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Dinosaur of the Day


frogfish

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Albertosaurus

Albertosaurus sacrophagus

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Pronounced: al-Bert-o-Saw-rus

Diet: Carnivore (Meat-Eater)

Name Means: "Alberta Lizard"

Length: 28 feet (8.5 m)

Height: 10 feet (3 m)

Weight: 2.5 tons (2300 kilos)

Time: Late Cretaceous - 70 MYA

Location: Northern North America

Albertosaurus was the grandfather of T. rex. This dinosaur looked like a smaller, less muscular version of Tyrannosaurus. As an early member of the tyrannosaur family, Albertosaurus was the final design for the large meat-eating dinosaurs. It only had two fingers on its hands, which were at the end of short arms. It had long legs and it a wide skull with lots of power in its bite.

Albertosaurus is considered by many scientists to be the best known of the tyrannosaurs. A number of nearly complete skeletons, two adults and a juvenile, have been found. There are two recognized species and several in dispute. It is sometimes referenced as a transitory animal, a creature on its way to evolving into T. rex, but it appears that it was extremely successful and longer lived than the Tyrannosaurus genus.

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If you don't like the thread, don't come here. As others have said, Frogfish does indeed have extensive knowledge on this subject, it's a pity you didn't think before typing that reply. Valuable bandwidth was wasted. :o

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Now, back to the topic. One of my favourites of the triassic.

user posted image

Name: Postosuchus

Pronunciation: POEST-oh-SOOK-uss

Meaning: Post crocodile

Animal Type:Archosaur

Dietary Type: Carnivore - (herbivore eating cannibal)

Size: Up to 6 metres long, able to rear up 2 metres tall

Weight: Just under a tonne

Major Fossil Finds: Petrified Forest in Arizona, USA

Evidence

There have been several finds in the Petrified Forest in Arizona, and Post Quarry in Texas. Postosuchus was an archosaur ("ruling reptile"), a major group of living and extinct reptiles that includes crocodiles, dinosaurs, pterosaurs and birds. Postosuchus was on the line to crocodiles, but it was not a crocodile itself.

Postosuchus evolved in the Late Triassic period. It was the top carnivore of the age. Its skull was short and broad, but it had a narrow snout and deep powerful jaws. Heavy-duty armour consisting of rows of plates covered its long back.

It had a unique upright stance with straight legs directly beneath its body suggesting a quick and efficient runner. It is sometimes called a "running crocodile". It had longer back legs than front legs. Some palaeontologists believe it ran on two legs, but the majority think that it did so on four.

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Brontosaurus

Brontosaurus excelsus

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Pronounced: Bron-toe-Sore-us

Diet: Herbivore (Plant-Eater)

Name Means: "Thunder Lizard"

Length: 76 feet (23 m)

Height: 25 feet (8 m)

Weight: 33 tons (30,000 kilos)

Time: Late Jurassic - 155 MYA

Location: SW United States

Brontosaurus is one of the most well known dinosaurs, but did it really exist? At this point, scientists can't agree on whether Brontosaurus actually existed, as the original type specimen was actually a combination of two different dinosaurs - an Apatosaurus body and a Camarasaurus head. Currently, Brontosaurus is not a valid species, but that may change.

When it was discovered that the head of Camarasaurus was placed on the body of Apatosaurus and called Brontosaurus, most people thought that was the end of this dinosaur that had become an icon for dinosaur fans from the late 19th century through the 1970s. That may not be the case, however, as Dr. Robert Bakker is developing evidence that supports his claim that Brontosaurus should still be recognized as a real dinosaur. He asserts that it was a huge, long-necked plant eater that deserved its name, which means Thunder Lizard.

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Old school dinosaur...

Very, and I belive tey solved the debate, its firmly no. I think.

