Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Research On Dinosaur's Shapes

DINOSAURS were known as shape-shifters. Their skulls undergo intense changes during their lives, growing larger, sprouting horns then reabsorbing them, and changing shape so completely that different stages look to us like different species.


This discovery comes from a study of the iconic dinosaur triceratops and its close relative torosaurus. Their skulls are obviously different but are essentially from the very same species, said by John Scannella and Jack Horner at the Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman, Montana.

Triceratops had three facial horns and a short, thick neck-frill with a saw-toothed edge. Torvosaurus also had three horns, however at different angles, and a much longer, thinner, smooth-edged frill with two huge holes in it. So it's not startling that Othniel Marsh, who discovered both considered them to be separate species, in the late 1800s.

Now Scannella and Horner say that triceratops is only the childish form of torvosaurus. As the animal matured, its horns changed shape and orientation and its frill became longer, thinner and less jagged. Finally it became fenestrated, producing the classic torvosaurus form.

This excessive shape-shifting was potential because the bone tissue in the frill and horns stayed undeveloped, spongy and riddled with blood vessels, not at all fully hardening into solid bone as happens in most animals during early maturity.

The only modern animal known to do anything similar is the cassowary, descended from the dinosaurs, which develops a large spongy crest when its skull is about 80 per cent fully grown.

Shape-shifting sustained throughout these dinosaurs' lives, Scannella says. "Even in the most mature specimens that we've examined, there is evidence that the skull was still undergoing dramatic changes at the time of death."

Monday, July 26, 2010

A Fact On Dinosaurs




An earliest ‘crime scene’ in Utah has discovered facts of a dinosaur in the act of plundering on a small mammal.

In Dixie National Forest, a 77-million-year-old dinosaur graze mark and scratched-out digging traces were discovered next to a series of mammal burrows by Edward Simpson and his colleagues, a geologist at Kutztown University in Pennsylvania.

New Scientist quoted Simpson as says “It appears a dinosaur was digging down and trapping rodent-like mammals in a similar way to coyotes hunting around prairie dog burrows today.”

The size and curving of the claw indicate that it was a maniraptoran theropod - carnivorous dinosaurs including velociraptors and the associates of modern birds among their ranks.

The traces were conserved when sand was suddenly dumped onto the burrows during a flood. It is published in Geology.

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Dinosaurs At Arena

Tyrannosaurs-Rex


Animatronics use 21st century technology to simulate dinosaurs, making them life-like dinosaur robots.

Dinosaur species include stegosaurus, giganotosaurus, spinosaurus, and the ever popular tyrannosaurus rex on the exhibition.

The exhibit will includes where kids can be like a paleontologist and excavate replica bones and fossils.

Dinosaur fanatics can get a sneak peak at the exhibit and the Days of the Dinosaur exhibit is $5 for adults and $3 for children.

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Bringing Dinosaurs to real life using scientific creatures and 3D techniques


A nice mini-series brings anatomical and paleontological science to life with cutting edge 3D graphics to help us envision this superb creature.

Living for more than a million generations the dinosaurs had more than 100 million years to develop into some of the most perfect critters the earth has yet seen.

Now, for the primary instant, viewers will be able to see the skin, muscle, and bones of prehistoric creatures, and gain coming to what enabled dinosaurs to carry on during the Cretaceous period.
Tyrannosaurs Rex

From amazing carnivores like the Tyrannosaurus Rex with its rows of razor sharp teeth, to enormous herbivores the documentary looks at how the dinosaurs developed into the perfect predators and how others developed bodies that served to care for and even preserve them, like the Ankylosaur with its weapon like tail.

“Clash of the Dinosaurs” is a sensational piece of programming; perfect for dino fans of all ages. Watch it on Discovery and Discovery HD on each Friday at 9pm from 23rd July.

Monday, July 19, 2010

Three Horned Dinosaurs


A three-horned dinosaur long known as Torvosaurus may essentially symbolize an adult Triceratops, according to paleontologists.

The terminations overturn a century-old belief about Triceratops and Torvosaurus on behalf of two different dinosaur species.
Triceratops had a three-horned skull with a short frill, compare with the superior frill of the three-horned Torvosaurus skull that integrated two large holes.

Ancient time’s puzzlement makes sense, because young dinosaur skulls altered significantly as the animals grew up, Scannella, a paleontologist noted the Triceratops skulls .

The paleontologists drew upon a 10-year study of the Hell Creek Formation in Eastern Montana, which yielded Triceratops skulls ranging from the size of footballs to the size of small cars.

The specimens dated back to the Cretaceous Period that ended with mass dinosaur destruction around 65 million years ago.



