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Allosaurus

This Science Minute was researched and written by Alex G., Rome, NY.

You’ve heard of T-rex, but have you heard of Allosaurus? Allosaurus was the Tyrannosaurus of its time. Allosaurus lived eighty-five million years before T-Rex during the late Jurassic period. T-Rex lived during the Cretaceous period. Allosaurus was a carnivore like T-Rex. They both had sharp teeth and powerful jaws to eat meat. Why, in fact, Allosaurus was the largest and most abundant carnivore in its habitat.

The Allosaurus was quick enough on its two muscular legs to catch its own food, unlike many other dinosaurs of its time. T-Rex also had very powerful legs, however, how fast it could run is still controversial. Allosaurus could travel up to twenty miles per hour. Both had very sharp, three-fingered claws, and small, short arms.

The Allosaurus weighed just about as much as a rhinoceros, four thousand pounds. The T-Rex weighed three times as much, twelve thousand pounds! Nevertheless, you wouldn’t want to run into either one in a dark alley, or a well lit alley, for that matter!