New Dino Discoveries at the Univ. of Utah

[draconic chronicler]

While at a museum conference in Salt Lake City a few weeks ago, our group received a "behind the scenes" tour of UT's fossil holdings. We were able to examine the bones of a completely new Ceratopsian than had small horns protruding outwards just above its eyes. I don't think they named it yet.

Then there was an interesting raptorid type dinosaur that seemed to be evolving from a meat eater to an omnivore, with reduced sized teeth and a wider gut region for processing vegetation. It is called Falcarius utahensis.

Last but not least was a new T Rex, but not well excavated yet, but around 20 million years older than others known. This one may give us important information in Tyrannosaur evolution when completely removed from the matrix and studied.

[rice]

awesome! do you have any pics of these fossils or a computer image of what the dino would look like?

[frogfish]

Falcarius Looks like a typical therizinosaur to me....

[draconic chronicler]

That's it Frogfish, though it is my underatanding that a "typical" Therizinosaur should have a toothless beak, or at least this is how they are usually reconstructed.

[frogfish]

Known from only partial remains, the claws and huge arms of this dinosaur are astounding. Therizinosaurus has been an intriguing puzzle for scientists ever since several huge claws were first discovered in 1948. In the late 1950s, a number of different bones were found, including a tooth, another large claw and parts of the front and rear limbs that also included a four-toed foot. These bones were so bizarre that paleontologists didn't know what to make of them except to classify them together because of the strange claws.

Hmmm, maybe it could be related to Deinocheirus...

[War-Junkie]

looks dirty and ulgy i wounder how it tasts?

[frogfish]

Why would you taste it? Looks pretty to me...

[draconic chronicler]

The discoverers do think it is a dromaesaur/raptor evolving into a omnivore.

[redhen]

The discoverers do think it is a dromaesaur/raptor evolving into a omnivore.

Theory of evolution my butt. Should be called the Law of Evolution.

[frogfish]

The discoverers do think it is a dromaesaur/raptor evolving into a omnivore

wouldn't that fit the Therizinosaur/Deinocheirus 'theory'

[green_dude777]

Theory of evolution my butt. Should be called the Law of Evolution.

Ah, don't worry. Those in the scientific community are aware of the process to develop a true theory. It's the pseudo-scientists that take away the true meaning of theory with their wild speculations, and most of the time non existant evidence.