scinerds: Ankylosaur ReefArticle content from smithsonianmag.com (by Brian Switek).A full-size restoration of what Aletopelta might have looked like, at the San Diego Natural History Museum. Photo by Brian Switek. “Dinosaurs created temporary reefs. At least, the ones whose bodies floated out to sea did.” “Even though there were no aquatic dinosaurs, dead dinosaurs sometimes washed down rivers to the coast. When their bodies settled on the ocean bottom, scavengers of various sorts and sizes glommed onto the dinosaurs and formed short-lived communities with their own ecological tempo—perhaps similar to what happens to the carcasses of modern whales. The Cretaceous dinosaur bones found in my home state of New Jersey are the result of this kind of transport and marine breakdown, and other examples have been found at sites around the world.” “Even bodies of the heavily armored ankylosaurs were sometimes swept out to sea. They must have been quite a sight—a bloated, belly-up ankylosaur, drifting for as long as the gases inside its body could keep it afloat. One of these dinosaurs, found miles from the closest land at that time, was recently discovered in the oilsands of Alberta, Canada, but this wandering ankylosaur isn’t the only one we know of. When I visited the San Diego Natural History Museum last month, I saw another.” “Hung on the wall, the creature was less than half the dinosaur it used to be. Even though additional parts of the dinosaur were recovered when it was excavated during the construction of the Palomar-McClellan Airport in 1987, the articulated hindlimbs and adjoining hip material is what museum visitors are greeted with. (The rest sits in the collections.) At first glance, the specimen doesn’t look like much. But what makes this fossil so strange is the group of associated creatures. Embedded on and around the dinosaur bones were shells from marine bivalves and at least one shark’s tooth. This ankylosaur had settled and been buried in the sea off the coast of Cretaceous California.” “Tracy Ford and James Kirkland described the ankylosaur in a 2001 paper included in The Armored Dinosaurs. Previously, the specimen didn’t have a proper scientific name. The dinosaur was simply referred to as the Carlsbad ankylosaur. And the details of the dinosaur’s armor, especially over the hips, seemed to be quite similar to that of another dinosaur called Stegopelta. This would make the Carlsbad ankylosaur anodosaurid, a group of ankylosaurs that typically have large shoulder spikes but lack a tail club.” “After reexamining the specimen, though, Ford and Kirkland came to a different conclusion. The dinosaur’s armor identified it as an ankylosaurid, the armored dinosaur subgroup that carried hefty, bony tail clubs. The club itself was not discovered, but the rest of the dinosaur’s anatomy fit the ankylosaurid profile. And the dinosaur was different enough from others to warrant a new name. Ford and Kirkland called the ankylosaur Aletopelta coombsi. The genus name, meaning “wandering shield,” is a tribute to the fact that the movements of geologic plates had carried the dinosaur’s skeleton northward over the past 75 million years.” “We may never know exactly what happened to this Aletopelta. Detailed geological context is essential for figuring out how a skeleton came to rest in a particular spot, and that information was destroyed with the excavation of the skeleton. Still, paleontologists have put together a general outline of what happened to this dinosaur. The unfortunate ankylosaurid died somewhere along the coast, and its carcass was washed out to the sea by a river, local flood, or similar watery mode of transport. Aletopelta settled belly-up and was exposed for long enough to become a food source and even home for various organisms. Sharks and other larger scavengers tore at the carcass, but various encrusting invertebrates also settled on the skeleton. Fortunately for paleontologists, the skeleton was sturdy enough to survive all this and eventually be buried. Even though dinosaurs never lived in the marine realm, their deaths certainly enriched the sea.” References: Ford, T., Kirkland, J. 2001. Carlsbad ankylosaur (Ornithischia: Ankylosauria): An ankylosaurid and not a nodosaurid. pp. 239-260 in Carpenter, K., ed. The Armored Dinosaurs. Bloomington: Indiana University Press.Hilton, R.P. 2003. Dinosaurs and Other Mesozoic Reptiles of California. Berkeley: University of California Press. pp.39-40

scinerds:

Ankylosaur Reef
Article content from smithsonianmag.com (by Brian Switek).
A full-size restoration of what Aletopelta might have looked like, at the San Diego Natural History Museum. Photo by Brian Switek.

