It has been millions and millions of years since dinosaurs have roamed the Earth, and they still capture the imagination and attention of scientists and researchers everywhere. Big, small, omnivore, herbivore, or carnivore, dinosaurs came in all different sizes with many different backgrounds. Many dinosaurs lived millions of years ago, and only a few are well known about. While everyone has heard of the Tyrannosaurus Rex or the Triceratops, there are many other unique and interesting dinosaurs to learn about. One of the most fascinating dinosaur species that are not often talked about is the Troodon formosus.
The Troodon formosus had the appearance of a cross between a bird and a raptor. “Troodon is Greek for “wounding tooth,” a reference to the single incisor by which it was originally known” (Troodon- The Only Dinosaur That Could Pronounce Its Own Name). Scientists believe that the dinosaur was feathered and was relatively small, only about six feet in length and three feet tall ranging from around 100-130 pounds. Researchers also believe that the Troodon formosus was nocturnal and had some depth perception due to its large, front facing eyes (Troodon). The Troodon formosus also had bendable arms that resembled a modern-day birds’ wings. Troodon formosus had a U-shaped jaw with serrated teeth, and sharp claws on a couple of their toes (Troodon Formosus Dinosaur).
Picture from: http://www.palaeocritti.com/_/rsrc/1257637299934/by-group/dinosauria/deinynochosauria/troodon/troodon_NT.jpg
Troodon formosus, though nowhere near the biggest dinosaur, are thought to have been one of the smartest dinosaurs based on their brain being the largest in proportion to its body weight. The earliest Troodon fossils were found as ...
... middle of paper ...
...onounce Its Own Name). The Troodon formosus was a unique dinosaur that is not always discussed during common science conversations about dinosaurs.
Works Cited
“Troodon.” Troodon Dinosaur, Dinosaur History, Dino, Dinosaurs, Dinosaur Egg, Flying Dinosaur, Dinosaur Tooth, Dinosaur Brain, Dinosaur Activity. N.p., n.d. Web. http://www.rareresource.com/troodon.htm . 10 May 2014.
“Troodon Fact Sheet.” Troodon Fact Sheet-EnchantedLearning.com. N.p., n.d. Web. http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/dinosaurs/facts/Troodon/ . 11 May 2014.
"Troodon Formosus Dinosaur." Troodon Formosus Dinosaur. N.p., n.d. Web. http://www.dinosaur-world.com/feathered_dinosaurs/troodon_formosus.htm . 11 May 2014.
“Troodon-The Only Dinosaur That Could Pronounce Its Own Name.” About.com Dinosaurs. N.p., n.d. Web http://dinosaurs.about.com/od/typesofdinosaurs/a/Troodon-Facts.htm
Pachycephalosaurians, thick-skulled dinosaurs such as the Stegoceras and the Pachycephalosaurus. (1) Ceratopsians and Pachycephalosaurs are closely related in their characteristics. Ceratopsians processed a saddle-shaped boney frill that extended from the skull to the neck and typically had horns over the nose and eyes. The most popular was the triceratops, which could reach over 26 feet and weigh in excess of twelve metric tons. Their frills served two major functions.
...ories of why dinosaurs went extinct abound, and as there is no theory yet to be truly confirmed as the “right one”, my theory of dinosaur cannibalism is also purely anecdotal. The discovery of the cannibalistic Majungatholus atopus in Madagascar is an important scientific find because it confirms a long-standing theory of cannibalism among certain carnivorous dinosaurs. Behavioral patterns of extinct animals are difficult to establish; however, these bones give authentication to previous unfounded beliefs about the ancient feeding practices of some dinosaurs.
Dinosaurs are often compared to and resemble modern day reptiles. Scientists will study how these modern day reptiles behave, look, act, and move to draw conclusions on how the dinosaurs would behave, look, act, and move. They also look at the intern make-up of the modern reptiles to predict how the dinosaurs internal make up would be. However, a recent discovery in South Dakota is stirring up some controversy (Hesman). While Mike Hammer was walking around a ranch in South Dakota he stumbled across a “big-eyed” dinosaur that he now refers to as Willo. The thing that caught his eye was the chest cavity of the dinosaur, upon further investigation he found a rock that was preserved in the curve of the dinosaur’s ribs, he was convinced that this rock was once a heart. Hammer then went on to take the dinosaur fossil in for a medical X-ray scan, this X-ray showed evidence that could change how we think about dinosaurs.
