What is the Difference Between Allosaurus and Tyrannosaurus

The main difference between Allosaurus and Tyrannosaurus is that Allosaurus lived during the late Jurassic period in 155 to 150 Mya whereas Tyrannosaurus lived during the Maastrichtian age of the upper Cretaceous Period 68 to 66 Mya. Furthermore, Tyrannosaurus is comparatively bigger than Allosaurus.

Allosaurus (different lizard) and Tyrannosaurus (tyrant lizard) are two extinct genera of bipedal, carnivorous reptiles that belong to the clade Dinosauria. Allosaurus was native to North America, Europe, and Portugal while Tyrannosaurus was native to North America and Canada.

Key Areas Covered

1. Allosaurus
     – Definition, Characteristics, Behavior
2. Tyrannosaurus
     – Definition, Characteristics, Behavior
3. What are the Similarities Between Allosaurus and Tyrannosaurus
     – Outline of Common Features
4. What is the Difference Between Allosaurus and Tyrannosaurus
     – Comparison of Key Differences

Key Terms

Allosaurus, Bipeds, Carnivores, Forelimb, Saurischians, Tyrannosaurus

Allosaurus – Definition, Characteristics, Behavior

Allosaurus is a genus of bipedal, carnivorous, tetrapod dinosaur that lived in the late Jurassic period, 155-150 Mya. It was native to North America, Europe, and Portugal. It had a large skull with short, sharp, and laterally flattened teeth, which are knife-like and backward slanted. Also, it had powerful hindlimbs that are much larger than their forelimbs. Its forelimb had three fingers. Their body was balanced by their long, heavy, and muscular tail.

Figure 1: Allosaurus

Furthermore, Allosaurus was on top of the food chains at that period and it could prey on large herbivorous dinosaurs. This might be due to their corporative social behavior. Ornithopods, stegosaurids, and sauropods were other potential prey. Allosauruses were not aggressive towards each other. They tended to slash the prey and waited for it to bleed out.

Tyrannosaurus – Definition, Characteristics, Behavior

Tyrannosaurus is another genus of bipedal, carnivorous dinosaur that lived during the late Cretaceous period, 68 to 66 Mya. It represents a group of large theropods. Also, Tyrannosaurus rex or T-Rex (tyrant lizard the king) is the most well-known species of Tyrannosaurus. It was native to western North America and Canada. Significantly, Tyrannosaurus had very short forelimbs with two fingers in each. Moreover, the vision of Tyrannosaurus was excellent as it had binocular vision, which is 13 times powerful than humans. It had an excellent hearing ability as well.

Figure 2: Tyrannosaurus

Moreover, the feeding habits of Tyrannosaurus ranges from scavenging to cannibalism. Therefore, it tended to be more aggressive towards its members as well. Their teeth were scary as they were very long, thick, and rounded like sticks. Its teeth could pierce anything; it bit down the prey and held its prey.

Similarities Between Allosaurus and Tyrannosaurus

• Allosaurus and Tyrannosaurus are two genera of extinct dinosaurs.
• They belong to the same order, Saurischia.
• Tetrapod saurischians (lizard-hipped) have a three-pronged pelvic structure with the pubis pointed forward, making them bipedal.
• Also, both are carnivores related to lizards.
• Besides, both their massive head was balanced by the long, heavy tail.

Difference Between Allosaurus and Tyrannosaurus

Definition

Allosaurus refers to a large bipedal carnivorous dinosaur of the late Jurassic period while Tyrannosaurus refers to a very large bipedal carnivorous dinosaur of the late Cretaceous period, with powerful jaws and small claw-like front legs.

Family

While Allosaurus belong to the family Allosauridae, Tyrannosaurus belong to the family Tyrannosauridae.

Species

The four species of Allosaurus are A. fragilis, A. europaeus Mateus, A. amplus Marsh, and A. lucasi while the main species of Tyrannosaurus is Tyrannosaurus rex.

Period

Allosaurus lived during the late Jurassic period (155 to 150 Mya) while Tyrannosaurus lived during the late Cretaceous Period (65 Mya). Thus, this is the main difference between Allosaurus and Tyrannosaurus.

Habitat

Allosaurus inhabited in North America, Europe, and Portugal while Tyrannosaurus inhabited in North America and Canada.

Size

Their size is also a major difference between Allosaurus and Tyrannosaurus. Allosaurus was somewhat smaller (length: 32-40 feet; height: 12-14 feet; weight: 5000 pounds) while Tyrannosaurus was larger (length: 40 feet; height: 18-20 feet; weight: 15,000 pounds).

The Skull and Jaws

Allosaurus had a somewhat narrow skull and jaws while Tyrannosaurus had a wider skull and powerful jaw muscles. Hence, this is also a difference between Allosaurus and Tyrannosaurus.

Teeth

Furthermore, another difference between Allosaurus and Tyrannosaurus is their teeth.  Allosaurus had shorter teeth, which were laterally flattened, while Tyrannosaurus had longer teeth, which are thicker and round.

Length of Arms

Also, Allosaurus had long arms while Tyrannosaurus had very short arms.

Fingers in Forelimbs

Moreover, Allosaurus had three fingers in its forelimb while Tyrannosaurus had two fingers in its forelimb.

Vision and Hearing

Vision and hearing is another difference between Allosaurus and Tyrannosaurus.  Allosaurus had binocular vision and excellent hearing while Tyrannosaurus did not have binocular vision and their hearing was poor.

Lifespan

The lifespan of Allosaurus was around 30 years while the lifespan of Tyrannosaurus was around 26 years.

Diet and Hunting Technique

Allosaurus was a voracious eater ranging from cannibalism to scavenging while Tyrannosaurus consumed dinosaurs and other creatures that were much bigger than itself. Hence, this is also a difference between Allosaurus and Tyrannosaurus.

Speed

The speed of Allosaurus was 21 miles per hour while the speed of Tyrannosaurus was 25 miles per hour.

Bite Force

The bite force of Allosaurus was 4000 N while the bite force of Tyrannosaurus was 40,000 N. This is another interesting difference between Allosaurus and Tyrannosaurus.

Feeding Technique

Allosaurus tore apart flesh with its jaws while the teeth of Tyrannosaurus could pierce through almost anything and even could crush solid bones.

Conclusion

Allosaurus is a bipedal, carnivorous dinosaur of the late Jurassic period. It was native to North America, Europe, and Portugal. It had long forelimbs with three fingers. In contrast, Tyrannosaurus is another bipedal, carnivorous dinosaur that ranges from cannibalism to scavenging. It lived during the late Cretaceous period and was native to North America and Canada. It had powerful jaws and shorter forelimbs with two fingers in it. Generally, Tyrannosaurus is scarier than Allosaurus. However, the main difference between Allosaurus and Tyrannosaurus is the size, period they lived, and their feeding habits.

References:

1. Castro, Joseph. “Allosaurus: Facts About the Different Lizard.” LiveScience, Purch, 15 Mar. 2016, Available Here.
2. Gorman, James. “Tyrannosaurus Rex: The Once and Future King.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 4 Mar. 2019, Available Here.

Image Courtesy:

1. “Allosaurus Revised” By Fred Wierum – Own work (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia  
2. “Tyrannosaurus-rex-Profile-steveoc86” By Steveoc 86 – Own work (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia