Ceratosaurus

“horned lizard”

CLASSIFICATION

Ceratosaurus  Marsh, 1884TYPE SPECIES: C. nasicornis Marsh, 1884 “nose-horned horned lizard” OTHER SPECIES: C. dentisulcatus Madsen & Welles, 2000 C. ingens (Janensch, 1920) Paul, 1988 [nomen dubium] (originally Megalosaurus) C. magnicornis Madsen & Welles, 2000 “big-horned horned lizard” ?C. meriani (Greppin, 1870) [nomen dubium] (originally Megalosaurus) C. roechlingi Janensch, 1925 [nomen dubium] MISASSIGNED SPECIES: C. willisobrienorum Welles, H. P. Powell & Pickering vide Pickering, 1995 [nomen nudum] “Willis O’Brien’s studio’s  horned lizard” == C. magnicornis

Animalia Vertebrata Tetrapoda Sauropsida Archosauromorpha Ornithodira Dinosauria Sauropodomorpha

see also: Genus Index, Classification

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MEASUREMENTS

LENGTH:C. nasicornis: 4.5 m to 6 m

see also: World Records

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TIME

Tithonian

see also: Ages of the Mesozoic

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PLACE

C. nasicornis: Colorado, Utah

C. dentisulcatus: Utah

C. ingens: Tanzania

C. magnicornis: U.S.A.

see also: Paleo-Maps

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REMAINS

• C.nasicornis
• C.ingens
  • teeth
• C.magnicornis
  • skull, several specimens
• C.meriani

see also: Anatomy

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ESSAY

Ceratosaurus was a common Jurassic predator that sported a large horn on the snout and two smaller ones above the eyes. C. ingens may have been a humongous African ceratosaur, among the largest of theropods. C. magnicornis and C. dentisulcatus may be junior synonyms of C. nasicornis.

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IMAGES

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