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Cryolophosaurus

Say it: cry-o-loaf-oh-SORE-us

Name means: “frozen crested lizard”1

Ate: MeatMeat-eating dinosEarly Jurassic

Cryolophosaurus was a meat-eating dinosaur that lived in Antarctica during the Early Jurassic, about 170 million years ago. It had a small, curved crest on top of its head that looked like a fancy hat. This dinosaur is one of the earliest big meat-eaters ever found!1

Lived

200 to 184 million years ago5

Early Jurassic

Fossils found in

Antarctica, at Mount Kirkpatrick near the Beardmore Glacier5 1

Food

Meat1

Length

8 m1

Weight

500 kg1

Height

3 m3

standing height at the hips

When did it live?

Triassic

Jurassic

Cretaceous

252 million years ago20114566, the asteroid

How big was it?

How long was it?

How tall was it?

standing height at the hips

How heavy was it?

as heavy as 17 big dogs

as long as 8 dogs nose to tailas long as 44 bananas end to endas heavy as 100 watermelonsas tall as 1.5 doors stacked up

How big was Cryolophosaurus compared to YOU?

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cool stuff

Fun facts

Cryolophosaurus was one of the earliest large meat-eating dinosaurs, living about 170 million years ago in the Early Jurassic.1

Its curved head crest is unique among early theropods and may have been used to attract mates or recognize other members of its species.1

Fossils of Cryolophosaurus were found alongside bones of a prosauropod, teeth from scavenging theropods, a pterosaur humerus, and a tritylodont molar.2

The discovery of Cryolophosaurus in Antarctica suggests that a mild climate existed there during the Early Jurassic.2

Cryolophosaurus walked on two legs and was a ground-dwelling carnivore.5 1

AI-made picture of Cryolophosaurus — An AI-made picture of how Cryolophosaurus 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 Cryolophosaurus

?How big was Cryolophosaurus?

About 6 to 7 metres (20 to 23 ft) long and weighed 350 to 465 kilograms (772 to 1,025 lb). Some adults may have reached 8 metres (26 ft).4 1

?What did Cryolophosaurus eat?

It was a carnivore, meaning it ate other animals. It had many sharp, pointed teeth for eating meat.1

?Why did Cryolophosaurus have a crest?

Scientists think the crest was used for display, like to recognize other members of its species or attract mates. It was not used as a weapon.4

?Where was Cryolophosaurus found?

Its fossils were discovered in Antarctica, on Mount Kirkpatrick near the Beardmore Glacier. It lived there about 170 million years ago.4 1

?When did Cryolophosaurus live?

It lived during the Early Jurassic Period, about 196 to 188 million years ago.4 1

?Is Cryolophosaurus a dinosaur?

Yes, it is a dinosaur. It is a large theropod dinosaur, which is a group of meat-eating dinosaurs that walked on two legs.1 4

?How fast could Cryolophosaurus run?

Nobody knows for sure. Since it was a large theropod that walked on two legs, it was probably a fast runner, but no exact speed has been estimated.1

?Was Cryolophosaurus bigger than T. rex?

No, it was much smaller. T. rex was over 12 metres long, while Cryolophosaurus was only about 6 to 8 metres long.4

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For dino experts

Scientific name: Cryolophosaurus
Named by: Hammer and Hickerson 19945
Group: Meat-eating dinos
Family / clade: Tetanurae5
Classification: Theropoda5
Age of the rocks: 200 to 184 million years (Sinemurian / Pliensbachian)5
Rock formations: Hanson5
Countries: Antarctica5
Fossil records: 1 in the Paleobiology Database5
Discovery: Cryolophosaurus was named by William R. Hammer and William J. Hickerson in 1994, based on a partial skull and skeleton found in the Hanson Formation of Antarctica.5 2
Still debated: Scientists debate whether Cryolophosaurus is more closely related to the large tetanurans of the Middle to Late Jurassic or to the more primitive ceratosaurs.2

Where the facts come from

Cryolophosaurus | Natural History Museum (nhm.ac.uk)
web.archive.org (web.archive.org)
Dinosaur directory: Cryolophosaurus | Dinosaurs | The Guardian (theguardian.com)
Cryolophosaurus (en.wikipedia.org)
Cryolophosaurus 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.

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