Albertosaurus
al-BER-tuh-SAWR-us
A relative of the infamous Tyrannosaurus rex, Albertosaurus is a carnivorous theropod from the Late Cretaceous period. Believed to have been the apex predator of its time, Albertosaurus’ rows of razor-sharp teeth make light work of the smaller, herbivorous dinosaurs it preys on, while its sheer size – approximately 9.5m long and weighing around 4 tonnes – ensure other predators steer clear.
Discovery
Albertosaurus’ name is derived from the location of its earliest discoveries – Alberta’s Horseshoe Canyon Formation. In 1884 a partial skull was excavated by geologist Joseph B. Tyrrell, and five years later his colleague Thomas Chesmer Weston found another, although the fossils were originally classified as being part of the existing Laelaps incrassatus species. It was finally established as a new species and named in 1905, by American palaeontologist Henry Fairfield Osborn.
Palaeoecology
Further discoveries along the floodplains of Horseshoe Canyon have led researchers to believe that Albertosaurus lived approximately 70 million years ago, living alongside a wide array of other dinosaurs including Saurolophus, Edmontosaurus and Troodon.
Information
- Era
- Late Cretaceous
- Family
- Tyrannosauridae
- Genus
- Albertosaurus
- Height
- 3.3M
- Length
- 9.5M
- Weight
- 4T
- Diet
- Carnivore, Live Prey
- Egg batch size
- 1 - 2
