Dilophosaurus was a theropod that lived during the Jurassic Period around 193 million years ago. This dinosaur was discovered in North America in the 1940’s. In 1964 another specimen was found, and Samuel P Welles discovered this one to have a crest on the head. It was more noticable as it was a larger specimen.
Dilophosaurus Species
The Dilophosaurus was originally lumped with the Genus Megalosaurus before Welles placed it in Dilophosauridae in 1970. The species name is Dilophosaurus wetherilli. The name translates to “Two-Crested Lizard” and wetherilli is in honour of John Wetherill, a Navajo councillor.
Another species was found in China in 1993, Dilophosaurus sinensis, but this was changed to the Genus Sinoraptor.
Where Did Dilophosaurus Come From?
Neotheropoda
This bipedal carnivore, as are most theropods, was discovered in Northern Arizona, North America. It belongs to the group of theropods Neotheropoda, in which Ceoplophysis also belongs. Being in the Jurassic Period, it was likely a top predator in its environment at the time.
What Did Dilophosaurus Look Like?
If you think of Tyrannosaurs as bullky and titanic, and Velociraptor as swift and agile, Dilophosaurus was somewhere in between.
It had a large head in proportion to its body but the skull was delicate. The two crests that give the dinosaur its dinstinctive look may have looked different in the flesh, as they may have been covered in keratin or muscle/skin.
The head also had a slender snout with a gap beneath the nostrils. Its teeth were long, thin and curved, ideal for catching and wounding prey. The Dilophosaurus had a long neck, not sauropod long but long compared to other meat eaters, and its vertebrae were light as they were hollow- like modern birds.
Although seeming to be slim and delicate, the Dilophosaur’s arms were powerful, with long upper arm bones. They had four fingers, the first one having a large claw. The fourth finger was vestigial. The feet had large claws and the animal had large, powerful thigh bones, likely making it an awesome predator when put together.
As you can see from the above guide, the adult Dilophosaurus would tower over an average human.
It is unkown what the crests on its head were used for, however with the relatively weak skull and simple crests, it would not have been used for fighting or defence. It could have been used for dominance and/or sexual displays, however.
What Did Dilophosaurus Eat?
It has been suggested that the animal may have eaten fish, much like the Spinosaurus. This is based on similiarities with the larger predator and modern Gharials, which also eats fish.
Whether it ate fish or terrestrial prey, it seems from the shape of the skull and having stronger teeth at the back, that it would manipulate its prey with the initial bite and finish it once it gets far enough into the mouth.
Palaeontologist Matthew A. Brown published an article in 2021 stating that as this dinosaur had unilateral breathing, like birds and crocodiles, it would have had a high metabolic rate (very active) and as it’s jaws could likely puncture bone, it was more likely to be an apex predator, actively hunting and stalking its prey rather than scavenging. This does not mean it would pass up a fresh kill, of course!
Dilophosaurus in Pop Culture
Most people will recognize the Dilophosaurus as being shown in Jurassic Park in 1993 and more recently Jurassic World: Dominion and Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous.
Did Dilophosaurus have a frill?
There is no evidence of frills on any dinosaur (that I know of!), however the dilophosaurus shown in the Jurassic Park franchise has a similar frill to a frilled lizard, extending out from behind the head in a threatening display to distract its prey as it attacks. A point is brought up in the Jurassic Park novel and movies that the dinosaur species resurrected from the past are not entirely accurate and gaps had to be filled from other species. This brings us neatly to the next question.
Was Dilophosaurus venomous and could it spit?
Again, there is no evidence that Dilophosaurus could spit venom or that any dinosaur species were venomous or toxic. This would be a very difficult thing to preserve in the fossil record!
In all fairness to the designers of the Dilophosaurus in Jurassic Park, we have no idea what a lot of extinct species would have looked like and would likely be surprised at what some were capable of. If you look at the skeleton of modern species it would be difficult to gauge what features they have, for example if you look at a rabbit skull and an elephant’s skull without knowing of the animal, you would be hard pushed to recreate it accuarately.
Was Dilophosaurus bigger than Velociraptor?
Yes, in two ways. In Jurassic Park, the Velociraptor was larger than its real life counterpart and the fictional, venomous Dilophosaurus was smaller than its real life counterpart.
The Velociraptor was a measely 1.6ft high, whereas the Dilophosaurus was 8ft tall.
Velociraptor was up to 6.8ft long ,snout to tail, whereas Dilophosaurus was 20ft long.
Dilophosaurus was actually a medium sized theropod when compared to its cousins.
Dilophosaurus Toys and Merchandise
Here we have a selection of cool and informative Dilophosaurus products to save you the hassle of trawling the internet!
Jurassic World: Dominion Claire and Dilophosaurus Human and Dino Pack with 2 Action Figures and Accessories, Toy Gift Set and Collectible
This two pack action set comes with the classic Jurassic World Dominion Dilophosaurus complete with frill and venom spit, (if you so choose to use it!) and Claire Dearing. This isn’t the uptight Claire we started with in Jurassic World in 2015, this is the kick ass Claire who founded the Dinosaur Protection Group in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, survived the destruction of Isla Nublar and is now determined to help dinosaurs coexist peacefully with humans.
With a GPS Dino Tracker and Tranquilizer Blaster, kids and grown ups alike can recreate their favourite scenes or make their own stories!
Both 3.75 scale figures have realistic sculpting, movable joints and authentic Jurassic World: Dominion style decoration. Create some dramatic displays with the 3.8″ tall Claire and 4.2″ tall dinosaur!
This series of Jurassic World: Dominion toys comes with a code to use with the free Jurassic World Facts app you can download here!
Jurassic World Facts Andoid Jurassic World Facts Apple (iOS)
By finding the hidden DNA code you can scan it with your phone or any smart device with a camera and expand your fun with Jurassic World Augmented Reality!
This helps kids learn in the lab with different modes such as x-ray and thermal. And since it’s AR, you can make the dinosaur appear in any room or location where you’re pointing the camera!
The manufacturer says this is the perfect gift for ages 4 and up but really this is the perfect gift for any age. In fact it seems from reviews that it has been brought for grandparents as well as grandchildren and enjoyed by all!
It’s especially great for any Jurassic World: Dominion fan and all the Jurassic Park fans out there!
Click on the image below to buy the Dilophosaurus and Claire action set, if you dare!
The Noble Collection Jurassic Park Dinosaur Dilophosaurus
Here is a series of Jurassic Park merch all fans of all generations need in their collections! As you can see, this Dilophosaurus is part of a series of three including the original Tyrannosaurus rex and pair of Jurassic Park Velociraptors!
This amazingly detailed model comes with removable scenery and a handy display case, meaning you can create your own awesome Jurassic Park diorama or place it on a shelf with the rest of your dinosaur collection and it looks just as awesome!
Click on the link to image below to purchase this amazing addition to Jurassic Park merchandise:
We will add more products when we get the chance to check them out and bring them to you at Dinosaurs Everywhere. We hope you’ve enjoyed our Dilophosaurus page! Feel free to leave a comment below if you want to discuss Dilophosaurus or anything Dinosaur related!
