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Dinosaur news
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 (06-12-2015, 09:46 AM)'GrizzlyClaws' Wrote: I have completely lost my faith for the Hollywood movies, and i would rather see them to pull out a Megalodon than a chimera Mosasaur. The scariest part of the first movie were the raptors, the ones in Jurassic World were terrible. Then the "communication" between them and the back and forth. Its ridicolous and how could they hope to compare to the original with soo much CGI compared to actual animatronics. The first one stands the test of time because of Spielberg, this one was terrible in comparsion. Jurassic World literally had no plot. 
Movie was kind of Mix, The scene and visual were as good as in other part But I agree the story line has been exaggerated
(06-16-2015, 07:05 AM)'sanjay' Wrote: Movie was kind of Mix, The scene and visual were as good as in other part But I agree the story line has been exaggeratedIMO this was the difference between the two, not only the plot, but the love put into these creatures. Check out this link for a trip down memory road, I think you'll enjoy it. http://thechive.com/2015/06/15/where-it-...hxt1y:MH38  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author Dinosaur Tracks in prehistoric Limeston are removed from the Bed of Paluxy River in Texas, 1952. 
Feathered cousin of famous movie star dino unearthed in China
Date: July 16, 2015 Source: University of Edinburgh Summary: A newly identified species of feathered dinosaur is the largest ever discovered to have a well-preserved set of bird-like wings, research suggests. Palaeontologists working in China unearthed the fossil remains of the winged dinosaur -- a close cousin of Velociraptor, which was made famous by the Jurassic Park films.  *This image is copyright of its original author This is an artist's impression of Zhenyuanlong suni. Credit: Chuang Zhao A newly identified species of feathered dinosaur is the largest ever discovered to have a well-preserved set of bird-like wings, research suggests. Palaeontologists working in China unearthed the fossil remains of the winged dinosaur -- a close cousin of Velociraptor, which was made famous by the Jurassic Park films. Researchers say its wings -- which are very short compared with other dinosaurs in the same family -- consisted of multiple layers of large feathers. They found that the species' feathers were complex structures made up of fine branches stemming from a central shaft. Although larger feathered dinosaurs have been identified before, none have possessed such complex wings made up of quill pen-like feathers, the team says. Scientists have known for some time that many species of dinosaur had feathers, but most of these were covered with simple filaments that looked more like hair than modern bird feathers. This latest discovery suggests that winged dinosaurs with larger and more complex feathers were more diverse than previously thought. The species belonged to a family of feathered carnivores that was widespread during the Cretaceous Period, and lived around 125 million years ago, the team says. The near-complete skeleton of the animal -- which is remarkably well preserved -- was studied by scientists from the University of Edinburgh and the Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences. The fossil reveals dense feathers covered the dinosaur's wings and tail. The newly discovered species -- named Zhenyuanlong suni -- grew to more than five feet in length. Despite having bird-like wings, it probably could not fly, at least not using the same type of powerful muscle-driven flight as modern birds, researchers say. It is unclear what function the short wings served. The species may have evolved from ancestors that could fly and used its wings solely for display purposes, in a similar way to how peacocks use their colourful tails, researchers say. The study is published in the journal Scientific Reports. The research was supported by Natural Science Foundation of China, the European Commission, and the US National Science Foundation. Dr Steve Brusatte, of the University of Edinburgh's School of GeoSciences, who co-authored the study, said: "This new dinosaur is one of the closest cousins of Velociraptor, but it looks just like a bird. It's a dinosaur with huge wings made up of quill pen feathers, just like an eagle or a vulture. The movies have it wrong -- this is what Velociraptor would have looked like too." Professor Junchang Lü, of the Institute of Geology, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, who led the study, said: "The western part of Liaoning Province in China is one of the most famous places in the world for finding dinosaurs. The first feathered dinosaurs were found here and now our discovery of Zhenyuanlong indicates that there is an even higher diversity of feathered dinosaurs than we thought. It's amazing that new feathered dinosaurs are still being found." Story Source: The above post is reprinted from materials provided by University of Edinburgh. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. Journal Reference: Junchang Lü, Stephen L. Brusatte. A large, short-armed, winged dromaeosaurid (Dinosauria: Theropoda) from the Early Cretaceous of China and its implications for feather evolution. Scientific Reports, 2015; 5: 11775 DOI: 10.1038/srep11775 http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/201...101509.htm
New Sesotho-named dinosaur from South Africa
