Fun Daspletosaurus Facts For Kids

Daspletosaurus torosus, was a giant member of the Dinosauria and belonged to the tyrannosaurid family. These dinosaurs were believed to co-exist with the Gorgosaurus, and were often in direct competition with them for hunting territories.

Daspletosaurus was considered to be direct ancestors of the much later appearing Tyrannosaurus rex in the timeline and almost had a similar appearance with specific differences in the size of the feet and the teeth which distinguished them from their larger predecessors.

Skeletal remains of the Daspletosaurus were discovered in Alberta, Canada, and what is now western North America, where there are yet-to-be-identified fossil remains in Montana, USA. In recent years, another relative of the T Rex has been found to occur in the late Cretaceous period which has been named after John R. Horner as Daspletosaurus horneri.

Daspletosaurus were apex predators during their era and were fierce in nature as they dug their sharp teeth in other dinosaurs and made light of the challenge that their surroundings threw at them!

If you like these facts about Daspletosaurus, be sure to check out facts about Gorgosaurus and Spinosaurus too!

Daspletosaurus Interesting Facts

How do you pronounce 'Daspletosaurus'?

This large member of the large carnivorous dinosaurs found in the late cretaceous era was given the name Daspletosaurus, meaning 'frightful lizard' in Greek. The name is pronounced as 'DAS-PLEE-TOE-SORE-US'.

What type of dinosaur was a Daspletosaurus?

According to the various research based on fossils and other remains, this dinosaur specimen was a theropod, like most carnivorous dinosaurs from the cretaceous period. The word 'theropod' translates to 'beast foot', which is derived from the sharp claws and the three-toed feet that are used as an identification of these tyrannosaurids.

In which geological period did the Daspletosaurus roam the earth?

Daspletosaurus torosus were large members of the Tyrannosaurids family and were seen as fierce predators, hence, the name 'frightful lizard', and were considered to exist as evidence suggests, during the late Cretaceous era in North America, and Canada, 77-74 million years ago.

Daspletosaurus torosus occurred in North America and Alberta, Canada, 10 million years ago before the Tyrannosaurus Rex came into existence.

When did the Daspletosaurus become extinct?

According to research based on the fossil evidence of the Daspletosaurus, their natural history dates back to the late Cretaceous era where these species occurred before the Tyrannosaurus Rex and these predators disappeared along with other nonavian dinosaurs at least 65 million years ago in both North America and Canada where most of the fossil remains of this gain lizard has seen discovery.

Where did a Daspletosaurus live?

Daspletosaurus were residents of warm and temperature climates in what is now North America and Canada and shared these living regions with other animals such as crocodiles, turtles, and various carnivorous dinosaurs species, as discovered through the in-depth studies of their fossil remains.

What was a Daspletosaurus' habitat?

The natural habitat of the Daspletosaurus dinosaur species has been assumed to be in areas that were once coastal plains that were surrounded by meandering streams and rivers and this habitat was shared with various other species of animals as specimens of fossils prove.

This frightful lizard was also found in swampy and forested areas as evidence suggests based on their fossils.

Who did a Daspletosaurus live with?

These tyrannosaurus rex relatives were apex predators and according to the specimens found in the process of paleontological researches, had large territories that they would oversee and they preyed upon smaller or larger animals and dinosaurs, and hence, are considered to be an extremely territorial species that are assumed to exist solitary.

How long did a Daspletosaurus live?

The lifespan of the Daspletosaurus dinosaurs species is unknown due to a lack of research and hence, an accurate or even an estimated lifespan for these dinosaurs cannot be stated.

How did they reproduce?

Not much information is available to make any sort of assumption regarding the reproductive process of these dinosaurs. Because of this lack of data, the sexual maturity of the adult, gestation period, or breeding seasons cannot be described.

Daspletosaurus Fun Facts

What did a Daspletosaurus look like?

Daspletosaurus came before the tyrannosaurus rex and were the apex predators prior to them. According to various skeletal remains found over the years, which include the Daspletosaurus skull, legs, and small parts of the body, it is assumed that this dinosaur was a large beast and had a solidly built body that was stocky and powerful.

