Prehistoric Earth: A Natural History Wiki
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Liliensternus (name meaning "After Lilienstern") is a genus of basal Neotheropod dinosaur that originated during the Middle Triassic period in what is now Europe. Closely related to Coelophysis and one of the first dinosaurs, Liliensternus was one of the largest carnivorous dinosaurs of the Triassic, measuring 5 meters long and weighing 250 kilos.

In the Series 2 premiere "New Blood", a pair of Liliensternus were brought to the park from Late Triassic Arizona, 225 million years ago.

Facts[]

Era & Discovery[]

As one of the first dinosaurs, Liliensternus lived in Europe during the Late Triassic Period, 228 – 208 million years ago. It shared its environment with reptiles and even other dinosaurs, like Coelophysis and Plateosaurus. Liliensternus was recovered in 1932 near Großen Gleichberg in the Trossingen Formation of the Middle Keuper Group in Thuringia, Germany, together with remains of Ruehleia.

Physical Attributes[]

Liliensternus stood around 6 feet (2 m) tall, measured 17 feet (5.2 m) long, and weighed over 500 pounds, making it one of the largest Triassic theropod dinosaurs. Liliensternus walked on two legs as humans do.

Liliensternus was an active hunter: fast, agile, and perfectly adapted for their environment, which gave it an edge over other, more ancient, reptiles and amphibians, running on two powerful hind-legs, balanced by a long, graceful tail. It was a lightly built carnivore and was among the largest meat-eating dinosaurs of its time.

Liliensternus liliensterni

Liliensternus skeleton

Like many early theropods, Liliensternus has a five-fingered hand, with a smaller fourth and fifth digit. The jaws were lined with sharp, blade-like teeth. The skull shows evidence of distinctive fin-like crests along the snout, much like dinosaurs like Dilophosaurus. These may have been for species recognition or as a display to attract a mate.

Behavior & Traits[]

Although Lilientsernus was a large carnivore, it was still relatively small compared to larger plant-eating dinosaurs like Plateosaurus. It may have hunted those large herbivores, however, it mainly fed on dinosaur hatchlings and small animals instead. Additionally, they also lived and hunted in pairs. The males used their bright yellow head crests to impress females.

Gallery[]

Trivia[]

  • Liliensternus is the largest Triassic predatory dinosaur brought to the park.
  • The sound effects of Liliensternus are that of cougar, crocodile, and leopard sound effects.
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