The Late Jurassic, then, was a time of global uniformity. The same suite of dinosaurs ruled every corner of the globe. Majestic sauropods divided food among them, reaching a peak of diversity unmatched by any other large plant-eaters in Earth history. Smaller plant-chewers prospered in their shadows, and a motley crew of meat-eaters took advantage of all of that herbivore flesh. Some, like Allosaurus and Torvosaurus, were the first truly giant theropods. Others, like Ornitholestes, were the founding members of that dynasty that would eventually produce Velociraptor and birds. The planet was
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