What is "ceratosaurus"

Ceratosaurus \Cer`a*to*sau"rus\, n. [NL., fr. Gr. ke`ras a horn + ? lizard.] (Paleon.) A swift-running bipedal carnivorous American Jurassic dinosaur allied to the European Megalosaurus. The animal was nearly twenty feet in length, and the skull bears a bony short horn between the nostrils on the united nasal bones. See Illustration in Appendix. [1913 Webster + WordNet 1.5] ||

1884, from cerato- + -saurus.

n. primitive medium-sized theropod; swift-running bipedal carnivorous dinosaur having grasping hands with sharp claws and a short horn between the nostrils; Jurassic in North America [syn: ceratosaur]

Ceratosaurus meaning "horned lizard", in reference to the horn on its nose ( Greek κερας/κερατος, keras/keratos meaning "horn" and σαυρος/sauros meaning "lizard"), was a large predatory theropod dinosaur from the Late Jurassic Period ( Kimmeridgian to Tithonian), found in the Morrison Formation of North America, and the Lourinhã Formation of Portugal (and possibly the Tendaguru Formation in Tanzania). It was characterized by large jaws with blade-like teeth, a large, blade-like horn on the snout and a pair of hornlets over the eyes. The forelimbs were powerfully built but very short. The bones of the sacrum were fused ( synsacrum) and the pelvic bones were fused together and to this structure (i.e. similar to modern birds). A row of small osteoderms was present down the middle of the back.