Name:
Daspletosaurus (Greek for "frightful lizard"); pronounced dah-SPLEE-toe-SORE-us
Habitat:
Swamps of North America
Historical Period:
Late Cretaceous (75-70 million years ago)
Size and Weight:
About 30 feet long and 3 tons
Diet:
Herbivorous dinosaurs
Distinguishing Characteristics:
Massive head with numerous teeth; stunted arms
About Daspletosaurus:
Daspletosaurus is one of those names that sounds better in translation--"frightening lizard" is both scarier and more pronounceable! Other than its position on top of the food chain, there's not much to say about this tyrannosaur: like its close cousin, T. Rex, it combined a massive head, a muscular body, and many, many sharp, pointy teeth with a ravenous appetite and puny, comical-looking arms. It's likely that this genus included many similar-looking species, not all of which have been discovered.
