Jurassic Period of the Mesozoic Era, which spanned about
50 million years from about 199.6 million years ago to 145.5
million years ago,
refers to the period that followed the Triassic Period. In this
period, giant
reptiles such as dinosaurs thrived on the land, and ammonites,
in the sea. In
the latter part of the Jurassic Period, birds appeared for the
first time, with
gymnosperms like cycads and Ginkgo thriving.
Scelidosaurus As an herbivorous dinosaur, it
had a rather small head
and small body, being 250 kg in weight and about
4m in height. It walked
on four legs. With its hind legs being longer
than the front legs, it is
thought to have run with its hind legs and to
have walked with its hind
legs to reach and feed on the leaves of tall
trees. Its most prominent
body feature is the oval-shaped dermal scutes on
both its back and tail.
It was discovered both in the U.K. and U.S.A.
Stegosaurus As an herbivorous dinosaur during
the Late Jurassic Period spikes on its tails.
Compared to its large body,
its head was relatively very small, with its
long hind legs and short,
crooked front legs making its back crook
forward. With its large body, it
moved very sluggishly. It is 9 m in height and 2
tons in weight. It was
discovered in the western part of the U.S.A.
Allosaurus
As a carnivorous dinosaur
flourishing in the latter part of the Jurassic
Period, it is known to be
the fiercest predator in the North American
continent. Its feature is the
crests just in front of its eyes. It also had a
sturdy jaw and teeth made
for killing herbivorous or other carnivorous
dinosaurs, as well as the
hand that had sharp claws. It was 3.6 tons in
weight and 14m in height.
And it was discovered in the western part of the
U.S., Portugal and
Australia.
Dilophosaurus As a
carnivorous dinosaur during the
Early Jurassic Period, it had two crests split
in the shape of a V on top
of its head. Its razor-sharp teeth, long and
strong legs, and long claws
were perfect for hunting. Its first toe on its
hand was shaped in the way
to hold a prey, functioning like a thumb. It was
330~450 kg in weight, and
6~7 m in height. It was first reported in the
U.S., with the possibility
of having been discovered in the southern part
of China being
raised.
Image Title: Monolophosaurus at Haenam Dinosaur Museum