“Dinosaurs created temporary reefs. At least, the ones whose bodies floated out to sea did.”

“Even though there were no aquatic dinosaurs, dead dinosaurs sometimes washed down rivers to the coast. When their bodies settled on the ocean bottom, scavengers of various sorts and sizes glommed onto the dinosaurs and formed short-lived communities with their own ecological tempo—perhaps similar to what happens to the carcasses of modern whales. The Cretaceous dinosaur bones found in my home state of New Jersey are the result of this kind of transport and marine breakdown, and other examples have been found at sites around the world.”

“Even bodies of the heavily armored ankylosaurs were sometimes swept out to sea. They must have been quite a sight—a bloated, belly-up ankylosaur, drifting for as long as the gases inside its body could keep it afloat. One of these dinosaurs, found miles from the closest land at that time, was recently discovered in the oilsands of Alberta, Canada, but this wandering ankylosaur isn’t the only one we know of. When I visited the San Diego Natural History Museum last month, I saw another.”

“Hung on the wall, the creature was less than half the dinosaur it used to be. Even though additional parts of the dinosaur were recovered when it was excavated during the construction of the Palomar-McClellan Airport in 1987, the articulated hindlimbs and adjoining hip material is what museum visitors are greeted with. (The rest sits in the collections.) At first glance, the specimen doesn’t look like much. But what makes this fossil so strange is the group of associated creatures. Embedded on and around the dinosaur bones were shells from marine bivalves and at least one shark’s tooth. This ankylosaur had settled and been buried in the sea off the coast of Cretaceous California.”

“Tracy Ford and James Kirkland described the ankylosaur in a 2001 paper included in The Armored Dinosaurs. Previously, the specimen didn’t have a proper scientific name. The dinosaur was simply referred to as the Carlsbad ankylosaur. And the details of the dinosaur’s armor, especially over the hips, seemed to be quite similar to that of another dinosaur called Stegopelta. This would make the Carlsbad ankylosaur anodosaurid, a group of ankylosaurs that typically have large shoulder spikes but lack a tail club.”

“After reexamining the specimen, though, Ford and Kirkland came to a different conclusion. The dinosaur’s armor identified it as an ankylosaurid, the armored dinosaur subgroup that carried hefty, bony tail clubs. The club itself was not discovered, but the rest of the dinosaur’s anatomy fit the ankylosaurid profile. And the dinosaur was different enough from others to warrant a new name. Ford and Kirkland called the ankylosaur Aletopelta coombsi. The genus name, meaning “wandering shield,” is a tribute to the fact that the movements of geologic plates had carried the dinosaur’s skeleton northward over the past 75 million years.”

“We may never know exactly what happened to this Aletopelta. Detailed geological context is essential for figuring out how a skeleton came to rest in a particular spot, and that information was destroyed with the excavation of the skeleton. Still, paleontologists have put together a general outline of what happened to this dinosaur. The unfortunate ankylosaurid died somewhere along the coast, and its carcass was washed out to the sea by a river, local flood, or similar watery mode of transport. Aletopelta settled belly-up and was exposed for long enough to become a food source and even home for various organisms. Sharks and other larger scavengers tore at the carcass, but various encrusting invertebrates also settled on the skeleton. Fortunately for paleontologists, the skeleton was sturdy enough to survive all this and eventually be buried. Even though dinosaurs never lived in the marine realm, their deaths certainly enriched the sea.”

