Monolophosaurus facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Monolophosaurus Temporal range: Middle Jurassic 165 mya
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Class:	Sauropsida
Superorder:	Dinosauria
Order:	Saurischia
Suborder:	Theropoda
Infraorder:	Tetanurae
Genus:	Monolophosaurus

Profile view of skull cast

Monolophosaurus was a medium-sized theropod dinosaur that lived in China during the Jurassic period, about 165 million years ago. Its name means "single-crested lizard," which perfectly describes its most unique feature.

What Made Monolophosaurus Special?

Monolophosaurus had a very special feature that no other meat-eating dinosaur had. It had a long, bony ridge, or crest, that ran from its nose all the way to the top of its head. This crest was likely used for display, perhaps to attract a mate or to show off to other dinosaurs.

Scientists think that Monolophosaurus might have lived near water, like the shore of a lake or sea. This is because the area where its fossils were found showed signs of being covered by water at times.

Discovering Monolophosaurus

The first Monolophosaurus fossil found was very complete. It included a full skull and most of the body bones. This makes it one of the best-preserved dinosaur fossils from the Middle Jurassic period in China.

This dinosaur was an early member of a group called tetanurans. This group includes many well-known meat-eating dinosaurs, like Tyrannosaurus rex and Allosaurus.

Mounted skeletons of Monolophosaurus and Bellusaurus at the Wyoming Dinosaur Center. These two dinosaurs were found in the same rock layers.

See also

In Spanish: Monolophosaurus jiangi para niños

Images for kids

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  The restored main fossil of M. jiangi, on display at the Paleozoological Museum of China

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  An artist's idea of what Monolophosaurus might have looked like

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  A mounted skeleton at the Milwaukee Public Museum, showing its hip structure

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  A digital picture of Monolophosaurus