Jurassic Dinosaurs Alive Chicago Brookfield Zoo

Dinosaur Facts, Allosaurus, Apatasaurus, Dilophosaurus, Omeisaurus

May 12, 2009 Renee Carver

Learn Jurassic dinosaur fun facts about Allosaurus, Apatosaurus, Dilophosaurus, Metriacanthosaurus, and Omeisaurus, then visit animatronic dinosaurs at Brookfield Zoo.

Chicago families and tourists visiting Chicago can prepare kids ahead of time to learn from the Chicago Brookfield Zoo Dinosaurs Alive! exhibit of life-like and life-sized animatronic dinosaurs by reading interesting facts about dinosaurs displayed in this fun tourist attraction. Of the many prehistoric creatures featured in this exciting children's activity in Chicago, five are Jurassic dinosaurs – Allosaurus, Apatasaurus, Dilophosaurus, Metriacanthosaurus, and Omeisaurus.

Allosaurus Dinosaur Fun Facts

Living mainly in the late Jurassic Period, Allosaurids were the most common predator in North America at the time. Allosaurus stood on two sturdy legs, had a large head, and held its big tail out to balance its body. It could grow up to 39 feet in length. It also had two small forearms, but unlike similar dinosaurs with more feeble front limbs, Allosaurus' front limbs ended in hands armed with three large, strong claws.

Its name means "different lizard" because the vertebrae of its spine are different from those of other, similar dinosaurs.
It was a meat-eater, and groups of Allosauruses probably joined together in packs to hunt larger sauropods.
It could unhinge its flexible jaws like a snake to eat huge chunks of meat that it bit off of its prey with its long, serrated teeth.

The animatronic Allosaurus at Brookfield Zoo measures 39.60' long x 6.60' wide x 11.22' tall.

Apatosaurus Dinosaur Facts

A large sauropod living in the late Jurassic period, Apatosaurus had a long neck and tail, a small head, and four pillar-like legs ending in elephantine feet. It could grow to around 69 feet long. It traveled in packs, and scientists believe it could defend itself from attacks from predators by whipping its strong tail around or rearing up on its hind legs and then bringing its sharp toe-claws down heavily on its attackers.

Its name means "deceptive lizard" because some of its bones resemble those of another kind of dinosaur.
For years, Apatosaurus was also known as Brontosaurus ("thunder lizard") until scientists realized that the different sets of fossils that had been labeled Apatosaurus and Brontosaurus were actually from the same kind of animal.
An herbivore with a small mouth, Apatosaurus would most likely have had to eat plants almost constantly to take in enough calories to live.

The animatronic Apatosaurus at Chicago Brookfield Zoo measures 55.44' long x 7.92' wide x 21.45' tall.

Dilophosaurus Dinosaur Fun Facts

The earliest large carnivorous dinosaur, Dilophosaurus lived during the Late Triassic and Early Jurassic Periods. Standing on two feet, Dilophosaurus had slender legs that were well-suited to running at high speeds and short but strong forelimbs with sharp claws. It could grow to about 20 feet long.

Its name means "two-crested lizard" because it has a prominent crest on its head formed by two bony ridges.
Because Dilophosaurus' jaws seem weak, some scientists theorize that it was a scavenger rather than a predator.
Scientists do not know the purpose of its crest, though some think that males with larger crests might have dominated other Dilophosauruses.

The animatronic Dilophosaurus at Brookfield Chicago Zoo measures 16.50' long x 2.97' wide x 7.26' tall.

Metriacanthosaurus Dinosaur Facts

Another carnosaur living during the Jurassic Period, Metriacanthosaurus stood on two feet and could grow to about 26 feet long.

Its name means "moderate-spined lizard" because it belongs to a group of dinosaurs with long spines on their backs.
Metriacanthosaurus was a meat-eater.

The animatronic Metraicanthosaurus at Chicago Brookfield Zoo measures 20.26' long x 3.96' wide x 5.94' tall.

Omeisaurus Dinosaur Fun Facts

A typical sauropod, Omeisaurus was large, stood on four pillar-like legs, and had a long neck and tail. It lived in the late Jurassic in China. It could grow to 66 feet long.

Its name means "Omei lizard," because it was found near Mt. Omei in China.
An herbivore, Omeisaurus ate plants with its spoon-shaped teeth.
Scientists believe it is related to Mamenchisaurus, who had the world's longest neck ever.

The animatronic Omeisaurus at Brookfield Zoo near Chicago measures 36.30' long x 5.94' wide x 16.50' tall.

When parents planning to visit Dinosaurs Alive! share interesting dinosaur information with kids before checking out this fun Chicago attraction, children will be ready to both learn and be entertained by these robotic prehistoric beasts.

Read about the late Jurassic dinosaurs Stegasaurus and Yangchuanosaurus as part of the article Early Cretaceous Dinosaurs Alive at Chicago Brookfield Zoo. Read about the other robot dinosaurs featured in this animatronic dinosaur exhibition in the article Mid to Late Cretaceous Dinosaurs Alive. People visiting Chicago can also read a review of the Brookfield Zoo Dinosaurs Alive exhibit.

References

Dinosaurs Unearthed Web site. Accessed 2009-05-11.
Lambert, David. The Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs. London: Bloomsbury Books, 1994. 40, 80, 130
Lambert, David. The Ultimate Dinosaur Book. New York: Dorling Kindersley, 1993. 44–45, 52–53, 102–104, 178
Norman, Dr. David. The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs. New York: Barnes & Noble Books, 1998. 62–67, 80–82
Sattler, Helen Roney. The New Illustrated Dinosaur Dictionary. New York: Lothrop, Lee & Shepard, 1990. 41–42, 53–55, 114, 200, 215

The copyright of the article Jurassic Dinosaurs Alive Chicago Brookfield Zoo in Paleontology is owned by Renee Carver. Permission to republish Jurassic Dinosaurs Alive Chicago Brookfield Zoo in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.