References: Ford, T., Kirkland, J. 2001. Carlsbad ankylosaur (Ornithischia: Ankylosauria): An ankylosaurid and not a nodosaurid. pp. 239-260 in Carpenter, K., ed. The Armored Dinosaurs. Bloomington: Indiana University Press.
Hilton, R.P. 2003. Dinosaurs and Other Mesozoic Reptiles of California. Berkeley: University of California Press. pp.39-40


dino-files:

Name: Deinonychus
Pronounced: Die-Non-E-Cuss
Classification: Theropod
Sub-family: Dromaeosaurid
Temporal Range: Early Cretaceous (115-108 Mya)
Length: 3.2 metres
Height: 1.1 metres
Weight: 70kg
Movement: Bipedal
Feeding Type: Carnivore

Information:
- Discovery: The first remains of Deinonychus were discovered in 1931 by famous palaeontologist, Barnum Brown. The fossil was discovered in Montana, USA; but at the time Brown was more concerned with excavating the remains of the ornithopod, Tenontosaurus. During his report of the dig, Brown noted that along with the remains of Tenontosaurus his team had recovered the remains of a small carnivorous dinosaur. He made preparations for the remains of this dinosaur to be described and put on display, but he never finished his work. It wasn’t until 1964 when researcher John Ostrom discovered a large number other fossils, that were the same as the one discovered by Barnum Brown; that Deinonychus was officially described and named. In addition a large number of fossilised egg shells were discovered around the original Deinonychus specimen; and they have since been proven to be those of Deinonychus and thus the first identified dromaeosaurid dinosaur egg.
            Deinonychus is a member of the dromaeosaurid group of dinosaurs. It is closely related to the smaller, Velociraptor although it lived long before its more famous relative, nearly 25 million years in fact.

- Statistics: Deinonychus was a fairly large dromaeosaurid dinosaur, growing to lengths of around 3 metres; much larger than its close relatives; Velociraptor (1.9m), Tsaagan (2m) and Saurornitholestes (1.8m). Recent estimates have suggested it would have weighed around 70kg. The skull of Deinonychus measured around 41cm in length and had powerful jaws which were lined with around seventy curved, blade-like teeth.

- Description: Deinonychus is one of the most important dinosaurs in regards to the argument that some dinosaurs were warm blooded. Dinosaurs have always been compared to modern-day reptiles (which are cold-blooded); however smaller dinosaurs such as Deinonychus were built to be fast and agile. Such a lifestyle requires the need for a faster metabolism, which is provided via being warm-blooded. In addition, the egg shells discovered around the original specimen of Deinonychus were arranged in such a way, it suggested that Deinonychus would have brooded (sat on) its eggs. This would suggest that Deinonychus used body heat transfer as a mechanism for egg incubation; which would require a warm-blooded lifestyle, similar to modern-day birds. While there is no direct evidence to support the placement of feathers on Deinonychus, it is presumed, that like its dromaeosaurid relatives, it would have supported a feather coat.
            Many palaeontologists believe that Deinonychus was a pack animal. Evidence for this comes from the frequent remains of Deinonychus being found around Tenontosaurus fossils. Tenontosaurus was a large ornithopod dinosaur and a single Deinonychus would have found it extremely difficult to take down an adult Tenontosaurus; suggesting packs of Deinonychus would have hunted larger prey animals. It is belived that Deinonychus used the large sickle-claw on its foot for stabbing prey, rather than slashing open flesh in a single stroke (which was previously suggested). The claw itself varies in length and curvature in nearly all individuals; however no real reasoning for this has been proposed. It has been suggested that the difference in size and shape of the sickle-claws could be due to individual, sexual or age-related variations. There is recent anatomical and footprint evidence proving that this claw was held off the ground while Deinonychus walked on its third and forth toes.
            In addition the tail of Deinonychus was constructed in a similar way to other members of its family group with each tendon overlapping several vertebrae, making the tail rigid and only allowing movement at the base. It is theorised that this stiff tail would have acted as a counterbalance when running and turning at speed. Deinonychus itself is often regarded as a fairly speedy animal, however recent research has suggested that the small foot-tibia ratio proposes that Deinonychus was not particularly fast in comparison to other dinosaurs. The research concluded that the legs of Deinonychus represented a balance between running adaptations needed for an agile predator and stress-reducing features to compensate for its unique sickle-claw. 


paleoillustration:

“Citipati with chicks”, ”Citipati and Shuvuuia” and sketches, by Edyta.

fuckyeahdinoart: Bambiraptor feinbergorum by *kyoht

fuckyeahdinoart:

