Week 1 Vocab: Anatomy

Acetabulum

Hip socket where the femur inserts; in dinosaurs, it is formed by the ilium, ischium, and pubis

Adaptation

An evolved trait that serves a specific function

Antorbital fenestra

Opening in the skull in front of the orbits; characteristic of archosaurs.

Vertebrates

A group of animals that possess vertebrae

Nares

Holes in the skull through which the nasal passages run.

Brain Case

Hollow chamber formed by multiple

skull bones that houses the brain.

Orbits

Pair of openings for the eyes.

Fenestrae

Opening in the skull that does not house a major sensory organ.

Laterotemporal fenestrae

Openings on the sides of the skull.

Supratemporal fenestrae

Openings on the top of the skull; found in diapsids

Cervical vertebrae

Vertebrae of the neck

Dorsal vertebrae

Vertebrae of the back

Sacral vertebrae

Vertebrae which are fused to form the sacrum in the pelvis

Caudal vertebrae

vertebrae of the tail

Chevrons

Bones that sit underneath the tail vertebrae- protect a large blood and nerve channel and provide support for tail muscles.

Gastralia

Small ribs positioned across a dinosaur's underbelly, underneath the ribcage.

Tetrapods

Animals that evolved from

an ancient ancestor with four feet and four

limbs.

Ilium

Upper hip bone

Ischium

Hip bone positioned closest to the tail

Pubis

Hip bone positioned in front of the ischium; forward facing in Saurischians, backwards facing in Ornithischians

Humerus

Largest bone in the upper arm, extending from the shoulder to the elbow

Radius and Ulna

Forearm bones

Carpals

Wrist bones

Metacarpals

Bones of the hand beyond the wrist bones

Phalanges

Bones of the fingers and toes

Femur

the upper leg bone (largest bone in the body)

Tibia

The shin bone, the larger of the two bones of the lower leg.

Fibula

Smaller lower leg bone

Saurischian Dinosaurs

Lizard-hipped dinosaurs are those that share an

evolutionary ancestor that had a pubis that

extended downwards and forwards, towards

the ribcage.

Ornithischian Dinosaurs

Bird-hipped dinosaurs are those

that share an evolutionary ancestor that had

both a special beak-forming bone in the upper

jaw (called the predentary) and a pubis that

extended downwards and backwards, towards

the tail.

Sauropodomorphs

A group of saurischian dinosaurs characterized by

elongated necks; includes sauropods and prosauropods; examples: Apatosaurus, Brachiosaurus, Plateosaurus

Prosauropods

Early group of sauropodomorphs and were the first group of large-bodied herbivorous dinosaurs to evolve.

Sauropods

A group of quadrupedal herbivorous saurischian dinosaurs characterized by elongated necks and large size; commonly called "the long-neck" dinosaurs; examples: Apatosaurus, Argentinosaurus, Brachiosaurus

Theropods

A group of bipedal saurischian dinosaurs; includes birds, all carnivorous dinosaurs, and some herbivorous dinosaurs; examples: Spinosaurus, Tyrannosaurus, Velociraptor

Ornithopods

Group of bipedal or facultatively bipedal ornithischian dinosaurs; examples: Iguanodon, Parasaurolophus, Hypsilophodon

Iguanodonts

Group of ornithopod dinosaurs characterized by spiked thumb claws; lived during the Late Jurassic and Cretaceous; examples: Iguanodon, Camptosaurus, Ouranosaurus

Hadrosaurs

Advanced group of ornithopod dinosaurs with broad beaks and dental batteries; commonly called "duck-billed dinosaurs"; examples: Edmontosaurus, Maiasaura, Parasaurolophus

Pachycephalosaurs

Group of bipedal ornithischian dinosaurs characterized by thick and often domed skulls; examples: Homalocephale, Pachycephalosaurus, Stegoceras

Ceratopsians

Group of ornithischian dinosaurs characterized by large beaks, facial horns, and head frills; lived during the Cretaceous; examples: Triceratops, Centrosaurus, Psittacosaurus

Stegosaurs

A group of quadrupedal ornithischian dinosaurs

characterized by tall bony plates along the midline of the back and boney spikes on the end of the tail; commonly called "the spike-tailed" dinosaurs; examples: Stegosaurus, Kentrosaurus, Miragaia

Ankylosaurs

Heavily-armored quadrupedal ornithischian dinosaurs; examples: Ankylosaurus, Edmontonia, Polacanthus

Osteoderms

Bones that forms from the skin.

Integumentary structures

Structures formed from the skin such as hair, scales, and feathers

Keratin

Fibrous structural protein that is flexible but relatively durable; major component of hair, nails, scales, and feathers

Melanosomes

Pigment cells that produce colour in feathers.