Dinosaur of the Day - Allosaurus

Kind of a scaled-down version of T. Rex (though from a different family of two-legged theropods), Allosaurus was one of the most common predators of the Jurassic period, a fearsome creature with sharp teeth and a well-muscled body (though paleontologists can't figure out how fast it was able to run). This dinosaur had an especially prominent head, some of the anatomical features of which (such as the distinctive ridges over the eyes) may have been meant to attract the opposite sex, and not to intimidate smaller dinosaurs.

As a sign of how common Allosaurus used to be on the plains of modern-day North America, paleontologists have discovered dozens of fossils, more or less intact, many of them at Dinosaur National Monument in Utah. It's likely that these unfortunate creatures were attracted by herbivorous dinosaurs mired helplessly in the mud, and became trapped themselves when they stopped for a quick snack.

Read more about dinosaurs like Allosaurus: The Large Theropods - Allosaurs, Carnosaurs, Abelisaurs and Ceratosaurs

Photo: Wikimedia Commons