Bambiraptor feinbergorum by *kyoht

discoverynews: Shaggy T. Rex Cousin Was Heftiest Feathered Dino    A 3,086-pound shaggy tyrannosaur was the world’s largest known feathered animal — living or extinct — according to a paper in the latest issue of Nature. The newly unearthed tyrannosaur, named Yutyrannus huali or “beautiful feathered tyrant,” lived about 125 million years ago in northeastern China. The over 29-foot-long non-avian dinosaur, represented by three specimens, is considerably smaller than its infamous relative T. rex, but some 40 times the weight of the largest previously known feathered dinosaur, Beipiaosaurus. keep reading

discoverynews:

Shaggy T. Rex Cousin Was Heftiest Feathered Dino   

A 3,086-pound shaggy tyrannosaur was the world’s largest known feathered animal — living or extinct — according to a paper in the latest issue of Nature.

The newly unearthed tyrannosaur, named Yutyrannus huali or “beautiful feathered tyrant,” lived about 125 million years ago in northeastern China. The over 29-foot-long non-avian dinosaur, represented by three specimens, is considerably smaller than its infamous relative T. rex, but some 40 times the weight of the largest previously known feathered dinosaur, Beipiaosaurus.

keep reading

fuckyeahdinoart: australovenator by ~atrox1 Palaeoart done right

fuckyeahdinoart:

australovenator by ~atrox1

Palaeoart done right

nationalpost: Canadian scientists identify two new species of dinosaurs that could help fill in evolutionary gapsA team of five Canadian scientists has identified two new species of dinosaurs from the famous fossil beds of southern Alberta, including one that points to the pivotal North American evolution of a family of pint-sized, plant-eating creatures related to the triceratops. (Illustration: Julius Csotonyi)

nationalpost:

Canadian scientists identify two new species of dinosaurs that could help fill in evolutionary gaps
A team of five Canadian scientists has identified two new species of dinosaurs from the famous fossil beds of southern Alberta, including one that points to the pivotal North American evolution of a family of pint-sized, plant-eating creatures related to the triceratops. (Illustration: Julius Csotonyi)


dailyfossil:

Psittacosaurus

Mounted skeletons from the Melbourne Museum of Natural History

Reconstruction on display at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History

When: Early Cretaceous (~130 to 100 million years ago)

Where: Asia

What: Psittacosaurus is a ceratopsian.  Yes, a ceratopsian like Tricerotops or Styracosaurus, even though it has no horns or even a neck frill. You have to start somewhere! Psittacosaurus is an extremely basal ceratopsian, with some studies finding this animal in the first group to branch off from the clade. Italso was most likely bipedal (quick remake all the reconstructions!), as its forelimbs were much shorter than its hind-limbs, and it possibly could not even rotate its hands enough to put its palms flat towards the ground. This isn’t really surprising, as despite the large number of quadrupedal dinosaurs, the last common ancestor of all dinosaurs has been reconstructed to be bipedal. Psittacosaurus was a plant eater, but it did not have the grinding cheek teeth of later ceratopsians, so it swallowed stones to help it grind its food. It is also possible that it fed on nuts, as its beak has been reconstructed to function very well as a nut-cracker. 

There are hundreds upon hundreds of fossil specimens known for Psittacosaurus, making it one of the most well understood of all dinosaurs. There are over 10 species known, with the best known  Psittacosaurus mongoliensis, reaching about 6.5 feet (~2 meters) long at its extreme maximum. This includes an amazing slab specimen that was preserved in soft mud that shows this little ceratopsian had bristles on the top of its tail. It is thought these were used for communication between individuals, and it is debated if these are homologous (same evolutionary origin)to the feathers of theropod dinosaurs or not. There is almost a full ontogenetic (growth) series of specimens, with oodles and oodles of hatchings to subadults. The close association of many hatchlings and adults shows that these ceratopsians, like many dinosaurs, had a good amount of parental care of the young dinosaurs.

