Stegosaurus

Stegosaurus

Name Means: Plated Lizard

Length: 30 feet (9 meters)

Weight: 5.5 tons (5,000 Kg)

Diet: Herbivore

When: Late Jurassic

Where: Colorado, the western U.S., and parts of Europe

Threats: Allosaurus and possibly Ceratosaurus

Basic Info: This has been my favorite herbivore ever since I saw it, and a lot of other peoples' favorites. The plates on it's back were probably used for cooling the Stegosaur off. It could have also been used for defense, flushing it's plates with blood to make itself seem more frightening. It could have also been used during the mating season to attract mates. It's brain was the size of a walnut... Well at least one of them is... There is a section in the hip region of the spinal chord that may have actually been used for a second brain! If there was a second brain in it's hip it would have probably only been used for controlling reflexes in the rear part of the body. There is now doubt what the tail spikes were used for... Defense. The Stegosaur, when alarmed, would turn sideways and swing it's tail at whatever would try to attack it. The Pangaea theory was virtually proven when the same exact genus of Stegosaur was found in Europe and North America.

Coelophysis

Coelophysis

Name Means: Hollow form

Length: 9 feet (1.2 meters)

Weight: Around 100 pounds (45.5 Kg)

Diet: Carnivore

When: Late Triassic

Where: New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah

Prey: Small mammals, lizards, Dinosaurs, and Insects

Basic Info: Coelophysis was first named by Edward Drinker Cope in 1889 during the famous "Bone Wars" era against his competition Othniel Charles Marsh. An amateur fossil collector named David Baldwin found the first specimen of the creature in 1881 on a New Mexico ranch. Coelophysis are proven cannibals. Some skeletons were found of it with baby Coelophysis in it's stomach. A graveyard of Coelophysis were found at Ghost Ranch, New Mexico in 1947, possibly swept away by a flash flood.

Trivia: Coelophysis was the second fossil to be taken into space (Miasaura was the first).

Coelophysis is the state fossil of New Mexico.

I'm back, With vengeance!

OK folks, I know that I haven't posted in a while, but that is about to change. I'm in school so I can't blog much, but Christmas is coming. I'll try to make up for my lost time during the break.

Check this out!

Please look at this. http://www.dinosaurlive.com/

This is probably one of the best shows I have ever seen! It is definitely worth going to see... but make sure you get good seats (when I went we had to sit so high up, that vendors were saying '' oxygen, get your oxygen here!''. But thankfully they had fans that blew the clouds away so we could see.) They were very accurate in size, the time period they were in, and little details such as blinking eyes, muscle, and skin movement were amazing. A funny part was when the T-Rex would walk up to a crowd... ''ROOOAAARRR!!!'', then the baby Rex walked up to the same crowd...''roooaaarrr!!!'', (yeah, what mom said!) . Hopefully anyone who sees this and goes to it will like it, as well.

Enjoy!

Parasaurolophus

Parasaurolophus

Name means: like Saurolophus lizard

Length: 33 feet (10 meters)

Weight: 3-4 tons

Diet: plant-eater (herbivore)

When: 76-65 million years ago

Where: Alberta, Montana, New Mexico

Predators: Tyrannosaurus, Albertosaurus, and a pack of troodon (or other raptors).

Basic info:Parasaurolophus was a huge plant-eating hadrosaur that weighed as much as a full-grown African elephant. Scientists believe these animals produced sounds by forcing air through the hollow crests on their heads. These sounds could warn other Parasauralophus of approaching danger or possibly talk to each other (not literally). This is probably one of the most well known hadrosaurs due to it's crest. This is one of the biggest hadrosaurs up to 8 feet tall at it's hips.

Spinosaurus

Spinosaurus
Name means: Spine lizard

Weight: 7-9 tons
Length: 53-60 ft (16-18 m)
Diet: Carnivore
When: 93-95 million years ago
Where: Morocco and Egypt
Prey: Sauropods and Iguanadonts (such as Oranosurus)
Basic Info: This giant African carnivore was found in 1912 in Egypt. Many other specimens were found, but sadly were blown up during a bombing in world war II. Giganotosaurus was found in 1995 and was thought to be the largest predatory animal that ever lived, but scientist have found something new. Last year a Spinosaurus skull was found and scientists estimate that it is now the largest carnivore. As everybody knows Spinosaurus was made famous in the film Jurassic park 3. During the film it was classified as a super-predator, but that is not certain ether. It's sail was probably made out of thin skin, and was probably used during mating or to cool it off. This sail could probably get torn pretty easily therfore he may have been a scavenger.

Vacation!!!

Ok... I'm going on a vacation for about a week, so I won't be posting for a while, but I will post again after a return! Myrtle Beach here I come!!!