Allosaurus: The first dinosaur featured on screen 

Are you a fan of science-fiction? If yes, then you may have read British author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s 1912 novel ‘The Lost World’. In 1925, it was adapted to a silent film by the same name. Directed by American screenwriter and film director Harry O. Hoyt, the movie featured American actor Wallace Beery as Professor Challenger. However, the film’s real star was Allosaurus – a prehistoric, gigantic dinosaur. It was the first dinosaur to have been featured in a film, much before the Jurassic Park series! Does that sound intriguing? Let’s find out more about it.

The Lost World at a glance
The story starts with Paula White visiting Professor Challenger in London. She carries her father’s journal, which has sketches of dinosaurs. Looking at the journal, Professor Challenger publicly announces that dinosaurs still exist and goes on a group expedition to Maple White Land, an imaginary volcanic plateau in the Amazonian jungles of Brazil. Paula and other volunteers accompany him. However, this team is attacked by Allosaurus, which approaches the campground after attacking other dinosaurs. 

The Gigantic Lizard
In the Late Jurassic Period, between 144 and 159 million years ago, there was a gigantic carnivorous dinosaur called Allosaurus. It was named from a combination of two Greek words – ‘allos’ meaning ‘different’ and ‘sauros’ implying ‘lizard’ or ‘reptile.’ Initially, it was named Antrodemus, by renowned American palaeontologist Joseph Leidy, in 1870. However, this name is no longer considered valid as many more fossils of this species have been discovered thereafter. Lots of fossils are available, mainly in Cleveland-Lloyd Quarry in Utah, USA and the Garden Park Quarry in Colorado, USA. Allosaurus belonged to the Theropod family, a group of dinosaurs that walked on two legs. 

All hail the giant dinosaur!
The Allosaurus was probably 10-12 metres in height and weighed 2000 kgs. Its hind limbs, aka back legs, had three powerful toes with sharp claws. Its massive tail covered half of the body and helped in maintaining balance. Interestingly, the Allosaurus could stretch up to 40 feet in length from head to tail!. This feature was similar to the Tyrannosaurus Rex, another well-known dinosaur. Another interesting fact is that Allosaurus's vertebral column was unique compared to other dinosaurs known during 1877. The dinosaur had a big pelvis and small hands. The hands of Allosaurus had three fingers with sharp claws which may have been used for grasping its prey. Its head was massive, about 3 feet in length, with powerful jaws and curved teeth, about 2-4 inches long. You will be surprised to know that this dinosaur continuously produced new teeth.! Because of its jaws and flexible skull bones, the Allosaurus could swallow massive portions of meat. This dinosaur was known to kill other plant-eating dinosaurs, such as stegosaurus, a dinosaur with triangular plates on its back. Allosaurus also ate other dinosaurs like ornithopods and sauropods. Studies suggest that Allosaurus first used its claws to decrease the movement of its prey and then used its teeth to eat big chunks of meat. Lastly, the dinosaur laid eggs, just like other dinosaurs!

So now you now that the mighty T-Rex is not the only deadly carnivorous dino that had dangling front legs!