Talira Greycrest
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Breathe deep, seek peace
@taliragreycrest
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Post by Talira Greycrest on Jan 18, 2024 8:52:36 GMT
This is where I'll teach you all about my favourite animals: dinosaurs. 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: Name: TyrannosaurusPronunciation: 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 Campanian and Maastrichtian stages 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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Talira Greycrest
FJ Regular
Breathe deep, seek peace
@taliragreycrest
Posts: 385
Likes: 248
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Post by Talira Greycrest on Jan 18, 2024 22:12:32 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 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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Talira Greycrest
FJ Regular
Breathe deep, seek peace
@taliragreycrest
Posts: 385
Likes: 248
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Post by Talira Greycrest on Jan 19, 2024 7:00:00 GMT
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 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 several 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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Talira Greycrest
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Breathe deep, seek peace
@taliragreycrest
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Post by Talira Greycrest on Jan 20, 2024 4:52:57 GMT
My favourite Hadrosaur: Name: ParasaurolophusPronunciation: Pah-rah-sore-oh-loe-fus. Meaning of name: "Near lizard crest" Species: P. walkeri, P. tubicen, P. cyrtocristatusSize: Depending on species, estimated to have measured up to 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, which may have helped improve the sense of smell. Lived: Depending on species, lived between 76.5 and 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. cyrtocristatus skeleton on display at the Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, Illinois
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Talira Greycrest
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Breathe deep, seek peace
@taliragreycrest
Posts: 385
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Post by Talira Greycrest on Jan 21, 2024 6:50:56 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 up to 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 much 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 70 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 a herd of T. horridus protecting their young from an attacking pair of T-Rex
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Talira Greycrest
FJ Regular
Breathe deep, seek peace
@taliragreycrest
Posts: 385
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Post by Talira Greycrest on Jan 21, 2024 11:07:18 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 fifteen 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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Talira Greycrest
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Breathe deep, seek peace
@taliragreycrest
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Post by Talira Greycrest on Jan 22, 2024 2:26:07 GMT
One of the fastest dinos.... 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. S. altus originally named as a species of Ornithomimus ("Bird mimic") by Mr. Lambe in 1902. An almost complete skeleton was 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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Talira Greycrest
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Breathe deep, seek peace
@taliragreycrest
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Post by Talira Greycrest on Jan 22, 2024 11:36:38 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.
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Talira Greycrest
FJ Regular
Breathe deep, seek peace
@taliragreycrest
Posts: 385
Likes: 248
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Post by Talira Greycrest on Jan 22, 2024 23:43:57 GMT
Name: VelociraptorPronunciation: Veh-loss-ah-rap-tor Meaning of name: "Fast thief" Species: V. mongoliensis, V. osmolskaeSize: 2 metres long, 0.5 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: 75 to 71 million years ago during the Campanian and Maastrichtian stages of the Late Cretaceous in what is now southern Mongolia.
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Talira Greycrest
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Breathe deep, seek peace
@taliragreycrest
Posts: 385
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Post by Talira Greycrest on Jan 23, 2024 12:22:40 GMT
Name: CeratosaurusPronunciation: See-rat-oh-sore-us Meaning of name: "Horned lizard", in reference to the stumpy horn on its snout. Species: C. nasicornis, C. dentisulcatus, C. magnicornis. It's possible there may be other species. Size: Estimated to have measured between 6 and 7 metres long, between 2 and 3 metres tall and weighing up to 700kgs. Family: Ceratosauridae Diet: Carnivore First fossils found: Known from several specimens, the first of which was discovered by farmer Marshall Parker Felch in the Morrison Formation of Colorado. C. nasicornis named by American palaeontologist, Othniel Charles Marsh, in 1884. C. dentisulcatus and C. magnicornis named in 2000. Lived: Depending on species, from 157.3 to 145 million years ago during the Kimmeridgian and Tithonian stages of the Late Jurassic in what is now Portugal and the western United States. May also have lived in what is now Switzerland, East Africa and Uruguay.
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