Flashcards PALEO 200 Midterm 1 Dinosaur Names

Saurischian dinosaur

Lizard hipped, pubis points down

Ornithiscian dinosaurs

Bird hipped, pubis points forward

2 major types of saurischian dinosaurs

Sauropodomorphs and theropods

Sauropodomorphs

Large herbivores

with elongated necks and relatively

small heads (e.g., Massospondylus)

-2 types: prosauropods and sauropods

Prosauropods

Early group of

sauropodomorphs; first group of large-bodied herbivorous dinosaurs to evolve

Sauropods

Later group of

sauropodomorphs; attained

gigantic sizes and stood on

four robust and column-like

legs (e.g., Diplodocus)

-Vertebrae is filled with

complex air sacs to help reduce weight

-Teeth: simple and peg-like, used to nip off vegetation

-Huge rib cages that housed immense digestive organs

Theropods

Bipeds that shared carnivorous ancestors

-Many were carnivorous, some herbivorous

-Teeth: serrated, blade-like teeth (except theropod herbivores: some lacked teeth

altogether)

-Claws: sharp and hooked

-E.g., birds!

5 major groups of ornithiscian dinosaurs

1. Ornithopods

2. Pachycephalosaurs

3. Ceratopsians

4. Stegosaurs

5. Ankylosaurs

Ornithopods

Lacked armor, obligate or

facultative bipeds; mostly small, except

iguanodonts and hadrosaurs

edmontosaurus

Iguanodonts

Large in size

-Claw: spike-shaped

-Facultative biped

Hadrosaurs

"duck-billed dinosaurs"

(e.g., Corythosaurus)

-Elaborate boney crests

-Strikingly large beaks in front

of mouths

-Teeth: dense, tightly packed

rows of small teeth in rear of

mouths -- dental batteries

Pachycephalosaurs

Bipedal with short arms,

unusually stout and strong tails, and armored

skulls

-Some have thick, domed skull roofs and backwards pointing horns

-Domed skulls: adaptations for

ritualized agonistic combat

(specifically, agonistic head-butting competitions)

-E.g., Stegoceras

-Teeth: sharp, conical in front of mouths and behind beaks; leaf-shaped in rear

(hypothesized to be omnivores due to

teeth arrangement)

Only group without scaly skin

Ceratopsians

Large parrot-like beaks and skulls

that greatly expand in rear (e.g., Triceratops)

-Most ceratopsian rear skull expansions

are extreme, creating a large bony frill or

"neck shield"

- Large horns

-Possess dental batteries

-Most large ceratopsians: quadrupeds with short tails

-E.g., Triceratops and Centrosaurus

Triceratops (ceratopsian)

horn to horn combat with other Triceratops; biggest ceratopsian?

Centrosaurus (ceratopsian)

a ceratopsian dinosaur with a large nasal horn and small orbital (brow) horns. Fewer healed frill injuries suggest less evidence of Triceratops-style horn combat, although it may have fought differently.

Stegosaurs

Quadrupeds with rows of projecting osteoderm plates down their backs and

long osteoderm spikes on tails

-Osteoderms: bones that develop within

skin -- common component of animal

armor

-Some have osteoderm spikes on backs

and over shoulders

-Front limbs much shorter than hind

limbs

-Heads: small relative to bodies

-Narrow snouts

-E.g., stegosaurus

Ankylosaurs

Most heavily armored dinosaurs

(e.g., Anodontosaurus)

-Quadrupeds with short legs and wide rib

cages

-Backs and skulls covered in spiky

protective osteoderms

-Some have large osteoderms on ends of their tails, forming a mace or "tail club"

-Short snouts and broader, rounded beaks

-Simple teeth used to nip off vegetation

-Huge rib cages that housed immense digestive organs

___________ specimens found in Wyoming in 1910: first mummified dinosaurs

-"Mummies": dinosaur specimens that include a lot of skin fossils

-Revealed ___________ were covered with scales -- also seen in ___________, ____________, ____________, ____________, and ______________

Hadrosaur, theropods, sauropods, ceratopsians, stegosaurs, and ankylosaurs

Sinosauropteryx (theropod)

First ever discovery of feathered dino in China in 1991

-Covering of simple, hair-like feathers

Yutyrannus (tyrannosaur, which is a theropod)

Feathers reported from large

tyrannosauroid -- largest known feathered

dinosaur

Psittacosaurus (ceratopsian)

Early ceratopsian with unusual

long, stiff, bristle-like structures on tail

Tianyulong

Primitive ornithischian from China (2009) covered in long filaments over most of its body (feathered?)

