Ceratosaurus
"A watering hole! Dr. Grant theorized they could become neutral ground for predators and prey under the right conditions. Now without any fences or people around, we might be the first people to ever see something like this."
~Darius Bowman
Species:
Ceratosaurus nasicornis
Common Name:
None
Family:
Ceratosauridae
Seen in:
• Jurassic Park III (2001)
• Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous (2016)
Vocalizations:
![Isla Nublar's Ceratosaurus [Female?]](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/b3be57_50ebc8586ba34ce3a93cae41b0b4c902~mv2.png/v1/fill/w_980,h_652,al_c,q_90,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_auto/b3be57_50ebc8586ba34ce3a93cae41b0b4c902~mv2.png)
Description:
Ceratosaurus is a medium-sized Jurassic predator. It is characterized by the keratinous triangular horn above its snout as well as the pair of smaller pointed crests above the eyes. Additionally, a row of small osteoderms line the top of its back, giving this animal a rather prickly appearance. Unlike most other theropods, the grasping hands of Ceratosaurus have 4 digits. The teeth of this ferocious carnivore are also relatively large.
Masrani's Ceratosaurus are impressively sized and stocky. Their boxy heads are a vivid pinkish red with white streaks stretching up from their jaws. This strawberry coloration bleeds into a beige body with splotchy black stripes.
Ceratosaurus is typically active night, lurking in the shadows of the dense tropical forest to attack unsuspecting prey. Although Ceratosaurus is an ambush predator, they are rather passive when not hunting.
Size Estimates:
3.7m Tall
9.3m Long
Did you know?
During the rushed production of Jurassic Park III, ILM (Industrial Light & Magic) used the Tyrannosaurus rex's model as a basis to creating Ceratosaurus, consequently leading to similar proportions and a much bulkier body-build compared to our fossil record.
Habitat & Geographical Ranging:
Ceratosaurus was initially bred on Isla Sorna in the late 90s during the early research and development stages of Jurassic World. The species would first be encountered in the wild in 2001 by Dr. Grant and the Kirbys. A sole individual was seen approaching a riverbank as they were searching for a satellite phone.
Eventually they would be bred or transferred to Isla Nublar at an unknown date, although they never publicly featured at the park. At least two to three individuals escaped into the forests of Nublar after the park fell in late 2015.
This solitary carnivore can most often be seen by bodies of water. It is unknown whether populations survived on Nublar past the eruption of Mt. Sibo or whether any individuals were shipped to the mainland.
Individual Variation:
Three morphological variations have been sighted. One of which may or may not imply sexual dimorphism.
Two individuals, seen on Isla Sorna and Isla Nublar respectively, presented what we consider the "default" look of Ceratosaurus, a beige body with mottled black patterning and a red head. There are only minor differences between these two individuals. The Sorna specimen sported green eyes, its black patterning mostly consisting of mottled, splotchy shapes. The Nublar specimen on the other hand, has yellow eyes with larger pupils, while the beige body-tone is duller, almost a grey color. The patterning is more broken, inconsistent, and less uniform. This can likely be attributed to individual variation.
A second specimen was seen on Isla Nublar by the Camp Cretaceous Survivors sometime around early 2016. This individual lacks any red tones, and is instead a greenish grey coloration. The eyes are also yellow. Rather than a mottled patterning, this green specimen has vertical tiger-like stripes across its body. It is unknown whether this variant represents sexual dimorphism.