Allosaurus is a genus of large theropod dinosaur that lived 155 to 145 million years ago, in the late Jurassic period. A large bipedal predator, it averaged 8.5 meters (28 ft) in length, possibly reaching over 12 meters (39 ft). Relative to the large and powerful hindlimbs, its three-fingered forelimbs were small; the body was balanced by a long, heavy tail. Allosaurus was at the top of the food chain; potential prey included ornithopods, stegosaurids, and sauropods. Some paleontologists believe Allosaurus had cooperative social behavior and hunted in packs, while others think they worked individually. It may have attacked large prey by ambush, using its upper jaws like a hatchet. As one of the first well-known theropod dinosaurs, it has long attracted attention outside paleontological circles, and has been a lead dinosaur in several films and documentaries.

Read the rest of this article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allosaurus

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1071:

Byzantine–Seljuk wars: Seljuk Turks led by Alp Arslan captured Byzantine Emperor Romanos IV at the Battle of Manzikert . http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Manzikert

1346:

Hundred Years' War: English forces established the military supremacy of the English longbow over the French combination of crossbow and armoured knights at the Battle of Crécy. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Cr%C3%A9cy

1768:

HMS Endeavour departed Plymouth, England, marking the start of the first voyage of explorer James Cook. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_voyage_of_James_Cook

1966:

SWAPO guerrilla forces launched an attack against the South African Defence Force at Omugulugwombashe, starting the Namibian War of Independence. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omugulugwombashe

2008:

More than a week after a ceasefire was reached in the South Ossetia war, Russia unilaterally recognized the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, much to the displeasure of Georgia, the European Union, NATO, and many other countries. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abkhazia

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

kibitz (v): 1. To chat; to gossip; to make small talk or idle chatter. 2. To give unwanted advice or make unhelpful or idle comments http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/kibitz

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

If you can't see God in All, You can't see God at All. --Harbhajan Singh Yogi http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Harbhajan_Singh_Yogi