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Post by Talira Greycrest on Jan 24, 2024 0:53:47 GMT
Let's start with my favourite dino and the one that's usually the first to come to mind when the word 'dinosaur' is mentioned: Tyrannosaurus.Pronunciation: Ty-ran-no-sore-us Meaning of name: "Tyrant lizard". Species: T. rex, T. mcraeensisSize: Between 12 and 14 metres long, between 4 and 6 metres tall and weighing up to 10 metric tonnes. Family: Tyrannosauridae Diet: Carnivore First fossils found: Known from at least 50 individuals, including some almost-complete skeletons. First discovered by Arthur Lakes in Colorado in 1874. First partial skeleton discovered by American palaeontologist, Barnum Brown, in eastern Wyoming in 1900. Mr. Brown discovered a second partial skeleton in Montana in 1902. T. rex named by American palaeontologist, Henry Fairfield Osborne, in 1905. "Sue", one of the largest and most complete specimens ever found, was discovered in South Dakota in August 1990 and currently stands in Chicago's Field Museum of Natural History. Whilst we don't know for certain if "Sue" is female, it's believed she died around the age of 28 and may have been killed by a parasitic infection from eating rotten meat. T. mcraeensis named in 2024. Lived: Depending on species, lived between 73.2 and 66 million years ago during the Maastrichtian stage of the Late Cretaceous in what is now the western, northwestern and midwestern United States. Researchers preparing to perform a 3-D scan of "Sue's" skull.
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Post by Talira Greycrest on Jan 24, 2024 21:35:01 GMT
Name: StegosaurusPronunciation: Steg-oh-sore-us Meaning of name: "Roofed lizard", because palaeontologists once thought that the plates on its back lay flat like tiles on a roof. We now know the plates stood upright in two alternating rows. Species: S. stenops, S. ungulatus, S. sulcatusSize: Depending on the species, measured between 7 and 9 metres long, 4.5 metres high and weighed between 5 and 7 metric tonnes. Family: Stegosauridae Diet: Herbivore First fossils found: Known from at least 80 individuals. First discovered by Arthur Lakes and H. C. Beckwith in the Morrison Formation of Colorado in 1877. S. stenops and S. sulcatus named in the same year by American palaeontologist, Othniel Charles Marsh. S. ungulatus named by Mr. Marsh in 1879. Palaeontologists are still unsure about the function of the plates, but it's been suggested they may have been used for protection, display or to regulate the animal's body temperature. The 1-metre-long spikes on the end of the tail were likely used for defense. Lived: 155 to 150 million years ago during the Kimmeridgian and Tithonian stages of the Late Jurassic in what is now Portugal and the western United States.
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Post by Talira Greycrest on Jan 26, 2024 5:47:29 GMT
During the Late Jurassic, this sauropod was relatively common in what is now the western United States. Name: CamarasaurusPronunciation: Cam-ah-rah-sore-us Meaning of name: "Chambered lizard", due to the hollow chambers in its vertebrae. Species: C. supremus, C. grandis, C. lentusSize: Depending on the species, measured between 15 and 23 metres long, between 7 and 9 metres tall and weighing between 20 and 47 metric tonnes. Family: Camarasauridae Diet: Herbivore First fossils found: Known from many specimens, the first of which was discovered by Oramel W. Lucas in the Morrison Formation of Colorado in 1877. C. supremus named in the same year by American palaeontologist, Edward Drinker Cope. C. grandis also named in 1877 by Othniel Charles Marsh. C. lentus named by Mr. Marsh in 1889. Lived: 155 to 145 million years ago during the Kimmeridgian and Tithonian stages of the Late Jurassic in what is now the western United States.
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Post by Admin on Jan 26, 2024 13:43:12 GMT
Tyrannosaurus would be my favorite too!
Thanks for sharing these 3 - very interesting !
Michael
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Post by Admin on Jan 27, 2024 2:10:48 GMT
I revisited your post of the 3 Dinosaurs here and reread everything about each of them. I'm impressed by your posts - your posts here are very professional!
I came to realize that quite a few Dinosaurs were discovered in the Western U.S. (or Mid-Western U.S.) - with one being also found in Portugal (which brings me to think of Geologies Plate Tectonics and Pangea where the continents were once connected.
Was your third Dinosaur in your post related or perhaps called the Brontosaurus?
Thanks again for your most interesting 2 Dinosaur posts here.
