Paleontology

The passage and the lecture both discuss the flying abilities of pterosaurs. The article states that they are too large to be able to fly and provides three reasons of support. However, the professor says that pterosaurs may be capable of flying and refutes each of the reasons presented in the article. First of all, both the author and the lecturer talk about the energy requirement of the flying process. The author claims that pterosaurs could be like the reptiles that live today in that they…

Could you imagine a 40 foot, 8 ton animal on the planet? Your answer is as good as mine. No. But almost 100 million years ago this animal, Giganotosaurus, also known as "giant southern lizard" existed. The Giganotosaurus, lived in the Cretaceous period about 95-100 million years ago. It was notorious during its era. The Giganotosaurus tended to stalk their prey before they killed. They were meat eaters (carnivores). Even though their teeth were long and knife like, their jaws were not strong…

The article begins with explaining how dinosaurs once roamed the Earth and over time evolved into the feathered birds we have come to know today. The terrifying beast went from having enormous teeth to simple bird beaks. How the dinosaur’s mouth has transformed continued to be a mystery, but a study recently published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences provided insight into a potential evolutionary mechanism. Amy Balanoff and a team of evolutionary biologist used fossils…

Alicia Shull 10-19-15 Endothermy in Bipedal Dinosaurs Dinosaurs are an extinct species that have been fascinating paleontologist’s, and impressing those with recreational interest for centuries. One of the many mysteries associated with dinosaurs is whether or not they were endothermic, exothermic, or a combination of both. It is important to distinguish whether or not dinosaurs were endothermic or exothermic because the determination plays a role in the reconstruction of their ecology. This is…

In the article Taking Wing, Stephen Brusatte explores the theory of avian evolution by tracking the gradual evolution from dinosaur to bird through fossil evidence. Brusatte, a paleontologist from the University of Edinburgh, starts his journey when the Chinese government extended him and Junchang Lü, a famous dinosaur hunter, invitations to inspect a unknown fossil species. At first glance, it resembled any ordinary predatory dinosaur as it possessed a long tail, sharp teeth, and pointy claws,…

In the article for this week, we explore the Tytannosaurus rex, or the T. Rex. If we were to translate this, it means tyrant lizard king. This definition gives off very powerful image of the dinosaur. Paleobiologists have tried to study the T. Rex fossils to put their lifestyle and habits into perspective for humans. People continue to study these dinosaurs to discover new things that other scientists have over looked in the past. The scientists that study dinosaurs these want actual proof of…

Biology Assignment Mega Fauna Scientific Name: Genyornis Newtoni Common Name: Genyornis Newtoni (Thunder Bird) General Description: Genyornis Newtoni was the last of the large, flightless mihirungs native to Australia. Genyornis was a heavy built bird that stood over 2 metres tall, with small wings and massive hind legs. Mihirungs had deep lower jaws and a distinctly shaped quadrate bone that connect the upper and lower jaw. Genyornis had a wedge-shaped head to go along with its unusually…

1. Short summary of the history At 145 ± 4 to 66 million years (Ma) ago, Cretaceous period was the last period of the Mesozoic Era, right after Jurassic period and followed by the Paleogene period of the Cenozoic Era (International Commission Chart, 2014). 'Creta' in Latin means chalk and this is due to the large amount of calcium carbonate deposited by shells of marine animals thus resulting in large quantities of chalk (American Geological Institute, 1972). The shifting of continents as the…

Interesting Facts about the Gila Monster There are many interesting facts to note about this lizard, considered the largest lizard in the United States that is native to the region. The interesting reptiles are also found in Mexico while in the United States they are found in Nevada, New Mexico, Sonora Arizona, California and Utah. These are dry areas since the Gila monster likes desert and semi-desert areas. The Gila monster is one of the poisonous lizards in the world, having poison that is…

Recently, scientists have discovered fossils of an extinct species of turtles that particularly have snouts as noses, similar to a pig. However, because of its snout, it was named Golden's bacon turtle, or Arvinachelys golden. Usually, turtles have one nasal passage in their skulls because of how fleshy their nostrils are. Arvinachelys golden was found by a team from Natural History Museum of Utah and discovered the fossil at the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. In addition, this…