Elaphrosaurus facts for kids
Quick facts for kids ElaphrosaurusTemporal range: 154 to 150 million years ago; Upper Jurassic
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| Restoration of an Elaphrosaurus skeleton with a reconstructed skull, Museum für Naturkunde | |
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Elaphrosauridae
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Elaphrosaurus
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E. bambergi
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Elaphrosaurus is a genus of theropod dinosaur that lived during the Upper Jurassic period, about 150 million years ago. It was 15 feet long, and weighed 450 pounds.
Elaphrosaurus was a slender, fast, and agile predator that probably preyed on small ornithopods, such as Dryosaurus.
The type specimen was found in the Tendaguru Formation in Tanzania. It was a nearly complete skeleton, but unfortunately, it lacked a skull. Since its body was similar to ornithomimids, it was originally thought to be the earliest ornithomimid. However, later studies showed that it is actually a ceratosaur. There is one named species, Elaphrosaurus bambergi. Remains very similar to it have also been found in the Morrison Formation in the western United States. These may possibly belong to Elaphrosaurus, indicating that this dinosaur had a wider range than previously thought.
Images for kids
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Skeletal restoration of elements recovered from 1920 to 1925
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Size comparison of Elaphrosaurus with a human
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Cervical vertebrae of the holotype
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Hind limbs of the holotype
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Holotype mount from the front
See also
In Spanish: Elaphrosaurus bambergi para niños
