The Ceratosaurus was a carnivorous dinosaur group found in Utah and Colorado in the U.S. The Ceratosaurus was immense and caught prey with its sharp teeth. This “horned lizard” had skin bones that also got a lot of attention.
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Some Quick Facts about the Ceratosaurus
| Name | Ceratosaurus (means “horned lizard”) |
| Type of dinosaur | Theropod |
| Territory | Grasslands with short floods and semiarid weather, the US (maybe Portugal and Tanzania) |
| Size | Larger, 20-21 feet long, 6.5 feet tall, |
| Color | Brownish/green with some reddish/dark brown patterns on its neck |
| Interesting Characteristics | Horn, skin bones, and large head |
| Diet | Carnivorous |
| Major Threats | Other carnivores |
The huge Ceratosaurus was a meat eater with large teeth (similar to the Guaibasaurus). It loved to flaunt its horns and skin bones. It was a Jurassic dinosaur from the theropod group of dinosaurs.
Why Did the Ceratosaurus Have Horns?
The Ceratosaurus had a nasal horn and two small horns over the eyes. From the looks of them, you may think they were like weapons in fights, but that probably isn’t true. Maybe it was used for head butting with other Ceratosaurus. But the most probable reason was that the Ceratosaurus just liked to show it off.
Another unique feature was its skin bones (osteoderms). Theropod dinosaurs rarely have them, but the Ceratosaurus had a line of them going from its neck to the tip of its tail. They probably were only for show as well.
Did the Ceratosaurus Have a Strong Bite?
The Ceratosaurus was a carnivore who ate herbivore dinos like the Stegosaurus and other sauropods. It may have also preyed on fish. It liked to ambush its prey and grasp them with its long, sharp teeth.
The Ceratosaurus lived near the Allosaurus. They probably competed against each other. And that may be why the Ceratosaurus had such large teeth, to have better odds in their competition.
What was a Ceratosaurus’ Habitat?
The Ceratosaurus species mostly likely lived in grassland habitats with floods for short periods.
This dinosaur enjoyed eating large herbivore dinosaurs. But its preference for crocodiles, turtles, and other aquatic prey meant the Ceratosaurus would have enjoyed living in places with easy water access.
Was the Ceratosaurus strong?
Ceratosaurus was a powerful predator, with strong legs. It was also aggressive, often targeting smaller herbivores. Sometimes, it would also fight the Triceratops.
Who Discovered the Ceratosaurus?
A farmer, Marshall P. Felch, found the first fossil of the type species (meaning the species that has its name used as a reference), Ceratosaurus nasicornis in 1883. It was discovered in Colorado, in the Morrison Formation in North America.
This formation is very important for paleontology because many Dinosauria fossils were found there. The name “nasicornis” means nose horn. Paleontologist Othniel Charles Marsh described this species.
Madsen and Samuel Paul Welles described the C. dentisulcatus and the C. magnicornis. James Madsen found the first in the Cleveland-Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry in Utah. Thor Erikson, the son of a paleontologist, found the second in Fruita, Colorado. The C. dentisulcatus may have descended from C. nasicornis. But scientists don’t know if these are actually different species or the same species at different ages.
Other fossils have been found in Portugal in Europe and Tanzania in Africa, but they haven’t been assigned to any species.