Dilophosaurus Coloring Pages

Two Crests on Its Head

Dilophosaurus is a dinosaur with two thin, half-moon-shaped crests lined up on top of its head.
Its name means "lizard with two crests."
The crests stood side by side from above its nose to above its eyes.
In the first coloring page, you can see the back crest peeking out just behind the front one.

A Sleek Meat-Eater

Dilophosaurus is a meat-eating dinosaur that walked on two legs.
It was about 6 to 7 meters long, with a thin neck and a long, straight tail.
Its front arms were slender with small claws on the tips of its fingers.
It had a long snout with a slight notch near the front of its upper jaw.
Try to find the notch on its upper jaw in the first coloring page!

North America in the Early Jurassic

Dilophosaurus lived during the Early Jurassic period, more than 180 million years ago.
Its fossils were found on Navajo land in Arizona, USA.
Scientists think it was one of the largest meat-eating dinosaurs in North America at that time.
It lived long before Allosaurus and Tyrannosaurus appeared!

Looking into the Water by the Lake

In the second coloring page, Dilophosaurus is standing in shallow water by a lake, bending its neck to look into the water.
You can see two little fish swimming near its feet.
Behind it on the wet mud, a line of three-toed footprints shows where it walked.
Plants that look like cycads stand on both sides, with horsetails and ferns growing along the shore, and mountains across the lake in the background.

Fossil Footprints by the Lake

In Utah, USA, many large three-toed fossil footprints remain where a giant lake used to be long ago.
Scientists think these footprints were made by dinosaurs like Dilophosaurus.
Fish fossils were found in the same spot, so some researchers think relatives of Dilophosaurus might have caught and eaten fish.
Maybe it was hunting for fish in the water, just like in the second coloring page!

Color the 2 Crests Brightly

The coolest part of Dilophosaurus is the 2 crests on top of its head.
People think the crests were decorations to show off to its friends.
Try coloring them in bright, bold colors like red, orange, or yellow.
If you make the front crest lighter and the back crest a bit darker, everyone can tell there are 2 crests side by side!

Make the Back Dark and the Tummy Light

For the body, if you color the back dark and the tummy light, its sleek shape will really stand out.
To keep it from looking the same as the crests, we recommend using green, brown, or gray for the body.
No one knows what color real dinosaurs were!
You can even add stripes to make your very own special Dilophosaurus.
Sharpen your colored pencil to carefully color each slender front finger and tiny claw one by one.

Color the Water and Footprints Differently

For the second picture, the trick is to clearly color the edge between the water and the shore.
Color the shallow water light blue, and make the deeper lake a bit darker blue.
If you color the tiny fish yellow or orange, they will stand out well in the water.
Color the wet dirt dark brown, and make the inside of the 3-toed footprints a little darker to make them look sunken.
Color the cycad-like plants and ferns green, the horsetails light green, and the mountains light purple to create a wonderful lakeside scene!

No Proof of a Frill or Venom

Dilophosaurus became a famous dinosaur after appearing in the movie "Jurassic Park."
In the movie, it was shown opening a frill around its neck and spitting venom.
However, no evidence at all has been found in fossils to show that it had a frill or venom.
It was about the size of a human in the movie, but the real one was actually 6 to 7 meters long!

Its Jaw Was Stronger Than We Thought

People used to think that Dilophosaurus had a weak jaw.
However, in 2020, a new study re-examined its fossils.
Scientists found marks showing where strong muscles were attached to the jaw bone, proving it could bite with great power.
Now, scientists think it could catch prey without relying on venom at all!

The Crest Was Full of Air Pockets

The crest of Dilophosaurus is made of thin bone.
The 2020 study showed that there were many tiny air chambers inside the crest bones, which made the thin crest strong.
Researchers say it is just like the bubble wrap used for packing things!

Found by a Navajo Person

The first fossil was found in 1940 by Jesse Williams, a Navajo man, on Navajo land in Arizona.
It was announced as a new dinosaur in 1954, and in 1970, it was given its current name after its two crests.