Compsognathus longipes

 

Pronunciation: Komp-sog-nay-thiss   lon-jeeps
Meaning: elegant jaw
Period: Late Jurassic
Length: 1.4 meters
Weight: 3 Kg
Fossil discoveries: Germany, France
Diet: small animals

Known by the nickname “compi” from the Jurassic Park movies, this dinosaur has the distinction of being one of the most complete fossils of such a small size category. One (of the two known specimens) in particular was well preserved enough that paleontologists were able to describe the stomach contents as a primitive species of lizard called Bavarisaurus. 

Compsognathus was first named in 1859 by Johann A. Wagner, after a
70 cm juvenile specimen was found and excavated. 

Compsognathus was about the size of a chicken – probably an advantage in a world dominated by multi-tonne theropods and sauropods (long-necked dinosaurs). 

Like Coelophysis, it was very lightweight, with pneumatic bones. Compsognathus is often depicted as one of a group – though as of yet, there is no evidence to indicate that this was the case. 

 

 

 

Dilophosaurus wetherilli

Pronunciation: Die-lof-oh-sore-uss wea-ther-ill-eye
Meaning: Double-crested reptile
Period: Early Jurassic
Length: 6 m
Weight: 400-500 Kg

Fossil discoveries: USA (Arizona)
Diet: Small to mid-sized animals


Dilophosaurusis a genus of theropod dinosaur that lived in what is now North America and was one of the earliest large predatory dinosaurs, though it was smaller and is only distantly related to later large predators such as Allosaurus and Tyrannosaurus. Coelophysis is probably the closest relative for which we have fossil evidence. It was slender and lightly built, and the skull was proportionally large, but delicate. The snout was narrow, and the upper jaw had a gap or kink below the nostril. It had a pair of longitudinal, plate-shaped crests on its skull, similar to a cassowary with two crests. The crests of Dilophosaurus may have been for sexual display, and may have been absent in females.

Styracosaurus albertensis

Pronunciation: Stye-rack-oh-sore-uss al-ber-ten-syss
Meaning: Spike-lizard from Alberta
Period: Late Cretaceous
Length: 5m
Weight: 2-3t
Fossil discoveries: Canada (Alberta)
Diet: Plants

Styracosaurus is unique among the North American Ceratopsians, because remains have only been found in one isolated location from the entire continent – Dinosaur Provincial Park in Alberta. Styracosaurus was from the subfamily Centrosaurinae, and was closely related to several other Centrosaurines found in the park. The neck frill and nose-horn of Styracosaurus were more spectacular than most Centrosaurines.
Unlike the frill of Triceratops, Styracosaurus had large fenestra (openings) in the bone on either side, presumably to lighten the head. Because of these fenestrae, it is unlikely this frill would have been able to withstand a direct attack from a large Tyrannosaurid, though these attacks would have been few and far-between due to the intimidating appearance of the many spikes.
Most of the larger Ceratopsians would have had extremely powerful neck muscles, in order to move those enormous heads. It is thought that the hard patch of scutes (dermal plates of bone) on the bellies of many large Tyrannosaurids had evolved specifically to protect them from the horns of these well-defended dinosaurs.

Sinornithosaurus

Sinornithosaurus (meaning "Chinese bird-lizard") is a small feathered dromaeosaurid (or, more commonly, 'raptor') and an early distant cousin of the birds.

In 2009, a team of Chinese palaeontologists lead by Enpu Gong examined a well-preserved Sinornithosaurus skull, and noted several features suggesting it may be the first-identified venomous dinosaur. Gong and his colleagues noted that the unusually long and fang-like mid-jaw teeth had prominent grooves running down the outer surface, towards the rear of the tooth, a feature seen only in venomous animals. They also interpreted that triangular depressions on the creature’s upper jaw (arrow) might have held the venom-producing glands.

Dr. Philip Currie, who has done a lot of work on feathered dinosaurs, says that the combination of long, grooved teeth and pits on the upper jaw does "suggest the possibility of a poison delivery system, but it may be very difficult to prove unequivocally in the absence of soft anatomy".

Protoceratops andrewsi

Pronunciation: Pro-toe-sara-tops an-drews-eye
Meaning: Andrew’s before-horned-face
Period: Late Cretaceous
Length: 2m
Weight: 50Kg
Fossil discoveries: Mongolia, China
Diet: Plants

Protoceratops is commonly known as the ancient arch-enemy of Velociraptor. In one particular fossil discovery, the skeletons of Velociraptor and a Protoceratops are entangled in a deathly embrace; the former has a toe-claw stuck into the latter’s neck, and an arm caught in the parrot-like beak. (see below)
Protoceratops was the largest of the horn-faced dinosaurs to be found in Asia, and is often seen as an intermediate form between the smaller Bagaceratops and the larger, North American Ceratopsoideans.

Coelophysis bauri

Pronunciation: See-low-fie-sis bow-er-eye
Meaning: hollow form
Period: Late Triassic
Length: 3 m
Weight: 35 kg
Fossil discoveries: Southwestern USA
Diet: small animals

Not only was Coelophysis one of the first dinosaurs to walk the earth, but also it was the first dinosaur to travel into outer-space; in 1998 a fossil skull was taken aboard the space shuttle Endeavor and transferred to Mir space station where it circled the globe for over 6 million kilometers before returning to earth.

Coelophysis was likely an agile, fast predator of small animals and larger insects. Like many theropods, and most birds today, it had pneumatic (hollow) bones, making it lightweight. It is also one of the best known dinosaurs, having had thousands of fossils recovered from one site in New Mexico representing hundreds of individual dinosaurs. Some of these specimens contained the bones of smaller, immature Coelophysis in their abdominal cavities, suggesting that cannibalism was not uncommon.

What is Paleontology?

Paleontology is the study of ancient life on Earth, as reflected in the fossil record. Fossils are more than just dinosaur bones. They may also be remains or traces of other organisms including other animals, plants, or even bacteria. A fossil may be defined as any trace of a past life form preserved in some way.

Paleontologists are scientists who study these fossils to learn about the history of our earth. They often find these fossils by digging into layers of sedimentary rock. A paleontologist then uses scientific methods to find out more about the organism that made the fossil.

Paleontologists use many tools. When they are looking for fossils, they use picks, chisels, drills, shovels, and brushes. They may use a magnifying glass to get a closer look at their fossils. They also use computers to analyze their findings and compare what they have learned to information already known.

Paleontology can be broken down into many specialties, including:

Vertebrate Paleontology - the study of fossils of animals with backbones
Invertebrate Paleontology - the study of fossils of animals without backbones
Micropaleontology - the study of fossils of single-celled organisms
Paleobotany - the study of plant fossils
Taphonomy - the study of how fossils form and are preserved
Biostratigraphy - the study of the vertical distribution of fossils in rocks
Paleoecology - the study of ancient ecosystems and how they developed
Palynology - the study of microfossils, especially pollens and spores.

The study of paleontology often overlaps with other fields of science like, geology, botany, biology, zoology, and ecology.