Body length
InferredAbout 5 m (museum reference)
Educational reconstruction without individual scope. The type pair were still growing; this is not an adult maximum. [D4] [D1]
EXHIBIT 160
Liliensternus
Liliensternus liliensterni
Liliensternus is represented by two incomplete, still-growing skeletons from Late Triassic Germany. [1]
TWO WAYS TO PICTURE THE PAST
Science & the silver screen
Compare the evidence with the familiar movie image. The illustrations are not to a shared scale.
01 / SKELETAL RECONSTRUCTION
A framework from the fossils
Image unavailableRestored Liliensternus liliensterni skeletal display in Stuttgart, including missing skull and skeletal regions.The exhibit and its credited image source remain available.
Liliensternus liliensterni display at the Staatliches Museum für Naturkunde Stuttgart, photographed by Ghedoghedo. This is a skeletal restoration: its complete head, crest profile and missing regions are supplied for display. The Commons page gives no specimen number or element-authenticity key. The growing, incomplete type skeletons do not establish every displayed bone or an adult maximum. [2]
Liliensternus liliensterni.JPG · Ghedoghedo; existing crop by Cropbot, operated by Reid,iain james. CC BY-SA 3.0. Current Commons cropped 1280 px preview converted to WebP, with proportional thumbnail reduction. No additional cropping, mirroring, anatomical edits or compositing. CC BY-SA 3.0 chosen from the offered licenses; derivatives retain that license.
Skeletal mounts and drawings may restore missing parts; the caption identifies the displayed material.
02 / MOVIE-STYLE INTERPRETATION
A cinematic imagination
Image unavailableIllustrative reconstruction of Liliensternus liliensterni; missing anatomy, covering and colors are hypotheses.The exhibit and its credited image source remain available.
Original cinematic interpretation of Liliensternus. The fragmentary skull does not establish a Dilophosaurus-like paired crest; this image chooses a crestless comparative outline, without asserting crest absence. Lighting, colors and scenery are artistic choices; this image does not document directly observed behavior. Lighting, coloration and scenery are artistic choices. This image does not document a fossil locality or behavior.
Original artwork · artistic interpretation.
Scientific view: source-informed reconstruction, credited paleoart or specimen-based imagery. Movie-style view: Original artistic interpretation. Reconstructions involve uncertainty.
PERIODLate Triassic[1]
DIETCarnivoreEvidence and uncertainty in the dossier
TOTAL LENGTHSee the dossierEstimate scope matters
FOSSILS FOUNDGermany[1]
MEET THE ANIMAL
Meet Liliensternus
Liliensternus was a carnivorous dinosaur from Late Triassic Germany. The museum gives a general length reference of about five metres, but identifies no particular individual or growth stage for that reconstruction. This profile centers on Liliensternus liliensterni. Its broad carnivore category does not establish a particular prey animal or show how it hunted. [D4]
French fossils were once assigned to another species of Liliensternus. A later revision moved that animal into the distinct genus Lophostropheus. The older name therefore does not make France a secure home for the German dinosaur in this exhibit. Changing an identification can alter an animal's apparent geographic range without any of the fossil bones themselves changing. [D3]
The two incomplete German skeletons were still growing, indicated by open vertebral joins and limited fusion in the hips. [D1]
A general museum outline remains helpful for visualizing the animal's scale, provided its limits are understood. The stated length is an estimate without a documented method, rather than a direct measurement of a complete mature individual or a population of adults. [D4]
PREHISTORIC ANIMAL DOSSIER
A life in profile.
The animal, the evidence, and the questions still open.
Long hindlimbs and incomplete skull material inform reconstructions, while growth and changing historical names complicate adult-size claims. [D1] [D2]
Profile scope: Genus — Liliensternus; profile limited to L. liliensterni, excluding the former French L. airelensis. [D3]
- Time
- Late Triassic
- Fossil locations in this exhibit
- Germany
How to read the evidence
Source supported identifies a description documented by the cited source. Inferred marks a reconstruction or functional estimate. Debated marks competing interpretations. Not established means the sources reviewed for this dossier do not support a firm conclusion; it does not mean a behavior never occurred.
A size reference is an estimate, not a population range. Nesting evidence does not by itself establish courtship, mate choice, or lifelong pairing.
Body mass
InferredAbout 84 kg (limb model)
MBR 1291, larger individual; measured femoral circumference. Type pair immature. [D5] [D1]
Diet and feeding
InferredAnimal prey inferred
The museum profile classifies it as carnivorous; no particular prey is identified by the reviewed sources. [D4]
Habitat and setting
Source supportedNorian deposits of Thuringia
Two incomplete skeletons came from Germany’s Late Triassic deposits. French material once called L. airelensis belongs to Lophostropheus. [D1] [D3]
Movement
InferredTwo-legged; relatively long lower legs
Hindlimb proportions support a cursorial interpretation, while speed and endurance remain unmeasured. [D1]
Recognizable anatomy
Source supportedPartial skull; long neck and hindlimbs
The skull is incomplete. Reconstructions of large paired crests or a fully known hand exceed the preserved material. [D2]
Reproduction & life together
Reproduction and nesting
Not establishedNot established here
Open vertebral sutures and limited sacral fusion indicate growing individuals, not a measured breeding age or a nest association. [D1]
Mating and courtship
Not establishedNot established here
Incomplete cranial anatomy does not establish a display structure, sexual dimorphism or a courtship sequence. [D2]
Social behavior
Not establishedNot established here
Two incomplete skeletons are not evidence of siblings, a mating pair or a hunting group; focused searches located no diagnostic social evidence. [D1]
Dossier research & sources
Sources and inspection notes for the claims in this profile.
