Ceratosaurus (pronounced #716s#603r#601t#629#712s#596r#601s) meaning horned lizard, in reference to the horn on its nose (Greek #954#949#961#945#962#954#949#961#945#964#959#962, keraskeratos meaning horn and #963#945#965#961#959#962sauros meaning lizard), was a large predatory dinosaur from the Late Jurassic Period (Kimmeridgian to Tithonian), found in the Morrison Formation of North America, in Tanzania and Portugal. It was characterized by large jaws with blade-like teeth, a large, blade-like horn on the snout and a pair of hornlets over the eyes. The forelimbs were powerfully built but very short. The bones of the sacrum were fused (synsacrum) and the pelvic bones were fused together and to this structure (Sereno 1997) (i.e. similar to modern birds). A row of small osteoderms was present down the middle of the back.