Dino card No. 0074 of 2,027

Alioramus

Say it: AL-ee-oh-RAY-mus

Name means: “other branch”1

Ate: MeatTyrannosaursLate Cretaceous

Alioramus was a small, slim tyrannosaur with a long snout and eight horns on its head. It lived in Mongolia near the end of the Age of Dinosaurs, about 71 to 66 million years ago.2 1

Lived

72 to 66 million years ago5

Late Cretaceous

Fossils found in

Mongolia and China1 5

Food

Meat1 5

Length

6 m1

Weight

385 kg to 700 kg3

estimates for different species and specimens

When did it live?

Triassic

Jurassic

Cretaceous

252 million years ago20114566, the asteroid

How big was it?

How long was it?

How heavy was it?

as heavy as 23 big dogs

as long as 6 dogs nose to tailas long as 33 bananas end to endas heavy as 140 watermelons

How big was Alioramus compared to YOU?

Just maths in your browser. Nothing is saved or sent anywhere.

cool stuff

Fun facts

Alioramus had a long, low snout, unlike the deep, powerful skulls of most other tyrannosaurs.2

Its skull was decorated with eight separate horns, more than any other known tyrannosaur.2

One nearly complete skeleton belonged to a nine-year-old animal, but it was still smaller than other tyrannosaurs of the same age.2

Alioramus is closely related to the giant Tarbosaurus and Tyrannosaurus, even though it was much smaller and lighter.2

The name Alioramus means 'other branch', because scientists thought it was a different line of evolution.1

AI-made picture of Alioramus — An AI-made picture of how Alioramus might have looked, made by a computer from what scientists know. It is a guess: the real animal may have looked different, and nobody knows its true colours.

you asked

Most asked questions about Alioramus

?How big was Alioramus?

Alioramus was about 5 to 6 metres (16 to 20 feet) long and weighed around 385 to 700 kilograms (849 to 1,500 pounds), depending on the species and estimate. It was significantly smaller than a T. rex.3 4 1

?What did Alioramus eat?

Alioramus was a carnivore that ate meat. It had sharp teeth and probably hunted small prey, since its skull was not built for bone-crushing like larger tyrannosaurs.3 4

?How fast could Alioramus run?

The sources do not give a specific speed for Alioramus. It probably relied on speed and agility to hunt, but no exact running speed is known.4

?Why did Alioramus have horns on its head?

Alioramus had a row of five bony crests along the top of its snout, which may have been used for display or to attract mates. These crests were more than 1 cm (0.39 in) tall.3

?Is Alioramus a dinosaur?

Yes, Alioramus is a dinosaur. It is a genus of tyrannosaurid theropod dinosaurs from the Late Cretaceous period.3 1

?When did Alioramus live?

Alioramus lived during the Late Cretaceous period, about 71 to 66 million years ago.1 4

?Where was Alioramus found?

Alioramus fossils were found in the Gobi Desert of Mongolia, in the Nemegt Formation.3 4 1

Ask Rex about Alioramus

Rex only answers questions about this page. 3 questions a day.

Rex is an AI and can make mistakes. He runs on servers in the EU and questions are never saved. Never type your name or other personal things.

For dino experts

Scientific name: Alioramus
Named by: Kurzanov 19765
Group: Tyrannosaurs
Family / clade: Tyrannosauridae5
Classification: Theropoda > Tyrannosauroidea > Tyrannosauridae5
Age of the rocks: 72 to 66 million years (Maastrichtian)5
Rock formations: Beds of Nogon Tsav, Nemegt5
Countries: Mongolia, China5
Fossil records: 3 in the Paleobiology Database5
Discovery: Alioramus was named by Soviet paleontologist Sergei Kurzanov in 1976, based on fossils from the Nogon Tsav locality in Mongolia.5
Still debated: Scientists still debate whether Alioramus is a juvenile of another tyrannosaur or a distinct, smaller adult species.2

Where the facts come from

Alioramus | Natural History Museum (nhm.ac.uk)
pnas.org (pnas.org)
Alioramus (en.wikipedia.org)
Dinosaur - Alioramus altai - The Australian Museum (australian.museum)
Alioramus in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.

Every fact on this page has a number that points to its source. If we got something wrong, sorry, we are dino fans, not a science journal. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.

Rex is hungry! Dino Wiki is a dad's project for his dino-loving son, free with no ads. Grown-ups can feed Rex a snack to help keep it online.Feed Rex