| Diet | Carnivore |
| Height | 3m |
| Length | 9m |
| Weight | 2.5 tonnes |
| Speed | 25 km/h |
| Environment | Land |
| Era | Cretaceous |
| Period | Late Cretaceous |
| Type | Theropod |
| Location | North America |
Daspletosaurus was a fearsome theropod that ruled the ancient landscapes of western North America during the Late Cretaceous period, approximately 77 to 74.4 million years ago. Living on Laramidia, the western landmass that existed when a shallow sea divided North America, this powerful predator was built for hunting and terrorising its prey across what is now Alberta and Montana.
Measuring around 9 metres in length and standing 3 metres tall at the hip, Daspletosaurus was slightly smaller than its famous relative Tyrannosaurus rex but no less impressive. It possessed the classic theropod build with a massive head filled with razor-sharp teeth, powerful jaw muscles, and relatively small but strong arms ending in two-fingered hands. Its robust leg bones and muscular build suggest it could reach speeds of up to 25 km/h when pursuing prey.
As an apex predator, Daspletosaurus was perfectly adapted for hunting large herbivorous dinosaurs like ceratopsians and hadrosaurs that shared its ecosystem. Its powerful bite could crush bone, whilst its keen senses helped it track down prey across the warm, forested landscape of the Late Cretaceous. Three species have been identified so far: D. torosus, D. horneri, and D. wilsoni, showing how this successful predator evolved over several million years.
Daspletosaurus had a more robust skull than many other large theropods, with particularly pronounced bony ridges above its eyes and a shorter, deeper snout. Its teeth were extremely thick and powerful, designed for crushing bone rather than just slicing flesh, and it possessed unusually muscular neck and jaw regions that gave it tremendous bite force.
Daspletosaurus likely hunted both as an active predator and an opportunistic scavenger, using its powerful build to tackle large prey animals. Evidence suggests it may have engaged in social behaviours, possibly hunting in family groups, and fossil bite marks indicate these theropods sometimes fought amongst themselves, perhaps over territory or mates.
Daspletosaurus has appeared in several documentaries about prehistoric life and features in some dinosaur video games, though it remains less famous than its relative T. rex.
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Class | Saurischia |
| Order | Avetheropoda |
| Family | Tyrannosauridae |
| Genus | Daspletosaurus |
Daspletosaurus was first described by Dale Russell in 1970. The original fossils were discovered at Dinosaur Provincial Park, Alberta, Canada.
