Dinosaur Lifestyles

Dinosaurs died out 65 million years ago, we know a lot about their lifestyle. Herbivores and carnivores lived in the world of dinosaurs. Some dinosaurs cared for their young. But whether they were warm-or cold-blooded has yet to be established.

Carnivores:


Most  carnivores had deadly sharp teeth and claws. Some hunted in packs, some hunted alone, and othersmay have scavenged on dead animals which were possibly killed by disease.

Fast food:

Dromaeosaurus had features common to many carnivores. It was fast, agile, and armed with sharp teeth and claws.

Dromaesaurus may have hunted in packs, chasing and bringing down much larger animals.

sharp ,serrated teeth lined the long jaw of Baryonyx

Baryonyx:

From the side, Baryonyx's skull appeared crocodile shaped. Baryonyx may used its long and arrow snout for catching fish.

Cutting claws:

Like Dromaeosaurus, Deinonychus had a lethal weapon - a 6-in -long (15 m) curved claw on each hind foot. When Dienonychus caught prey, it flicked the claw forward to cut deep into the victim.

Lower jaw of Albertosaurus

Meaty Diet :

Tyrannosaurus rex was on of the fiercest carnivores. With its powerful body and massive head, it overhelmed victims, delivering fatal, biting blow with its deadly jaws.

Herbivores:

Plant-eating dinosaurs had to eat large amounts of plants every day to fuel their bodies. An herbivore's special diet needed special ways of eating and digesting food. Some herbivores teeth were shaped for chopping, raking , or crushing . Other herbivores herbivores had sharp beaks for snipping leaves and twigs . Once swallowed, these tough plants may have taken days to digest.

Grinding Gut
Barosaurus did not chew its food , it swallowed tough leaves and twigs whole . In a part of its stomach, Stones called gastroliths ground the food for disgestion.

Smooth Stones Gastroliths have
 been found near the
skeletons of several
 dinosaurs.


Plant Pulp:
Edmontosaurus  had hundreds of though teeth packed together in its upper and lower jaws.
The two sets of teeth worked together like a pair of coarse , grinding  leaves, fruits , and seeds.

             

Tough to eat:
We can see which plants were available to dinosaurs by studying plant fossils. Herbivores such as Parasaurolophus had strong teeth for chewing tough plants such as ferns and conifers.


Dinosaur Menu:
Many of the plants the dinosaur ate can be seen in gardens and parks today.

Ginkgo

Magnolia

Dinosaur necks

For dinosaurs, as with other animals, the neck was a vital channel between the head and the body.
Food passed from the mouth to the stomach
through the neck ; air was fed along the windpipe between the nostrils and lungs;never carried messages to and from the brain body, blood traveled through arteries and veins.
All of these lifelines, was as well as powerful muscles,were supported on the frame-work of neck vertebrate (Neck bones).

Barosaurus Neck vertobra 

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Long AND Flexible:

Herbivorous long-necked dinosaurs like barosaurus probably  used their flexible necks for cropping leaves from a large area of low-lying foliage while standing still. But if they needed to, they could have reached up to the leaves in tall trees.

Brosaurus's neck was 30ft (9.1 m) long.

Strong and light:

The long neck of Diplodocus was made up of 15 vertebrae. These bones had deep hollow inside them lightweight,although they remained very strong. A notch on of each vertebra carried a strong ligament, which support the neck in the way that wires support a suspension bridge. 

Short and stout:

Allosaurus , a fierce and terrifying carnivore, had a short and stout neck.

The neck bones were cupped tightly together to give a very mobile and curved neck. When Allosaurus.s jaws bit into prey, powerful neck muscles pulled the massive head up and back, tearing chunks of flesh from victim.

Like an Ostrich:

Gallimimus held its head high above its shoulders, like an ostrich. In this position, Gallimimus could swivel its head on its long neck to give good vision in directions.

Head Support :

Triceratops had an extension at the back of its skull made of solid bones. This made the skull very heavy.A short and very strong neck was needed to support the huge weight.

Dinosaur heads

Crests,frills,horns, and spikes adored the heads many dinosaurs. These decorations helped dinosaurs indentify one another and were sometimes used for signaling. In a competition for territory, or control of herd, the dinosaur with the most spectacular head might well have been the winner.Horned herbivores may have been used their weapon for defense against hungry carnivores.

Bird like beak:

 Gallimimus ate plants, insects, and lizards with its long, toothless beak. Its large-eyed skull looks very much like that of a big bird.

Head crest:

Oviraptor may have used their head crest to signal to one another. Although toothless, their beaked jaws may have been powerful enough to crush shellfish .

Centrosaurus head

Horns and frills :

The  ceratopsian group of dinosaurs had heads with a variety of frills and horns. These plant eaters probably used decorations to frighten off attackers or to attract a mate.

Strong Skull:

The  massive head of Albertosaurus was build for strength. It could withstand the shock as Albertosaurus crashed, Open-mouthed, into its prey. Huge jaws carried the deadly sharp skull left room for bulging muscles.

Air traveled through the crest tubes, making loud, honking noises.

