Dilophosaurus

Dilophosaurus (/daɪˌloʊfəˈsɔːrəs, -foʊ-/[1] dy-LOHF-o-SOR-əs) is a genus of theropod dinosaur that lived

in what is now North America during the Early Jurassic, about 193 million years ago. Three skeletons
were discovered in northern Arizona in 1940, and the two best preserved were collected in 1942. The
most complete specimen became the holotype of a new species in the genus Megalosaurus, named M.
wetherilli by Samuel P. Welles in 1954. Welles found a larger skeleton belonging to the same species in
1964. Realizing it bore crests on its skull, he assigned the species to the new genus Dilophosaurus in
1970, as Dilophosaurus wetherilli. The genus name means "two-crested lizard", and the species name
honors John Wetherill, a Navajo councilor. Further specimens have since been found, including an
infant. Footprints have also been attributed to the animal, including resting traces. Another species,
Dilophosaurus sinensis from China, was named in 1993, but was later found to belong to the genus
Sinosaurus.

At about 7 meters (23 ft) in length, with a weight of about 400 kilograms (880 lb), Dilophosaurus was
one of the earliest large predatory dinosaurs, though it was smaller than some later theropods. It was
slender and lightly built, and though the skull was proportionally large, it was delicate. The snout was
narrow, and the upper jaw had a gap or kink below the nostril. It had a pair of longitudinal, plate-shaped
crests on its skull, similar to a cassowary with two crests. The mandible was slender and delicate at the
front, but deep at the back. The teeth were long, curved, thin, and compressed sideways. Those in the
lower jaw were much smaller than those of the upper jaw. Most of the teeth had serrations at their
front and back edges. The neck was long, and its vertebrae were hollow, and very light. The arms were
powerful, with a long and slender upper arm bone. The hands had four fingers: the first was short but
strong and bore a large claw, the two following fingers were longer and slenderer with smaller claws,
and the fourth was vestigial. The thigh bone was massive, the feet were stout, and the toes bore large
claws.

Dilophosaurus is a member of the family Dilophosauridae along with Dracovenator, a group placed
between the Coelophysidae and later theropods. Dilophosaurus would have been active and bipedal,
and may have hunted large animals, though it could also have fed on smaller animals and fish. The
function of the crests is unknown; they were too weak for battle, but may have been used in visual
display, such as species recognition and sexual selection. It may have grown rapidly, attaining a growth
rate of 30 to 35 kilograms (66 to 77 lb) per year early in life. The holotype specimen had multiple
paleopathologies, including healed injuries and signs of a developmental anomaly. Dilophosaurus is
known from the Kayenta Formation, and lived alongside dinosaurs such as Megapnosaurus and
Sarahsaurus. Dilophosaurus was featured in the novel Jurassic Park and its movie adaptation, wherein it
was given the fictional abilities to spit venom and expand a cowl on its neck, as well as being smaller
than the real animal. It was designated as the state dinosaur of Connecticut in 2017.