Fun Proceratosaurus Facts For Kids

The Proceratosaurus bradleyi species was an unusual animal with a long neck and tail.

It walked on two legs, but at first glance, you might think it was four-legged as its front feet ended in large claws that were good for walking over rough terrain or digging into dirt to search and find food and its diet underground like other carnivores.

The Proceratosaurus name meaning 'big jaws' explains a lot! The Proceratosaurus bradleyi had the largest neck out of any genus members that has ever existed.

That's right, folks; they were so big and heavy their jaw muscles could fully extend past where our heads would be if we tried to swallow them!

One thing that sets this creature apart from others in its genus is two spikes on either side of the head (kinda like a Rhino’s horn). This crest would have been used for protection against predators.

It's pretty obvious that this dinosaur was not actually a ceratopsian but definitely closely related. It might have had a horn, but they were on its nose and antennae!

What is also worth noting are the small sail-like structures behind each eye.

These could be what gave it an appearance range similar to modern-day crocodiles or alligators in general. Proceratoaursus bradleyi of the family Proceratosauridae also had thick scales giving off an appearance similar to that of today's rhinoceros or elephant!

This prehistoric creature was found in what is now England, and North America during the Middle Jurassic period. It had very small eyes in its skull, but it could see just fine because of them!

Find more relatable and exciting facts about the Huayangosaurus and Orodromeus for kids!

Proceratosaurus Interesting Facts

How do you pronounce 'Proceratosaurus'?

It is correctly pronounced as 'pro-sae-rato-saw-rus'. The name Proceratosaurus meaning refers to 'big jaw'. The Proceratosaurus tyrannosauroid was a large, meat-eating dinosaur that walked on two legs and had huge gaping jaws filled with sharp teeth.

What type of dinosaur was a Proceratosaurus?

Proceratosaurus bradleyi tyrannosauroid was a theropod that could take on all of its prey at once!

The fossil recovered by researchers of this beast had huge hands with sharp claws known to be used for grabbing its prey, and teeth so big they looked like garden shears.

It also had armor plating in key areas such as the head or crest which might have helped protect this animal from getting eaten itself when fighting larger range animals during times where food sources were scarce despite the tremendous populations of creatures around!

In which geological period did the Proceratosaurus roam the Earth?

There is a whole bunch of information about this known Middle Jurassic Period dinosaur species in the history of a similar size that has stunned paleontologists like Woodward (1910). One, in particular, the Proceratosaurus bradleyi of the family Proceratosauridae has interesting features and history surrounding its discovery and identification as well that your kids will love later.

When did the Proceratosaurus become extinct?

The Proceratosaurus is a creature that once roamed the Earth. It lived at least 100 million years ago, during the Middle Jurassic period, and became extinct sometime around 93-92 million years ago.

Where did a Proceratosaurus live?

In the animal kingdom, there are many different habitats for all sorts of creatures. Some may live on land and others at sea or even high up in mountains!

The Proceratosaurus was no exception as they dwelled somewhere between these two extremes. They were often found near rivers where you could search and find plenty of freshwater fish just waiting around, like prey items that would be easy pickings if they came across one during their hunt!

What was a Proceratosaurus's habitat?

The Proceratosaurus was a carnivore that inhabited England, and Africa in the Middle Jurassic era, around 160 million years ago. It had small arms and short legs like most of its relatives from the genus Paraceratops but it also walked on all fours much like an Ikarusuchus!

Who did a Proceratosaurus live with?

The Proceratosaurus was a rare find. It lived with a group of its own kind that was genetically similar to it and not too different from other theropod creatures in its region of ​​the world, according to paleontologists like Woodward at the University College London (UCL) who recently detailed their findings for 'Science Magazine'.

How long did a Proceratosaurus live?

The Proceratosaurus was an ancient animal that lived for about 40 years. It is unclear what it ate or where its nest lay, but considering how old this group of carnivore's fossil skull recovered by researchers was when it died (approaching 50), it must have had a long and fruitful life!