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Suchomimus

Suchomimus tenerensis

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Pronounced: Sue-koe-My-mus

Diet: Carnivore (Meat-Eater)

Name Means: "Crocodile Mimic"

Length: 40 feet (13 m)

Height: 16 feet (5 m)

Weight: 6 tons (6,000 kilos)

Time: Middle Cretaceous - 100 MYA

Location: North Africa

Suchomimus was very similar to Spinosaurus, but it didn't have the tall sail on its back. Along with its cousin, Suchomimus ate mostly fish, which it caught with its long, thin snout full of sharp, cone-shaped teeth. It was discovered in 1998 and has given scientists a much clearer picture of what this fish-eating family of dinosaurs, which also includes Baryonyx was like.

The discovery of Suchomimus has helped both scientists and the general public understand the rich diversity of life that lived in Africa millions of years ago. It has also provided scientist with valuable clues about the migration of the spinosaurs from Europe into Africa. Although it did not have nearly as prominent a sail as Spinosaurus, Suchomimus did have sacral vertebrae that supported a two-foot (.7 m) sail on its back. Some scientists are questioning whether this dinosaur is a unique genus or if it might be a species of Baryonyx.

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Dravidosaurus

Dravidosaurus blandfordi

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Pronounced: dray-Vid-o-Saw-rus

Diet: Herbivore (Plant-Eater)

Name Means: "Dravidanadu Lizard"

Length: Unknown

Height: Unknown

Weight: Unknown

Time: Early Cretaceous - 140 MYA

Location: India

Until the discovery of Dravidosaurus, it was thought that all members of the stegosaur family died out before the end of the Jurassic. The discovery of this small plant-eater in India shows that stegosaur family members survived longer than scientists had thought, well into the Cretaceous. Not very much of this dinosaur has been found. However, from what was found, it seems to be much smaller than its more famous relative, Stegosaurus.

Recently, it has been suggested that the fossil remains of Dravidosaurus are not really dinosaurian, but rather that of a plesiosaur. As of this writing, however, the genus is still considered valid.

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Pteropelyx

Pteropelyx grallipes

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Pronounced: tear-o- Pel-ix

Diet: Herbivore(plant-eater)

Name Means: "Wing Pelvis"

Length: unknown

Height: unknown

Weight: unknown

Location: N. America

Pteropelyx was discovered in 1888 and named by the famous American fossil hunter E. D. Cope from the Philadelphia Academy of Science. Professor Cope was involved in a fierce rivalry, called the Bone Wars, with Professor Marsh from the Peabody Museum at Yale University to see who could find and name the most dinosaurs. In their rush to name new dinosaurs, they sometimes gave new names to dinosaurs that already had names. This is the case with Pteropelyx. The fossils were of a large duckbill found without a head. Later study showed that Pteropelyx is most likely a Corythosaurus.

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Edmarka

Edmarka rex

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Pronounced: ed-Mar-kuh

Diet: Carnivore (Meat-Eater)

Name Means: "Edmark"

Length: 35 feet (11 m)

Height: 14 feet (4.5 m)

Weight: 2 tons (1,800 kilos)

Time: Late Jurassic - 155 MYA

Location: North America

Edmarka may have been the largest meat-eating dinosaur during the Jurassic period. This huge predator was a member of the same family as Megalosaurus and would have been the most fearsome of the Jurassic hunters.

Described in 1992 by Dr. Robert Bakker, Edmarka seems to support the theory that single large predators evolve to dominate particular times and places, preventing the rise of other large predators. Dr. Bakker points out that giant predatory dinosaurs would also evolve more bird-like characteristics. Edmarka is known from three individuals, two adults and a juvenile.

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Effigia

Effigia okeeffeae

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Prnounciation: Eff-eh-G-ia

Diet: Carnivore

Length: 6 feet

Height: 4 feet

Weight: Unknown

Time:

Location: North America

Effigia okeeffeae was an archosaur that lived in what is now New Mexico. The six-foot-long (2-meter) fossil was discovered by Edwin H. Colbert in blocks of rock from the Ghost Ranch Quarry, which were excavated in 1947 and 1948.

