Dinosaurs
Deinonychus (Terrible Claw)
Deinonychus was a dromaeosauridae (swift lizard) of the early
cretaceous era, about when flowering plants, trees, birds, and several other
small mammals were evolving. Deinonychus were small, bipedal predator
capable of taking on other large dinosaurs, and like all other dromeaosaurs,
they had a retractable sickle claw on the second toe.
This claw, it's sharp, backward angled teeth, and speed made it a formidable
predator. The
discovery of Deinonychus Antirrhopus in 1964 in Montana was one of the most
important discoveries ever, because it changed peoples perceptions of
dinosaurs being slow, lumbering behemoths with walnut-sized brains.
Parasaurolophus (Beside Saurolophus, or Beside Crested Reptile)
Of all the duckbilled or crested dinosaurs, Parasaurolophus had
the largest crest (about six feet long). It was about thirty three feet
long, large for a duckbill. Like other Hadrosaurs, it mostly walked on two
feet. Parasaurolophus could be found as far north as Alberta, Canada, and
as far south as Utah and New Mexico.
Troodon (Wounding Tooth)
This strange, small dinosaur was once thought to be a
hypsilophodontid, but now Troodon is placed among many large-brained,
sickle-clawed predators like Dromaeosaurus. Troodon may have been small,
(only about eight feet long) and lightly built, but it was still a formidable
predator, armed with long sharp teeth and sickle claws. It may have even had
binocular vision. Troodon lived in the late cretaceous, and could be found
around Alberta, Canada and Montana.
Staurikosaurus (Cross Reptile)
This primitive predator lived in the late triassic period, and
can now be found in Brazil. It was a small, bipedal dinosaur with
five-fingered hands, and was only about six feet long and weighed only
seventy pounds.
Orodromeus (Mountain Runner)
Orodromeus was a small hypsilophodontid that lived in the late
cretaceous around Montana. It is thought to have tended its eggs like
Maiasaura did, but the Orodromeus young didn't stay around the nest for long,
as Maiasaura did.
Mamenchisaurus (Mamenchin Reptile)
Mamenchisaurus was named for where it was discovered, Mamenchi,
China. This Sauropod's thirty-six foot long neck made up half of it's total
length of seventy-two feet. It lived in the late Jurassic period, in China.
Mamenchisaurus' neck had nineteen vertabrae, more than any other dinosaur.
Compsognathus (Elegant Jaw)
Compsognathus live in the late jurassic period, and is one of
the smallest dinosaurs discovered, being only two feet long (about the size
of a housecat), and a mere six to seven pounds. It had an extremely long
tail, and a fairly large head.
Albertosaurus (Alberta Reptile)
Smaller than it's relative, Tyrannosaurus, Albertosaurus was
the most common carnosaur of the late cretaceous in what is now Alberta,
Canada. Albertosaurus was about twenty-six feet long, and like many other
carnosaurs, had strong muscular hind limbs, and small, weak forelimbs.
Herrerasaurus (Herrera Reptile)
One the oldest dinosaurs discovered, Herrerasaurus lived in the
late triassic period around Argentina. A lightweight dinosaur (only about
ten feet long and 220 pounds), Herrerasaurus had long hindlimbs, and short
forelimbs, and a backbone similar to more advanced theropods.
Carnotaurus (Carnivorous Bull)
My favorite carnosaur :) Carnotaurus was a large carnosaur
that lived in the early cretaceous period around Argentina. It was about
forty feet long, and had a pair of large horns set above the eyes. The skull
of the Carnotaurus was strong, but had a surprisingly weak jaw with small
teeth.
