Allosauridae spread across three continents 155 million years ago

When and where

Allosauridae lived from roughly 155 to 145 million years ago in the Late Jurassic. Fossils turn up across North America, Europe, and Africa, making them one of the most widely distributed theropod families of their time. Major finds come from the Morrison Formation in the western USA and the Lourinhã Formation in Portugal, with additional material known from Tanzania.

How we know

The group was first named by American palaeontologist Othniel Charles Marsh in 1878. Since then, dozens of partial and near-complete skeletons have been described, most notably Allosaurus fragilis from Utah and Wyoming. The Cleveland-Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry alone has yielded more than 40 individuals, giving palaeontologists an unusually clear picture of the family's anatomy and growth patterns. European discoveries in Portugal and finds from Tanzania have confirmed the family ranged across multiple continents.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allosauridae

What set it apart

Allosauridae members were medium to large bipedal carnivores. The best-known genus, Allosaurus, reached about 8.5 metres long and weighed around 1.5 tonnes. They had a distinctive skull with a pair of horns above the eyes, a long muscular tail, and blade-like serrated teeth designed for slicing flesh rather than crushing bone. Their forelimbs were strong and ended in three large claws, useful for clutching prey. Unlike the heavier tyrannosaurids that dominated later ecosystems, allosaurids were lighter and more agile hunters, capable of running down herbivorous sauropods and stegosaurs in open Jurassic floodplains.

For collectors and classrooms

A dinosaur figurine captures the sharp profile and powerful claws that made Allosauridae such effective predators. Hand-painted models are tough enough for play but detailed enough for display. Set one on a desk or let younger palaeontologists re-create a Late Jurassic hunt on the kitchen table.

Find a hand-painted Allosauridae model for your collection here.