One benefit of so many specimens is that destructive sampling can be used - this is where the original specimen is damaged, or even destroyed, to provide some information about the animal. Cutting long bones and examining the resulting cross-sections has lead to the determination that Psittacosaurus lived to about 10 to 11 years old. 

Remember Repenomamus from a couple of days ago? The juvenile dinosaur  found inside was a Psittacosaurus.  

Psittacosaurus is such a weird little dinosaur…

theropod: Mick Ellison’s Microraptor reconstruction, based on new evidence that it sported iridescent black plumage.   Gorgeous. I love the way that our perception and knowledge of dinosaurs is evolving.

theropod:

Mick Ellison’s Microraptor reconstruction, based on new evidence that it sported iridescent black plumage.  

Gorgeous. I love the way that our perception and knowledge of dinosaurs is evolving.

crownedrose: Theropod Of The Day: Baryonyx walkeri→ Photo above from Wikipedia.→ T.O.T.D. posts written by crownedrose. A member of the Spinosauridae family, Baryonyx (meaning “heavy claw”) is a specimen which sometimes is confused with the better known dinosaur, Spinosaurus aegyptiacus. It was first discovered back in the 1980s in England by an amateur palaeontologist who saw a claw sticking out of the side of a pit! How lucky and cool is that?! Here’s some other information below on what we know about Baryonyx. ⁌ Baryonyx walkeri lived during the Early Cretaceous Period, roaming parts of what is now the United Kingdom and Europe. With a crocidilian-like snout, three digit claws (one being a massive thumb claw), and perhaps measuring over 30 feet long, Baryonyx was one of the few theropods known to diet on fish a majority of the time. ⁌ Let’s talk about that head for a moment. The structure is very different compared to large theropods - more like what you see in crocodiles - which leads us to believe this skull was specifically evolved for a certain type of prey. Just look at that elongated skull! Baryonyx had a lot of cone-shaped teeth (over 90!), and two third’s of those teeth were set in the lower jaw. Also, the roots were longer than the visible teeth you see sticking out of the jaws! Then there’s my favourite feature in the Spinosauridae family: that notch in the maxilla. Just like crocodiles, this special formation is a great tool used to keep prey from escaping. ⁌ If you study the head, you’ll notice the nasal opening is farther back on the skull compared to other theropods - and as it is theorised for the Spinosauridae family that they’d leave the tip of their mouths in the water, awaiting prey to lingering a bit to close. For Baryonyx, we’ve found scales and remains of fish (Lepidotes) and even Iguanodon remains in the stomach area of Baryonyx. Pretty awesome, right?! Whenever remains of a dinner are found in a dinosaur’s cavity, this truly gives us great insight on their diets. Finding these remains as well are rare, so every find is precious. ⁌ Did you know that we do not have a full skeleton for any one Spinosauridae family member? Baryonyx was found with around 70% of its skeleton, and Suchomimus is the most completely known, which has helped us to “build” what other spinosaurids could have looked like. Irritator for example is only known by a partial skull and a few bits and pieces. ⁌ Suchomimus is thought to perhaps be Baryonyx due to the similarity between vertebrae, but some are skeptic of this theory. With more fossils found, more evidence, and more research, one day we’ll be able to settle any colliding thoughts. ⁌ Baryonyx has this awesome and massive claw as the thumb on its forelimbs, which could have been to help stab/grasp prey. ⁌ Baryonyx, like other spinosaurids, have been found to have lived a semiaquatic life, due to the testing of stable isotope ratios in the teeth, finding similarities in what is found in turtles and crocodiles. This helps the theory of their diet to be composed of  (mainly) fish, along with living in a different kind of habitat, co-existing with other large theropods would be less-dramatic. Again, everyone, thanks for dealing with my hectic schedule and waiting for my next T.O.T.D. post! The past week has been very busy and full of events/lectures with some of the top palaeontologists out there - so think of my time away from Tumblr as beneficial to the upcoming T.O.T.D. posts seeing as all your favourite dinosaurs (and non-dinos) were discussed! If anyone would like more information on any dinosaurs (esp. theropods) or Baryonyx, just send me a message! These posts are meant to give you guys known and not-so-known information written short and simple, so if you want more info on theropods talked about in these posts, just let me know. I’m always willing to answer questions on theropods for the curious minds out there. I hope you all have enjoyed reading this, and be sure to keep a look out for future T.O.T.D. posts! Theropod Of The Day Links: Have a theropod you definitely want covered or have a question? T.O.T.D. tag with all posts. Master list linking to which dinosaurs have been posted. One of my favourite dinosaurs.

crownedrose:

Theropod Of The Day: Baryonyx walkeri
→ Photo above from Wikipedia.
→ T.O.T.D. posts written by crownedrose.

