Dilophosaurus, the "Two Crested
Lizard," is a dinosaur made famous
by the movie Jurassic Park's
fictitious size, frill, and venomous
spit. The real Dilophosaurus was 
just as fascinating without the 
fabricated details and is just as
beloved by dinosaur fans. With a 
maximum length of about six meters
long and a height of almost two 
meters tall, the Dilophosaurus was
about the same height as an adult 
human. It grew rapidly with age, and
by the time it was an adult it could 
feed upon many small dinosaurs. 
Several Dilophosaurus fossils 
preserving deformities such as 
injuries and tumors have been found, 
giving us insight into the stressful 
environments and ailments that these
creatures lived with.

Roaming North America during the 
early Jurassic Period, Dilophosaurus
enjoyed arid environments that few
known creatures lived in. As one of 
the largest carnivores of the time,
the Dilophosaurus asserted itself
in the food chain. To satiate its 
appetite, the Dilophosaurus likely
fed on small armored herbivores or 
heterodontosaurids. It may have also
fed upon aquatic life as evidenced 
by swim track trace fossils. Its 
famous head crests were used for 
display in order to attract a 
suitable mate, and they likely 
doubled as a form of identification 
between Dilophosaurs. 
