About Meat-Eating Dinosaurs
Most meat-eating dinosaurs belonged to a major group called theropods. Theropods walked on two legs, had three-toed feet, and included everything from small feathered hunters to some of the largest land predators ever known. Modern birds are living theropod dinosaurs.
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Theropods
Most predatory dinosaurs belonged to the theropod group.
Learn MoreTyrannosaurus rex
T. rex was one of the largest predators of the Late Cretaceous.
Learn MoreAllosaurus
Allosaurus was a major predator of the Late Jurassic.
Learn MoreVelociraptor
The real Velociraptor was much smaller than many movie versions.
Learn MoreSpinosaurus
Spinosaurus was a giant theropod with unusual aquatic adaptations.
Learn MoreTeeth and Jaws
Different predators had teeth suited to different feeding styles.
Learn MoreFeathers
Many theropods had feathers or feather-like coverings.
Learn MoreHow We Know
Predator behavior is reconstructed from many kinds of fossil evidence.
Learn MoreTheropods
Theropods were mostly two-legged dinosaurs with grasping hands and feet adapted for walking or running. The group included tiny feathered species, medium-sized hunters such as Velociraptor, and giant predators such as Tyrannosaurus. Birds evolved from small feathered theropods, which means theropods never completely disappeared.
Tyrannosaurus rex
Tyrannosaurus rex lived in western North America near the end of the age of non-avian dinosaurs. Adults could grow more than 12 meters long. Its skull was heavily built, its teeth were thick and powerful, and studies of the skeleton suggest strong jaw muscles and an excellent sense of smell.
Allosaurus
Allosaurus lived much earlier than Tyrannosaurus. Fossils are especially common in the Morrison Formation of western North America. Its skull was lighter and more flexible than that of T. rex, and its arms were longer with three clawed fingers.
Velociraptor
Velociraptor lived in Late Cretaceous Asia and was roughly the size of a large turkey or small wolf, depending on how it is measured. Fossil evidence from close relatives and quill knobs on Velociraptor bones show that it was feathered.
Spinosaurus
Spinosaurus lived in what is now North Africa during the Cretaceous. It had a long, narrow skull, conical teeth, a tall sail on its back, and a deep tail. Scientists continue to debate exactly how it moved and fed in and around water.
Teeth and Jaws
Tyrannosaur teeth were thick and capable of resisting strong forces, while many other theropods had thinner, blade-like teeth with serrated edges. Tooth shape, wear, bite marks, and broken fossils help paleontologists study how predators fed.
Feathers
Fossils from China and other places preserve impressions of feathers on several dinosaur groups. Feathers probably first evolved for insulation, display, or other purposes before some lineages used them in flight.
How We Know
Trackways can show movement, healed injuries can reveal survival after fights, tooth marks can identify feeding, and stomach contents or coprolites can preserve traces of meals. Scientists combine these clues rather than relying on a single fossil.