Noisy crests corythosaurus carried a plate of bone high on its head which formed a crest.Males and females probably had different-sized crests for recognizing each other.The crests also had tubes inside them with which Corythosaurus  was able to make sounds.

Dinosaur Discoverers

People have probably found dinosaur fossils for thousands of years. But it was until 1841that scientists first identified the dinosaur group.There have been many well-known dinosaur hunters, made famous because of dinosaurs they discovered .


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SIR RICHARD OWEN:

(1804-1892) was a famous British anatomist. He coined the name "Dinosaur" which means "terrible lizard"

What he discovered:
Owen worked at Natural History Mueseum in London, where he studied fossils found in Europe. He not only realized that some fossils were reptiles, but unknown types of giant reptiles, He concluded that they must have belonged to a group of extinct animals, and named this group dinosaurs.

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DR. GIDEON MANTELL:


(1790-1852) was a medical doctor from Sussex in England. He was also a keen fossil hunter. He spent much of his early life collecting fossils in hills near were he lived. But it was one fossil find that put his name in the history books.

What he Discovered:

In 1820, Gideon Mantell and his wife, Mary Ann, found some large teeth and bones in gravel near a stone quarry. They belonged to unknown, Iguana-like animal.

In 1825 he named it Iguanodon, although he did not realized  at that time that it was a dinosaur.

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DEAN WILLIAM BUCKLAND:

(1784-1856) was the first  professor of geology of Oxford University in England. He was fascinated by fossils from childhood . 

What he discovered :

In 1824, a large jawbone with giant tooth was found near Oxford.Buckland recognized it as belonging to previously unknown giant reptile. This reptile was named Megalosaurus, Which means "big lizard", and was the first dinosaur to be named.Like mantell Buckland did not know that .

Megalosourus was a dinosaur.

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JOHN BELL HATCHER:

(1861-1904)  was a fossil collector for Othniel Marsh. Hatcher is recognized as one of the greatest collectors of dinosaurs in history of America paleontology .

What he discovered:

In 1888, Hatcher found part of a huge skull with horns beside the Judith River in Montana.It turned out to be Triceratops , and was the first fossil of this dinosaur to be discovered. It was also the first of the horned dinosaurs to be found, which introduce a new dinosaur variety to paleontologists .

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EDWARD DRINKER :

Cope (1840-1897) was an american from philadelphia . He was a scientific genius, and dinosaurs were just one area on which he was an export. 

What he discovered:

Cope stared his scientific career after the american Civil War. He traveled with fellow scientist Othaniel Marsh on many of his early trips. They eventually became fierce rivals. Among his many finds, Cope discovered several primitives Triassic dinosaurs from New Mexico .

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OTHNIEL CHARLES MARSH:

(1831-1899) was and American paleontologist born in New York .Along with E.D.Cope ,Marsh was one of the great pioneers of dinosaur fossil hunting in the  United State.

What he discovered :

Marsh discovered many dinosaur fossils sites in the United states. The most famous were Como Bluff in Wyoming and several sites in Colorado. His intense rivarly with Edward Drinker Cope was nicknamed the "Bone Wars".

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EBERHAARD FRAAS: 

(1862-1915) was a German paleontologist. He went on long expedition  to Africa in his search for dinosaurs fossils. 

What he discovered:

In 1907, Fraas was told of some dinosaur bones a site in German East African, later to become Tanzania. Fraas led an expedition set up to explore the site and, in 1909-12 the first specimens of Kentrosaurus, Elaphrosaurus, Baosaurus , and brachiosaurus, were discovered there. The brachiosaurus skeleton Fraas discovered in now in a museum in Berlin, Germany . 

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GEORGE F. STERNBERG:

(1883-1969) was an American paleontologist who started collecting fossils at the age of six. He continued to work on fossils for the next 66 years.

What he discovered:

George F. Sternberg made his most important dinosaur discovery in 1908: the first impression of dinosaur skin, which belonged to Edmontosaurus. Sternberg made other discoveries along with his father, fossil-hunter Charles H. Sternberg, and brothers charlie and Levi. 

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EDWIN COLBERT:

(1905-2001) was an American paleontologist and export in Triassic dinosaurs . He first interpreted pachycephalosaur skull as battering rams . He wrote several books about the history of dinosaurs.

What he discovered:

Colbert  found the first complete Coelophysis skeletons in New Mexico in 1947 . Some skeleton held the bones of young Coelophysis may have been a cannibal.

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ANDREW CARNEGIE:

(1835-1919) was originally from Scotland. He emigrated with his family to the United States at the age of 11.He made his fortune in steel industry in Pittsburgh.

What he discovered :

Carnegie set up the Carnegie Museum in Pittsburgh . He sent fossil hunters on long expeditions to find dinosaurs for his museum.They discovered two complete skeleton of Diplodocus. stands in the national History Museum in London . 

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ROY CHAPMAN ANDERWS:

(1884-1960) led the first American expedition to the Gobi Desert in Mongolia in 1922. Andrews went with a team of American Museum of Natural History (AMNH).

What he discovered :

Andrews and his team discovered many new dinosaurs in the Gobi Desert. Among them Protoceratops,Velociraptor, and Oviraptor.But the most significant find was some fossilized protoceratops eggs- The first dinosaur eggs to be discovered . 

