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aamukherjee A Slice of Entropie -
alchymista Alchymista -
crownedrose Fading Like A Dead Star -
expose-the-light Quarks to Quasars -
ikenbot CWL -
abluegirl A Blue Girl -
perscientiamlibertas A Matter of the Most Pleasant Fraternal Confidence
Compression fossils reveal that these Mesozoic insects with serrated mouthparts were 10 times bigger than today’s fleas but lacked jumping legs
Paleo-pests about 10 times bigger than today’s fleas may have sneaked up on a huge dinosaur, crawled onto its soft underbelly and taken a bite, likely a painful one, say researchers who have discovered fossils of the flealike organisms.
“It would have felt about like a hypodermic needle going in, a flea shot, if not a flu shot,” George Poinar Jr., a professor emeritus of zoology at Oregon State University, said in a statement. “We can be thankful ourmodern fleas are not nearly this big,” said Poinar, who wrote a commentary alongside the research article published online April 24 in the journal Current Biology.
One possible lifesaver for dinosaurs: These bloodsuckers couldn’t jump like today’s pesky fleas. Even so, past research suggests dinosaurs may have also been the first beasts tormented by lice.
crownedroseT. Rex’s Bone-Crushing Bite
Go inside the studio and see the birth of a cover shot. See what National Geographic photographers had to do to capture the bone-exploding force of a T. rex bite.
“Nido de Titanosaurios” by Jorge Antonio González | ”Illustration Reliz for the exhibition “DINOSAURIER GIGANTEN ARGENTINIENS” in Germany”. | Also, this diorama.
A new theory claims that dinosaurs weren’t land animals - they lived in water to support their weight, and their huge tails were swimming aids.
Scientists have found many dinosaur footprints, but there are few tail marks - and one expert claims that the reason is that dinosaurs held their tails aloft as they splashed through water.
He says thinking of them as aquatic creatures explains everything, and means a major reassessment of the ‘Jurassic Park’ idea of them roaming grassy plains.
Brian Ford, a cell biologist, believes this explains why archaeologists have unearthed dinosaur footprints for the dinosaurs, but there is no sign of tailmarks as if they wasted large amounts of energy holding their tails in the air.
Okay, where do I start with this article? Yes, we’ve found evidence that some dinosaurs like Spinosaurus, Baryonyx, and other Spinosauridae had partial aquatic lifestyles because of stable isotope ratios found in their teeth, which are to similar levels when compared with crocodiles of today. Another thing here is that they call them ‘archaeologists’, and I do assume they meant “palaeontologists”…
Are we going back in time to the image of dinosaurs as they are depicted at Dinosaur Court? How about all of John Ostrom’s work, plus all our new discoveries and research we’ve done over the past 40+ so years since Ostrom led the “dinosaur renaissance”?
If all dinosaurs were fully aquatic, evolution would have made them much differently than what we find in the rocks. Many would have developed flippers like plesiosaurs or mosasaurs. What about all the nesting grounds we’ve found? It’s hard to see them hatching fully submerged without drowning, unless they were hatched on a riverbank. What about all the evidence we’ve found in dinosaur stomachs? All carnivores would have had much more of an aquatic diet if they were living 24/7 in the water, and then herbivores wouldn’t have eaten things like conifers and other plant life too high in the air if their bodies (like sauropods) were let’s say 15 - 30 feet in the water - their necks wouldn’t have been able to reach those higher trees then. Much of the formations we’ve found dinosaurs in - like the famous Morrison Formation - has been found/studied to have distinct seasons. Yes, there were many floodplains during the time of the dinosaurs to which they lived, but if they stayed fully in water 15 - 30+ feet deep, we would have found different diets and even more stable isotope ratios in dinosaurs other than Spinosauridae members. We’ve found many dinosaur tracks made by the same group of animals, which support the theory of herds and possible migration (that I doubt were done by walking/swimming through lakes all the time).
In the article, he says, “The bulky muscular tail would have been impracticable as depicted in the conventional images and the abundant fossil footprints do not show tail dragging.” My first thought is, “I wonder if he’s ever studied dinosaur skeletons, looked closely at how it pieces together, and studied the bones itself.” I’m all for new ideas, but this (old) theory just doesn’t cut it for me. There’s so many questions that can counteract a fully aquatic life theory, which I’ve stated a few.
I agree that many dinosaurs (and other animals) enjoyed the swamps and lakes as types of watering holes - the earth was much different back in the Mesozoic - but the thought of these animals living in lakes and other types of water 24/7 just doesn’t sit right with me. I’ve been to many palaeontology events the past month, talking with some of the best palaeontologists and geologists out there about biomechanics, ecology, osteology, expeditions, formations, and all that good stuff. I’d love to hear their thoughts on this theory as well.
“Brothers in Blood 2” by Damir G Martin/deviantART gallery
(via paleoillustration)
Cutting planes through the skull of Majungasaurus reveal the internal anatomy of the skull.
