Overview: Allosaurus vs Tyrannosaurus
Allosaurus and Tyrannosaurus are the most famous and widely known carnivorous dinosaurs. Although both belong to different periods, Allosaurus belonged to the late Jurassic period and existed before 150-155 million years ago. Tyrannosaurus is also known as T-Rex existed in the upper cretaceous period, lived about 65-67 million years ago; it was part of the last species of dinosaurs that were lost during the mass extinction.
Physical traits:
Allosaurus was bipedal, carnivorous theropods; they had tiny arms (but larger than tyrannosaurus’s arms), powerful legs, numerous sharp teeth, and a strong upper body. An adult Allosaurus was about 8.5-12m (28-39 feet) long having a height of ~5m (17 feet).
Tyrannosaurus was also a large, bipedal, carnivorous theropod dinosaurs with tiny arms, strong legs, body, and long sharp teeth. The average length of T-Rex was around 12-15m long (40-50 feet) and an average height of about 7m (23 feet). Allosaurus was light in comparison to Tyrannosaurus; Allosaurus weighed about 4,000 lbs whereas tyrannosaurus weighed about 14,000 lbs. Allosaurus was smaller than Tyrannosaurus which provided it more agility and speed. Also, there was an argument related to the sexual dimorphism in tyrannosaurus; that is males and females having different colours, shapes, sizes, structures. However, this controversy was resolved later when it was seen that it is geological dimorphism not sexual.
Period of Existence: The Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous periods are not determinants of the age of existence of dinosaurs rather they belonged to similar geological periods. According to the paleontologist, the dinosaurs are divided to these different geological time scale according to the remains of their fossil in the rocks. Geologist has distinguished different rock layers based on the geological period in which they are formed such as, the breakup of the large island Pangea began during Jurassic period and continued even in the cretaceous period (the age of extinction of dinosaurs). Allosaurus existed 150 million years ago whereas Tyrannosaurus belonged to the Cretaceous period 65 million years ago.
Diet: Allosaurus were excellent hunters and were active predators of large dinosaurs. Tyrannosaurus was thought to be scavengers but fossil remains show that tyrannosaurus also hunted different dinosaurs and killed them.
Geographical Distribution:
Allosaurus fossils were found in North America especially in the western USA. Tyrannosaurus fossils were also found in a similar region of the USA (Montana, Texas, Utah), Canada (Alberta, Saskatchewan), and East Asia.
Habitat:
Allosaurus lived in dense forests, marshes, semi-arid plains, and coastal forests.
Tyrannosaurus lived in a semi-tropical humid environment, open forests along the riverbanks, swamps, and marshes. They feed on other herbivorous dinosaurs like a triceratops.
Amazing facts:
- Fossil remains prove that the average lifespan of Allosaurus was about 25 years whereas tyrannosaurus lived for about 30 years.
- Tyrannosaurus (T-Rex) is the most famous of all dinosaurs.
- In a single bite, T-Rex could rip 100 kg of flesh off their prey.
- Allosaurus means “different lizard” as they had distinct concave vertebrae; while Tyrannosaurus Rex means “tyrant lizard king”.
Battle: Dinosaur Duel: Who would win?
The battle between Allosaurus and Tyrannosaurus would be an exciting and interesting one. Both are carnivorous contemporary dinosaurs; however, Tyrannosaurus was quite bigger and heavier than Allosaurus so it already had the advantage over Allosaurus. The smaller Allosaurus would not be able to fight ferocious Tyrannosaurus; it might have run away rather than having a confrontation with Tyrannosaurus. In a one-on-one fight Allosaurus could not beat tyrannosaurus hence, Tyrannosaurus (T-Rex) “tyrant lizard king” is the winner of this dinosaur battle.
Comparison Chart Allosaurus vs Tyrannosaurus
| Comparison Head | Allosaurus | Tyrannosaurus |
|---|---|---|
| Kingdom | Animalia | Animalia |
| Period | Late Jurassic period | Late Cretaceous Period |
| Class | Tyrannosauridae | Tyrannosauridae |
| Phylum | Chordata | Chordata |
| Order | Saurischia | Saurischia |
| Suborder | Theropoda | Theropoda |
| Family | Allosauridae | Tyrannosauridae |
| Clade | Dinosauria | Dinosauria |
| Found in | North America & Europe | The United States and Canada |
| Movement | Bipedal | Bipedal, large tail allowed it agility; could reach speed up to 25 kmph. |
| Length | 35 feet | 46 feet |
| Height | 15 feet | 21 feet |
| Weight | 3.5-4 tons | 10-12 tons |
| Specimen | More than 150 allosaurus founded till now | More than 30 partial specimens found. |
