FOR AGES 3 YEARS TO 18 YEARS
At Kidadl we pride ourselves on offering families original ideas to make the most of time spent together at home or out and about, wherever you are in the world. We strive to recommend the very best things that are suggested by our community and are things we would do ourselves - our aim is to be the trusted friend to parents.
We try our very best, but cannot guarantee perfection. We will always aim to give you accurate information at the date of publication - however, information does change, so it’s important you do your own research, double-check and make the decision that is right for your family.
Kidadl provides inspiration to entertain and educate your children. We recognise that not all activities and ideas are appropriate and suitable for all children and families or in all circumstances. Our recommended activities are based on age but these are a guide. We recommend that these ideas are used as inspiration, that ideas are undertaken with appropriate adult supervision, and that each adult uses their own discretion and knowledge of their children to consider the safety and suitability.
Kidadl cannot accept liability for the execution of these ideas, and parental supervision is advised at all times, as safety is paramount. Anyone using the information provided by Kidadl does so at their own risk and we can not accept liability if things go wrong.
Alectrosaurus is an extinct genus of theropod dinosaurs of the superfamily Tyrannosauroidea. The dinosaur of this genus lived in the Late Cretaceous period of Asia around 83-74 million years ago, which is currently the Iren Dabasu Formation. The Greek term Alectrosaurus translates to 'unmarried lizard' or 'alone lizard.' This dinosaur was a well-built ground-dwelling bipedal related to the larger and more advanced Tyrannosaurus. However, the advanced species of Tyrannosaurids did not run very fast while pursuing their prey like the Alectrosaurus. Walter W. Granger, the chief paleontologist of the American Museum of Natural History, led an Asiatic expedition in 1923 to search and extract dinosaur fossils in the grounds of Mongolia. George Olsen, the junior paleontologist, excavated and discovered the AMNH 6554 holotype, which is an almost complete right hind limb, on the 25th of April. With this hind limb, there were also few fragments from two manual unguals and left pes. This group was previously called a long-armed theropod. However, Bradley and Mader in 1989 and Perle in 1977 identified that AMNH 6368's forelimbs did not share traits with Tyrannosauroidea. The length of these dinosaurs was 16 ft (5 m). Charles Gilmore described both the species and genus in 1933.
If you liked reading these fun Alectrosaurus facts, then you need to check out these cool facts about Sauropelta and Chungkingosaurus.
The pronunciation of Alectrosaurus is 'Ahlec-tro-sore-us.'
Alectrosaurus, meaning 'unmarried lizard' or 'alone lizard', is a theropod dinosaur of the phylum Chordata. The discovery of partial Alectrosaurus olseni (Charles Gilmore) specimen material, AMNH 6368 (complete right hind limb), and AMNH 6554, were made in the Iren Dabasu Formation, current-day Inner Mongolia. This carnivore species is a close relative of the Tyrannosaurus rex. There have been more discoveries made of the fossil material of this specimen in the same Iren Dabasu Formation. However, the inclination of the AMNH 6556 specimen belonging to this carnivore group is not clear as this holotype lacks a hind limb material. AMNH 6556 was found in another region but in the same year.
The material Alectrosaurus olseni (Charles Gilmore) dates back to the Late Cretaceous period around 83-74 million years ago.
Alectrosaurus olseni (Charles Gilmore) of the Late Cretaceous period became extinct in the mass extinction event of the Cretaceous-Paleogene period around 66 million years ago.
Alectrosaurus, of the Late Cretaceous, probably lived across present-day Asia. The fossils were found in the Gobi Desert (Mongolia), Navoiy region (Uzbekistan ), Iren Dabasu Formation (Inner Mongolia). The fossil material has been discovered in both Bayan Shireh and Iren Dabasu Formation.
This carnivore, Alectrosaurus, occurred mostly in terrestrial habitats.
It is not known if the Alectrosaurus (GIlmore, 1933) species were social or not. However, this theropod dinosaur might have lived in a group like other dinosaurs.
The average or maximum life expectancy of this specimen is not known.
The reproduction of Alectrosaurus (Dinosauria: Saurischia) was oviparous. However, the breeding process, incubation, and parental care of this specimen are not known.
These tyrannosaurid species were bipedal and medium-sized dinosaurs. The collected material of Alectrosaurus (Dinosauria: Saurischia) has an almost complete hind limb but lacks distal tarsal and other fragmentary elements. When compared to other tyrannosaurids, the hind limbs of these specimens were gracile. The Alectrosaurus' skull was large and had similar features to the Tyrannosaurus rex, but smaller than the T-rex in size. The Alectrosaurus' teeth were extremely notched. The femur (thighbone) and tibia (shinbone) are of the same length, which is a distinction of other tyrannosaurids with the tibia being larger than the femur.
The total number of bones in the Alectrosaurus skeleton is not known. The partial remains that were found are a fragmentary skull, caudal vertebrae, right hind limb, partial maxilla, the right foot's metatarsal, lower jaws, and more elements.
