Fun Appalachiosaurus Facts For Kids

The Appalachiosaurus was a theropod and a tyrannosauroid dinosaur. It was one of the Tyrannosaurs that was alive during the Campanian stage's middle period in the late Cretaceous period.

These Appalachiosaurus dinosaurs went extinct about 80-76 million years ago. The type specimen of the Appalachiosarus was found by David King, a geologist, in 1982.

The fossil material was found in the Demopolis Chalk formation in central Alabama in the United States. The Appalachiosaurus dinosaur and the primitive island it inhabited have both been named for mountain ranges of the Appalachia region in eastern or southeastern North America.

The Appalachiosaurus was a bipedal dinosaur with stunted arms that had two fingers along with a long and narrow skull. It was also a ferocious predator that fed on the Hadrosaurus, smaller dinosaurs, and mammals.

It lived in wooded rainforest-type areas with ample tree canopy. Cover of trees was used by the Appalachiosaurus to ambush its prey.

For more relatable content, check out these Chungkingosaurus facts and Puertasaurus facts for kids.

Appalachiosaurus Interesting Facts

How do you pronounce 'Appalachiosaurus'?

Appalachiosaurus is pronounced as 'Ah-pah-lay-chee-oh-sore-us'.

What type of dinosaur was an Appalachiosaurus?

The Appalachiosaurus (Appalachiosaurus montgomeriensis) was a tyrannosauroid and a theropod dinosaur.

In which geological period did the Appalachiosaurus roam the Earth?

The Appalachiosaurus (Appalachiosaurus montgomeriensis) lived during the middle period of the Campanian age of the late Cretaceous period.

When did the Appalachiosaurus become extinct?

The Appalachiosaurus ('Appalachian lizard') became extinct 80-76 million years ago.

Where did an Appalachiosaurus live?

Appalachiosaurus fossils have been found in eastern North America, in the United States. Specifically, the type specimen has been located in central Alabama, in the Demopolis Chalk formation.

Fossil remains of a type specimen have also been assigned to the Appalachiosaurus montgomeriensis from the Tar Heel-Coachman and the Donoho Creek formations in states of North Carolina and South Carolina. The Appalachiosaurus montgomeriensis probably lived in what is now the Appalachian mountain region in Montgomery County of Alabama.

The dinosaur obviously gets its name from the Appalachian mountain range of North America. The primitive island where the Appalachiosaurus lived is also called the Appalachia Island.

What was an Appalachiosaurus' habitat?

Big seeds that were found in the Appalachian region in Alabama suggest that the Appalachiosaurus must have lived in an environment that was or at least resembled a rainforest. Closed canopies also existed in these habitats. The Appalachiosaurus could have also inhabited forests that were densely wooded and enclosed.

These types of habitats and the dinosaur's medium size would have made the Appalachiosaurus an ambush predator, since dense forests may have limited its speed, causing it to wait behind the cover of trees to ambush its prey. There may have been sustained long-distance chases too.

Who did an Appalachiosaurus live with?

Since they were meat-eaters, these Appalachiosaurus tyrannosaurs probably lived in groups, but they were stealthy and ferocious predators which may mean that they hunted alone as well.

How long did an Appalachiosaurus live?

The exact lifespan of the Appalachiosaurus dinosaur is not known, but being a carnivore, it probably lived on the lower end of the 30-80 year range.

How did they reproduce?

The Appalachiosaurus dinosaur ('Appalachian lizard') reproduced by mating and egg-laying.

Appalachiosaurus Fun Facts

What did an Appalachiosaurus look like?

The type specimen of the Appalachiosaurus was of an individual that was a juvenile who was only two-thirds grown, not of a complete adult. The skull of the Appalachiosaurus montgomeriensis was long and narrow.

The jaw was shallow and short. Its arms were stunted and had two fingers. Not much is known about forelimbs of the Appalachiosaurus, but as it is a tyrannosaurid, it probably had two-fingered hands and small forelimbs.

However, earlier reconstructions of the Appalachiosaurus gave it three fingers on long arms. Complete museum mounts that had shown three fingers on the arm have been corrected to show two.

Much like the Asian Alioramus Altai arrangement, the North American tyrannosaur Appalachiosaurus probably had six crests on the top side of its lengthy snout.

The original specimen of the Appalachiosaurus was discovered in 1982. Paleontologists only found out that the Appalachiosaurus montgomeriensis was a completely new genus and species in 2005.