According to found specimens of bones, this dinosaur had teeth larger than most of the members of the tyrannosaurids family, and the Tyrannosaurinae subfamily and the teeth were even larger than that of the Tyrannosaurus rex!

The tooth of this giant lizard was sharp and was curved with saw-edges and it has a pair of small, two-fingered hands protruding from the side of the body.

The skull of this dinosaur was large and it had a muscular tail that is often used to thwart off predators or fight prey. The skull is considered to be around 2-3 ft (0.6-0.9 m) long.

How many bones did a Daspletosaurus have?

The exact count of the body formation and the number of bones found in the body of this dinosaur is unknown as there has not been enough discovery of the fossilized remains of this dinosaur to put an estimate on the number of bones present in their bodies.

How did they communicate?

Due to a lack of specific information, the communication method of the Daspletosaurus dinosaur is unknown. However, it can be stated that these dinosaurs, like most members of the Tyrannosaurinae subfamily, were loud and their shrieks were enough to terrify nearby animals.

How big was a Daspletosaurus?

The Daspletosaurus size has been estimated to be around 3-4 ft (0.9-1.2 m) in body height and 26.2-29.5 ft (8-9 m) in body length. Compared to the identification of other dinosaurs of that era, this Theropoda is considered to be one of the largest dinosaurs in existence.

How fast could a Daspletosaurus move?

The movement speed of the Dasletosaurus torosus is unknown as of now, but it can be estimated that these creatures were able to transverse a large length of distance thanks to their body size and large feet.

How much did a Daspletosaurus weigh?

The Daspletosaurus torosus is estimated to weigh between 3968.3-8377.5 lb (1799.9-3799.9 kg) and they grew each year by 180 kg, which is 10% of the final weight as an adult.

What were the male and female names of the species?

There are no particular names assigned to the male and female of the Daspletosaurus torosus.

What would you call a baby Daspletosaurus?

No specific name can be applied to the baby Daspletosaurus.

What did they eat?

Daspletosaurus was carnivorous and a large chunk of their diet consisted of small animals and even larger herbivorous dinosaurs. According to the Daspletosaurus skeleton discovered, one of the prey that was identified was a duck-billed hadrosaur.

These dinosaurs coexisted with another tyrannosaurid, known as the Gorgosaurus and they often fought each other over hunting territories, which consisted of various animals that were a part of the diet for both the Daspletosaurus and the Gorgosaurus.

How aggressive were they?

Daspletosaurus were aggressive tyrannosaurid and fierce predators that often preyed on large herbivorous dinosaurs. There have been various teeth marks found on the skeletal remains of this dinosaur which are seen as a sign of them being attacked in retribution by smaller dinosaurs who they often preyed upon.

Did you know...

As of now, 15 different specimens of this dinosaur have been discovered around which much of the study is based upon.

Daspletosaurus is believed to have even preyed upon the much fierce yet docile triceratops!

Where was Daspletosaurus found?

The first instance of this dinosaur being discovered was back in 1921 when Charles M Sternberg mistakenly discovered the Daspletosaurus when he was looking for Gorgosaurus remains. In 1970, Dale Russell, an American-Canadian geologist, named this species Daspletosaurus.

After Dale Russell named them, these dinosaurs were described as a new species and more skeletal remains were found in the Oldman Formation of Alberta, Canada.

Daspletosaurus vs. T Rex

Daspletosaurus torosus is widely accepted as the ancestor of the T. Rex and the only difference between them is that the Daspletosaurus had larger teeth, with smaller feet and long arms, and were much more muscular and sturdy in comparison to the T Rex.

However, if it comes down to a showdown between the two, the T Rex would be able to easily defeat a Daspletosaurus because of its larger body size which is estimated to be between 36-39.3 ft (11-12 m) compared to the 26.2-29.5 ft (8-9 m) body length of the Daspletosaurus.

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 Alectrosaurus fun facts, or Utahraptor facts for kids.

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

Image two by Jonathan Chen.