A member of the Spinosauridae family, Baryonyx (meaning “heavy claw”) is a specimen which sometimes is confused with the better known dinosaur, Spinosaurus aegyptiacus. It was first discovered back in the 1980s in England by an amateur palaeontologist who saw a claw sticking out of the side of a pit! How lucky and cool is that?! Here’s some other information below on what we know about Baryonyx.

⁌ Baryonyx walkeri lived during the Early Cretaceous Period, roaming parts of what is now the United Kingdom and Europe. With a crocidilian-like snout, three digit claws (one being a massive thumb claw), and perhaps measuring over 30 feet long, Baryonyx was one of the few theropods known to diet on fish a majority of the time.

⁌ Let’s talk about that head for a moment. The structure is very different compared to large theropods - more like what you see in crocodiles - which leads us to believe this skull was specifically evolved for a certain type of prey. Just look at that elongated skull! Baryonyx had a lot of cone-shaped teeth (over 90!), and two third’s of those teeth were set in the lower jaw. Also, the roots were longer than the visible teeth you see sticking out of the jaws! Then there’s my favourite feature in the Spinosauridae family: that notch in the maxilla. Just like crocodiles, this special formation is a great tool used to keep prey from escaping.

⁌ If you study the head, you’ll notice the nasal opening is farther back on the skull compared to other theropods - and as it is theorised for the Spinosauridae family that they’d leave the tip of their mouths in the water, awaiting prey to lingering a bit to close. For Baryonyx, we’ve found scales and remains of fish (Lepidotes) and even Iguanodon remains in the stomach area of Baryonyx. Pretty awesome, right?! Whenever remains of a dinner are found in a dinosaur’s cavity, this truly gives us great insight on their diets. Finding these remains as well are rare, so every find is precious.

⁌ Did you know that we do not have a full skeleton for any one Spinosauridae family member? Baryonyx was found with around 70% of its skeleton, and Suchomimus is the most completely known, which has helped us to “build” what other spinosaurids could have looked like. Irritator for example is only known by a partial skull and a few bits and pieces.

⁌ Suchomimus is thought to perhaps be Baryonyx due to the similarity between vertebrae, but some are skeptic of this theory. With more fossils found, more evidence, and more research, one day we’ll be able to settle any colliding thoughts.

⁌ Baryonyx has this awesome and massive claw as the thumb on its forelimbs, which could have been to help stab/grasp prey.

⁌ Baryonyx, like other spinosaurids, have been found to have lived a semiaquatic life, due to the testing of stable isotope ratios in the teeth, finding similarities in what is found in turtles and crocodiles. This helps the theory of their diet to be composed of  (mainly) fish, along with living in a different kind of habitat, co-existing with other large theropods would be less-dramatic.

Again, everyone, thanks for dealing with my hectic schedule and waiting for my next T.O.T.D. post! The past week has been very busy and full of events/lectures with some of the top palaeontologists out there - so think of my time away from Tumblr as beneficial to the upcoming T.O.T.D. posts seeing as all your favourite dinosaurs (and non-dinos) were discussed! If anyone would like more information on any dinosaurs (esp. theropods) or Baryonyx, just send me a message! These posts are meant to give you guys known and not-so-known information written short and simple, so if you want more info on theropods talked about in these posts, just let me know. I’m always willing to answer questions on theropods for the curious minds out there. I hope you all have enjoyed reading this, and be sure to keep a look out for future T.O.T.D. posts!