Palaeontologists name 200-million-year-old dinosaur, Sefapanosaurus Date: June 24, 2015 Source: University of the Witwatersrand Summary: South African and Argentinian palaeontologists have discovered a new 200-million-year-old dinosaur from South Africa hidden for decades among the largest fossil collection in South Africa.  *This image is copyright of its original author Sefapanosaurus -- SA's new Sesotho dinosaur. Credit: Image courtesy of University of the Witwatersrand South African and Argentinian palaeontologists have discovered a new 200-million-year-old dinosaur from South Africa, and named it Sefapanosaurus, from the Sesotho word "sefapano." The researchers from South Africa's University of Cape Town (UCT) and the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits University), and from the Argentinian Museo de La Plata and Museo Paleontológico Egidio Feruglio made the announcement in the scientific journal Zoological Journal of the Linnaean Society. The paper, titled: "A new basal sauropodiform from South Africa and the phylogenetic relationships of basal sauropodomorphs," was published online on Tuesday, 23 June 2015. The specimen was found in the late 1930s in the Zastron area of South Africa's Free State province, about 30km from the Lesotho border. For many years it remained hidden among the largest fossil collection in South Africa at the Evolutionary Studies Institute (ESI) at Wits University. A few years ago it was studied and considered to represent the remains of another South African dinosaur, Aardonyx. However, upon further study, close scrutiny of the fossilised bones has revealed that it is a completely new dinosaur. One of the most distinctive features is that one of its ankle bones, the astragalus, is shaped like a cross. Considering the area where the fossil was discovered, the researchers aptly named the new dinosaur, Sefapanosaurus, after the Sesotho word "sefapano," meaning "cross." Anusuya Chinsamy-Turan, co-author and Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at UCT, says: "The discovery of Sefapanosaurus shows that there were several of these transitional early sauropodomorph dinosaurs roaming around southern Africa about 200 million years ago." Dr Alejandro Otero, Argentinian palaeontologist and lead author, says Sefapanosaurus helps to fill the gap between the earliest sauropodomorphs and the gigantic sauropods. "Sefapanosaurus constitutes a member of the growing list of transitional sauropodomorph dinosaurs from Argentina and South Africa that are increasingly telling us about how they diversified." Says Dr Jonah Choiniere, co-author and Senior Researcher in Dinosaur Palaeobiology at the ESI at Wits University: "This new animal shines a spotlight on southern Africa and shows us just how much more we have to learn about the ecosystems of the past, even here in our own 'backyard'. And it also gives us hope that this is the start of many such collaborative palaeo-research projects between South Africa and Argentina that could yield more such remarkable discoveries." Argentinian co-author, Dr Diego Pol, says Sefapanosaurus and other recent dinosaur discoveries in the two countries reveal that the diversity of herbivorous dinosaurs in Africa and South America was remarkably high back in the Jurassic, about 190 million years ago when the southern hemisphere continents were a single supercontinent known as Gondwana. Finding a new dinosaur among old bones Otero and Emil Krupandan, PhD-student from UCT, were visiting the ESI collections to look at early sauropodomorph dinosaurs when they noticed bones that were distinctive from the other dinosaurs they were studying. Krupandan was working on a dinosaur from Lesotho as part of his studies when he realised the material he was looking at was different to Aardonyx. "This find indicates the importance of relooking at old material that has only been cursorily studied in the past, in order to re-evaluate past preconceptions about sauropodomorph diversity in light of new data." The remains of the Sefapanosaurus include limb bones, foot bones, and several vertebrae. Sefapanosaurus is represented by the remains of at least four individuals in the ESI collections at Wits University. It is considered to be a medium-sized sauropodomorph dinosaur -- among the early members of the group that gave rise to the later long necked giants of the Mesozoic. Story Source: The above post is reprinted from materials provided by University of the Witwatersrand. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. Journal Reference: Alejandro Otero, Emil Krupandan, Diego Pol, Anusuya Chinsamy, Jonah Choiniere. A new basal sauropodiform from South Africa and the phylogenetic relationships of basal sauropodomorphs. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2015; 174 (3): 589 DOI: 10.1111/zoj.12247
‘Lost world’ of cold weather dinosaurs discovered
Date: September 22, 2015 Source: Florida State University Summary: Scientists have uncovered a new species of duck-billed dinosaur, a 30-footlong herbivore that endured months of winter darkness and probably experienced snow. The skeletal remains of the dinosaurs were found in a remote part of Alaska. These dinosaurs were the northernmost dinosaurs known to have ever lived.  *This image is copyright of its original author An artist's depiction of what researchers believe the dinosaur looked like. Credit: James Havens A Florida State University and University of Alaska Fairbanks research team has uncovered a new species of duck-billed dinosaur, a 30-footlong herbivore that endured months of winter darkness and probably experienced snow. The skeletal remains of the dinosaurs were found in a remote part of Alaska. These dinosaurs were the northernmost dinosaurs known to have ever lived. "The finding of dinosaurs this far north challenges everything we thought about a dinosaur's physiology," said FSU Professor of Biological Science Greg Erickson. "It creates this natural question. How did they survive up here?" The dinosaur is named Ugrunaaluk kuukpikensis, which means ancient grazer of the Colville River. The remains were found along the Colville River in a geological formation in northern Alaska known as the Prince Creek Formation. The discovery is detailed in the Tuesday issue of the paleontology journalActa Palaeontologica Polonica. "This new study names and brings to life what is now the most completely known species of dinosaur from the Polar Regions," said Patrick Druckenmiller, earth