To date, only partial Appalachiosaurus skeletal remains, which include the mandible or lower jaw, the skull, a few vertebrae, the partial pelvis, and mostly both hind limbs and feet. Remains of the Appalachiosaurus skeleton are housed in Birmingham, Alabama's McWane Science Center.

What indicated to paleontologists that the specimen was not an adult was bones on the skull which had open sutures between them.

Several elements and bones of this new genus and species specimen appeared to be crushed but that didn't hamper any of the information or unique characteristics from being discovered. An unusual protrusion has been seen on its feet claws, on the end that is nearest to the body.

The Appalachiosaurus is quite different and further derived from the Dryptosaurus, another eastern North American early tyrannosaur with similar classification. There have also been some reports of one humerus which had no forelimb material that was ascribed to the Appalachiosaurus.

How many bones did an Appalachiosaurus have?

It is unclear how many bones the Appalachiosaurus theropod actually had.

How did they communicate?

The way Appalachiosaurus dinosaurs communicated with each other is rather speculative. They had to have used vocal and visual cues. They may have used hoots, grunts, and bellows along with mating, posturing, and territorial displays.

How big was an Appalachiosaurus?

The Appalachiosaurus size was at least 23 ft (7 m) in length, which makes it two times smaller than the Ampelosaurus.

How fast could an Appalachiosaurus move?

These Appalachiosaurus dinosaurs reached maximum speeds of 8.1 mph (13 kph).

How much did an Appalachiosaurus weigh?

The Appalachiosaurus weighed over 1,300 lb (589.7 kg).

What were the male and female names of the species?

Males and females of the Appalachiosaurus genus and species did not have specific names. It would be correct to add the 'saurus' suffix to male names and the 'saura' suffix to female names.

What would you call a baby Appalachiosaurus?

A baby of the Appalachiosaurus genus and species of dinosaurs would be called a hatchling or a nestling.

What did they eat?

These dinosaurs of the Appalachiosaurus species and genus were voracious top predators and are known to have fed on hadrosaurs, other dinosaurs, early mammals, and other animals.

Evidence has suggested that they may have been preyed on or at least scavenged upon by the Deinosuchus.

How aggressive were they?

Appalachiosaurus dinosaurs, being ambush predators, were some of the most aggressive animals of their time. They hid behind the cover of trees and ambushed oncoming prey. They may have also indulged in long chases, but wooded habitats may have hampered their speeds. Either way, these late Cretaceous period dinosaurs were top predators of their time despite their medium size.

It is unclear, however, how aggressive Appalachiosaurus dinosaurs were with each other. It has been suggested that juveniles of this species of tyrannosauroid dinosaurs may have been fatally aggressive towards one another.

Did you know...

The generic name of the Appalachiosaurus is the Greek 'sauros' ('lizard'). 'Saurus' is the suffix most commonly applied to dinosaur names. Apart from sauros (lizard), there is also the specific name 'montgomeriensis' which comes from Alabama's Montgomery County. The genus and the species were both named by paleontologists David Schwimmer, Thomas Williamson, and Thomas Carr in the year 2005.

The Appalachiosaurus dinosaur had a bite force close to 7,193 lb per sq. in (505.7 kg per sq. cm).

The Asian Alioramus existed in Asia in the late Cretaceous period.

Who discovered the Appalachiosaurus?

The type specimen of the Appalachiosaurus was discovered in July 1982 by a geologist named David King from the Auburn University in eastern North America. After its discovery, the dinosaur was named after the Appalachia region, which is also the name of the primitive island where it lived.

Both the island and the dinosaur are named after the Appalachian mountain range.

The generic name also includes the Greek word 'sauros' ('lizard'), the most common suffix used in dinosaur names. There is one known species, A. montgomeriensis, which is named after Montgomery County in the U.S. state of Alabama. Both the genus and the species were named in 2005 by paleontologists Thomas Carr, Thomas Williamson, and David Schwimmer.

Did the Appalachiosaurus take care of their babies?

There has been no clear evidence or research to suggest that any form of parental care was provided by the Appalachiosaurus to its babies.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly dinosaur facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other dinosaurs from our Austroraptor interesting facts and Yinlong fun facts for kids pages.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable Appalachiosaurus coloring pages.

Main image by FunkMonk (Michael B. H.).

Second image by Jonathan Chen.