Drag to rotate the Megalosaurus, scroll or pinch to zoom, and click a body part - the deep jaws, a stout hind leg, or the balancing tail - to read what fossils tell us about it. The panel beside the model carries the real figures.
Megalosaurus - "great lizard" - was the first dinosaur scientifically named, described by William Buckland in 1824 from Middle Jurassic rocks in Oxfordshire; turn on the human figure to see how a person compares to its body.
The colors and skin here are an artistic reconstruction; fossils preserve bone, not soft tissue or color. This model is not a fossil-accurate skeleton. The measurements in the panel follow published estimates, with ranges shown where sources disagree.
Megalosaurus 3D Viewer
This page renders a Megalosaurus as a 3D model you can spin in the browser - drag to rotate, scroll or pinch to zoom, toggle a 1.8 m person beside it for scale, and click the jaws, a hind leg, or the tail to read a fact about that part.
Megalosaurus lived in the Middle Jurassic, about 168 to 166 million years ago (Bathonian), in what is now England. Modern estimates put a typical adult at about 6 to 9 m long and about 0.7 to 1.1 tonnes. William Buckland named it in 1824 - decades before Richard Owen coined "Dinosauria" in 1842 - making it the first dinosaur to receive a scientific name that still stands.
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Length | about 6-9 m (NHM directory about 6 m; some estimates up to about 9 m) |
| Standing height | about 2-2.5 m at the hips for a large adult |
| Weight | about 0.7-1.1 tonnes commonly cited |
| When it lived | 168-166 million years ago (Middle Jurassic, Bathonian) |
| Diet | Carnivore |
Everything runs on your device with WebGL - no account, nothing sent to a server. Skin tone is an artistic reconstruction; fossils preserve bone, not soft tissue or color. This model is not a fossil-accurate skeleton; figures above are published values with ranges where sources disagree.
Frequently Asked Questions
Was Megalosaurus the first dinosaur ever named?
Yes in the modern sense: William Buckland named Megalosaurus in 1824, and it remains the first dinosaur genus that is still scientifically valid. The word "Dinosauria" itself came later, from Richard Owen in 1842.
How big was Megalosaurus?
Modern estimates put length at about 6 to 9 m and about 0.7 to 1.1 tonnes. The Natural History Museum directory lists about 6 m and Mid Jurassic about 166 million years ago. Turn on the human figure to see the scale against a 1.8 m person.
When and where did it live?
In the Middle Jurassic Bathonian, about 168 to 166 million years ago, in what is now England (notably Oxfordshire Stonesfield material).
Is the model scientifically accurate?
The proportions follow published figures, but the skin color and soft-tissue outline are an artistic reconstruction - fossils preserve bone, not soft tissue or color. This model is not a fossil-accurate skeleton. Length, weight, and age figures are real published values, with ranges cited because sources vary.
Do I need to install anything to view it?
No. The model renders in your browser with WebGL - no app, no account, and nothing about your visit is sent to a server. The 3D engine loads once and is then cached. When available, a free-licensed glTF model may swap in after first paint.