Elaphrosaurus
Elaphrosaurus is a genus of theropod dinosaur that lived during the Upper Jurassic period, about 150 million years ago. It was 15 feet long, and weighed 450 pounds.
| Elaphrosaurus Temporal range: 154 to 150 million years ago; Upper Jurassic
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| Restoration of an Elaphrosaurus skeleton with a reconstructed skull, Museum für Naturkunde | |
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| Family: | Elaphrosauridae
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| Genus: | Elaphrosaurus
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| Species: | E. bambergi
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Elaphrosaurus was a slender, fast, and agile predator that probably preyed on small ornithopods, such as Dryosaurus.
The type specimen was found in the Tendaguru Formation in Tanzania. It was a nearly complete skeleton, but unfortunately, it lacked a skull. Since its body was similar to ornithomimids, it was originally thought to be the earliest ornithomimid. However, later studies showed that it is actually a ceratosaur. There is one named species, Elaphrosaurus bambergi. Remains very similar to it have also been found in the Morrison Formation in the western United States. These may possibly belong to Elaphrosaurus, indicating that this dinosaur had a wider range than previously thought.
