Allosaurus vs Pteranodon

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

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Side-by-Side Comparison

Property Allosaurus Pteranodon
Scientific Name Allosaurus fragilis Pteranodon longiceps
Classification Theropoda Theropoda
Period Jurassic Late Cretaceous Late
Diet Carnivore Piscivore
Length 9.7 m 1.8 m
Height 3.5 m 0.6 m
Weight 2.3 t 25 kg
Discovery Year 1877 1876
Discovery Location Garden Park, Colorado, USA Smoky Hill Chalk, Kansas, USA
Named By Othniel Charles Marsh Othniel Charles Marsh
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Size Comparison

Allosaurus 9.7 m

roughly the length of a large SUV

Pteranodon 1.8 m

about the size of a human adult

Weight Comparison

Allosaurus 2.3 t

comparable to 2.3 small cars

Pteranodon 25 kg

lighter than a human adult

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Timeline Comparison

Allosaurus
161.5 Mya Jurassic Late (Mesozoic) 145.0 Mya
Pteranodon
100.5 Mya Cretaceous Late (Mesozoic) 66.0 Mya
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Diet Comparison

Allosaurus

Carnivore

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

Pteranodon

Piscivore

Pteranodon was a fish-eater, specialized in catching aquatic prey.

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Classification Comparison

Allosaurus

Clade: Saurischia

Group: Theropoda

(Beast feet)

Pteranodon

Clade: Saurischia

Group: Theropoda

(Beast feet)

Both dinosaurs share a common ancestor within the Theropoda clade.

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Did You Know?

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Allosaurus was about 5.4x longer than Pteranodon.

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Allosaurus weighed roughly 92x more than Pteranodon.

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Allosaurus was a carnivore while Pteranodon was a piscivore.

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Allosaurus lived during the Jurassic Late while Pteranodon lived during the Cretaceous Late, separated by roughly 44 million years.

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Pteranodon was discovered 1 years earlier, in 1876.

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Both belong to the Theropoda clade, making them relatively close relatives.

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Compare With Other Dinosaurs

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