Middle Jurassic Period Pronunciation
174-163 million years ago
The Middle Jurassic saw dinosaurs establishing themselves as the dominant land animals. True sauropods were reaching enormous sizes, the first stegosaurs appeared, and theropod predators were growing more diverse and specialized. Unfortunately, Middle Jurassic fossils are relatively rare, making this an exciting frontier of paleontology.
Dinosaurs of the Middle Jurassic
Agilisaurus
aj-ih-lee-SORE-us
Atlasaurus
at-luh-SAWR-us
Cetiosaurus
see-TEE-oh-sore-us
Condorraptor
KON-dor-RAP-tor
Datousaurus
dah-too-SORE-us
Epidexipteryx
ep-ih-DEX-ih-TAIR-ix
Gasosaurus
GAS-oh-SORE-us
Huayangosaurus
hoy-YANG-oh-SORE-us
Jobaria
joh-BAR-ee-uh
Kulindadromeus
koo-LIN-dah-DROH-mee-us
Magnosaurus
MAG-no-SOR-us
Megalosaurus
MEG-ah-low-SORE-us
Monolophosaurus
mono-LOH-foh-sore-us
Piatnitzkysaurus
pye-AT-nits-key-SOR-us
Proceratosaurus
proh-KAIR-at-oh-SORE-us
Wiehenvenator
VEE-en-veh-NAY-tor
Xuanhanosaurus
SHWAN-han-oh-SOR-us
Fun Facts
- ✓Middle Jurassic fossils are less common than Late Jurassic ones, making discoveries from this period especially valuable.
- ✓The first true stegosaurs appeared during the Middle Jurassic.
- ✓Megalosaurus, the first dinosaur ever scientifically described, lived in the Middle Jurassic of England.
- ✓China has produced some of the best Middle Jurassic dinosaur fossils, including early ceratosaurs and sauropods.