Megalosaurus Facts for Kids

A Picture of a Megalosaurus
  • Species Type: Megalosaurus bucklandii
  • Type of Dinosaur: Theropod
  • Period: Middle Jurassic
  • Diet: Meat (carnivorous)
  • Length: Over 19 feet
  • Weight: Over 1,500 pounds
  • First Discovered: 17th Century

18 Megalosaurus Facts for Kids

  1. The first fossilized remains of a Megalosaurus, the lower part of a femur bone, was discovered during in 1676.
  2. The Megalosaurus was given was given its name in 1822 by James Parkinson.
  3. The Megalosaurus was given the scientific name Megalosaurus bucklandii in 1827 by Gideon Mantell.
  4. The Megalosaurus was the first non-avian dinosaur to be scientifically named.
  5. The name Megalosaurus means: “Big Lizard”.
  6. The name Megalosaurus is pronounced: “MEG-uh-lo-SAWR-us”.
  7. The Megalosaurus was part of a group of dinosaurs know as theropods.
  8. Megalosaurus lived during the Middle Jurassic Period between 201 and 145 million years ago.
  9. The Megalosaurus walked on two legs, therefore making it a bipedal dinosaur.
  10. The Megalosaurus was large meat-eating carnivorous dinosaur.
  11. The Megalosaurus most likely preyed upon sauropods and may have also hunted the stegosaurus.
  12. Paleontologists estimated the length of a Megalosaurus could reach up to 20 feet.
  13. Paleontologists estimated the weight of a Megalosaurus could reach up to 1,500 pounds.
  14. Based on the time period when Megalosaurus lived and its estimated size it was probably an apex predator.
  15. Based on where fossilized remains have been recovered the Megalosaurus lived in what is now known as Europe.
  16. To date, no complete fossilized specimen of a Megalosaurus has been recovered by paleontologists.
  17. Megalosaurus was one of the three examples given by Richard Owen in 1842 when he first described dinosaurs.
  18. The ABC TV show Dinosaurs had one of the main characters based off the Megalosaurus.

Additional Resources on Megalosaurus

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