Allosaurus Fragilis Dinosaur Skull Replica

Description

Allosaurus Fragilis Dinosaur Skull Replica measures 33x12x18 in. Allosaurus Fragilis Dinosaur Skull Replica is Museum quality polyurethane resins. 2-part skull (separate cranium & jaw). Made in USA. Cast of original skull from the Upper Jurassic Morrison Formation, Cleveland-Lloyd Quarry, Utah. Our precise skull can be used as a teaching tool, museum skull exhibit, home décor skull, or office décor skull.

The skull and teeth of Allosaurus were modestly proportioned for a theropod of its size. Paleontologist Gregory S. Paul gives a length of 33.3 in. for a skull belonging to an individual he estimates at 26 ft. long.

Each premaxilla (the bones that formed the tip of the snout) held five teeth with D-shaped cross-sections, and each maxilla (the main tooth-bearing bones in the upper jaw) had between 14 and 17 teeth; the number of teeth does not exactly correspond to the size of the bone.

Each dentary (the tooth-bearing bone of the lower jaw) had between 14 and 17 teeth, with an average count of 16. The teeth became shorter, narrower, and more curved toward the back of the skull. All of the teeth had saw-like edges. They were shed easily, and were replaced continually, making them common fossils.

The Allosaurus Fragilis skull had a pair of horns above and in front of the eyes. These horns were composed of extensions of the lacrimal bones, and varied in shape and size. There were also lower paired ridges running along the top edges of the nasal bones that led into the horns.

The horns were probably covered in a keratin sheath and may have had a variety of functions, including acting as sunshades for the eye, being used for display, and being used in combat against other members of the same species (although they were fragile). There was a ridge along the back of the skull roof for muscle attachment, as is also seen in tyrannosaurids.

Inside the lacrimal bones were depressions that may have held glands, such as salt glands. Within the maxillae were sinuses that were better developed than those of more basal theropods such as Ceratosaurus and Marshosaurus.

Allosaurus Fragilis Dinosaur Facts:

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Clade: Dinosauria
Clade: Saurischia
Clade: Theropoda
Family: †Allosauridae
Subfamily: †Allosaurinae
Genus: †Allosaurus
Type species: †Allosaurus fragilis
Conservation status: Extinct

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