By distinction, Torosaurus specimens appeared much rarer, and none came from young immature animals. All the skulls revealed by researchers appeared huge.

Saturday, July 17, 2010

Latest News on Dinosaurs

According to paleontologists, a three-horned dinosaur long which known as Torvosaurus is actually represented as an adult Triceratops.

Sunday, July 18 is opening day for Dinosaur Downs Speedway, as they will be hosting four categories of racing at the new track.

According to the research, both the reptiles are actually the distinct dinosaur at different stages of growth.

Runners are lining up for the first Community Futures Dinosaur Valley Half Marathon, and so far, it is mostly women.

A century-old belief holds that Triceratops and Torvosaurus represent two different dinosaur species.

Clifton achieved the milestone win on the card’s opening race, guiding two-year-old colt Dinny Dinosaur to victory in a five-furlong maiden claiming race.

A new American study has debunked over a 100 years of thought regarding the dinosaurs known as Triceratops and Torosaurus at Washington, July 17.

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

World Of Dinosaurs on Sea,Air and Land



The Institute of Science exhibits the rare species of dinosaurs and other reptiles and birds from the Mesozoic Era ever displayed in Metro Detroit. Encompassing a massive 6,000 square feet on two levels with more than 60 skeletal mounts, casted and restored from original specimens, World of Dinosaurs immerses the visitor with dinosaurs and the remarkable reptiles of the air and sea that shared their world. The primary focus of World of Dinosaurs is on the extinct animals and environment of the Late Jurassic and Cretaceous time periods, commonly referred to as the Golden Age of Dinosaurs  

World of Dinosaurs: Land
The specimens here are derived largely from river and lake deposits in North America and Asia. It Exhibits:



 World of Dinosaurs: Sea
The specimens here are derived from shallow sea deposits that covered the western interior of North America, North Africa and Europe. It includes,


  •   Long snake-like Mosasaurus,
  • The 24’ long plesiosaur Elasmosaurus,
  • A 10’ long Ichthyosaurus from England,
  • A real, superbly preserved complete Ichthyosaurus from Germany (Holzmaden Shale),
  • And an actual partial mandible of a Moroccan Mosasaurus.


World of Dinosaurs: Air
The specimens here come from Western North America, Brazil and Germany.


  •   The pterosaur specimens (flying reptiles) are suspended over various appropriate portions of the exhibit, they include:
  •   The majestic Pteranodon with a 24’ wingspan, from the western interior of North America,
  •   Brazilian pterosaurs - two flying examples of Anhanguera (13’ wingspan)
  •     One in terrestrial pose and a flock of five in flight specimens of Tapejera (5’ wingspan);
  •     And 4 bat-like specimens of Rhamphorhynchus from the Late Jurassic of Germany (Solenhofen Limestone).



Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Discovery Of The Bone Of Long Neck Dinosaur

A species of long-necked dinosaur that once lived off was discovered in the coast of Africa. A Minnesota paleontologist will soon name it.

Kristi Curry Rogers, former paleontologist at the Science Museum of Minnesota, has been working for 10 years to try to find out the new species.


In Madagascar, there were two different species of long-neck dinosaurs bone were found.
Kristi Curry Rogers says that
  • "It's sort of a historical problem that we always have to deal with because the first named of anything is not necessarily the best example of what that thing might be."

Sunday, July 4, 2010

Pre-historicFlying Dinosaurs

 The pterosaurs and pelycosaurs have been undergone new researches- the fin-backed ancestors of modern mammals - have shown their convoluted head crests and sails. They were developed for the purpose of sexual selection.

 Until now, many thought these accessories arranged body temperature or, in the case of pterosaurs, such as the giant Pteranodon, they helped them to avoid while they were flying.

 The relative size of the head crest compared to the body of the pterosaur was too big for it to have been dedicated to temperature control shown by the research, published in The American Naturalist. Because of sexual competition,these findings suggest that the elaborate crests and sails became so grand.

 
Pterosaurs put more effort into attracting a mate than peacocks whose large feathers are considered the most Extendable one.

Friday, July 2, 2010

Largest and Fastest Moving Dinosaurs


European researchers said in LONDON at July 1, Even though ostriches has their wings but they can't fly, how they use their wings when running offers clues to how two-legged dinosaurs may have moved,.

Britain's Society for Experimental Biology announced, Ostriches used their wings as sophisticated air rudders and braking aids.Likewise, techniques may have been used by their bi-pedal, or two-legged, dinosaur ancestors.

Some of the largest and fastest-moving dinosaurs, such as the 25-foot-long Gigantoraptor, may have used feathered forelimbs for increased stability and maneuverability when moving at speed, a study suggests.