sciences curator of the University of Alaska Museum of the North and associate professor of geology at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. The dig site -- the Prince Creek Formation -- is a unit of rock that was deposited on an arctic, coastal flood plain about 69 million years ago. At the time the Prince Creek Formation was deposited, it was located well above the paleo-arctic circle, about 80 degrees north latitude. So, the dinosaurs found there lived as far north as land is known to have existed during this time period. At the time they lived, Arctic Alaska was covered in trees because Earth's climate was much warmer as a whole. But, because it was so far north, the dinosaurs likely contended with months of winter darkness, even if it wasn't as cold as a modern-day winter. They lived in a world where the average temperature was about 43 degrees Fahrenheit, and they probably saw snow. "What we're finding is basically this lost world of dinosaurs with many new forms completely new to science," Erickson said. Since the 1980s scientists from the University of Alaska Museum of the North, and other collaborative institutions, including Florida State University, have collected more than 9,000 bones from various animals as part of the excavation of the Prince Creek Formation. The majority of the bones of the Ugrunaaluk kuukpikensis were collected from a single layer of rock called the Liscomb Bonebed. The layer, about 2 to 3 feet thick, contains thousands of bones of primarily this one species of dinosaur. In this particular area, most of the skeletons were from younger or juvenile dinosaurs, about 9 feet long and three feet tall at the hip. Researchers believe a herd of juveniles was killed suddenly to create this deposit of remains. Hirotsugu Mori, a former graduate student at UAF, completed a detailed analysis of the bone structure as part of his doctoral dissertation alongside Druckenmiller and Erickson. Their work revealed that the Ugrunaaluk kuukpikensis is most closely related to Edmontosaurus, another type of duck-billed dinosaur that lived roughly 70 million years ago in Alberta, Montana and South Dakota. But, the combination of features found in these skeletons were not present in Edmontosaurus or in any other species of duck-billed dinosaurs. In particular, researchers observed that the Ugrunaaluk kuukpikensis had very unique skeletal structures in the area of the skull, especially around the mouth. "Because many of the bones from our Alaskan species were from younger individuals, a challenge of this study was figuring out if the differences with other hadrosaurs was just because they were young, or if they were really a different species," Druckenmiller said. "Fortunately, we also had bones from older animals that helped us realize Ugrunaaluk was a totally new animal." Druckenmiller worked with an instructor of the Iñupiaq language at the Alaska Native Language Center at University of Alaska Fairbanks to develop a name for the new species that was culturally, anatomically and geographically correct. They wanted to pay tribute to the local tribes who live near the research site. Erickson and Druckenmiller will continue to mine the Prince Creek Formation for additional skeletons. However, accessing the field site is extremely difficult. Besides the frigid weather, they have to use bush planes that are capable of landing on gravel bars and inflatable boats to access the sites, and often have to repel down the side of a cliff to do the digging. The area is rich with animal skeletons, and they estimate there are at least 13 different species of dinosaur present based on teeth and other remains, plus birds, small mammals and some fish. They will also delve deeper into how these animals lived and functioned in conditions not typically thought to be amenable to occupation by reptilian dinosaurs. "Alaska is basically the last frontier," said Erickson, who is originally from Alaska. "It's virtually unexplored in terms of vertebrate paleontology. So, we think we're going to find a lot of new species." Three full skeletons of Ugrunaaluk kuukpikensis will be on display at the University of Alaska Museum of the North as well as a new painting of the species by Alaskan artist James Havens. This research was supported by the National Science Foundation and the Department of Interior's Bureau of Land Management. The research is also the primary subject of the doctoral thesis completed by Druckenmiller's former graduate student Hirotsugu Mori, who is now a curator for the Saikai City Board of Education in Japan. Source 
A bizarre theropod from the Early Cretaceous of Japan highlighting mosaic evolution among coelurosaurians
Fukuivenator paradoxus Azuma et al. 2016  *This image is copyright of its original author Image credits: Azuma et al. Abstract: "Our understanding of coelurosaurian evolution, particularly of bird origins, has been greatly improved, mainly due to numerous recently discovered fossils worldwide. Nearly all these discoveries are referable to the previously known coelurosaurian subgroups. Here, we report a new theropod, Fukuivenator paradoxus, gen. et sp. nov., based on a nearly complete specimen from the Lower Cretaceous Kitadani Formation of the Tetori Group, Fukui, Japan. While Fukuivenator possesses a large number of morphological features unknown in any other theropod, it has a combination of primitive and derived features seen in different theropod subgroups, notably dromaeosaurid dinosaurs. Computed-tomography data indicate that Fukuivenator possesses inner ears whose morphology is intermediate between those of birds and non-avian dinosaurs. Our phylogenetic analysis recovers Fukuivenator as a basally branching maniraptoran theropod, yet is unable to refer it to any known coelurosaurian subgroups. The discovery of Fukuivenator considerably increases the morphological disparity of coelurosaurian dinosaurs and highlights the high levels of homoplasy in coelurosaurian evolution."