A research group from Aragon, that has the same name as the firstAragosaurus ischiaticus dinosaur discovered 25 years ago in Teruel, reveals that it lived 15 million years earlier than originally believed. Its new dating means that it was the ancestor of the Titanosauriforms, which includes the biggest dinosaurs.
dinosaur bone thin section, from “marrow” (top) to outer surface (bottom). Magnification: photographed at 20x.
At still higher magnification, the cavities left by individual bone cells are visible, forming dark spots that are elongated parallel to the laminations around each canal (filled with blue epoxy). Also present are very fine (several microns) anastamosing channels extending from each cell cavity, known as caniculi. These are just barely visible as light-coloured filaments radiating from each dark cell cavity in the highest-magnification image. Most are oriented in a radial direction, perpendicular to the laminations of the bone around each haversian canal.
Theropod Of The Day: Baryonyx walkeri
→ Photo above from Wikipedia.
→ T.O.T.D. posts written by crownedrose.A member of the Spinosauridae family, Baryonyx (meaning “heavy claw”) is a specimen which sometimes is confused with the better known dinosaur, Spinosaurus aegyptiacus. It was first discovered back in the 1980s in England by an amateur palaeontologist who saw a claw sticking out of the side of a pit! How lucky and cool is that?! Here’s some other information below on what we know about Baryonyx.
⁌ Baryonyx walkeri lived during the Early Cretaceous Period, roaming parts of what is now the United Kingdom and Europe. With a crocidilian-like snout, three digit claws (one being a massive thumb claw), and perhaps measuring over 30 feet long, Baryonyx was one of the few theropods known to diet on fish a majority of the time.
⁌ Let’s talk about that head for a moment. The structure is very different compared to large theropods - more like what you see in crocodiles - which leads us to believe this skull was specifically evolved for a certain type of prey. Just look at that elongated skull! Baryonyx had a lot of cone-shaped teeth (over 90!), and two third’s of those teeth were set in the lower jaw. Also, the roots were longer than the visible teeth you see sticking out of the jaws! Then there’s my favourite feature in the Spinosauridae family: that notch in the maxilla. Just like crocodiles, this special formation is a great tool used to keep prey from escaping.
⁌ If you study the head, you’ll notice the nasal opening is farther back on the skull compared to other theropods - and as it is theorised for the Spinosauridae family that they’d leave the tip of their mouths in the water, awaiting prey to lingering a bit to close. For Baryonyx, we’ve found scales and remains of fish (Lepidotes) and even Iguanodon remains in the stomach area of Baryonyx. Pretty awesome, right?! Whenever remains of a dinner are found in a dinosaur’s cavity, this truly gives us great insight on their diets. Finding these remains as well are rare, so every find is precious.
⁌ Did you know that we do not have a full skeleton for any one Spinosauridae family member? Baryonyx was found with around 70% of its skeleton, and Suchomimus is the most completely known, which has helped us to “build” what other spinosaurids could have looked like. Irritator for example is only known by a partial skull and a few bits and pieces.
⁌ Suchomimus is thought to perhaps be Baryonyx due to the similarity between vertebrae, but some are skeptic of this theory. With more fossils found, more evidence, and more research, one day we’ll be able to settle any colliding thoughts.
⁌ Baryonyx has this awesome and massive claw as the thumb on its forelimbs, which could have been to help stab/grasp prey.
⁌ Baryonyx, like other spinosaurids, have been found to have lived a semiaquatic life, due to the testing of stable isotope ratios in the teeth, finding similarities in what is found in turtles and crocodiles. This helps the theory of their diet to be composed of (mainly) fish, along with living in a different kind of habitat, co-existing with other large theropods would be less-dramatic.
Again, everyone, thanks for dealing with my hectic schedule and waiting for my next T.O.T.D. post! The past week has been very busy and full of events/lectures with some of the top palaeontologists out there - so think of my time away from Tumblr as beneficial to the upcoming T.O.T.D. posts seeing as all your favourite dinosaurs (and non-dinos) were discussed! If anyone would like more information on any dinosaurs (esp. theropods) or Baryonyx, just send me a message! These posts are meant to give you guys known and not-so-known information written short and simple, so if you want more info on theropods talked about in these posts, just let me know. I’m always willing to answer questions on theropods for the curious minds out there. I hope you all have enjoyed reading this, and be sure to keep a look out for future T.O.T.D. posts!
Theropod Of The Day Links:
Yes, this is a dinosaur! This pigeon-sized, four-winged dino known as Microraptor had black iridescent feathers when it roamed the Earth 130 million years ago, according to new research led by a team of American and Chinese scientists that includes Museum researchers. The dinosaur’s fossilized plumage is the earliest record of iridescent feather color.
For the full story, check this post and tune in tomorrow, March 9, to watch a live video chat with paleontologist Mark Norell and artist Mick Ellison. Tweet your questions about this new discovery with #dinofeathers or email us at comments@amnh.org.
Image (c) Jason Brougham
(via life-science)