The fossil was rediscovered in January 2006 by graduate student Sterling Nesbitt at the American Museum of Natural History, who was looking for more material of Coelophysis. Nesbitt and Mark Norell, curator at the museum, named it Effigia okeeffeae in January 2006 after Georgia O'Keefe, who spent many years at Ghost Ranch (her ashes are scattered there).

BY REQUEST

Edited by frogfish
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Camarasaurus

Camarasaurus supremus

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Pronounced: Kam-uh-ruh-Saw-rus

Diet: Herbivore (Plant-Eater)

Name Means: "chamber lizard"

Length: 60 feet (19 m)

Height: 20 feet (3 m)

Weight: 30 tons (27,000 kilos)

Time: Late Jurassic - 152 MYA

Location: Western U.S., North Western Mexico

Camarasaurus was a very heavily built member of the long-necked sauropod family of Jurassic dinosaurs. It is very well known by scientists and recently a family of these large creatures was discovered in the Western U.S. Camarasaurus is also a part of one of paleontology's big mistakes when its head was put on the body of Apatasaurus and called Brontosaurus.

Compared to some of the other sauropods, Camarasaurus had a relatively short neck and tail. It also had a large head compared to other sauropods, but the head was almost hollow. The skull openings for the nose and eyes were very large. This is the most common North American sauropod found, with more than ten fairly complete skeletons unearthed to date. At least four species have been identified within this genus.

Camarasaurus gets its name from the hollow spaces in its neck vertebrae. These would have made the neck lighter and easier for the dinosaur to lift and move about. This dinosaur also had the largest teeth among sauropods.

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Struthiomimus

Struthiomimus altus

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Pronounced: Strue-thee-o-My-mus

Diet: Carnivore (Meat-Eater)

Name Means: "Ostrich Mimic"

Length: 13 feet (4 m)

Height: 6 feet (3 m)

Weight: 330 pounds (150 kilos)

Time: Late Cretaceous - 80 MYA

Location: Western Canada

Struthiomimus was a speedy predator with long legs. It is called an ostrich mimic because it probably moved like a modern ostrich. Like other meat-eaters in its family, Struthiomimus had no teeth. It had a very small head, long arms and long grasping hands.

Unfortunately, the Struthiomimus type specimen that was found in 1902 was damaged very badly. Since that time, however, a number of other specimens have been discovered, but none are convincingly complete enough to resolve the ongoing debate of whether this dinosaur should be classified as Ornithomimus. Several specimens originally attached to this genus have been reclassified to other genera.

The diet of these dinosaurs has been the subject of debate for a number of years. Since they were toothless, various diet theories have been put forward. It has been suggested that the hands and slight build of this creature suggest that it ate mainly insects, but other scientists are firm in their belief that Struthiomimus and its family members were strictly carnivorous.

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Ingenia

Ingenia yanshini

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Pronounced: in-Jee-nee-ah

Diet: Carnivore (Meat-Eater)

Name Means: "(Khobur) one"

Length: 6 feet (1.8 m)

Height: 3 feet (1 m)

Weight: 88 lbs (40 kilos)

Time: Late Cretaceous - 72 MYA

Location: Mongolia Asia

Ingenia appears to have been a fairly typical member of the family of dinosaurs that includes the Oviraptor . It was a small, fast carnivore with keen senses and it was highly intelligent for animals of the Cretaceous era. The main difference between Ingenia and its other family members was in the shape of the hands on its front limbs.

Nests and embryos have been found, indicating that Ingenia had some parenting instincts. It had an apparently powerful hand relative to the other oviraptorines, but a less powerful jaw. Its skull shows a number of avian characteristics, linking this family with birds.