Kulindadromeus (ornithopods)

Early, primitive ornithischian from Russia with preserved simple, bristle-like

filaments and branching, feather-like structures

Anchiornis (theropod)

Black and white feather, with some

reddish-brown on head

Scipionyx (theropods)

small theropod from Italy that preserved

mineralized remains of trachea/windpipe in throat

and its intestines

-Keratinous sheaths over claws

Herbivorous theropods

1. Oviraptorosaurs: many lack teeth, and some have

small masses of little stones inside rib cages

(gastroliths)

2. Ornithomimids: many lack teeth, some have

gastroliths

Dromaeosaurs (theropod)

Group of theropod dinosaurs with thin tails

supported by special, rod-like projects of their caudal

vertebrae and chevrons (e.g., Velociraptor)

-Related to troodontids

-Teeth: serrated, blade-like

-Claws: large sickle-shaped claw on each hind foot, resembling retractable claws of modern

cats

Spinosaur (theropod)

Theropod group with skulls that strongly

resemble crocodiles'

-Piscivorous

-Teeth: conical, sharp tips, few/no serrations

Alvarezsaurs

Small theropods with short front limbs and

compact hands (e.g., Shuuvia)

-Insectivores

-Teeth: reduced and short

-Strong front limbs

Tyrannosaurs (theropod)

Theropods that have reduced front limbs and

robust skulls (e.g., Tyrannosaurus rex)

-Teeth: serrated edges, well-adapted for puncturing

and cutting flesh; blunt tips

-Attachment sites for jaw muscles indicate

capacity for tremendous biting force, indicating

potential capability of durophagy

-T. rex: most powerful bite of any animal (living or

extinct)

-another example of non-isometric ontogenetic changes: Juvenile tibia much longer than femur; adults = tibia and femur close to same length

partook in non lethal face biting

Sinocalliopteryx (theropod)

Wolf-sized theropod fossilized to contain gut contents (cololites) -- indicate their diet consisted of birds and small dromaeosaurs

Microraptor (theropod)

Dromaeosaur with diverse diet, evidently having eaten small mammals, birds, and

fish

Baryonyx (theropod)

Spinosaur with cololites containing fish bones,

indicating spinosaurs were at least partially piscivorous

Carnotaurus (theropod)

An example of a theropod that had the caudofemoralis muscle

Dilophosaurus (theropod)

Ichnofossil found from Utah, preserving the imprint of sitting/crouching

dinosaur -- resting trace

Tenontosaurus

Histological cross-section through

fossilized adult ulna, showing remodeled bone

Chasmosaurus (ceratopsian)

Ceratop that displayed non-isometric

ontogenetic changes

-Adult skull shows proportionately longer frill as compared to baby skull -- frill grows at

faster rate than rest of skull

-Baby lacks nasal horn -- nasal horn only appears later during growth

Argentinosaurus (sauropod)

HEAVIEST Sauropod that relied on its large size to

deter predators; obligate quadruped.

Euoplocephalus (ankylosaur)

Ankylosaur with

tail club -- finite element

analysis used on fossil to support

hypothesis that ankylosaur tail

clubs were used as weapons

Albertosaurus (tyrannosaurs)

Dry Island Buffalo Jump Provincial Park in Alberta held a monospecific bonebed

of these tyrannosaurid theropods, preserving remains of more than 20 individuals

-Suggests Albertosaurus lived in groups instead of solitary individuals

"Fighting Dinosaurs" from Mongolia

Preserves Velociraptor and Protoceratops interaction

-Velociraptor: predator in midst of killing Protoceratops, suggesting that this

dromaeosaurid theropod was a solitary hunter

Ornithomimus

Proportionately

long legs that allowed for fast

running

Centrosauruses (ceratopsian)

Ceratopsians found in large numbers of bones from many individuals in localized

areas in Dinosaur Provincial Park -- suggests these animals traveled in groups

Pinacosaurus (ankylosaur)

Juveniles found in China, where they lined up next to each other like they laid

down to sleep

-Juveniles traveled in groups

-Adult Pinacosaurus have not been found in groups nor

bonebeds, suggesting these juveniles were social dinosaurs, but the adults lived solitary

lives -- may be due to ontogenetic changes

Giraffatitan (brachiosaurus)

The tallest known dinosaur species, characterized by long necks and large bodies, adapted for reaching high vegetation.

Diplodocus and Seismosaurus

Longest dinosaur species, known for their elongated necks and tails, which allowed them to forage on vegetation at great heights.

Oviraptosaurs

• Adults were discovered positioned directly over nests.

• Their arms were spread around the eggs.

• Their posture resembles that of modern brooding birds.

Interpretation: Strong direct evidence of adults attending and brooding their eggs. However, this does not establish how long they cared for babies after hatching.