Dinosauria

Fossil hunting at Dinosaur Park

Anzu is a fairly large caenagnathid oviraptorosaurian dinosaur that grew to nearly 4 m in length, and weighed 200-300 kg. It was a bipedal dinosaur and was covered in feathers, with a large sloping crest atop its head. Typical of oviraptorosaurs, Anzu had a short toothless beak, an adaptation that suggests it was most likely herbivorous or possibly omnivorous.

Dinosaur Bones

Skeletal reconstructions of Dinosaur Park Formation caenagnathids. Skeletal reconstructions of Citipes elegans (left), Chirostenotes pergracilis (middle), and Caenagnathus collinsi (right), showing variation in skeletal representation and body size. Previously referred material is indicated in white and newly referred material is indicated in red for each taxon. Blue asterisks indicate elements that have been histologically sampled for each taxon. Citipes elegans: dentaries, metatarsal IV; Chirostenotes pergracilis: dentaries, tibia; Caenagnathus collinsi: pubis.

Tarsometatarsi of caenagnathids from the Upper Campanian Dinosaur Park Formation, Dinosaur Provincial Park, Alberta, Canada. A. TMP 1993.036.0181 (Chirostenotes pergracilis). B. TMP 1982.016.0006 (Citipes elegans). C. ROM 781 (Citipes elegans holotype). D. TMP 1996.012.0141 (Citipes elegans). Tarsometatarsi in proximal (A1–D1), anterior (A2–D2), and posterior (A3–D3) views.

The Naturmuseum Senckenberg in Frankfurt is the second largest museum of natural history in Germany. It is particularly popular with children, who enjoy the extensive collection of dinosaur skeletons: Senckenberg boasts the largest exhibition of large dinosaurs in Europe. One particular treasure is a dinosaur fossil with unique, preserved scaled skin. The museum contains the world's largest and most diverse collection of stuffed birds with about 2000 specimens.

Large Predatory Pliosaur Size in comparison to a Human, Great White Shark, and Blue Whale. I have included Walking with Dinosaurs Liopleurodon to show its vastly inaccurate size.

Cast of the holotype trackway of Eosauropus, a probable sauropodomorph dinosaur ichnogenus, on display at the Museum of Western Colorado’s Dinosaur Journey Museum in Fruita, Colorado

The theropod dinosaur Coelophysis bauri by John Conway [1]

Badlands Dinosaur Museum, North Dakota 5-9-2022 (157)

Pectoral girdles and forelimbs of dinosaurs in left lateral view, depicting resting scapular and forelimb orientations in different dinosaurian groups as recommended according to the results of this study. In each case, solid horizontal line is parallel to long axis of sacrum. A. theropods without semilunate carpals (Dilophosaurus wetherilli, UCMP 37302). B. theropods with semilunate carpals other than Caudipteryx (Velociraptor mongoliensis, after reference [60]). C. Caudipteryx (C. sp., after reference [8]). D. ceratopsids (Styracosaurus albertensis, NMC 344). E. basal sauropodomorphs (Plateosaurus engelhardti, AMNH 6810). F. non-hadrosaurian ornithopods (Thescelosaurus neglectus, reference [62]). G. hadrosaurids (Parasaurolophus walkeri, after reference [48]). Angle labels: B = scapular orientation relative to long axis of sacrum. E = elbow angle. S = shoulder angle. W = wrist angle. See Materials and Methods section for descriptions of angles.

Crâne de mosasaure d'espèce Platecarpus tympaniticus (squamates, mosasaures). Provenance : Smoky Hill Chalk, Kansas (aux Etats-Unis). Date : Crétacé supérieur, période du Campanien, 88 millions d'années avant notre ère. Collections du Muséum national d'histoire naturelle de Paris (France). Exposé à l'occasion de l'exposition "Un T-Rex à Paris" au Muséum national d'histoire naturelle de Paris (France) du 6 juin au 2 septembre 2018. Légende du fossile dans cette exposition : "Les mosasaures ne sont pas des dinosaures mais des reptiles marins, très répandus à la fin du Crétacé. Certains genres comme Globidens et Halisaurus sont connus aussi bien aux Etats-Unis qu'au Maroc. Ces animaux étaient d'excellents nageurs, capables de traverser l'Atlantique."

Fig 2. Chrono-, bio- and lithostratigraphic context of the Reuchenette Formation in the Ajoie district, Canton Jura, NW Switzerland (modified from [20,23,28,31]. Four track-bearing intervals, named lower, intermediate, and upper (dinosaur track) levels, and track levels 600 have been identified within the Courtedoux Member (Nerinean Limestones, sensu [32]). All studied material comes from the intermediate (levels 1000–1100) and upper (levels 1500–1650) dinosaur track levels, details shown on inset on the upper right.

Remake of the original picture of the Drzewica Formation. Terrestrial environment of the Pliensbachian-Toarcian boundary of Fennoscandinavia Inland environment of the Bornholm Coast, nearby the German realm of the Ciechocinek Formation. Includes Ciechocinek Formation (Lower Toarcian, Bones) and Drzwica Formation (Latest Pliensbachian, Footprints) Fauna Sorthat Formation environment, fluvial influenced mainland with Cheirolepidaceae and Bennetitales as dominant flora Dinosaurs are based on material found on various locations of Northern Germany, and Footprints of the underliying Drzewica Formation at the Holy Cross Mountains, connected with Bornholm at the time. Dinosaur Species appeared: Megalosauripus isp. Large Footprints (+65 cm) found on the Drzewica Formation. There is a dorsal vertebrae on the German Margin of the Ciechocinek Formation assigend to Megalosauria (Huene, 1966). Gravisauria spp. representing the Grimmen Sauropod reported on 2014, as a taxon related with Tazoudasaurus. Barapasaurus-like footprints are know from the Drzewica Formation. Coelophysoidea spp. based on coeval Anchisauripus tracks from the Holy Cross Mountains. Basal Ornithischan, related to Eocursor, based on a crouching trace (Gerard Dariusz Gierlinski, Martin G. Lockley, Grzegorz Niedźwiedzki:2009). Massospondylidae spp. based on Otozum-like tracks.

Heterodontosaurus tucki life restoration. Integument based on the related Tianyulong, proportions based on photos of specimen SAM-PK-K1332 and skeletal reconstruction by Gregory S. Paul (The Princeton Field Guide to Dinosaurs, 2010, p. 240).

Depiction of dietary niche partitioning among megaherbivorous dinosaurs from the DPF (MAZ-2). Left to right: Chasmosaurus belli, Lambeosaurus lambei, Styracosaurus albertensis, Scolosaurus cutleri (formerly sunk in Euoplocephalus tutus), Prosaurolophus maximus, Panoplosaurus mirus. A herd of S. albertensis looms in the background.