View original imageThis is an original generative reconstruction, not a photograph or scientific plate.
53 / Mesozoic
Dilophosaurus
Dilophosaurus wetherilli
Paired head crests advertised this agile predator; there is no evidence for venom or a neck frill.
Structured expansion · editorial review pending
- Time range
- About 193 million years ago
- Final stage
- Early Jurassic
- Geographic range
- Southwestern North America
01 / ANSWER FIRST
What was Dilophosaurus?
This archive records Dilophosaurus under the scientific name Dilophosaurus wetherilli, with an age of About 193 million years ago and a range of Southwestern North America. Paired head crests advertised this agile predator; there is no evidence for venom or a neck frill.
Dilophosaurus was one of the largest predators of its time, with powerful arms and a lightly built skull. The crests likely served display and recognition.
02 / QUICK FACTS
Dilophosaurus at a glance
- Scientific name
- Dilophosaurus wetherilli
- Age
- About 193 million years ago
- Last recorded stage
- Early Jurassic
- Known range
- Southwestern North America
- Broad group
- dinosaur
- Archive era
- Mesozoic
- Habitat signals
- vegetation, prey communities, floodplains and regional climate
- Documented regions
- North America
03 / ANATOMY
How was Dilophosaurus built?
Overall body plan
Paired head crests advertised this agile predator; there is no evidence for venom or a neck frill.
Skull, teeth and display structures
The available record is interpreted through preserved proportions, attachment surfaces, wear and comparison with related organisms. For Dilophosaurus, those observations must be separated from features added only for visual reconstruction.
Limbs, balance and locomotion
Dilophosaurus was one of the largest predators of its time, with powerful arms and a lightly built skull. The crests likely served display and recognition.
Growth and individual variation
A single specimen does not define the whole species. Size, maturity, preservation and possible sex differences are considered before anatomical traits are treated as typical of Dilophosaurus.
04 / DIET & BEHAVIOUR
How did Dilophosaurus live?
Dilophosaurus was one of the largest predators of its time, with powerful arms and a lightly built skull. The crests likely served display and recognition. This ecological reconstruction is strongest where anatomy, associated organisms and the depositional setting point in the same direction.
05 / DIET & BEHAVIOUR
What shaped its ecological limits?
Its populations depended on vegetation, prey communities, floodplains and regional climate. Changes in any one factor did not necessarily cause immediate extinction, but interacting pressures could reduce range, recruitment and resilience.
06 / RANGE & HABITAT
Where and when did Dilophosaurus live?
This archive currently lists About 193 million years ago; Southwestern North America. Fossil or historical occurrence data describe where evidence has been found, not every place the taxon once occupied. Species-level age and range limits still require source-specific review.
Documented geographic range
Southwestern North America. This boundary can change when specimens are reidentified or new localities are published.
Time window
About 193 million years ago, with the final recorded stage listed as Early Jurassic. Rock units and dating uncertainty mean the true biological range may extend beyond the known record.
Environmental setting
The archive uses the broad habitat labels vegetation, prey communities, floodplains and regional climate. These labels help explore related records; a habitat reconstruction requires evidence from individual localities.
07 / FOSSIL EVIDENCE
What evidence supports reconstructions of Dilophosaurus?
Primary record
Several skeletons, tracks and detailed skull studies correct its fictional image.
Comparative anatomy
Preserved structures are compared with close and functionally similar organisms. The method can constrain posture and function, but analogy alone cannot prove colour, behaviour or soft tissue.
Age and locality
Stratigraphy and occurrence records place Dilophosaurus within About 193 million years ago and Southwestern North America. Reworked fossils and uncertain provenance are treated cautiously.
Open entity records
Links below connect the archive to available taxonomic and occurrence records. A matching name does not verify every ecological claim, and related-taxon links provide comparison rather than an exact species match.
08 / DISAPPEARANCE & DEBATE
Why did Dilophosaurus disappear?
Later Early Jurassic ecosystem change replaced its regional fauna.
The last fossil or observation marks the youngest evidence currently known, not necessarily the death of the final individual. Explanations are strongest when timing, environmental change and population biology agree; otherwise the profile preserves uncertainty instead of assigning a single dramatic cause.
09 / FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Dilophosaurus FAQ
What was Dilophosaurus?
This archive records Dilophosaurus under the scientific name Dilophosaurus wetherilli, with an age of About 193 million years ago. Paired head crests advertised this agile predator; there is no evidence for venom or a neck frill.
When did Dilophosaurus live?
The current archive range is About 193 million years ago; its youngest recorded stage is Early Jurassic.
Where was Dilophosaurus found?
The archive currently lists Southwestern North America. Species-level locality assignments and the full geographic range still require source-specific review.
How do scientists know about Dilophosaurus?
Several skeletons, tracks and detailed skull studies correct its fictional image.
04 / SOURCES & FURTHER READING
Check the source record
Use the scientific name to compare taxonomy, occurrence records and the fossil record. Database coverage and classifications may differ.
05 / REVISION HISTORY
How has this record changed?
- Completed an AI-assisted bilingual audit of the archive record, corrected identified issues and clarified evidence limits; independent editorial review is pending.
- Expanded into a structured bilingual profile with anatomy, ecology, range, evidence, debate and FAQs; independent editorial review is pending.
- Verified authoritative entity sources and added three responsive reconstruction sizes.
- Initial bilingual species record published.
06 / CORRECTIONS & ADDITIONS