814 Marvels of the Universe 
Photo by] LH. J. Shepstone. 
THE ALLOSAUR. 
The original skeleton from which the restoration of the Allosaur was drawn. This Dinosaur lived in the same age as did 
the Brontosaur. The latter was herbiyorous and probably often fell a victim to its blood-thirsty foe, in fact joints of the back- 
bone of the Brontosaur have been found furrowed with deep grooves made by the teeth of (probably) the Allosaur. 
capable probably of running with some speed, on occasion. The forelegs could certainly have 
borne no share in the support of the body, for they are, in proportion to the rest of the body, 
ridiculously small. Nevertheless, it is believed that they served as grappling-hooks of no mean 
power. When commencing the attack on, say, an eighty-foot Brontosaur, it probably opened 
hostilities by a tremendous leap, then clutched at its victim’s fore-quarters with the long-clawed 
fingers, and followed this up by swift and vicious bites at the base of the neck. Or it may have 
adopted the tactics of the Cape hunting-dog to-day and have bitten at the flanks till a hole was torn 
in the side, releasing yards and yards of entrails. So unwieldy a creature as the Brontosaurus could 
have no prospect of success against such an opponent, though doubtless it would make a show of 
resistance, if only by biting; and to provide against a piece being bitten out of the middle of his 
back on the occasion of such an attack, Allosaurus and his kindred had an armature of body plates 
protecting the spine and upper surface generally. This armature may, however, have been 
developed to secure a measure of protection against infuriated members of its own species, squabbling, 
perchance, over the right of ownership of the same “ kill.” 
In both hind- and fore-feet, it will be noticed, the number of the toes has been reduced to three 
on each foot ; the fore-foot, however, retained a vestige of a fourth toe, as did the hind-foot of the 
smaller, nearly-related Ceratosaurus. We may surmise that the missing digits were removed to 
afford increased development of the survivors. This reduction accords with what is found among 
birds, and many mammals, but it is significant to note that no predatory mammal has evolved a 
similar type of foot, nor is any predatory mammal bipedal. 
Professor Henry Osborn, an American naturalist of renown, inclines to the view that Allosaurus 
and his kin were rather hyena-like in their habits. That is to say, they were carrion-eaters. This 
may well have been the case, though the evidence, on the whole, seems to favour the view that they 
