07Mesozoic
Stegosaurus
Stegosaurus stenops
Tall back plates and a four-spiked tail made this low-browsing herbivore unmistakable.
EXTINCT ATLAS WIKIEXTINCT LIFE ARCHIVEBack to archiveEpoch guide · 161.5–143.1 million years ago
Late Jurassic Animals: Dinosaurs, Pterosaurs & Marine Life
Explore Late Jurassic animals from Stegosaurus and Allosaurus to Archaeopteryx, pterosaurs and marine life, with fossil records and links to each profile.
Life and the fossil record
The Late Jurassic spans approximately 161.5–143.1 million years ago and includes the Oxfordian, Kimmeridgian and Tithonian ages. These records sample animals from different regions and parts of that interval; they do not represent one community living together.
Dinosaurs on land
Stegosaurus, Diplodocus, Allosaurus and Ceratosaurus illustrate the well-known dinosaurs of North America’s Morrison Formation. This broader selection also includes Kentrosaurus from Africa and Mamenchisaurus from Asia, extending the view beyond a single fossil formation.
Wings, water and smaller animals
Rhamphorhynchus was a pterosaur; Archaeopteryx records an early part of bird evolution. Leedsichthys was a fish, while Ophthalmosaurus and Pliosaurus belonged to separate marine reptile lineages. Insects such as Chresmoda add a smaller-scale view of Jurassic life.
12Mesozoic
Archaeopteryx
Archaeopteryx lithographica
Feathers, wings, teeth and a long bony tail capture a mosaic of dinosaur and bird traits.
40Mesozoic
Allosaurus
Allosaurus fragilis
A lightweight skull and serrated teeth equipped this large predator for repeated slashing bites.
41Mesozoic
Brachiosaurus
Brachiosaurus altithorax
Long forelimbs lifted its shoulders and neck toward the Jurassic canopy.
42Mesozoic
Diplodocus
Diplodocus carnegii
A whip-like tail balanced an extremely long neck on this lightly built giant.
173Mesozoic
Rhamphorhynchus
Rhamphorhynchus muensteri
Needle teeth lined long jaws while a diamond-shaped membrane at the stiff tail tip helped control flight above island seas.
174Mesozoic
Leedsichthys
Leedsichthys problematicus
This giant bony fish opened a broad mouth and strained plankton through dense gill rakers, much like a whale shark.
175Mesozoic
Dakosaurus
Dakosaurus maximus
A short deep skull carried serrated blades, while this marine crocodile's body had transformed into four flippers and a fishlike tail.
189Mesozoic
Haeckel's Kalligrammatid
Kalligramma haeckeli
Huge eyespots, broad wings and an elongate mouthpart created a butterfly-like insect before butterflies flourished.
229Mesozoic
Kentrosaurus
Kentrosaurus aethiopicus
Plates covered the front body while long paired spikes armed the hips and tail, concentrating defense behind it.
230Mesozoic
Mamenchisaurus
Mamenchisaurus hochuanensis
Nineteen elongated neck vertebrae placed nearly half the body's length in the neck, lightened internally by air spaces.
240Mesozoic
Ophthalmosaurus
Ophthalmosaurus icenicus
Huge bony eye rings supported vision under pressure and may have helped track soft prey in dim water.
271Mesozoic
Ceratosaurus
Ceratosaurus nasicornis
A nasal horn, brow ridges and small midline osteoderms made this predator unmistakable.
272Mesozoic
Torvosaurus
Torvosaurus tanneri
A huge skull and unusually powerful three-fingered arms marked one of the largest megalosaurids.
286Mesozoic
Metriorhynchus
Metriorhynchus superciliosus
Flippers, a downturned tail fin and reduced armor transformed a crocodile relative into a pelagic swimmer.
287Mesozoic
Funke's Pliosaur
Pliosaurus funkei
A skull nearly two meters long and huge teeth formed an apex-predator bite apparatus.
387Mesozoic
Chresmoda
Chresmoda obscura
Six extremely long legs may have spread its weight across the water surface.
494Mesozoic
Miragaia
Miragaia longicollum
At least seventeen cervical vertebrae produced an unusually long neck for a stegosaur.
Common questions
Were all Late Jurassic animals dinosaurs?
No. The animal fauna also included pterosaurs, fishes, marine reptiles and insects. Birds belong within the dinosaur lineage, but pterosaurs and marine reptiles such as ichthyosaurs do not.
Did Tyrannosaurus live in the Late Jurassic?
No. Tyrannosaurus lived much later, near the end of the Late Cretaceous. Allosaurus and Ceratosaurus are examples of predators in this Late Jurassic selection.