New tyrannosaur from the mid-Cretaceous of Uzbekistan clarifies evolution of giant body sizes and advanced senses in tyrant dinosaurs
Timurlengia euotica Brusatte et al. 2016  *This image is copyright of its original author Reconstruction credits: Todd Marshall Significance: "Tyrannosaurs—the iconic group of dinosaurian carnivores that includes Tyrannosaurus rex—dominated latest Cretaceous ecosystems with their colossal sizes and sophisticated senses. A gap in the mid-Cretaceous fossil record between these giant apex predators and their older, smaller relatives makes it difficult to understand how the characteristic body size and ecological habits of T.rex and kin developed. A new species from Uzbekistan fills this gap. This horse-sized animal shows that tyrannosaurs had yet to achieve huge size at this time but had already evolved key brain and sensory features of the gigantic latest Cretaceous species. Tyrannosaurs apparently developed giant body size rapidly, late in the Cretaceous, and their success may have been enabled by their early-evolving keen senses." Abstract: "Tyrannosaurids—the familiar group of carnivorous dinosaurs including Tyrannosaurus and Albertosaurus—were the apex predators in continental ecosystems in Asia and North America during the latest Cretaceous (ca. 80–66 million years ago). Their colossal sizes and keen senses are considered key to their evolutionary and ecological success, but little is known about how these features developed as tyrannosaurids evolved from smaller basal tyrannosauroids that first appeared in the fossil record in the Middle Jurassic (ca. 170 million years ago). This is largely because of a frustrating 20+ million-year gap in the mid-Cretaceous fossil record, when tyrannosauroids transitioned from small-bodied hunters to gigantic apex predators but from which no diagnostic specimens are known. We describe the first distinct tyrannosauroid species from this gap, based on a highly derived braincase and a variety of other skeletal elements from the Turonian (ca.90–92 million years ago) of Uzbekistan. This taxon is phylogenetically intermediate between the oldest basal tyrannosauroids and the latest Cretaceous forms. It had yet to develop the giant size and extensive cranial pneumaticity of T. rex and kin but does possess the highly derived brain and inner ear characteristic of the latest Cretaceous species. Tyrannosauroids apparently developed huge size rapidly during the latest Cretaceous, and their success in the top predator role may have been enabled by their brain and keen senses that first evolved at smaller body size." Other articles related: Timurlengia euotica: Distant relative of T-rex shows how dinosaur became giant Behold Timurlengia—the Elusive Missing Link in Tyrannosaur Evolution The Discovery of a Tiny Tyrannosaur Adds New Insight Into the Origins of T. Rex
A high-latitude dromaeosaurid, Boreonykus certekorum, gen. et sp. nov. (Theropoda), from the upper Campanian Wapiti Formation, west-central Alberta
Boreonykus certekorum Bell & Currie, 2016  *This image is copyright of its original author Abstract: "Dromaeosaurids were rare components of most Late Cretaceous terrestrial ecosystems and are poorly known from high palaeolatitudes. New dromaeosaurid material, including a frontal and associated postcranial elements, is described from a dense monodominant ceratopsid bonebed on Pipestone Creek, near the city of Grande Prairie (Unit 3, Wapiti Formation, upper Campanian), central-western Alberta, Canada. This stratigraphic interval is significant because it records a period of terrestrial deposition at a time when much of the western interior of Canada and the United States was inundated by the Bearpaw Sea. A phylogenetic analysis recovers Boreonykus certekorum, gen. et sp. nov., as a derived eudromaeosaur, possibly within Velociraptorinae. The identification of a new dromaeosaurid from the Wapiti Formation simultaneously helps fill an important gap in the record of late Campanian dromaeosaurids, bolsters support for a partly endemic fauna within the Wapiti Formation, and potentially adds to the North American record of a predominantly Asian Velociraptorinae." Other articles related: Dinosaur described as 'savage predator' uncovered in northwestern Alberta