Theropod Of The Day Links:

One of my favourite dinosaurs.


rhamphotheca:

Velociraptor’s Last Meal Reavealed

by Jeanna Bryner

A lightweight Velociraptor dinosaur may have chowed down on the carcass of a much larger flying reptile not long before meeting his own demise some 75 million years ago.

The evidence comes from a pterosaur bone discovered in the gut of the skeletal remains of what was likely a Velociraptor mongoliensis that lived in what is now the Gobi Desert in Mongolia. The fossil, the first pterosaur bone to be found inside dinosaur guts, was discovered in 1994 but not fully analyzed and detailed in a scientific publication until now.

Velociraptor was known to have fearsome sickle-shaped talons on the second toe of each foot; it kept these talons off the ground like foldable switchblades. Past research has shown these theropod dinosaurs used their talons to slash live prey and hook them to keep them from escaping.

The new study, which says the pterosaur may have been dead before the predator found it, adds to research suggesting the fierce carnivores wouldn’t turn their back on a free meal, either. A study published in 2010 reported the discovery of a Velociraptor frozen in time, scavenging the corpse of a larger dinosaur…

(read more: Live Science)    

(top illustration by Brett Booth, bottom photo: David Hone)

That illustration is awesome. I love fossils that can distinctly show real life at the time, not just a corpse.

fuckyeahdinoart: Velociraptor from DR by ~Swordlord3d

fuckyeahdinoart:

Velociraptor from DR by ~Swordlord3d

theropod:

T. Rex Has Most Powerful Bite of Any Terrestrial Animal Ever

(Photograph by Ira Block; model by Brian Cooley)

Research at the University of Liverpool, using computer models to reconstruct the jaw muscle of Tyrannosaurus rex, has suggested that the dinosaur had the most powerful bite of any living or extinct terrestrial animal.

The team artificially scaled up the skulls of a human, alligator, a juvenile T. rex, and Allosaurus to the size of an adult T. rex. In each case the bite forces increased as expected, but they did not increase to the level of the adult T. rex, suggesting that it had the most powerful bite of any terrestrial animal.

Previous studies have estimated that T. rex’s bite had a force of 8,000 to 13,400 Newtons, but given the size of the animal, thought to weigh more than 6,000kg, researchers suspected that its bite may have been more powerful than this. Liverpool scientists developed a computer model to reverse engineer the animal’s bite, a method that has previously been used to predict dinosaur running speeds.

An animal’s bite force is largely determined by the size of the jaw muscles. Using their computer models, researchers tested a range of alternative muscle values, as it is not precisely known what the muscles of dinosaurs were like. Even with error margins factored in, the computer model still showed that theT. rex had a more powerful bite than previously suggested.

The smallest values predicted were around 20,000 Newtons, while the largest values were as high as 57,000 Newtons, which would be equivalent to the force of a medium sized elephant sitting down on the ground.

Researchers also found that the results for the juvenile T. rex had a relatively the weaker bite than the adult T. rex, even when size differences and uncertainties about muscle size were taken into account. The large difference between the two measurements, despite the error margins factored in, may suggest that T. rex underwent a change in feeding behaviour as it grew.

Dr Karl Bates, from the University’s Department of Musculoskeletal Biology, said: “The power of the T. rex jaw has been a much debated topic over the years. Scientists only have the skeleton to work with, as muscle does not survive with the fossil, so we often have to rely on statistical analysis or qualitative comparisons to living animals, which differ greatly in size and shape from the giant enigmatic dinosaurs like T. rex. As these methods are somewhat indirect, it can be difficult to get an objective insight into how dinosaurs might have functioned and what they may or may not have been capable of in life.

“To build on previous methods of analysis, we took what we knew about T. rex from its skeleton and built a computer model that incorporated the major anatomical and physiological factors that determine bite performance. We then asked the computer model to produce a bite so that we could measure the speed and force of it directly. We compared this to other animals of smaller body mass and also scaled up smaller animals to the size of T. rex to compare how powerful it was in relative terms.

