Dino card No. 0064 of 2,015

Albertosaurus

Say it: al-BER-tuh-SORE-us

Name means: “Alberta lizard”1

Ate: MeatTyrannosaursLate Cretaceous

Albertosaurus was a fierce meat-eater that lived in Canada about 70 million years ago. It was smaller and faster than its famous cousin T. rex, but still one of the top predators of its time.1 2

Lived

86 to 66 million years ago3

Late Cretaceous

Fossils found in

Alberta, Canada, and possibly Montana and Wyoming, USA1 3

Food

Meat1 2

Length

9 to 10 m1 2

Weight

1.3 tonnes to 2.5 tonnes2

Height

3 to 3.5 m1

at the hips

Artist's life restoration of Albertosaurus — How Albertosaurus may have looked, by Durbed. CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Scientists still argue about colours and details.

When did it live?

Triassic

Jurassic

Cretaceous

252 million years ago20114566, the asteroid

How big was it?

cool stuff

Fun facts

Albertosaurus had a short bony crest above its eyes that may have been brightly colored and used to attract a mate.1

Fossils of over 20 Albertosaurus were found together at one site, suggesting they may have hunted in packs.1

Albertosaurus could run up to 30 km/h (about 19 mph) when chasing prey.1

Its skull grew to about 1 metre (3.3 feet) long and held 34 to 38 teeth in the upper jaw and 28 to 32 in the lower jaw.2

The first Albertosaurus fossil was discovered by geologist Joseph Burr Tyrrell in 1884 while he was looking for coal.1 2

Albertosaurus lived in a warm, semi-tropical environment with ferns, conifers, and flowering plants.1 2

Unlike T. rex, Albertosaurus had a lighter build and longer legs, which may have made it a swifter predator.1 2

Myth buster

Myth: Some people think Albertosaurus was just a smaller version of T. rex.

Truth: Albertosaurus belonged to a different subfamily (Albertosaurinae) and had a shorter, lower skull, longer legs, and a bony crest above its eyes, unlike T. rex.1

For dino experts

Scientific name: Albertosaurus
Named by: Osborn 19053
Group: Tyrannosaurs
Family / clade: Tyrannosauridae3
Classification: Theropoda > Tyrannosauroidea > Tyrannosauridae3
Age of the rocks: 86 to 66 million years (Santonian to Maastrichtian)3
Rock formations: Horseshoe Canyon, Judith River, Corral de Enmedio3
Countries: Canada, USA, Mexico3
Fossil records: 32 in the Paleobiology Database3
Discovery: Albertosaurus was first discovered on June 9, 1884, by geologist Joseph Burr Tyrrell along the Red Deer River in Alberta, Canada. He found an incomplete skull with teeth while searching for coal. It was named Albertosaurus by Henry Fairfield Osborn in 1905.1 2 3
Still debated: Scientists debate whether some fossils from Montana and Wyoming belong to Albertosaurus or to a different, unnamed species.1

Where the facts come from

Dinosaur - Albertosaurus sarcophagus - The Australian Museum (australian.museum)
Albertosaurus | The Canadian Encyclopedia (prod-front.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca)
Albertosaurus in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.

Every fact on this page has a number that points to its source. If we got something wrong, sorry, we are dino fans, not a science journal. Tell us at hello@dinowiki.app and we will fix it.