geologise:

Ceratosaurus skull lateral view (by taburinsdino)

Ceratosaurus nasicornis (meaning “horned lizard”) was a predatory dinosaur that lived during the late Jurassic Period. As typical to theropod dinosaurs, Ceratosaurus had a very large head, smaller forelimbs, a long tail, very powerful hind limbs, and small dermal armour running down the length of its back. The teeth of Ceratosaurus are very long and blade-like.

What is most characteristic to his theropod is the horn-like ridges that run on the top of the animal’s head, which are created due to the nasal bones protruding out of the skull, with smaller ridges created over the eyes from the lacrimal bones. Most likely, the horns were used to attract mates, along for territorial purposes against other Ceratosaurus males; making the chances of the horns . It is also (less) theorised the horns could have been used for mild fighting mechanisms during a battle for breeding rights between males.

Ceratosaurus is estimated to weigh around 1 ton, with a general length of 25 feet, and 8 feet in height. Skeletons have been found in North America, Tanzania, and Portugal.

(via scientificillustration)