Dilophosaurus wetherilli is a medium-sized carnivorous theropod that lived in North America during the Early Jurassic.
It was added to the game in Update 1.1.
In-Game[]
Description[]
Dilophosaurus is a slender yet robust medium-sized theropod dinosaur that stands out due to its pair of striking head crests.
In Prehistoric Kingdom, Dilophosaurus has 3 integument options and 3 crest shapes. One feathered skin with a smooth crest, and two scaly skins, one with rough crests and iguana-like fleshy spikes on its neck and tail, and the other with crests with backward projections and no iguana spikes.
Dilophosaurus in-game utilize their crests both as visual displays and as acoustic devices, producing an assortment of unique vocalizations and performing for their kin in a birdlike fashion.
Technically all 3 skins of Dilophosaurs possess some feathers, as even the scaly skins have feathery eyelashes in order to keep coarse rough and irritating sand out of their eyes. This trait is common amongst all sorts of desert animals in the modern day.
Management[]
To be announced.
In-Game Trivia[]
Nigel Marven
Dilophosaurus is such a gorgeous creature.
Nigel Marven
With its magnificent double-crest and that noticeable notch in its jaw, it's one of the most recognizable predators to ever live. I'll never understand the guests who think it isn't “cool enough” as it is. Fancy frills and baubles would only take away from such a beautiful but deadly creature.
Nigel Marven
Those graceful notched jaws can pack a powerful bite, but watch out for those arms! Their length and mobility make it all too easy for Dilophosaurus to bring prey straight to its mouth, so if the teeth don't catch up, its arms just might!
Nigel Marven
Some paleontologists think the grasping claws and shape of its jaws made it well-suited to hunting fish; others argue that it was built for more terrestrial prey. In my experience, the distinction between surf and turf doesn't matter. They'll eat anything they can get their hands on!
Paleontology[]
The first known Dilophosaurus specimens were discovered in 1954 on Navajo land by Jesse Williams, who guided a group of paleontologists led by Charles L. Camp to the find and assisted the dig team in recovering the 3 individuals. The individual animals were each of different preservation quality, with one animal being nearly complete, another being greatly eroded, and the last one being nearly completely eroded by the time the specimens were excavated. The most well preserved individual was taken in a large block and later mounted in a wall relief with only minor alterations and reconstructions made to the posture of the fossil's death pose, and the partly weathered animal was easily retrieved as it was already loose on the surface.
During the dig, Williams reportedly disappeared for a few days, only to later return with 2 Navajo women to assist with the dig. This is in keeping with some Navajo folklore surrounding fossils which states that they are the corpses of slain monsters that were unable to be destroyed, and were then "beaten into the earth". According to this specific tradition, the spirits of the monsters are still present in the fossilized bones and must be carefully kept at bay. Other events similar to the one surrounding Dilophosaurus have also been noted during digs for other fossil organisms such as a specimen of Pentaceratops, where a different Navajo man assisting with excavation ensured that he never touched the bones themselves while assisting and left while the bones only had a few inches of dirt left covering the specimen. Dilophosaurus also has more connections to local North American cultures; footprints of animals similar to Dilophosaurus have been recognized by numerous cultures in the area including the Hopi and Zuni peoples in their art, and the Navajo have referred to the abundant footprints as "Naasho'illbahitsho Biikee" (Big Lizard Tracks), pointing to a rich history of non-European interpretation of this animal long before it received its recognition in Western circles.
The holotype was initially named as a species of Megalosaurus by paleontologist Samuel Welles: "Megalosaurus wetherilli" in honour of John Wetherill. Wetherill was a Navajo Councilman that Welles described as "explorer, friend of scientists, and trusted trader", and the uncle of the man that alerted the team to the fossils. Later on, however, as more complete skull material preserving the crests of the animal was recovered during the preparation of the most complete specimen, Welles realized that this was a very unique animal, which prompted him to erect a new genus for the animal in 1970: Dilophosaurus, the "Double Crested Lizard". Welles later remarked that finding the large crests on Dilophosaurus was as surprising as finding "wings on a worm".
Since its description, Dilophosaurus has become a very well studied animal, even with some ideas about its ecology becoming outdated. Studies have been carried out on its life history, growth rates, feeding ecology, range of motion, trackways, posture, pathologies, speed, phylogeny and more, granting us a remarkable look into how these remarkable animals may have lived.
Paleoecology[]
Considered the one of the first of the large carnivorous dinosaurs, Dilophosaurus was among the largest land predators of its time, dwarfing most land predators alive today. Surprisingly bulky and powerful despite its smaller size when compared to future descendants, Dilophosaurus served as a sort of "proto-Allosaurus" during the Early Jurassic. With its large and sturdy skull, Dilophosaurus undoubtedly dominated the dunes and canyons of prehistoric Arizona. The most notable feature of Dilophosaurus is the pair of large crests that top of its head, which were filled with nasal sinuses in life.
Dilophosaurus was made into a household name thanks to the film Jurassic Park, though it was depicted much smaller than in real life with an extendable frill and the ability to spit venom. This most likely was not true for the real animal as no living bird or crocodilian has these features, and the fossils of Dilophosaurus itself lack telltale anatomical features that would have been present if it had them such as venom glands or expanded hyoid bones to support the frill (like what is seen in Frilled Lizards).
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Despite its much larger size and more heavyset frame, Dilophosaurus utilizes the same rig as Coelophysis in-game, likely thanks to their somewhat similar proportions.
- The "Clouded" skin has been stated to be inspired by the Dilophosaurus from the original Jurassic Park novel, which was closer to the real animal despite the venom glands.
- The name "Clouded" could be a reference to Isla Nublar, which loosely translates to "Clouded Island".
- The skin "Snowmelt" originally went by the name "Crescent" before its remake.
- The "Snowmelt" skin has been nicknamed "Graynbow" by PK developer Cindy due to its abundance of subtly different hues and shades of gray in each of its scales. The effect is most apparent when zooming in on the scales very closely in-game.
- Dilophosaurus had some humorous instances of glitches during its development, which has been linked by some community members to some technical difficulties when working on their own Dilophosaurus projects known as "The Dilo Curse", which was itself a nod to Navajo beliefs around fossil remains.
- One of the pre-release glitches consisted of Dilophosaurus individuals appearing in the parks of some users before its official release alongside the also unreleased Coelophysis
- Another occurred during development where a corrupted test map left a lone Dilophosaurus model floating in a void
- The in-joke was also referenced in the Prehistoric Kingdom Artbook while discussing the animal's "Dune" skin, remarking that its spikey and fiery appearance was a nod to its "rather cursed existence"
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