en
Download

Prehistoric Life

How long was Ceratosaurus nasicornis?

An adult Ceratosaurus nasicornis had a total length of about 6 m (20 ft).

What is measured: adult, total body length

Ceratosaurus nasicornis (6 m) drawn to scale beside a doorway (2 m) and a 20-foot shipping container (6.06 m)
Drawn to scale, from left to right: Doorway (2 m), Ceratosaurus nasicornis (6 m) and Shipping container (20 ft) (6.06 m).

Compare

How big is that, really?

  • About the same length as a 20-foot shipping container
  • About 2 would fit end to end along a city bus
  • About 3 would fit end to end along a tennis court
  • About 8 would fit end to end along an Olympic swimming pool
  • About 3× the height of a doorway

Learn

Facts about Ceratosaurus nasicornis

Ceratosaurus had a prominent nasal horn and a pair of smaller hornlike bumps above its eyes.

Source: Natural History Museum, Ceratosaurus; Museum of the Rockies, Ceratosaurus nasicornis

Prehistoric Life

NameSizeCompared with Ceratosaurus nasicornis
Iguanodon bernissartensis5 m (16 ft)0.83×
Kentrosaurus aethiopicus5 m (16 ft)0.83×
Paraceratherium transouralicum5.5 m (18 ft)0.92×
Ceratosaurus nasicornis6 m (20 ft)this page
Tanystropheus hydroides6 m (20 ft)same size
Herrerasaurus ischigualastensis6 m (20 ft)same size
Euoplocephalus tutus6 m (20 ft)same size
Pteranodon7 m (23 ft)1.2×
Argentavis magnificens7 m (23 ft)1.2×
Megalania prisca7 m (23 ft)1.2×

Test your sense of scale

Which is bigger: Ceratosaurus nasicornis or Iguanodon bernissartensis?

Topics

More sizes like this