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Shantungosaurus

Shantungosaurus giganteus

IPB Image

Pronounced: shan-Toon-go -Saw-rus

Diet: Herbivore (plant eater)

Name Means: "Shantung Lizard"

Length: 50 feet (15 m)

Height: 20 feet (6 m)

Weight: 8 tons (7,300 kilos)

Time: Late Cretaceous - 80 MYA

Location: Asia

This was the largest of the plant-eating, duck-billed dinosaurs - bigger even than T. rex! It was longer and taller than a house! Imagine a herd of these huge creatures crossing the Cretaceous plains in search of food; it would have been an impressive sight. Like the other duck-billed dinosaurs, it had hundreds of teeth packed closely together to form what is called a dental battery. These were used to grind tough plant fiber into mushy pulp.

There is still some debate that Shantungosaurus is a large Edmontosaurus. It is the largest hadrosaurid yet found, discovered fairly recently in 1964. More than 30 tons of material was collected, representing five individual specimens, which lent support to the theory that these animals lived in herds. The mounted specimen on display utilized bones from all five individuals. Currently, scientists are in the process re-describing this specimen.

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Imagine this creature roaming the plains!

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Micropachycephalosaurus

Micropachycephalosaurus hongtuyanensis

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Pronounced: My-crow-pak-ee-sef-uh-low-Saw-rus

Diet: Herbivore (plant-eater)

Name Means: "Small Pachycephalosaur"

Length: 20 inches (50 cm )

Height: 7 inches (17 cm)

Weight: unknown

Time: Late Cretaceous

Location: Asia

Micropachycephalosaurus is a very small member of the family of dome-headed dinosaurs that includes its larger North American cousin, the Pachycephalosaurus. This very small dinosaur also has the longest name of any dinosaur! Members of this family are well known from North America, but this little guy is one of only two ever discovered in Asia.

Known from only post-cranial remains, there is some dissension over whether this animal belongs to the Pachycephalosauridae or the Homalocephalidae.

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Now for the complete opposite:

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Minmi

Minmi paravertebra

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Pronounced: Min-mee

Diet: Herbivore (Plant-Eater)

Name Means: "Minmi Crossing"

Length: 10 feet (3 m)

Height: 3Feet (1 m)

Weight: 500 pounds (225 kilos)

Time: Early Cretaceous - 125 MYA

Location: Australia

Minmi was unique in two ways. It is the most complete dinosaur yet discovered in Australia, and it has the shortest name of any dinosaur.

Minmi was a small member of the family of plant-eating armored dinosaurs that also included Ankylosaurus. It had several features not seen before on armored dinosaurs, such as bony armor on its underside, and it may have lacked any kind of spines or spikes on its neck and shoulders.

Recent studies have also uncovered stomach contents associated with this dinosaur. This amazing discovery led to the first reliable analysis of an herbivore's diet. It also proved that ankylosaurs were herbivorous and that their diet consisted of soft plant materials, such as leaves, fruit, and small stems. The size of the material in its stomach also suggests that it had cheeks that allowed it to chew its food before it swallowed.

Minmi was the first ankylosaur discovered in Australia. Ankylosaurs normally had shoulder spines, but none were found with this fossil. This may be due to the way in which it became fossilized and doesn't necessarily mean that it never had any.

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Rebbachisaurus

Rebbachisaurus garasbae

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Pronounced: ra-Baa-chee-Sore-us

Diet: Herbivore (Plant-Eater)

Name Means: "Rebbach Lizard"

Length: 68 feet (20 m)

Height: Unknown

Weight: Unknown

Time: Early Cretaceous - 110 MYA

Location: Africa

Imagine a Diplodocus with a huge sail on its back and you have Rebbachisaurus. This is what some scientists think this dinosaur looked like. It isn't the only long-necked dinosaur to have a sail-like structure on its back, but it seems to have had the largest - its sail was over 5 feet (1.5 m) tall!

There is still much controversy over this specimen, as some scientists don't believe that all of the species should be classified in this genus. Some suggest it was closely related to Jobaria . It had broad, spoon-shaped teeth, massive claws on heavily built back feet, and it may have had a long, whip-like tail.

