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Description
Scientific name: Metriacanthosaurus parkeri
Diet: herbivorous dinosaurs, carcasses (at the Zoo they are fed beef and pork)
Projected natural lifespan: 24 years
Length: 8 meters (~26 feet)
Weight: 1.2 tonnes (~1.3 tons)
Location: Dorset, England (Oxford Clay), 160 Ma (Late Jurassic Oxfordian)
Exhibit: Carnivore Country

About:
Metriacanthosaurus' name means "moderately-spined lizard", even though its neural spines weren't as high as those of other theropods. It was only named so because it was still impressively tall for a dinosaur.

Description and behavior:
Back height aside, Metriacanthosaurus was pretty normal-looking for an allosauroid. Specifically, it belongs in its own family, Metriacanthosauridae, which consists of the most basal allosauroids. Unlike later members, such as Allosaurus, which can hunt anything at any time, metriacanthosaurids are ambush hunters. They hide in plain sight and rely on fate to bring prey into their path. Metriacanthosaurus preferred to hide in the lush forests of its tropical island home, where its green striped body can effectively camouflage itself. This effect is most effective at dawn and dusk, when the dim sunlight coalesces all the green in an area to a few hard to distinguish shades. Ambush hunting allowed Metriacanthosaurus to take prey when they least expect, usually ornithopods; tougher prey such as ankylosaurs or sauropods are rarer treats. But sometimes prey don't wander into Metriacanthosaurus' path, so it would sometimes comb the beaches for the carcasses of dinosaurs and marine life.

At the Zoo:
We have five Metriacanthosaurus at the Carnivore Country exhibit, all males, named Fred, Parker, Al, Sam and Will.

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The behavior is inspired by tigers and cougars.

The skeletal I used belongs to BlueTheDakotaraptor .

The mass estimate comes from Franoys ' chart: www.deviantart.com/franoys/art…

Description
Scientific name: Metriacanthosaurus parkeri
Diet: herbivorous dinosaurs, carcasses (at the Zoo they are fed beef and pork)
Projected natural lifespan: 24 years
Length: 8 meters (~26 feet)
Weight: 1.2 tonnes (~1.3 tons)
Location: Dorset, England (Oxford Clay), 160 Ma (Late Jurassic Oxfordian)
Exhibit: Carnivore Country

About:
Metriacanthosaurus' name means "moderately-spined lizard", even though its neural spines weren't as high as those of other theropods. It was only named so because it was still impressively tall for a dinosaur.

Description and behavior:
Back height aside, Metriacanthosaurus was pretty normal-looking for an allosauroid. Specifically, it belongs in its own family, Metriacanthosauridae, which consists of the most basal allosauroids. Unlike later members, such as Allosaurus, which can hunt anything at any time, metriacanthosaurids are ambush hunters. They hide in plain sight and rely on fate to bring prey into their path. Metriacanthosaurus preferred to hide in the lush forests of its tropical island home, where its green striped body can effectively camouflage itself. This effect is most effective at dawn and dusk, when the dim sunlight coalesces all the green in an area to a few hard to distinguish shades. Ambush hunting allowed Metriacanthosaurus to take prey when they least expect, usually ornithopods; tougher prey such as ankylosaurs or sauropods are rarer treats. But sometimes prey don't wander into Metriacanthosaurus' path, so it would sometimes comb the beaches for the carcasses of dinosaurs and marine life.

At the Zoo:
We have five Metriacanthosaurus at the Carnivore Country exhibit, all males, named Fred, Parker, Al, Sam and Will.

----

The behavior is inspired by tigers and cougars.

The skeletal I used belongs to BlueTheDakotaraptor .

The mass estimate comes from Franoys ' chart: www.deviantart.com/franoys/art…