Hutchinson, John R., Garcia, Mariano “Tyrannosaurus was not a fast runner.” Nature 28 Feb 2002: 1018-1021
“66 Million–Year–Old Dino With A Heart.” Media Kit 17 April 2000. North Carolina University. 2000 <http://www.dinoheart.org/mediakit/index.html>.
"Zoologist Salary - How Much Does Zoologists Make?" The Richest We Follow Money The Extraordinary Zoologist Salary How Much Does Zoologists Make Comments. Web. 28 Mar. 2014.
"What Does a Neurosurgeon Do?." What Does a Neurosurgeon Do?. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Dec. 2013. .
Dinosaurs are an extinct group of animals that thrived for 165 million years starting 230 million years ago in the Late Triassic period of the Mesozoic Era. Despite being extinct for the past 65 million years and not being able to study them in their true form, scientists have been able to estimate many different behaviors of dinosaurs. This paper will show that the close study and examination of different types of body and trace fossils, along with animal models, can be provided as evidence to estimate different types of behaviors in dinosaurs. The different types of behaviors examined below will fall into the categories of: mating; reproduction and nesting; social lives; locomotion; feeding; and fighting. To begin, a great deal of information gathered from fossils and compared to living animal models have been used to estimate mating behaviors.
We use dinosaurs to represent the changes in nature that have occurred throughout time. Studies found that although the “oldest rock did not show evidence of life, the progression of plant and animal life that changed in recognizable intervals, from ancient life, age of reptiles to the age of mammals” (Dino Nature Metaphor, slide 6), measured the age of the earth. When we think of dinosaurs in relation to nature, we think of that very powerful force that controls the cycle of life. Nature was able to yield such magnificent ferocious creatures that walked the earth and then take them back when they served nature’s purpose. Dinosaurs fit perfectly in nature’s constant
...ll. This group still remained successful during the Jurassic period and had a wide geopraphic distribution. Other reptiles evolved to not only live on land, but to fly. The earliest known birds appeared during this period; Archaeoteryx being the first to be considered the intermediate between the birds and predatory dinosaurs. It is debated on whether this ancient bird could actually fly or merely glid from tree to tree. Carnosaurus, meaning “meat-eating” is another group of dinosaurs that ruled during the Jurassic. With such large herbivorous prey animals, the correlation of these large predators make sense of why they were so common. An Allosaurus was one of the most common Carnosaurs in North America. Upon finding numerous intact skeletons in fossil beds, it has been reported that the Allosaurus was superficially similar to the later evolving Tyrannosaurus rex.
“What Is a Concussion?” What Is a Concussion? | Brain Injury Research Institute, www.protectthebrain.org/Brain-Injury-Research/What-is-a-Concussion-.aspx. Accessed 30 Jan. 2018.
Until recently, scientists believed the chances of finding a fossilized dinosaur heart were extremely slim. The heart belonged to a 66 million year old dinosaur found in Harding County in Northwestern South Dakota. The dinosaur, found in 1993, weighed over 650 pounds and was 13 feet long. The dinosaur was in fairly good condition with the exception of the left side of the skeleton. The small, plant-eating Thescelosaurus, nicknamed ‘Willo’ has been acquired by the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences. Thescelosaurus was an ornithischian, or "bird-hipped," dinosaur that lived in the latter stage of the Cretaceous period. This was approximately 1 million years before the end of the dinosaur era. Native to North America, its range extended from the northern United States up into Canada. Since using the 3-D software to reveal Willo's heart, scientists have also used it to create 3-D images of the fossil's skull, and of remains from other dinosaurs in the museum's collection. (Fisher, Paul)
The Triceratops were very interesting dinosaurs. They were very smart and strategic. They moved in herds and used mating calls. They were very complex. They had an interesting body shape that gave them an advantage towards their predators. They were known for their horns and parrot-like beaks. They were herbivores that lived in North America. Triceratopses were very interesting.
"Adenosine - What Is Adenosine?" Adenosine - What Is Adenosine? N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Mar. 2014.
Cartilaginous and bony fishes were abundant. Large fishes and marine reptiles were common; the largest bony fish ever to live existed at this time called the Leedsichthys, coming in at a mindboggling size. Estimates of the size of this fish range from 20 to 27 meters and mass from 20 to 50 tons (Owen). This species is the largest bony fish ever to have ever existed and swam in what is now near England. Jurassic pliosaurs are some of the largest carnivorous reptiles ever discovered, even rivaling Tyrannosaurus which lived during the Cretaceous Period, although the pliosaurs was not a dinosaur but distant cousins of modern turtles ranging from 4 to 15 meters. The ichthyosaurs were at their height, sharing the oceans with the plesiosaurs, huge marine reptiles covering the globe.