Dilophosaurus
Dilophosaurus wetherilli • "Two-Crested Lizard"
Dilophosaurus was a meat-eating theropod from Early Jurassic North America, recognized by a pair of thin bony crests on its skull. The venom and expandable neck frill shown in Jurassic Park are fictional additions, not fossil-supported features.
- Length
- ≈7 m
- Weight
- ≈0.4 t
- Diet
- Carnivore
- Danger
- ★★★★★
Overview
The real-life Dilophosaurus was over 7 meters long—reigning as the apex predator of the Early Jurassic. It possessed twin head crests and strong, agile jaws.
“In 2020, a comprehensive restudy of Dilophosaurus fossils revealed it had powerful jaw muscles and stood over 2 meters tall at the hips, completely debunking the myth that it was a small weak scavenger.”
Key facts
Strengths
- Apex speed and agility of the Early Jurassic ecosystem
- Grasping forelimb dexterity for pinning smaller prey
- Flexible neck and high maneuverability
Weaknesses
- Fragile cranial crests provide no structural combat protection
- Lighter jaw strength than Cretaceous predators
Natural weapons
- Dual parallel delicate cranial crests for species display
- Long flexible grasping arms with sharp thumb claws
- Slender agile jaws with long, slender slicing teeth
Movies vs. science
Myth: Popular films showed it as a small 1-meter dog-sized lizard that spit venom and had an expandable neck frill.
Reality: Real Dilophosaurus was 7 meters long, had no venom, and no neck frill—it was a powerful apex predator.
Size & simulator stats
Estimated at about 7 m long and 400 kg; these are reconstructions from fossil material, not measurements of a complete skeleton.
- Length
- 7 m
- Height
- 2 m
- Weight
- 0.4 t
Illustrative simulator values (not measured biology)
See how Dilophosaurus measures up in the sourced size comparison chart.
Habitat
Seasonal river valleys, arid oasis scrublands, and river floodplains.
Present-day Arizona in the United States.
Diet
Hunted early prosauropods (Sarahsaurus), primitive armored dinosaurs (Scutellosaurus), and fish.
Carnivore. Its teeth and jaws indicate it ate animals; the exact prey is uncertain.
Fossils & discovery
First described from United States in 1942 (Kayenta Formation (Navajo Nation, Arizona)).In 2020, a comprehensive restudy of Dilophosaurus fossils revealed it had powerful jaw muscles and stood over 2 meters tall at the hips, completely debunking the myth that it was a small weak scavenger.
Research sources
Sources checked on by the Dinosaurs Names Editorial Team. Editorial policy
Gallery
Related dinosaurs
Battle Arena
Can anything beat Dilophosaurus?
Send Dilophosaurus into an illustrative matchup against any other species and compare attack, defense, and bite force.
Fight as Dilophosaurus