Fun Duriavenator Facts For Kids

Are you interested to know about pre-historic animals like the different kinds of dinosaurs that existed on our planet. Don't worry, we have found the perfect dinosaur to quench your curiosity. We present to you the Duriavenator - a disputed dinosaur often confused with the giant lizard-like dinosaur, Megalosaurus.

The Duriavenator (previously called Megalosaurus hesperis) is one of the oldest known dinosaurs to have walked on the surface of the planet. These were dangerous reptiles that existed in the Jurassic age almost 170 million years ago.

The peak Jurassic age is remarked by the existence of a wide number of dinosaur species that existed on earth. The Duriavenator was a dangerous predator. It was a deadly carnivore that fed on other smaller animals and likely other small dinosaurs.

As of now only one specimen of the Duriavenator has been found in England. Not much is known about this dinosaur owing to limited information.

Few parts of the body like the skull, the jaws and parts of the vertebrae have been excavated. A lot more would be known if other specimens of the Duriavenator (previously called Megalosaurus hesperis and even Walkersaurus hesperis) is found.

If you find our content interesting then do check out - Eocarcharia and Harpymimus.

Duriavenator Interesting Facts

How do you pronounce 'Duriavenator'?

A Duriavenator is pronounced as 'Du-ree-vein-a-tor'.

What type of dinosaur was a Duriavenator?

The Duriavenator was a theropod dinosaur that belonged to the family of Megalosauridae (hence, they were previously mistaken and put under Megalosaurus hesperis). Due to limited fossils, the fossil of this dinosaur led to many assumptions.

It was considered a part of Megalosaurus hesperis, and this hunter was even considered a Walkersaurus hesperis. However, both the Walkersaurus and Megalosaurus claims were disputed as Roger B. J. Benson moved this dinosaur under its own genus back in 2008.

In which geological period did Duriavenator roam the earth?

The Duriavenator is one of the oldest known dinosaurs to have roamed on our planet. These dinosaurs are said to have been present almost 170 million years ago and they existed during the Bajocian age which was during the middle Jurassic period of the geographical age of the time. Hence, not many fossils could be found of this hunter.

When did the Duriavenator become extinct?

Owing to very limited data and information being available on the Duriavenator, it is extremely difficult to know the exact timeframe during which these species of dinosaurs became extinct. Often it was been found out in various researches that each species of dinosaurs have supposedly survived and walked on our planet for almost 10 million years.

Therefore, based on the following fact, we can assume that the Duriavenator became extinct almost 160 million years ago in the Jurassic period of the Mesozoic era.

Where did Duriavenator live?

Not much is known about the exact location as to where the Duriavenator roamed the earth. Very few pieces of evidence in the form of fossil remains and bones have been excavated from England, making England one of the most pinpointed locations where this species of one of the oldest known dinosaurs could have lived.

Other locations are currently unknown, however, we can expect new places to pop up once more discoveries happen.

What was the Duriavenator's habitat?

Though the exact details of the habitat of the Duriavenator are currently unknown, we can make an attempt to know more about the same based on a wide number of factors. The Duriavenator lived during the Bajocian age of the Jurassic period of the Mesozoic era.

Understanding the climatic conditions of the Jurassic age will give us an insight into the habitat of the Duriavenator.

During the Jurassic period, the separation of the seven continents and the landmasses were still ongoing, which meant that the water level in the seas and the oceans were significantly higher in respect to today's world.

The climate was much warmer and humid in nature which facilitated the significant growth of plants all over the world. Therefore we can assume that the habitat of the Duriavenator was likely to be temperate grasslands along with dense forests and inland areas.

Who did Duriavenator live with?

The presence of very little information has made it very difficult to make it understand whether the Duriavenator (previously called Megalosaurus hesperis) lived a solitary life or stayed in a herd. But, we can compare it with the social lives of theropods in general.

The presence of multiple fossils of dinosaurs of different age groups has led scientists to believe that theropods might have lived in groups. Therefore, we can assume that the Duriavenator too might have lived in family groups.

How long did a Duriavenator live?

It is very difficult to make an estimate about the lifespan of the Duriavenator as very little is known about this reptile species. Early dinosaurs like the large sauropods had a great lifespan of around 300 years, but the theropods had a relatively lesser lifespan of around 30-70 years.

Thus, we can assume that the Duriavenator (previously called Megalosaurus hesperis) too had a lifespan of around 30-50 years.

How did they reproduce?

Just like all reptiles that are present in today's world, dinosaurs too were born from eggs. All dinosaurs laid eggs. It is understood that since birds have evolved from them, so dinosaurs too had mating organs similar to birds. The eggs were fertilized internally and after proper incubation, the young ones hatched.

Duriavenator Fun Facts

What did Duriavenator look like?

Only one specimen of the Duriavenator has been found to date. And in that specimen, just a few portions of the entire dinosaur have been obtained.

The exact anatomy of this dinosaur would be known accurately once the entire specimen of the species is found. As of now, only the skull, jaw, and a few parts of the body have been found.

These other parts include the right surangular, premaxillae, and some parts of the vertebrae. It is assumed that they had strong teeth to crush and tear the flesh of their prey.

How many bones did a Duriavenator have?

It is impossible to make an assumption of the total number of bones that the Duriavenator had in its body due to insufficient data. The total skeleton of the Duriavenator is yet to be discovered and excavated. As of now only a few portions of the skull and the vertebrae have been discovered.

How did they communicate?

The exact means by how the Duriavenator communicated is extremely difficult to say. However, scientists have narrowed it down to basic body movements, behavior, and vocal soundings as the means by which the Duriavenator communicated amongst themselves.

Cracking and croaking sounds were likely the vocal sounds while body dance movements as a part of courtship ritual might have been popular among these ancient reptiles.

How big was the Duriavenator?

It is assumed that the Duriavenator size reached 23 ft (7 m). It was way bigger than an Alxasaurus.

How fast could a Duriavenator move?

The speed at which the Duriavenator moved is currently unknown. As the Duriavenator were carnivores and were extremely agile hunters, we can assume that they might have possessed considerable speed to catch their prey and an even higher sprinting speed for short bursts.

How much did a Duriavenator weigh?

It is estimated that the Duriavenator weight was roughly around 1102 lb (500 kg).

What were the male and female names of the species?

There are no distinct names that have been assigned to males and females of this species. They are just referred to as a male Duriavenator and a female Duriavenator.

What would you call a baby Duriavenator?

All dinosaur babies are known as hatchlings, as they hatch from eggs. The same is the case with the Duriavenator. They are also known as hatchlings, or more accurately a baby Duriavenator is known as a Duriavenator hatchling.

What did they eat?

The Duriavenator was a carnivore, feeding on the flesh of other animals. Thus we can assume it used to hunt other smaller animals and baby dinosaurs.

How aggressive were they?

Most of the predatory dinosaurs were aggressive in nature in a fit to effectively hunt and capture their prey. It can also be said for the Duriavenator. These dinosaurs could have been aggressive during territory defending and also during the mating season when males used to fight with one another to win the attention of the female.

Did You Know...

This species of ancient reptiles was formerly known as Megalosaurus hesperis.

Why are they called Duriavenator?

The name Duriavenator has been named by Roger Benson. The name has been derived from Duria that is Latin for Dorset and venator means hunter. Therefore the name has its roots in Latin for hunter venator. Hence, the name, when combined means Dorset Hunter.

How many specimens of Duriavenator were discovered?

As of now, only one specimen has been found by scientists and excavators of the Duriavenator.

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 Aoniraptor facts or Anserimimus facts for kids.

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

Image one by Nobu Tamura.

Image two by Mariomassone.