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Description

Along with Tyrannosaurus, Velociraptor, and Allosaurus, Ceratosaurus nasicornis is one of the predatory dinosaurs that most people are at least somewhat familiar with. They lived alongside such famous dinosaurs as Allosaurus, Brontosaurus, Bracheosaurus, and Stegosaurus. Ceratosaurus, Allosaurus, and the gigantic Torvosaurus were the three top predators in the late Jurassic floodplains of North America. With far superior numbers, Allosaurus is considered to be the apex predator, ruling the dry territories yet surely giving way when the occasional Torvosaurus interrupted their meals.

Ceratosaurus, on the there hand, seems to have kept to the many waterways in the Morrison Basin. Their powerful jaws have been suggested by some to help them tackle turtles and crocodiles. Their teeth have been found alongside several species of dinosaur, so their diet was likely quite varied.
Their most distinctive feature was the three horns atop their head: one over each eye and the other over the nose. The scientists who discovered it thought they must be for defense and possibly for hunting, but most modern paleontologists believe they would be too fragile for such activity and were probably a colorful display structure. I based the male's horn display on the owl butterflies of modern Central and South America.
And last, but certainly not least; the nesting behavior. To my knowledge, most dinosaur nests discovered have superficially resembled the nests of most modern birds (circular with the eggs exposed to the elements). I chose to have them construct a crocodile-like nest, with the eggs buried under an insulating layer of debris, because of the similarity of their lifestyles. It is also unknown if male Ceratosaurus would have helped the females incubate the young, but since it is a behavior seen in many birds, I chose to keep the male and female together.
Cheers, folks!
-Keenan

Description

Along with Tyrannosaurus, Velociraptor, and Allosaurus, Ceratosaurus nasicornis is one of the predatory dinosaurs that most people are at least somewhat familiar with. They lived alongside such famous dinosaurs as Allosaurus, Brontosaurus, Bracheosaurus, and Stegosaurus. Ceratosaurus, Allosaurus, and the gigantic Torvosaurus were the three top predators in the late Jurassic floodplains of North America. With far superior numbers, Allosaurus is considered to be the apex predator, ruling the dry territories yet surely giving way when the occasional Torvosaurus interrupted their meals.

Ceratosaurus, on the there hand, seems to have kept to the many waterways in the Morrison Basin. Their powerful jaws have been suggested by some to help them tackle turtles and crocodiles. Their teeth have been found alongside several species of dinosaur, so their diet was likely quite varied.
Their most distinctive feature was the three horns atop their head: one over each eye and the other over the nose. The scientists who discovered it thought they must be for defense and possibly for hunting, but most modern paleontologists believe they would be too fragile for such activity and were probably a colorful display structure. I based the male's horn display on the owl butterflies of modern Central and South America.
And last, but certainly not least; the nesting behavior. To my knowledge, most dinosaur nests discovered have superficially resembled the nests of most modern birds (circular with the eggs exposed to the elements). I chose to have them construct a crocodile-like nest, with the eggs buried under an insulating layer of debris, because of the similarity of their lifestyles. It is also unknown if male Ceratosaurus would have helped the females incubate the young, but since it is a behavior seen in many birds, I chose to keep the male and female together.
Cheers, folks!
-Keenan