Allosaurus vs Sauropelta

A detailed side-by-side comparison of Allosaurus and Sauropelta, covering size, diet, classification, geologic period, and discovery history.

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Side-by-Side Comparison

Property Allosaurus Sauropelta
Scientific Name Allosaurus fragilis Sauropelta edwardsorum
Classification Theropoda Ankylosauria
Period Jurassic Late Cretaceous Early
Diet Carnivore Herbivore
Length 9.7 m 5.2 m
Height 3.5 m 1.5 m
Weight 2.3 t 1.5 t
Discovery Year 1877 1970
Discovery Location Garden Park, Colorado, USA Cloverly Formation, Montana, USA
Named By Othniel Charles Marsh John Ostrom
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Size Comparison

Allosaurus 9.7 m

roughly the length of a large SUV

Sauropelta 5.2 m

roughly the length of a large SUV

Weight Comparison

Allosaurus 2.3 t

comparable to 2.3 small cars

Sauropelta 1.5 t

comparable to 1.5 small cars

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Timeline Comparison

Allosaurus
161.5 Mya Jurassic Late (Mesozoic) 145.0 Mya
Sauropelta
145.0 Mya Cretaceous Early (Mesozoic) 100.5 Mya
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Diet Comparison

Allosaurus

Carnivore

Allosaurus was a meat-eating predator, hunting other animals for food.

Sauropelta

Herbivore

Sauropelta was a plant-eater, feeding on vegetation like ferns, conifers, and cycads.

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Classification Comparison

Allosaurus

Clade: Saurischia

Group: Theropoda

(Beast feet)

Sauropelta

Clade: Thyreophora

Group: Ankylosauria

(Fused lizards)

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Did You Know?

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Allosaurus was about 1.9x longer than Sauropelta.

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Allosaurus was a carnivore while Sauropelta was a herbivore.

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Allosaurus lived during the Jurassic Late while Sauropelta lived during the Cretaceous Early, separated by roughly 0 million years.

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Allosaurus was discovered 93 years earlier, in 1877.

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Allosaurus belonged to Theropoda while Sauropelta belonged to Ankylosauria.

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