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"Dilophosaur"
Dilophosaurus wetherill
(Greek di = "two" + Greek lophos = "crest" + Greek sauros = "lizard") Size: 6 meters (20 feet) Period: Early Jurassic (208 million to 194 million years ago) Place: Arizona
One of Jurassic Park's stranger residents, the Dilophosaurus possesses unusually long forelimbs and a disproportionately large (although surprisingly delicate) head. The truly distinguishing feature, however, is the pair of arched crests positioned on top of its head from which multi-colored, almost hypnotic cowls fan out.
Environment: The Dilophosaurs have demonstrated a propensity to roam wherever the hunt might take them, adapting with ease to (but rarely settling in) nearly any environment.
Feeding: Carnivore. The Dilophosaur was originally thought to be a scavenger, as its thin teeth and delicate head make traditional hunting impossible. But the creature surprised everyone with its ability to shoot a semi-toxic liquid, capable of stunning potential prey. The creature's deadly proficiency with its limber arms and legs, complete with razor-sharp claws, combined with a tendency to hunt in packs has transformed the Dilophosaurs into perhaps the Park's most efficient hunter of prey.
Habits: With few exceptions, the Dilophosaur are a tightly-knit herd, traveling in organized fashion. Recent field observations have suggested that the creatures participate in a complex culture, apparently abiding by a communal set of social manners whether resting, breeding or hunting.
Ops Notes: The emergence of the Dilophosaur as a cold and calculating hunter, capable of coordinating group attacks with surprising efficiency, has frightened more than a few people at InGen