The mode of communication of this dinosaur is unknown. However, the Alectrosaurus species might have communicated through body language, calls, and gestures.
The Alectrosaurus was 16-20 ft (5-6 m) in length and their height was 8 ft (2.5 m). The length of the tibia was 28.7 in (73 cm) and the femur measured up to 28.6 in (72.7 cm). Their relative, Tyrannosaurus rex, is almost twice as long and measured around 40 ft (12.3 m)!
The exact running speed of this tyrannosaurid is unknown. So, it is possible that this species was quiet and fast-moving like other bipedal dinosaurs.
The Alectrosaurus weight range is around 1,000-2,000 lb (454-907 kg).
There is no particular name given to either the male or the female Alectrosaurus olseni yet.
There is no specific name given to baby Alectrosaurus olseni dinosaurs yet.
The diet of the Alectrosaurus olseni was carnivorous. This species might have fed in smaller dinosaurs.
It is unknown how aggressive these tyrannosaurid specimens were.
Alectrosaurus vs gigantoraptor: Gigantoraptor means 'giant seizer' and Alectrosaurus means 'unmarried lizard' or 'alone lizard.' The name is a derivation of Latin terms 'gigantis' or 'gigas' means 'giant' and raptor means 'seizer.' Gigantoraptor is over the size of Alectrosaurus dinosaur but way smaller than Tyrannosaurus measuring around 26-29 ft (8-8.9 m). Wang Jianmin, Tan Lin, Tan Qingwei, Xu, and Zhao Xijin described and named the type species Gigantoraptor erlianensis.
Some genera groups within the Tyrannosauroidea superfamily are Dilong, Moros, Timimus, and Timurlengia. Henry Fairfield Osborn came up with the name Tyrannosaurus and the family name in 1905. This name is a combination of Greek terms, tyrannos meaning 'tyrant' and saurus and 'lizard.' Also, the 'oidea' suffix is a Greek term derivation meaning 'form' and is commonly used Alick Walker, a British paleontologist first publish this superfamily name in the paper in 1964. This superfamily belongs to the Middle Jurassic to Late Cretaceous time period around 166-66 million years ago.
The complete name, Tyrannosaurus rex translates to 'King Tyrant Lizard' or 'tyrant lizard the king.' This name was given due to the size of these species and the recognized dominance of other species of dinosaurs. The new species within this genus called Tyrannosaurus bataar was named by Evgeny Maleev, a Soviet paleontologist in 1955. Some subjects of debate of T. rex are potential speed, physiology, and feeding habits. T. rex was a carnivore and bipedal and had a huge skull balanced on a heavy long tail.
Walter W. Granger, the chief paleontologist of the American Museum of Natural History, led an Asiatic expedition in 1923 to search for fossilized dinosaur materials in regions of Mongolia. George Olsen, the junior paleontologist, discovered AMNH 6554 material, which is an almost complete right hind limb, on the 25th of April and the specific scientific name honors George Olsen.
The Greek term Alectrosaurus means 'unmarried lizard' or 'alone lizard.' Charles Gilmore described and named these species combining the Greek terms for 'alone' and 'lizard' (saurus).
Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly dinosaur facts for everyone to discover! For more relatable content, check out these Puertasaurus facts and Yinlong facts for kids.
You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable Alectrosaurus coloring pages.
Read The Disclaimer
At Kidadl we pride ourselves on offering families original ideas to make the most of time spent together at home or out and about, wherever you are in the world. We strive to recommend the very best things that are suggested by our community and are things we would do ourselves - our aim is to be the trusted friend to parents.
We try our very best, but cannot guarantee perfection. We will always aim to give you accurate information at the date of publication - however, information does change, so it’s important you do your own research, double-check and make the decision that is right for your family.
Kidadl provides inspiration to entertain and educate your children. We recognise that not all activities and ideas are appropriate and suitable for all children and families or in all circumstances. Our recommended activities are based on age but these are a guide. We recommend that these ideas are used as inspiration, that ideas are undertaken with appropriate adult supervision, and that each adult uses their own discretion and knowledge of their children to consider the safety and suitability.
Kidadl cannot accept liability for the execution of these ideas, and parental supervision is advised at all times, as safety is paramount. Anyone using the information provided by Kidadl does so at their own risk and we can not accept liability if things go wrong.
Kidadl is independent and to make our service free to you the reader we are supported by advertising.
We hope you love our recommendations for products and services! What we suggest is selected independently by the Kidadl team. If you purchase using the buy now button we may earn a small commission. This does not influence our choices. Please note: prices are correct and items are available at the time the article was published.
Kidadl has a number of affiliate partners that we work with including Amazon. Please note that Kidadl is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.
We also link to other websites, but are not responsible for their content.
Was this article helpful?
We’ll send you tons of inspiration to help you find a hidden gem in your local area or plan a big day out.
Check your inbox for your latest news from us. You have subscribed to:
Remember that you can always manage your preferences or unsubscribe through the link at the foot of each newsletter.