~Michael Piziak
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Post by Talira Greycrest on Jan 27, 2024 4:00:20 GMT
It was originally thought that Apatosaurus and Brontosaurus were the same animal, so palaeontologists made Apatosaurus the official name. However, there's now evidence to show that these dinos were, in fact, different species.
Regarding Pangaea, it's amazing to known that the continents as we known them were once joined together and forming one huge continent which, over millions of years, broke apart to form the world that we see today.
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Post by Talira Greycrest on Jan 27, 2024 4:20:23 GMT
My favourite Hadrosaur: Name: ParasaurolophusPronunciation: Pah-rah-sore-oh-low-fus Meaning of name: "Near lizard crest" Species: P. walkeri, P. tubicen, P. cyrtocristatusSize: Depending on species, estimated to have measured around 10 metres long, 3 metres tall (up to 5 metres when standing upright) and weighing between 2 and 3 metric tonnes. Family: Lambeosaurinae (a sub-family of Hadrosauridae) Diet: Herbivore First fossils found: Known from several skulls and partial skeletons. First discovered in Alberta, Canada, in 1920. P. walkeri named by Canadian palaeontologist, William Parks, in 1922. P. tubicen named by Swedish palaeontologist, Carl Wiman, in 1931. P. cyrtocristatus named by American palaeontologist, John Harold Ostrom, in 1961. This dino's most striking feature is the curved crest on the head. Skulls with different sized crests have been found and it's been suggested that the skulls with large crests belong to adult males and those with smaller crests belong either to adult females or juveniles. Currently, we don't know the function of the crest, but it may have been used to amplify the animal's calls or for a sexual display. The nasal passages run through the crest and this may have helped improve the sense of smell. Lived: Depending on species, lived between 76.5 to 73 million years ago during the Campanian stage of the Late Cretaceous in what is now western Canada and the western and southwestern United States. P. walkeri skull
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Post by Talira Greycrest on Jan 28, 2024 3:48:19 GMT
My local museum recently became home to the most complete skeleton of this icon of the Late Cretaceous: Name: TriceratopsPronunciation: Tri-seh-rah-tops Meaning of name: "Three horned face", in reference to the horns on its head (a 1-metre-long horn above each eye and a shorter horn on the snout). Species: T. horridus, T. prorsusSize: Depending on species, measured around 9 metres long, 3.5 metres high and weighing between 6 and 12 metric tonnes. Family: Centrosaurinae (a sub-family of Ceratopsidae). Diet: Herbivore First fossils found: Known from several specimens, some of which are almost complete. The first specimen, a pair of brow horns attached to a skull roof, was discovered by George Lyman Cannon in Colorado in 1887. Was originally thought to be a prehistoric bison until a more complete skull was discovered by American palaeontologist, John Bell Hatcher, in the Lance Formation of Wyoming, in 1888. T. horridus named by American palaeontologist, Othniel Charles Marsh, in 1889. T. prorsus named by Mr. Marsh in 1890. It's been suggested that Torosaurus may be a growth stage of Triceratops. There's also evidence that Triceratops was prey for T-Rex.Lived: Depending on species, lived between 68 and 66 million years ago during the Maastrichtian stage of the Late Cretaceous in what is now western Canada and the western, northwestern and mid-western United States. Artist's impression of T. horridus
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Post by Admin on Jan 28, 2024 18:56:42 GMT
Yes, Pangaea certainly proves that Dinosaurs existed on the current continents of the world. It is interesting though that it seems that most fossil evidence of Dinosaurs are found in North America - most commonly in the midwest around Colorado and such. I think perhaps the conditions on Earth were just right in that area to preserve so many fossils, what do you think?
~Michael
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Post by Talira Greycrest on Jan 28, 2024 21:15:47 GMT
Yes, Pangaea certainly proves that Dinosaurs existed on the current continents of the world. It is interesting though that it seems that most fossil evidence of Dinosaurs are found in North America - most commonly in the midwest around Colorado and such. I think perhaps the conditions on Earth were just right in that area to preserve so many fossils, what do you think? ~Michael It's likely, yes.