- A review of European Triassic theropods (Rauhut and Hungerbühler, 1998)Gaia 15, pp. 75–88; original-paper mirror · Accessed 2026-10-02Original review sections inspected: two associated incomplete skeletons from Thuringian Norian deposits, open neurocentral sutures and two sacrals indicate juvenile/subadult status. Historical Halticosaurus liliensterni was moved to Liliensternus; uncertain Swiss material is excluded. · Inspected: page
- Ceratosauria (Tykoski and Rowe, 2004), The Dinosauria, second edition, pp. 47–70University of California Press; author copy hosted by University of Texas · Accessed 2026-10-02Original chapter material tables and anatomy/systematics sections inspected. Historical Liliensternus type pair are partial subadults; Elaphrosaurus lacks a skull and manus. Later taxonomic revisions are consulted separately. · Inspected: page
- The coelophysoid Lophostropheus airelensis, gen. nov.: a review of the systematics of Liliensternus airelensis ... (Ezcurra and Cuny, 2007)Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology; author abstract on ResearchGate · Accessed 2026-10-02Original author abstract inspected: former L. airelensis is transferred to the distinct genus Lophostropheus. Institutional Copenhagen bibliographic record separately confirms the title and publication; full article was not accessed. · Inspected: abstract
- LiliensternusNatural History Museum, London · Accessed 2026-10-02Institutional profile inspected: 5.0 m educational reference and carnivory. No individual or maturity supplied; its France occurrence is excluded from this exhibit after the 2007 generic transfer. · Inspected: page
- Rates of dinosaur body mass evolution indicate 170 million years of sustained ecological innovation on the avian stem lineage (Benson et al., 2014), Dataset S1PLOS Biology · Accessed 2026-10-02Original XLS inspected: MBR 1291 larger individual; measured femoral circumference 110 mm, mass 83.52384 kg. Separate primary reviews identify the type pair as growing, not mature adults. · Inspected: page
THE STORY IN THE FOSSILS
A large reconstruction of a growing animal.
The familiar museum outline completes missing bones. The anatomical reviews identify the German type pair as subadults, so restoration length cannot define a mature species range. [2]
A separate revision moved the Normandy animal into Lophostropheus. Its former name does not justify adding France to this genus profile. [3]
A note on scale and time
The dossier identifies the scope of each reference estimate. A mount, an individual fossil and a species-wide adult range are different measurements. Comparison metrics remain unavailable where adult scope has not been established. Unknown does not mean zero.
Sources & editorial notes
Sources support the stated claims and scopes. Refer to the evidence notes for uncertainty.
- A review of European Triassic theropods (Rauhut and Hungerbühler, 1998)Gaia 15, pp. 75–88; original-paper mirror · Accessed 2026-10-02Original review sections inspected: two associated incomplete skeletons from Thuringian Norian deposits, open neurocentral sutures and two sacrals indicate juvenile/subadult status. Historical Halticosaurus liliensterni was moved to Liliensternus; uncertain Swiss material is excluded. · Inspected: page
- Ceratosauria (Tykoski and Rowe, 2004), The Dinosauria, second edition, pp. 47–70University of California Press; author copy hosted by University of Texas · Accessed 2026-10-02Original chapter material tables and anatomy/systematics sections inspected. Historical Liliensternus type pair are partial subadults; Elaphrosaurus lacks a skull and manus. Later taxonomic revisions are consulted separately. · Inspected: page
- The coelophysoid Lophostropheus airelensis, gen. nov.: a review of the systematics of Liliensternus airelensis ... (Ezcurra and Cuny, 2007)Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology; author abstract on ResearchGate · Accessed 2026-10-02Original author abstract inspected: former L. airelensis is transferred to the distinct genus Lophostropheus. Institutional Copenhagen bibliographic record separately confirms the title and publication; full article was not accessed. · Inspected: abstract
- LiliensternusNatural History Museum, London · Accessed 2026-10-02Institutional profile inspected: 5.0 m educational reference and carnivory. No individual or maturity supplied; its France occurrence is excluded from this exhibit after the 2007 generic transfer. · Inspected: page
- Rates of dinosaur body mass evolution indicate 170 million years of sustained ecological innovation on the avian stem lineage (Benson et al., 2014), Dataset S1PLOS Biology · Accessed 2026-10-02Original XLS inspected: MBR 1291 larger individual; measured femoral circumference 110 mm, mass 83.52384 kg. Separate primary reviews identify the type pair as growing, not mature adults. · Inspected: page
KEEP EXPLORING
More from the collection
Image unavailableIllustrative reconstruction of Eoraptor.The exhibit and its credited image source remain available.
Eoraptor
Eoraptor lunensis
Eoraptor was a small, early dinosaur from Argentina's Ischigualasto Formation. Its mixed dental features have produced competing feeding interpretations, and later studies place it near the origin of sauropodomorphs.
UncertainMeet this animal
Image unavailableIllustrative reconstruction of Eodromaeus.The exhibit and its credited image source remain available.
Eodromaeus
Eodromaeus murphi
Eodromaeus was a small predatory dinosaur from Argentina's Ischigualasto Formation. Curved teeth and grasping hands distinguish it from contemporary dinosaurs with different feeding adaptations.
CarnivoreMeet this animal
Image unavailableArtistic reconstruction of Riojasaurus; colors and soft tissues are illustrative.The exhibit and its credited image source remain available.
Riojasaurus
Riojasaurus incertus
Riojasaurus was a robust sauropodomorph from Late Triassic Argentina. Its small skull and unusual teeth became known through a skeleton smaller than the headless type.
HerbivoreMeet this animal