Ceratosaurus Facts for Kids

A Picture of a Ceratosaurus
  • Species Type: Ceratosaurus nasicornis
  • Type of Dinosaur: Theropod
  • Period: Late Jurassic
  • Diet: Meat (carnivorous)
  • Length: Up to 23 feet
  • Weight: Up to 2,100 pounds
  • First Discovered: Between 1883 and 1884

18 Ceratosaurus Facts for Kids

  1. The Ceratosaurus was discovered between 1883 and 1884 by a farmer named Marshall Parker Felch.
  2. The Ceratosaurus was discovered in the Garden Park paleontological site near Canon City, Colorado.
  3. The Ceratosaurus got its scientific name Ceratosaurus nasicornis in 1884, from Othniel Charles Marsh.
  4. The name Ceratosaurus means: “Horned Lizard”.
  5. The name Ceratosaurus is pronounced: “sih-RAT-uh-SAWR-us”.
  6. The Ceratosaurus was part of a group of dinosaurs known as theropods.
  7. Ceratosaurus lived during the Late Jurassic Period, between 156.3 and 146.8 million years ago.
  8. Paleontologists recognize three species of Ceratosaurus, and they are C. nasicornis, C. dentisulcatus and C. magnicornis.
  9. The holotype specimen for the Ceratosaurus is specimen USNM 4735 and to date is the most complete specimen to have been discovered by paleontologists.
  10. The Ceratosaurus was a carnivore that ate meat.
  11. Paleontologists believe the Ceratosaurus ate both on terrestrial (land) and aquatic prey.
  12. It’s estimated that a Ceratosaurus could reach up to 23 feet in length.
  13. It’s estimated that a Ceratosaurus could reach up to 2,100 pounds in weight.
  14. The estimated length and weight of the Ceratosaurus classifies it as a medium-size theropod.
  15. The teeth of a Ceratosaurus were so long that they extended past their bottom jaw when its mouth was closed.
  16. The Ceratosaurus is most recognizable by the two horns above its eyes and a horn in the middle of its snout.
  17. Paleontologists think the horns on the Ceratosaurus were used as a mating display or used in fights between two males over a potential mate.
  18. The Ceratosaurus has been featured in motion picture movies for over a hundred years, with its first appearance in the 1914 film Brute Force.

Additional Resources on Ceratosaurus

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