Yangchuanosaurus was a theropod dinosaur that lived in China during the Late Jurassic, and was similar in size and appearance to its North American cousin, Allosaurus. It was related to Metriacanthosaurus.
Fact File
Length: 8 - 11 metres
Skull Length: 0.8 - 1.1 metres
Height: 3 - 4 metres
Weight: 3.5 tonnes
Diet: Carnivorous
Description
Yangchuanosaurus had several bumps and ridges on its head, and a bony knob on its nose, similar to Ceratosaurus, and its tail comprised of half its total body length. It was the largest predator in the land at its time, and would have hunted Omeisaurus and Stegosaurus.
Yangchuanosaurus, as it would have appeared in life
Discovery
In June 1977, an almost complete skeleton was discovered by a construction worker during the construction of the Shangyou Reservoir Dam. Since then other skeletons have been discovered.