Middle and Late Jurassic Dinosaurs

Fossils of just 12 individual Archaeopteryx, a winged dinosaur that live during the Jurassic, have ever been found. Aside from the rarity, what else makes this unique dinosaur so special?

By Mark Mancini

Stegosaurus, an herbivorous dinosaur from 149 million years ago, walked on four legs, had a long, beak-tipped skull, a row of spikes adorning its tail and a pea-sized brain.

By Mark Mancini

Perhaps no other beast has been more wildly mischaracterized in popular culture than the crested predator Dilophosaurus.

By Mark Mancini

A full grown Allosaurus could be up to 34 feet long, stand 9 feet tall and weigh around 3 tons. This dino was a monster who, scientists suspect, would even eat his own kind.

By Mark Mancini

Apatosaurus was a huge sauropod from the Jurassic period. And there's a debate that's been raging for decades about whether its genus should cancel out the Brontosaurus entirely.

By Mark Mancini

Brachiosaurus has been portrayed in popular culture many times, but the representations of this mysterious dinosaur are largely based on another massive dino called Giraffatitan brancai.

By Mark Mancini

One of the most common sauropods of the Late Jurassic was the Camarasaurus. It was a large, 25-ton plant-eater was strong and massive, with powerful legs and a strong neck and tail.

By the Editors of Publications International, Ltd.

Ceratosaurus was perhaps the greatest rival of the Allosaurus. It had a huge head with powerful jaws is and a massive body. It also had powerful legs which allowed it to run at high speeds.

By the Editors of Publications International, Ltd.

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?

By the Editors of Publications International, Ltd.

Datousaurus may have been an animal that traveled by itself and ate the leaves of the tallest plants in its environment. It lived in the Middle Jurassic Period in what is now modern day China.

By the Editors of Publications International, Ltd.

Diplodocus was an incredibly large dinosaur. It is the longest dinosaur known from complete skeletons. A fully grown adult could reach a length of 90 feet. Skeletons of this massive dinosaur have been found in North America.

By the Editors of Publications International, Ltd.

Dryosaurus is the most important member of the family Dryosauridae. This is a group of small plant-eating dinosaurs from the Late Jurassic and Early Cretaceous of North America, eastern Africa is and Europe.

By the Editors of Publications International, Ltd.

Huayangosaurus was a type of stegosaur that lived in the Middle Jurassic in what is now China. The most prominent feature on this dinosaur is the rows of bony plating that ran down its back.

By the Editors of Publications International, Ltd.

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.

By the Editors of Publications International, Ltd.

Megalosaurus was the first dinosaur that was described as a reptile. This dinosaur is often described as being part of the "waste bucket" genus because so many bones from other dinosaurs have been mistaken for being that of the Megalosaurus!

By the Editors of Publications International, Ltd.

Omeisaurus is considered the most common of the Late Jurassic Chinese sauropods. The most prominent characteristic of this dinosaur is the extremely long neck the was uncommon for most North American dinosaurs.

By the Editors of Publications International, Ltd.

Othnielia is a smaller dinosaur that wasn't named until recently. It probably survived on a diet of plants and small insects. The limbs also suggest that this dinosaur would have been a good runner.

By the Editors of Publications International, Ltd.

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.

By the Editors of Publications International, Ltd.

Shunosaurus was the dominant plant-eater of Middle Jurassic China. It could feed on plants and leaves high above the ground that most other herbivores could not reach.

By the Editors of Publications International, Ltd.

Supersaurus was a dinosaur that truly deserved its name. It measured about 100 feet in length and lived in North America. This dinosaur lived on a diet that consisted mostly of chutes and leaves from the tops of trees.

By the Editors of Publications International, Ltd.