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sharp-clawed runner
Daspletosaurus
Say it like this: “das-PLEET-uh-SOR-uhs”
Daspletosaurus torosus
Daspletosaurus ate meat and walked on two legs. It lived in the Late Cretaceous. Bones have been found in Canada and the United States.
- When
- Late Cretaceous (Campanian) · roughly 83.6 to 72.2 million years ago
- Named in
- 1970 · Russell, D. A.
- Hip height
- 2.2 m · 7 ft
- Length
- 8.5–11 m · 28–36 ft
- Weight
- 2–3 tonnes
- Found in
- Canada and the United States · Oldman
- Food and walking
- Carnivore · Two legs
- Kind
- sharp-clawed runner · Theropod
- Family branch
- Tyrannosaurinae
The story in short
Daspletosaurus was formally named in 1970 by D. A. Russell. The name means “frightful lizard.”
It lived in the Late Cretaceous (Campanian), roughly 83.6 to 72.2 million years ago. Finds come from Canada and the United States, including the Oldman Formation. It was a carnivore and walked on two legs.
Published estimates put Daspletosaurus at a length near 8.5–11 m, hips about 2.2 m high, and a body mass around 2–3 tonnes.
On the family tree it sits in Tyrannosaurinae, among the theropod dinosaurs.
This entry is the whole genus. The type species is Daspletosaurus torosus. Other named species include Daspletosaurus horneri and Daspletosaurus wilsoni.
Other species with this name
- Daspletosaurus torosus
- Daspletosaurus horneri
- Daspletosaurus wilsoni