A new brachyrostran with hypertrophied axial structures reveals an unexpected radiation of latest Cretaceous abelisaurids
Viavenator exxoni Filippi, Méndez, Juárez Valieri & Garrido, 2016  *This image is copyright of its original author Reconstruction credits: Ezequiel Vera Abstract: "A well preserved skeleton of a new abelisaurid is reported here. The holotype of Viavenator exxoni was found in the outcrops of the Bajo de la Carpa Formation (Santonian, Upper Cretaceous), northwestern Patagonia, Argentina. This new taxon belongs to the South American clade of abelisaurids, the brachyrostrans. The current phylogenetic analysis places it as the basalmost member of a new clade of derived brachyrostrans, named Furileusauria, characterized by distinctive cranial, axial and appendicular anatomical features. The Santonian age of Viavenator allows filling the stratigraphic gap exhibited between the basal brachyrostrans of Cenomanian–Turonian age, and the derived forms from the Campanian-Maastrichtian. The evolution of abelisaurids during the Late Cretaceous, faunal replacements, and the adaptive radiation that occurred during that period of time in South America are discussed." Full Article Other articles related: A new theropod dinosaur from Patagonia Presentan un nuevo dinosaurio en el MAU: Viavenator exxoni
A new hadrosauroid dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous of Tianzhen, Shanxi Province, China (Full Article)
Datonglong tianzhenensis Xu et al., 2016 Abstract: "A new non-hadrosaurid hadrosauroid dinosaur (Datonglong tianzhenensis gen. et sp. nov.) is reported. The new taxon is recovered from the Upper Cretaceous Huiquanpu Formation of Tianzhen County, Shanxi Province in northern China, and represented by an almost complete right dentary with dentition. Different from all other hadrosauroids, Datonglong possesses two functional teeth in each alveolus, and the pattern of ridge development on the lingual surface of its dentary crown shows a unique combination of character states (for example: distally offset primary ridge; well-developed secondary ridge; no additional ridge(s); slightly distally curved apical half of primary ridge). Comparative studies indicate advanced non-hadrosaurid hadrosauroids experienced a complex pattern in the evolution of their dentary, especially dentary dentition. Derived hadrosaurid features occurred frequently in these taxa, such as high height/width ratio of tooth crown in Bactrosaurus, one primary and one faint ridges in Gilmoreosaurus, median placed primary ridge in Zhanghenglong, rostrally inclined coronoid process in Nanningosaurus, and two functional teeth in each alveolus in Datonglong. This implies incredible diversities and attempts close to the origin of Hadrosauridae and difficulties to elucidate their phylogenetic relationships."
A primitive hadrosaurid from southeastern North America and the origin and early evolution of ‘duck-billed’ dinosaurs
Eotrachodon orientalis Prieto-Márquez, Erickson & Ebersole, 2016  *This image is copyright of its original author Photo credits: Prieto-Márquez, Erickson & Ebersole Abstract: "Eotrachodon orientalis gen. et sp. nov. (latest Santonian of Alabama, southeastern U.S.A.) is one of the oldest and most basal hadrosaurid dinosaurs and the only hadrosaurid from Appalachia (present day eastern North America) with a preserved skull. This taxon possesses a relatively derived narial structure that was until now regarded as synapomorphic for saurolophine (solid-crested or crestless) hadrosaurids. Maximum parsimony analysis places E. orientalis as the sister taxon to Saurolophidae (Saurolophinae + Lambeosaurinae). Character optimization on the phylogeny indicates that the saurolophine-like circumnarial structure evolved by the Santonian following the split between saurolophines and lambeosaurines but prior to the major hadrosaurid radiation. Statistical dispersal-vicariance analysis posits an Appalachian ancestral area for Hadrosauridae and subsequent dispersal of their ancestors into Laramidia (present-day western North America) during the Cenomanian." Other articles related: Research team identifies rare dinosaur from Appalachia |
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