Proceratosaurus
PRO-ser-AT-oh-SAWR-us
The small theropod Proceratosaurus is a carnivorous dinosaur, and is notable for the bold crest on its snout. Its name comes from the belief, upon its discovery, that the genus was related to Ceratosaurus. However further research has found that it is in fact a cousin of Tyrannosaurus, albeit much smaller at around 4m in length.
Discovery
The sole known Proceratosaurus fossil was discovered by F. Lewis Bradley in 1910 at the White Limestone Formation on the south coast of England, and examination of the specimen (a partial skull) led palaeontologists like Arthur Smith Woodward and Friedrich von Huene to believe it was an ancestor of Ceratosaurus. It wasn’t until almost a century later that studies confirmed Proceratosaurus was a relative of the tyrannosaurs of the Late Cretaceous period.
Palaeoecology
Information about Proceratosaurus is limited, as only one partial specimen has ever been found. However, research has shown that it lived along the south coast of England around 165m years ago during the Middle Jurassic period. Other dinosaurs shared Proceratosaurus’ habitat, including Metriacanthosaurus
Information
- Era
- Middle Jurassic
- Family
- Proceratosauridae
- Genus
- Proceratosaurus
- Height
- 1.4M
- Length
- 4M
- Weight
- 40Kg
- Diet
- Carnivore, Live Prey
- Egg batch size
- 2 - 6