“Our results show that the T. rex had an extremely powerful bite, making it one of the most dangerous predators to have roamed our planet. Its unique musculoskeletal system will continue to fascinate scientists for years to come.”

T. rex  is recovering from its Horner-popularised “just a scavenger” shame!
blackunic0rn: I don’t usually post WIPs but I had to scan this for my TA anyway and haven’t posted an actual drawing in a while. Part of my term project for Paleobiology. Protoceratops cranium, lateral view, from a photo of a cast in the Paleo lab, with help from Dodson, 1976. “Quantitative aspects of relative growth and sexual dimorphism in Protoceratops”, Journal of Paleontology; 50 (5): 929-940.

blackunic0rn:

I don’t usually post WIPs but I had to scan this for my TA anyway and haven’t posted an actual drawing in a while. Part of my term project for Paleobiology.

Protoceratops cranium, lateral view, from a photo of a cast in the Paleo lab, with help from Dodson, 1976. “Quantitative aspects of relative growth and sexual dimorphism in Protoceratops”, Journal of Paleontology; 50 (5): 929-940.


tyrannoraptora:

crownedrose:

How to Hatch a Dinosaur
Get a chicken, hijack its DNA, and stand back.
Photo: Dan Forbes; model maker: Jason Clay Lewis.

People have told Jack Horner he’s crazy before, but he has always turned out to be right. In 1982, on the strength of seven years of undergraduate study, a stint in the Marines, and a gig as a paleontology researcher at Princeton, Horner got a job at Montana State University’s Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman. He was hired as a curator but soon told his bosses that he wanted to teach paleontology. “They said it wasn’t going to happen,” Horner recalls. Four years and a MacArthur genius grant later, “they told me to do whatever I wanted to.” Horner, 65, continues to work at the museum, now filled with his discoveries. He still doesn’t have a college degree.

“What we’re trying to do is take our chicken, modify it, and make a chickensaurus.”

When he was a kid in the 1950s, dinosaurs were thought to have been mostly cold, solitary, reptilian beasts—true monsters. Horner didn’t agree with this picture. He saw in their hundreds-of-millions-of-years-old skeletons hints of sociability, of animals that lived in herds, unlike modern reptiles. Then, in the 1970s, Horner and his friend Bob Makela excavated one of the most spectacular dinosaur finds ever—a massive communal nesting site of duck-billed dinosaurs in northwest Montana complete with fossilized adults, juveniles, and eggs. There they found proof of crazy idea number one: The parents at the site cared for their young. Judging by their skeletons, the baby duckbills would have been too feeble to forage on their own.

Horner went on to find evidence suggesting that, once hatched, the animals were fast-growing (crazy idea number two) and possibly warm-blooded (that would be three), and he continues to be at the forefront of the search for ancient bits of organic matter surviving intact in fossils (number four). Add in his work as a technical consultant on the Jurassic Park movies and Horner has probably done more to shape the way we currently think about dinosaurs than any other living paleontologist.

-

I decided to repost this article for anyone interested in the whole “chickenosaurus” topic. After alchymista posted a poster about chickenosaurus (or chickensaurus), I thought I’d post the Wired article again and talk a little bit about the whole topic.

I think it’s a very cool idea. It’s one way of going down a Jurassic Park-esque route. Being that I’ve been following the palaeontology world ever since I was a toddler (especially the relation to modern birds), the thought of almost de-evolving (totally a word now) a chicken is really interesting. I love genetics, I love biology, I love dinosaurs, and this is right up my alley. Frankly, right now all I can think of to say is, “THIS IS AWESOME!” Not really too detailed, right? I suggest reading the full article on Wired to see more photos and read all about the process they’re trying to overthrow. Hijacking DNA; just that on its own sounds awesome.

Horner also has a book out, which is called, “How to Build a Dinosaur: The New Science of Reverse Evolution”. Definitely an interesting read for anyone curious.

I love the idea, but the paranoid side of me just knows great leaps in genetic engineering will lead to military involvement. (Yep, too much X-Files, I know, I know).

I’ve read everything there is to do with this idea, but in case you haven’t heard…

powered by Tumblr. Themed by alexisondrugs.