Allosaurus Coloring Pages

The Strongest Jurassic Hunter! Name Origin and English Name

The Allosaurus was the strongest meat-eating dinosaur at the top of the food chain. It lived long ago in the "Jurassic period," a time when giant creatures filled the land and seas.

The name "Allosaurus" means "different lizard" or "strange lizard." When people found its fossils for the first time, its backbones looked a bit different from other dinosaurs found before. So, that is how it got its name. In English, it is also called "Allosaurus." It is a huge star that always appears in dinosaur books and movies around the world!

When Did It Live? The Time It Ruled

Allosaurus lived in the "Late Jurassic period," about 155 million to 150 million years ago. That is much, much older than the "Cretaceous period" when the famous Tyrannosaurus lived. Because they lived in different times, these two dinosaurs never actually fought each other on the ancient Earth!

Where Did It Live? Where Fossils Were Found

Many Allosaurus fossils have been found in North America, mainly in places like Arizona, Utah, and Colorado. Other fossils from its close relatives were also found in Portugal in Europe and Tanzania in Africa. Long ago, North America was a rich land with big rivers, ferns, and giant trees. It was the perfect home for Allosaurus!

What Did It Eat? Food for Meat-Eaters

Allosaurus was a pure meat-eater (a hunter). It is thought that it hunted and ate young plant-eating dinosaurs living at the same time. These included Stegosaurus, which had big plate bones on its back, as well as super giant dinosaurs with long necks and tails like Apatosaurus and Brachiosaurus. In fact, scientists found bite marks from an Allosaurus on a Stegosaurus fossil!

Difference from Tyrannosaurus: Amazing Weapons of Allosaurus

People often compare it to Tyrannosaurus, but Allosaurus had its own awesome weapons!

• 3 Big and Strong Fingers: Tyrannosaurus had very small front arms with only 2 fingers. But Allosaurus had thick, big front arms with 3 fingers that had sharp claws. It used them to grab and hold down its prey tightly!

• Light and Fast Body: Big ones were about 8.5 to 12 meters long and weighed about 2 tons. But its bones had spaces for air, making its head and body very light. So, for a big dinosaur, it was very fast! People say it could run over 30 kilometers per hour.

• Saw-Like Teeth: Inside its mouth, it had a row of thin teeth as sharp as steak knives. The edges had tiny jagged teeth (serrations) to slice meat easily.

The Secret of the Cool Bump Above Its Eyes

Take a close look at the face of Allosaurus. You can see small pointed bumps above both of its eyes! This is the coolest feature of Allosaurus. Instead of being a weapon for fighting, scientists think these bumps were used to show off to friends, saying, "Look how cool I am!" or to tell their friends apart. When they were alive, these bumps might have turned bright red or yellow to stand out!

Teamwork in Packs? Hunting Style

Sometimes an Allosaurus fossil is found alone, but many fossils are often found together in one spot. Because of this, some people think they formed groups like lions and worked as a team to lie in wait and attack giant dinosaurs that were many times bigger than themselves! If they attacked in a pack, no dinosaur stood a chance.

Best Feature! Color the Crests Above the Eyes in Style

Make the crests (bumps) above the eyes stand out the most. They are Allosaurus's trademark face feature!

• Pick a stand-out color: Even if you color the body plain, try using "bright red," "bright orange," or "yellow" just for these crests. It looks super cool and shows how real dinosaurs showed off to their friends!

• Shiny eyes: Color the middle of the eyes black. Make the area around them yellow or a sharp color like a lizard!

Make Sharp Teeth and Mouths Look Real

Here are tips for coloring powerful pictures where Allosaurus roars with a wide open mouth!

• Bared teeth: Color each sharp tooth with "white" or "light beige (cream)" so they look pointy. Color the gums at the base of the teeth "pink" or "red." This really brings out the fierce look of a meat-eating dinosaur!

• Deep mouth effect: Add shadows toward the back of the throat using "dark red" or "dark brown." This makes the big mouth look deep and real!

Hard Dinosaur Skin (Scales) and Back Spikes

Allosaurus's body has fine wrinkles, scale patterns, and small spikes along its back line.

• Choose any color you like: No one knows the real color of dinosaur skin yet, so you can use your favorite colors! Lizard colors like "green" or "olive green" look cool. "Brown," "desert yellow," or cool "camouflage patterns" are great too!

• Use the skin wrinkles: Add light shadows with "dark brown" or "gray" in the line gaps, under the belly, and in the leg wrinkles. This alone makes the tough, bumpy skin pop out!

Strong Legs and Big Claws with Color Blending

Let's make the proud legs for chasing prey and the three big front claws look awesome!

• Strong-looking claws: Color the big claws on the hands and feet solid with "deep black" or "dark gray," just like a crow's beak!

• 3D leg look: Use light colors on the bumpy muscles of the thick back legs. Use darker colors on the back and near the ground. This makes them look like they are stomping hard on the earth!

Color the Background to Travel Back to Jurassic Times!

Draw the Jurassic world where Allosaurus lived in the white space around it!

• Giant plants: Draw "wrinkly rocks" and green "fern leaves" by the feet. You can also draw big cycad trees in the distance!

• Sunset skies and wild nature: Make the sky a "fiery sunset orange" or a "big blue sky." Draw a big volcano far away in "light gray." It will look like an exciting dinosaur scene from long ago!

The Top Hunter of the Jurassic Period!

Allosaurus was a meat-eating dinosaur. It lived even longer ago than T-rex, during a time called the Jurassic Period. They were 8.5 meters long, and big ones reached 12 meters! Allosaurus was the main star back then as the strongest hunter.

Cool Bumps Above Its Eyes

If you look closely at the head of Allosaurus, you can see little bumps like horns above its eyes. These were not used to attack enemies. Experts think they were cool decorations to help tell friends apart and to look tough.

It Has Three Front Fingers

The famous T-rex had tiny front arms with only two fingers. But the front arms of Allosaurus were big and powerful. It had three fingers on each hand. It used the sharp claws on them to grab prey tightly.

Did It Hunt Like an Axe?

People say Allosaurus did not bite very hard for a big meat-eater. Its bite was about as strong as a lion's. But its jaw could open super wide! Some think it hit prey with its sharp top teeth just like an axe to take them down.

A Tough Dinosaur That Survived Scratches and Breaks

Fossils of Allosaurus have many healed broken bones and battle marks. Some were likely made by Stegosaurus, a plant-eater! Allosaurus was a tough dinosaur that fought hard and survived over and over.