Utah State Fossil - Allosaurus
The Allosaurus was designated the State Fossil in 1988 (Utah Code). More Allosaurus specimens have been found in two of Utah's quarries than any other dinosaur. Sixty individuals, from juveniles to adults, were found at one site in Utah.
There are different meanings of the word Allosaurus: "Different Lizard" and "Strange Reptile." Allosaurus was a carnosaur, one of the groups of theropod meat-eaters. The Allosaurus was the predominant North American predator during the Late Jurassic. This dinosaur was large and probably too bulky to move at speed over any distance, however, the large sauropods and stegosaurs on which it fed were not fast-moving themselves. It measured around 16.5 ft. in height and 39 ft. in length and its skull more than 3 ft. long; its jaws were lined with serrated, back-curved teeth and it weighed in at about 4 tons.
Utah's Dinosaurs
- Allosaurus fragilis (Utah Museum of Natural History, University of Utah)
- "Dinosaur Rush" Created Excitement in Uinta Basin (Utah History to Go)
- Dinosaurs & Fossils: Jurassic Dinosaurs of Utah (Utah Geological Survey)
- Dinosaurs of Utah (Utah Education Network)
- Dinosaurs of Utah (Utah History Encyclopedia)
- NHMU Top Dinosaurs (Utah Museum of Natural History, University of Utah)
- Preshistoric Museum Hall of Paleontology (The College of Eastern Utah Prehistoric Museum)
- Utah Field House of Natural History State Park Museum (Utah State Parks)
Learn more about the Allosaurus
- Allosaurus (Rare Resource)
- Allosaurus fragilis, Theropod Dinosaur (Digital Morphology, University of Texas at Austin)
- Allosaurus Jurassic Dinosaur (The Virtual Fossil Museum)
- Allosaurus: World's No. 1 Predatory Dinosaur, Dinosaur Central (Discovery Channel)
- Dinosaurs for Kids: Allosaurus (Dino-Database, KidsKnowIt Network)