Introduction
The Coelurus dinosaur was a small, bipedal dinosaur that lived in North America during the Late Jurassic period, around 157 to 145 million years ago. Its name means “hollow tail” and refers to the long pointed tail that ended in a point. This dinosaur was carnivorous and likely ate small animals, insects, and plants. Although it was not a powerful predator, it could still pose a threat to other dinosaurs that were smaller than it. In this article, we will discuss the dinosaurs that could have posed a threat to Coelurus and which ones would have been able to kill it.
Coelurus and Its Natural Threats
The threats that Coelurus faced would have been mostly from other dinosaurs, since they lived in a time period that did not have any large mammalian predators. There were certain large predators in the Late Jurassic period, such as the Allosaurus, which would have posed a serious threat to Coelurus. The Allosaurus was a large carnivorous theropod dinosaur, more than twice the size of Coelurus, with sharp teeth, a powerful bite, and long legs for swift running. It is likely that the Allosaurus would have been able to catch and kill Coelurus with ease.
The Ceratosaurus was another predator from the Late Jurassic period that would have posed a threat to Coelurus. The Ceratosaurus was another theropod, smaller than the Allosaurus, but still larger than the Coelurus. It was much faster than Coelurus and had large teeth and claws, giving it the ability to deliver a lethal bite. The Ceratosaurus was likely to have been a successful hunter of Coelurus.
In addition to these large predators, Coelurus would have had to face threats from other predator dinosaurs, such as Ornitholestes, Struthiomimus, and Compsognathus. These dinosaurs were all quite small, but they were still predators, and they would have posed a considerable danger to Coelurus.
Would Coelurus Have Been Defeated by Herd Animals?
While predators posed a serious threat to Coelurus, it is also possible that it could have been defeated by certain herd animals from the Late Jurassic period. The Stegosaurus is a classic example of a dinosaur that could have been a danger to Coelurus. The Stegosaurus was a large herbivorous dinosaur that had a large and powerful tail. While Coelurus was more than twice the size of a Stegosaurus, the Stegosaurus would have still been capable of inflicting serious damage with its tail. If a herd of these large dinosaurs were startled, they could have used their combined strength to easily overwhelm and kill Coelurus.
Other herbivorous dinosaurs, such as Camptosaurus and Camarasaurus, would have also posed a danger to Coelurus. These kinds of prey animals could have ganged up on and killed Coelurus if it ventured too close. Even though they were herbivores, they still had powerful teeth and claws, which they could have used against Coelurus in a fight. Additionally, they may have been provoked by the Coelurus’s presence, and responded with aggression.
Conclusion
The Coelurus was a small theropod that faced a variety of different predators and other threats in the Late Jurassic period. The Allosaurus and Ceratosaurus were two large theropods that could easily have killed it. In addition to these predators, examples of herd animals like the Stegosaurus and Camptosaurus could also have been dangerous for Coelurus. Ultimately, any of these animals could have defeated the Coelurus dinosaur given the right circumstances.