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Othnielia

Othnielia rex

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Pronounced: oth-Neel-ee-uh

Diet: Herbivore (plant-eater)

Name Means: "Othniel"

Length: 3 ft. (1 m)

Height: 1 ft. (30 cm)

Weight: unknown

Time: Late Jurassic - 145 MYA

Location: N. America

Othnielia was a little plant-eater that was named after one of the most important men in the study and collection of dinosaurs, Othniel C. Marsh. Othnielia was discovered in 1877 by Marsh himself, but he named it incorrectly. It was exactly 100 years later, in 1977, that the dinosaur was given its new name.

There is still disagreement over the assignment of this dinosaur. Despite having a great deal of fossil material, its relation to the hypsilophodonts is questioned. Dr. Bakker and others have suggested that it should not be considered a member of this primitive family because it is too advanced.

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VERY nice topic. <3 Especialy the pictures. Very nice find.

Much of this information is new to me, especialy on the therizinosaur. I thought there was only one of it's type, but i guess my dino book is a tad outdated by now. Heh.

I'm not sure if you've done these dinosaurs, but i'd like to suggest: Parasaurolophus,Sinosauropteryx, Amargasaurus. ^_^

Edited by Kesenai Tsumi
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I'm not sure if you've done these dinosaurs, but i'd like to suggest: Parasaurolophus,Sinosauropteryx, Amargasaurus

I think I have done Parasaurolophus and Amargasaurus (I'm sure about this one) :)

Yes, therizinosaurs have a big family, many species originate in Asia (mongolia), but new species of therizinosaur are being found in N. America, suggesting that they were once attached and that these dinosaurs migrated there.

If you liked these pics, you'll like this thread also:

http://www.unexplained-mysteries.com/forum...=66737&st=0

Enjoy :D

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Sinosauropteryx

Protoavis texensis

user posted image

Pronounced: Pro-toe-A-viss

Diet: Carnivore (Meat-Eater)

Name Means: "First Bird"

Length: 4 feet (1.3 m)

Height: Unknown

Weight: Unknown

Time: Early Cretaceous - 130 MYA

Location: China

Sinosauropteryx has been called one of the most exciting scientific discoveries in decades. This Chinese fossil clearly shows defined feathers around much of this little dinosaur! It was a small, swift hunter that could not fly, but it seems to demonstrate that dinosaurs were beginning to look and act more like birds. It may be related to the little dinosaur, Compsognathus.

Sinosauropteryx continues to be a very important fossil for a number of reasons. First, and perhaps most importantly, it is a critical piece of evidence supporting the argument that birds descended from dinosaurs. Additionally, depending on its exact classification, it shows that at least some non-avian coelurosaurs were feathered.

The exact use of the feathers will be debated for some time. They are clearly not flight feathers, but they may have been used for insulation, courtship display, individual identification, or a combination of all of these.

Edited by frogfish
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I'd say the dinosaur of today is the stegasaurus.

I saw one on the way to work helpin' some school kids across the road. What a nice Stegga.

That earned him 'Dinosaur of the Day!!!!'

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Scipionyx

Scipionyx samninicus

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Pronounced: Ship-ee-On-ix

Diet: Carnivore (Meat-Eater)

Name Means: "Scipio Claw"

Length: 10 feet (3 m)

Height: 4 feet (1.2 m)

Weight: 130 pounds (60 kilos)

Time: Early Cretaceous - 120 MYA

Location: Europe

Scipionyx is considered to be one of the most important dinosaur fossils ever discovered, as it includes several internal organs. The only known fossil of this creature is that of a very well preserved baby. It is also one of the few dinosaurs ever discovered in Italy. The fossil, perfectly preserved in limestone, clearly shows many of the organs, such as a large liver, intestines, lungs and other parts never before seen in a dinosaur fossil.

