Liliensternus

dinosaur · Triassic · carnivore · Germany

Enormous ancient hunter. Liliensternus was one of the biggest meat-eating dinosaurs of the Triassic Period, growing up to 23 to 30 feet long, which is about as long as two cars parked end to end.

Built to walk. This dinosaur was bipedal, meaning it walked on two powerful back legs while its small arms hung in front, similar to how modern ostriches move today.

European champion. Liliensternus lived in what is now Germany during the late Triassic Period, making it the best preserved theropod dinosaur we have found from that time and place in Europe.

Mystery of size. Scientists first thought adult Liliensternus was about 17 feet long, but they realized those fossils were actually from young animals, so the real adults were probably much bigger, around 23 to 30 feet long.

Meat lover supreme. This carnivore hunted other animals during a time when dinosaurs were just beginning to dominate the Earth, millions of years before the famous T-Rex arrived.