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EARL DOUGLASS :

(1862-1931) was an American from Utah. He worked at Carnegie Museum in Pittsburgh. 

What he discovered:

In 1909 Douglass was sent by Andrew Carnegie to hunt for fossils  in Utah. Douglass's discoveries included Diplodocus and Apatosaurus. The site where these dinosaurs were found was turned into the dinosaur National Park, which still exists today.

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BARNUM BROWN:

(1873-1963) , an American was hired by the American Museum of Natural History in New York because of his skill in finding  dinosaur skeletons. 

What he discovered:

Barunum Brown's expertise in fossl hunting earned him the nickname "Mr.Bones" He found the first Tyrannnosaurus rex fossils, and named Ankylosaurus and Corythosaurus. The AMNH houses the world's greatest display of Cretaceous dinosaurs as a result of brown's collecting.

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JIM JENSEN:

(1910-98) was self -taught paleontologist .He was the curator of the vertebrates Paleontology Research Laboratory at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah.

What he discovered: 

Jensen discovered some of the largest dinosaurs.In 1977 , He found a partial akeleton of sauropod. He named it Supersaurus. It height is estimated to be 54 ft (16.5 m ) .In 1979 he found a partial skeleton of another new sauropod. Now called Ultrasaurus, it may be a particularly big specimen of Brachiosaurus.

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BILL WALKER:

(b.1928) is a British quarry-worker who also an amateur fossil collector. In 1982, he made an important dinosaur discovery when exploring a muddy clay pit in Surrey ,England .

What he discovered:

Walker found a huge claw , which broke into pieces when held it . He took it to the British Museum in London, Which , which organized an excavation to recover more of the creature . It turned out to be a new dinosaur, which was named Baryonyx walkeri, in honor of Walker.

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Dinosaur Anatomy

The size and shape of a dinosaur's head,Body,and legs help us to tell one dinosaur from another, and also tell us how the body parts were used. From the skeleton inside to scaly skin outside, each part of dinosaur helps build a picture of these amazing animals .

Body power:


The shoulder and pelvic muscles were crucial areas of power for light, fast runners as well as slow, heavy plodders.The largest dinosaurs were not always the mightiest.Some of smallest dinosaurs were powerful runners.

   

Fight males: stength and power were not always used to kill. Male dinosaurs may fought each other over females or to win or defend territory .

Beaten,and possibly bruised , the loser would need to move on to other hunting ground. 

Strong Muscles:

Centrosaurus needed powerful muscles to move itsheavy , bulky body. Muscles attached to the pelvis and shoulders puled and lifted strong legs. When running fast , Centrosaurus would have been difficult to stop in its tracks.

Ornitholestes:

Small and lightweight, Ornitholestes used much of its energy powering long legs when chasing small pray such as lizards and mammals. 

Dinosaurs today

The remains of dinosaurs have been discovered on every continent, and new dinosaur fossils are constantly being discovered . They may be found by scientists on expeditions, by amateur fossil hunters, or by accident in places like building sites and underground mines. This map of modern world shows the locations of major dinosaurs finds.

Africa:

Africa is rich source of dinosaur fossils.A site in Tanzania has held some major discoveries . Dinosaurs found in Africa include:

• Spinosaurus
• Brachiosaurus
• Barosaurus
• Massospondylus

 

North America :

Expeditions are always being organized to search for dinosaurs in North America, since rocks from the dinosaurs age exposed over vast areas, The dinosaur discovered here including:

• Allosaurus   
• Triceratops 
• Deinonuchus
• Camarasaurus
• Parasaurolophus
• Corythosaurus
• Stegosaurus
• Apatosaurus
• Coelophysis                                  

 

Antarctica :

The climate in Antartica was much warmer in the dinosaurs age than it is today. The bones of several small Cretaceous period dinosaurs have been found here , including relative of small ornithopod Hypsilophodon. 

South America:

Most South American dinosaurs have been found in Argentina and Brazil. Some of the earliest known dinosaurs have been found here. The south american dinosaurs include:

• Saltasaurus
• Herrerasaurus
• Patagosaurus
• Staurikosaurus
• Piatnitzkyosaurus

Europe:

It was here in the 19th century that first dinosaur fossils were collected and recorded, and where the name "Dinosaur" was first used. Dinosaurs found in Europe including:

• Hypsilophodon
• Iguanadon
• plateosaurus
• Baryonyx
• Compsognathus
• Eusteptospondylus

Asia:

Many exciting discoveries of dinosaurs have been made in the Gobi Desert. Scientists are still making new discoveries in China and India. Dinosaurs found in Asia include:

• Velociraptor
• Oviraptor
• Pretoceraptops
• Tuuojiangosaurus
• Mamenchisaurus
• Gallimimus

Australia and New zealand:

There have been many fossil finds in Australia, and one in New Zealand. There are probably many sites rich in dinosaur fossils in these countries, but they have yet to be found. Dinosaurs found in these countries include:

• Muttaburrasaurus
• leaellynosaurus
• Austrosaurus
• Rhoetosaurus
• Minmi