , some of them with only one species and others with several, as well as the period to which they belonged:

• Dilophosaurus (Jurassic)
• Gigantosaurus (Cretaceous)
• Spinosaurus (Cretaceous)
• Torvosaurus (Jurassic)
• Tarbosaurus (Cretaceous)
• Carcharodontosaurus (Cretaceous)

Do you know any more? Leave your comment and we will add it to the list! And if you want to find out more about the age of dinosaurs, don't miss our article with "The types of herbivorous dinosaurs."

If you want to read more articles similar to Types of carnivorous dinosaurs , we recommend that you enter our Curiosities section of the animal world.

Bibliography

• The evolution of dinosaurs .June 2006.Number : 100.Posted in: Naturaren Ahotsa The Voice of Nature.
• Didactic guide of the Carnivorous Dinosaurs exhibition .Consorcio Parque de las Ciencias.Junta de Andalucia.