How did they reproduce?

The Proceratosaurus is a bizarre, but fascinating animal. The first thing you should know about this dinosaur's anatomy is its mating habits. No one knows for sure because there humans have never seen any live ones! However, it has been speculated that these creatures may have had mated in their habitat and then later, the females laid eggs.

Proceratosaurus Fun Facts

What did a Proceratosaurus look like?

What did a Proceratosaurus of the order Saurischia look like? We have one word for you: terrifying.

You know all those early horrible creature features in horror movies where they initially show some no-neck prehistoric monster with spikes on its head and tail, roaring at the camera while melting into darkness--that's what this thing would've looked like if it still existed today!

The Proceratosaurus brain above the nasal cavity in the skull fossil had a very sharp crest and it was a super interesting animal of history.

Proceratosaurus teeth were sharp and very efficient. With powerful jaws lined with long sharp teeth it could easily bring down large herbivores and early prehistoric humans alike!

The Proceratosaurus skull fossil crest was roundish and very strong. It had a very strong and prominent nasal bone along with two feet.

How many bones did a Proceratosaurus have?

The ancient Proceratosaurs of the Jurassic era is believed to have a carnivore diet and had 330 bones along with a strong skull and a nasal bone in its body.

How did they communicate?

This Ceratosaurus is an extinct genus-group of prosauropod from the Jurassic time. They had no vocal cords and couldn't speak, but instead communicated by having heat-sensing plates on their heads like some kind of cyborg dinosaur!

How big was a Proceratosaurus?

The Proceratosaurus size was moderate for the Jurassic time as seen in the features of the preserved fossils. The Proceratosaurus height touched 7 ft (2.13 m) and it had a length of 9.8 ft (3 m).

How fast could a Proceratosaurus move?

The Proceratosaurus speed of this dinosaur was mind-blowing! The Proceratosaurus theropod was one of the fastest theropods alive in Jurassic times. It could outrun any other early and primitive categories of ceratosaurus relatives on Earth, including velociraptors and raptors! It could reach speeds over 40 mph (64.3 kph) as estimated from the preserved fossils!

How much did a Proceratosaurus weigh?

It's hard to imagine what the prehistoric equivalent from the Jurassic times of an elephant would look like, but it might just be the primitive tyrannosauroidea Proceratosaurus. This creature weighed 3330.6 lb (150 kg)!.

What were the male and female names of the species?

Both females and males of this dinosaurs species of England are known as Proceratosaurus with no specific scientific terms!

What would you call a baby Proceratosaurus?

This group of dinosaurs babies of the family Proceratosauridae had a horn are simply known as Proceratosaurus theropod babies!

What did they eat?

This ancient tyrannosauroidea Ceratosaurus species of the Jurassic era was known for its appetite. It fed on fish and small birds but also smaller theropods.

How aggressive were they?

They were like a bull in the ring or a later angry football cheering section. A Proceratosaurus from the Jurassic time was just as vicious and combat-ready among its distant relative ceratopsians. These theropods had tough shells that would have given them protection against most threats they faced while still leaving them vulnerable enough!

Did you know...

Are Proceratosaurus and T rex related? The answer is yes, but not in a way we would have expected. They both have scaly skin and scary teeth.

Is the Proceratosaurus related to the T-rex?

It's a possibility. There have been studies that show certain Ceratosaurus tyrannosaurs from the Jurassic era that were found in current-day England may share some characteristics with one another, like having feathered or scaly skin and being herbivores (plant-eaters).

It is possible the Proceratosaurus existed among the other related tyrannosaurs such as Tyrannosaurus rex. In addition, they both had large heads!

What environment did the Proceratosaurus live in?

It's hard to say for sure, but it was most likely a small aquatic or semiaquatic lifestyle that Proceratosaurs enjoyed. They had a large skull, mouth, and long snouts perfect for catching fish!

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 facts and Zuniceratops facts pages.

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

Main image by Nobu Tamura

Second image by Derdadort