middle & late jurassic dinosaurs library

 

The Middle and Late Jurassic Periods were a time in which the dinosaurs took over the world. Learn more about the Middle and Late Jurassic dinosaurs, including the Yangchuanosaurus, Megalosaurus, and Archaepteryx.

Featured Article:  Stegosaurus

No dinosaur has been the subject of as much controversy as Stegosaurus, the armored dinosaur of the Late Jurassic. For more than a hundred years, this strange plant-eater has baffled paleontologists and captured the imagination of the public. See more »

Cetiosaurus

Cetiosaurus was a very heavy dinosaur that closely resembled Diplodocus and Apatosaurus. It is thought that the Cetiosaurus is a descendant of those dinosaurs. This was also the first sauropod dinosaur described in 1841.

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Chungkingosaurus

There are at least five types of stegosaurs and the Chungkingosaurus was the smallest of all of them. It reached a length of about 12 feet and lived in what is now modern day China.

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Compsognathus

The Compsognathus was one of the smallest known dinosaurs, which is amazing considering that it was a meat-eating dinosaur. This animal was about the size of a turkey and lived mostly near water. What else do we know about this dinosaur?

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Dacentrurus

Dacentrurus was an armored dinosaur that was related to the Stegosaurus. The most prominent feature on this dinosaur was the set of large spikes on the end of the tail. It also had plates of bones on its back just like the Stegosaurus.

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Kentrosaurus

Kentrosaurus stands out among its relative stegosaurs because this dinosaur had an extra set of spines that stuck out above its hips. It had short front legs and neck which means it could only eat low shrubs and plants.

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Mamenchisaurus

Antarctosaurus has a slender and delicate frame despite reaching 72 feet in length! The largest sauropod known to come from China, the Antarctosaurus had an incredibly long neck that reached a length of about 33 feet.

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Seismosaurus

Seismosaurus was an incredibly large dinosaur that measured nearly half the length of a football field. It had a very long neck, short front legs and and a long heavy tail.

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Ultrasaurus

Ultrasaurus was enormous, which is also how this large dinosaur got its name. It measured in at 90 feet in length and stood about 25 feet high at the shoulder.

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Xuanhanosaurus

Little is known about the Xuanhanosaurus because only the front limb and a few primitive vertebrae have been discovered. Scientists are hoping to find more fossils from this dinosaur so they can study it closer.

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Yandusaurus

Yandusaurus is a short dinosaur that had a short snout and a long, thin neck. Scientists have been able to determine that this animal was built for running really fast. What else do we know about this dinosaur?

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Yangchuanosaurus

Yangchuanosaurus is unique in that it had a low crest that ran along the length of its snout. Scientists estimate the length of this dinosaur to be around 30 feet in length.

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