Liliensternus
Liliensternus was a meat-eating dinosaur that lived in what is now Germany during the Late Triassic. It walked on two legs and was one of the largest predators of its time in Europe.1
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Fun facts
Liliensternus is the best-known Triassic theropod from Europe.1
The fossils were found by Count Hugo Rühle von Lilienstern in the winter of 1932/1933 near Großer Gleichberg in Germany.1
Liliensternus had a shorter shin bone (tibia) than thigh bone (femur), which is different from some other early theropods like Coelophysis.1
It lived about 210 million years ago, during the Late Triassic Period.1
The dinosaur's name honors Count Hugo Rühle von Lilienstern, who helped paleontology in Germany by starting a museum in his castle.1
Some scientists think Liliensternus could run fast to catch small ornithischian dinosaurs.1
Most asked questions about Liliensternus
?How big was Liliensternus?
About 5.15 metres (16.9 feet) long and maybe 127 kilograms (280 pounds), but some fragmentary remains suggest adults could reach 7 to 9 metres.1
?What did Liliensternus eat?
It was a meat-eater that probably hunted large herbivores like Plateosaurus and also chased fast ornithischian dinosaurs.1
?Did Liliensternus have feathers?
Nobody knows for sure. The fossils don't show feathers, and most Triassic theropods are not known to have them.1
?When did Liliensternus live?
It lived about 210 million years ago, during the Late Triassic Period.12
?Could Liliensternus run fast?
Yes, it was a fast runner. Paul (1988) noted it used its speed to catch swift ornithischian dinosaurs.1
?Was Liliensternus bigger than T. rex?
No, T. rex was much bigger. Liliensternus was about 5 metres long, while T. rex was over 12 metres long.1
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For dino experts
- Scientific name
- Liliensternus
- Named by
- Welles 19844
- Group
- Meat-eating dinos
- Family / clade
- Neotheropoda4
- Classification
- Theropoda4
- Age of the rocks
- 227 to 201 million years (Norian / Rhaetian)4
- Rock formations
- Trossingen, Klettgau, Löwenstein4
- Countries
- Germany, Switzerland4
- Fossil records
- 5 in the Paleobiology Database4
- Discovery
- Liliensternus was first named Halticosaurus liliensternus by Friedrich von Huene in 1934, but in 1984 Samuel Paul Welles gave it its own genus name Liliensternus.1
- Still debated
- Scientists are not sure if Liliensternus belongs to the group Coelophysoidea or is a more primitive neotheropod.1
Where the facts come from
- Liliensternus (en.wikipedia.org)
- Liliensternus | Natural History Museum (nhm.ac.uk)
- Liliensternus | Earth and Atmospheric Sciences | Research Starters | EBSCOhost (ebsco.com)
- Liliensternus in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.
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