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Post by Talira Greycrest on Jan 28, 2024 21:19:56 GMT
This small dino from the Late Cretaceous of Mongolia was named for a crime it never committed: Name: OviraptorPronunciation: Oh-vee-rap-tor Meaning of name: "Egg thief", because palaeontologists originally believed that it fed on the eggs of other dinosaurs. Species: O. philoceratopsSize: 1.5 metres long, between 1 and 1.5 metres tall and weighing up to 34kgs. Family: Oviraptoridae Diet: Unknown. Possible carnivore. May also have fed on nuts or shellfish. First fossils found: Known only from a single, partial skeleton and 15 eggs. First discovered by George Olsen in the Djadochta Formation during a 1923 expedition to Mongolia's Gobi Desert led by American naturalist, Roy Chapman Andrews. Named by American palaeontologist, Henry Fairfield Osborn, in 1924. This dino's name refers to the fact that the very first specimen was found lying on a pile of what were thought to be Protoceratops eggs. During the mid-1990s, the discovery of nesting Oviraptorids has shown that the original eggs probably belonged to Oviraptor.Lived: 75 million years ago during the Campanian stage of the Late Cretaceous in what is now southern Mongolia.
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Post by Admin on Jan 30, 2024 10:14:17 GMT
Interesting to see a small Dinosaur !
Michael
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Post by Talira Greycrest on Feb 11, 2024 7:13:30 GMT
Here's a very speedy dino: Name: StruthiomimusPronunciation: Stru-thee-oh-my-mus. Meaning of name: "Ostrich mimic", due to its resemblance to an ostrich. Species: S. altus, S. sedensSize: Depending on species, measured between 4 and 6 metres long, 2 metres tall and weighing between 150kg and 420kg. Family: Ornithomimidae Diet: Unknown. Possible omnivore. First fossils found: Known from several individuals. First discovered by Canadian palaeontologist, Lawrence Lambe, in 1901. Named as a species of Ornithomimus by Mr. Lambe in 1902. Almost-complete skeleton discovered by American palaeontologist, Barnum Brown, in Alberta, Canada, in 1914. Re-named Struthiomimus by American palaeontologist, Henry Fairfield Osborne, in 1917. S. sedens named in 2015. It's believed Struthiomimus could sprint at speeds of between 50 and 80km/h, around the same speed as a modern ostrich. Lived: Depending on species, lived between 78 to 67 million years ago during the Campanian and Maastrichtian stages of the Late Cretaceous in what is now western Canada and the western United States.
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Post by Talira Greycrest on Feb 12, 2024 9:10:50 GMT
And the award for 'Dinosaur with the strangest name' goes to.... Irritator! Pronunciation: Ih-re-tay-tor Meaning of name: "Irritating", in reference to the frustration felt by palaeontologists having to repair the damage illegal collectors had done to the only known fossils. Species: I. challengeriSize: Estimated to have measured around 8 metres long, 2.5 metres tall and weighing between 1 and 4 metric tonnes. Family: Spinosauridae Diet: Carnivore First fossils found: Known only from a partial skull and some vertebrae discovered by commercial fossil poachers in the Romualdo Formation of northeastern Brazil in 1996. In hopes of making the skull look more complete and, therefore, more valuable, the collectors tried to reconstruct it by grafting parts of the upper jaw to the snout before illegally selling it to a museum in Germany. When palaeontologists finally got the skull, they had to work for hours to repair the damage the collectors had done before they could identify what type of dinosaur they had. Named in the same year by D. M. Martill, A. R. I. Cruikshank, E. Frey, P. G. Small and M. Clarke. Lived: 110 million years ago during the Albian stage of the Early Cretaceous in what is now northeastern Brazil. Artist's impression of a pair of Irritator.
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Post by Talira Greycrest on Feb 13, 2024 3:36:31 GMT
Name: VelociraptorPronunciation: Veh-loss-ah-rap-tor Meaning of name: "Fast thief" Species: V. mongoliensis, V. osmolskaeSize: 2 metres long, 1 metre tall and weighing around 15kgs. Family: Dromaeosauridae Diet: Carnivore First fossils found: Known from several specimens, the first of which was discovered by Peter Kaisen in Mongolia's Gobi Desert in 1923. V. mongoliensis named by American palaeontologist, Henry Fairfield Osborne, in 1924. V. osmolskae named by Belgian palaeontologist, Pascal Godefroit, in 2008. In 1971, a remarkable fossil was discovered. It's known as the "Fighting Dinosaurs" and preserves a Velociraptor in battle with a Protoceratops.Lived: Depending on species, lived between 75 and 71 million years ago during the Campanian and Maastrichtian stages of the Late Cretaceous in what is now southern Mongolia.
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