This little dinosaur has provided a wealth of information and rekindled debate about warm-blooded and cold-blooded dinosaurs. The arrangement and size of the various organs within Scipionyx seem to indicate a metabolism closer to cold-blooded reptiles, but with unique designs that would have allowed this swift and agile hunter to have bursts of speed and energy more often associated with warm-blooded predators. It has been described as a reptile with a turbo-charger.

Speculation is that the large liver, positioned against the diaphragm, would have been able to assist the lungs in breathing to provide energy for chasing down prey. That dinosaurs would have had some unique evolutionary advantage that contributed to their extraordinary success as a dominant life form is not a new idea, but this fossil evidence is an exciting corroboration of a number of theories. The fact that Scipionyx is known only from a very young baby has raised some doubts regarding the conclusions drawn about these features surviving through adulthood

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Erlikosaurus

Erlikosaurus andrewsi

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Pronounced: er-Lick-o-Saw-rus

Diet: Carnivore(meat-eater)

Name Means: "Erlik's Lizard"

Length: 20 ft. (6 m)

Height: 8 ft. (2.7 m)

Weight: 350 lb. (160 kilos)

Time: Late Cretaceous - 95 MYA

Location: Asia, possibly N. America

Erlikosaurus is another member of the strange and exciting therizinosaur family from Asia and, as has been discovered in recent years, North America. These dinosaurs, which may have been feathered, were fairly large and had long, sharp hand claws. Some scientists think that these long claws were used for digging in the ground, possibly looking for large insects or the small mammals that lived with dinosaurs.

Known from a skull and some post-cranial material, Erlikosaurus seems typical of the Mongolian therizinosaurs. Of the most interest is a suggestion by Dr. Philip Currie, head of Jurassic Park Foundation, that material found in Canada in the late 1970?s and previously attributed to a theropod species may in fact belong to Erlikosaurus.

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wow i wonder who is erlik

No one...Not all dinos are named after a person.

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Avimimus

Avimimus portentosus

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Pronounced: AYV-ee-MIME-us

Diet: Debated- Omnivore

Name Means: "Bird mimic"

Length: 5 feet (1.5 m)

Height: 2 feet (.7 m)

Weight: 45 pounds (20 kilos)

Time: Late Cretaceous - 95 MYA

Location: Mongolia

When first discovered, Avimimus was thought to look so much like a bird that its name literally means that it imitates a bird. Later discoveries have demonstrated to scientists that while it was very close to a bird, it was in fact not a bird. There is recent evidence, however, that suggests that it may have had feathers. Some scientists believe that the discovery of Chinese feathered dinosaurs suggests that Avimimus also had feathers.

First discovered by Russian paleontologists in the late 1970's, Avimimus is known from only three partial skeletons. Avimimus looked much like a large reptilian roadrunner in life, as it had long, slender back legs built for fast running. Its front legs were lightly built and equipped with sharp, curved claws. Avimimus had a long, lean neck topped by a short skull that was equipped with a toothless beak. It had a relatively large braincase.

The exact classification for this creature is not clear. It is often referred to as having an uncertain classification. Originally placed in its own higher taxon, Avimimidae, it has also been referred to Arctometatarsalia.

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Torvosaurus

Torvosaurus tanneri

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Pronounced: Tore-voe-Sore-us

Diet: Carnivore (Meat-Eater)

Name Means: "Savage Lizard"

Length: 40 feet (12 m)

Height: 14 feet (4.5 m)

Weight: 3 tons (2,700 kilos)

Time: Late Jurassic - 150 MYA

Location: Western U.S.

Torvosaurus was one of the largest, most ferocious meat-eating dinosaurs ever to walk the Earth. Its fossil bones show that it was not only big, but that it was also very strong. It appeared right after Allosaurus became extinct and would have been the top predator of its time.

Torvosaurus has had several different classifications within the theropod family. It is often compared to Allosaurus, but it was much bigger and appears to have been more closely related to the European megalosaurs. Similarities between Torvosaurus and Ceratosaurus have also been noted in studies of the fossils.

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