Cryolophosaurus (C. ellioti 'Frozen-crested lizard') is a genus of extinct theropod dinosaur that lived about 190 million years ago during the Lower or Early Jurassic Pliensbachian, in what is now Antarctica.
The most distinctive feature of Cryolophosaurus is its large fan-shaped crest, which rises from the top of its skull. The crest is approximately 70 centimeters wide and has a curved, wavy shape. This crest is believed to have been used for visual display during courtship and territory defense. It is also thought that the crest may have been used to regulate body temperature, since Antarctica had a cold climate during the Jurassic.
It was a bipedal dinosaur that was around 6.5 meters long and weighed around 450 kilograms. It had a long, slender neck, muscular hind legs, and small forelegs with three fingers and sharp claws. Its teeth were sharp and curved, suggesting that it was an efficient carnivore that fed on other dinosaurs.
Although only a few Cryolophosaurus fossils have been found, they have provided scientists with valuable information about the evolution and diversity of theropod dinosaurs during the early Jurassic. Cryolophosaurus is the first theropod dinosaur discovered in Antarctica, suggesting that dinosaurs were more diverse and widely distributed than previously thought.
The Model Pose represents a specimen of Cryolophosaurus ellioti running to catch one of its prey in a cold and snowy landscape.
Approximate measurements of the Cryolophosaurus:
Scale 1:35 - 190 mm
