Meat eating dinosaurs are some of the most fascinating, formidable animals to have ever roamed our planet. These prehistoric beasts were the top predators of their time, and their diets were based mainly on protein rich meat.
Carnivorous dinosaurs were the apex predators of their time. They hunted other animals for food, and they were very good at it. If you consider how far humans have come with our skills in only a few thousand years, dinosaurs roamed the Earth for around 165 million years. That’s a lot of time to hone those hunting skills!
Equipped For Hunting
Carnivores typically had sharp teeth and claws that they used to kill and eat their prey. Some carnivores, like the Tyrannosaurus Rex, were also equipped with powerful jaws that could easily crush their victims bones. These came in handy for getting round some of the tough, exterior defences on their prey, such as the Triceratops.
Scavenging was also a common feeding method for carnivorous dinosaurs. They would often eat carrion and carcasses that had already been killed by other predators, usually smaller predators. Otherwise scavenging could be a risky behavior, and carnivores could easily become the prey themselves if they were not careful.
Carnivorous dinosaurs were fearsome. Some capable of taking down herbivorous dinosaurs much bigger than themselves. Imagine a Tyrannosaurus Rex running full speed towards you at 40 mph. Fast, violent and effective. Many of them were large and intimidating, but not all of them. Even the smaller ones could do a lot of damage with their sharp teeth and claws however. Similarly to the keystone species and apex predators of today, carnivorous dinosaurs were an important part of the ecosystem. They played a vital role in keeping populations of other animals in check.
What was the largest of the Carnivorous Dinosaurs?
The Tyrannosaurus Rex may be the most notorious of the meat eating dinosaurs, but it wasn’t the largest. Based on our current knowledge, that title belongs to the Spinosaurus.
The Spinosaurus lived during the Cretaceous period and was by far, the largest carnivore of its time. Unlike some of the other large carnivores though, it had a diet that consisted mainly of fish. This dino had a long and narrow snout, which was perfectly evolved for catching fish. It also had sharp teeth and claws that it used to kill its prey, and devour the flesh.
The massive Spinosaurus was a fierce predator, and it’s easy to imagine that is was one of the most feared dinosaurs of its time. It may have had a taste for fish, but you wouldn’t want to pick a fight with one. Or to be the opportunist scavenger trying to steal its meal. Our current understanding, is that it could grow up to an impressive 56 feet long, and could weigh over 20 tons. That would make it on average, around 4 m (14 ft) longer than the Tyrannosaurus Rex.
What was the smallest of the Carnivorous Dinosaurs?
We seem to have a romanticised view of dinosaurs. That they were all massive beast, that would dwarf any animal alive today. While there certainly were some very big dinosaurs, there were plenty of little ones too. Even some of the carnivores were relatively tiny in comparison to the Spinosaurus or the Tyrannosaurus.
The title for the smallest carnivorous dinosaur to live through the Jurassic period though, goes to the Compsognathus. This tiny meat eater was about the size of a chicken, and it had a diet that consisted mainly of small vertebrates and carrion. Compsognathus like its bigger relatives, was equipped with the tools it needed to survive on meat. These tools included a set of razor sharp teeth and claws that it used to kill its prey.