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Dinosaur fact, Coelophysis “Hollow Form” Dinosaur Facts

Anatomy
Coelophysis (pronounced SEE-low-FIE-sis) was a small, lightly-built dinosaur that walked on two long legs. This predator was about 9 feet long (2.8 m). It had light, hollow bones (hence its name), a long, pointed head with dozens of small, serrated teeth, three clawed fingers on its hands, and a long neck.

Two types of Coelophysis fossils have been found, ‘robust’ and ‘gracile.’ These two forms probably represent males and females.

Coelophysis in space
A Coelophysis skull from the Carnegie Museum of Natural History was brought into space by the space shuttle Endeavor on January 22, 1998. It traveled to the space station Mir. (Maisaura beat Coelophysis into space by almost 3 years.)

Photo of Coelophysis bauri, taken by Jim Puckett in the Dinosaur Hall of “Prehistoric Journey” at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science.
When Coelophysis lived, climate
Coelophysis lived during the late Triassic period, roughly 210 million years ago; it was one of the earliest-known dinosaurs. Coelophysis lived in what was then a seasonally dry, desert-like environment, a savanna-type climate perhaps like modern-day Kenya without the grasses (since flowering plants hadn’t evolved yet).

Diet

Coelophysis was a carnivore, a meat eater. It may also have been a scavenger. Coelophysis’ fossilized stomach remains have been found containing small reptiles, fish, and other Coelophysis bones of different sizes, indicating that it was a cannibal.

Behaviour
Coelophysis probably lived and hunted in packs; this is suggested by the existence of fossil bonebeds of hundreds of Coelophysis (collections of many fossils at one location) found at the Ghost Ranch in New Mexico, USA.

Reproduction
Coelophysis most likely reproduced by laying eggs. Thousands of fossilized Coelophysis skeletons were found at the Ghost Ranch, New Mexico, USA. Many of them contained the bones of young Coelophysis in their abdomens - this evidence showed that Coelophysis either ate its young or gave birth to live young. It is more likely that they were cannibalistic (like many modern-day reptiles) since the tiny Coelophysis skeletons within the adult Coelophysis were not embryos, but young Coelophysis.

Locomotion
Slightly built, long-legged, and very light because of its hollow bones, Coelophysis was a very fast, bipedal runner. Dinosaur speeds are estimated using their morphology (characteristics like leg length and estimated body mass) and fossilized trackways. Coelophysis tracks have been found; the footprint is 4 inches long and the stride length is 2.5 ft (0.75 m).

DISCOVERY OF FOSSILS AND NAMING THEMCoelophysis was discovered in 1881 by David Baldwin. It was named by US paleontologist Edward Drinker Cope in 1889. The type species is Coelophysis bauri (named by Cope and Colbert in 1964). There is some confusion about the naming of this genus arising from the fragmentary nature of the type specimen.

Thousands of Coelophysis fossils, including bonebeds (collections of many fossils of the same species in one location), have been found at Ghost Ranch, New Mexico, USA (these dinosaurs were called Rioarribasaurus at one time, but this name was later dropped). Several hundred Coelophysis fossil skeletons have been found in Arizona, New Mexico, and perhaps Utah. Both adults and juveniles have been found. There are two types of adults, “robust” and “gracile” - these two morphs may represent males and females.

Classification
Coelophysis was a saurischian (”lizard-hipped”) dinosaur, and a theropod. Its further classification is disputed, but it may be a ceratosaurian. It is closely related to Rioarribasaurus (or may be the same genus; the name Rioarribasaurus has been discarded).

Coelophysis activities

A Coelophysis printout with information.
Print out a K-3 level Coelophysis information page to color!

As you can all see dinosaur facts are back on the daily facts blog. I hope that i will be able to post at least one dinosaur fact every two days, of course i what i would really want would be a dinosaur fact a day, but i can not promise you since this is not the only blog in my possesion. Dinosaur facts will live on on this blog till every dinosaur is suscribed. Enjoy the dinosaur fact and the upcoming dinosaur facts.

Dinosaur Facts: “Chasm lizard” Chasmosaurus

Anatomy
Chasmosaurus was a rhinoceros-like dinosaur that was 16-26 feet (5-8 m) long and weighed about 3.5 tons (3220 kg). It had three short horns on its face along with a large bony plate projecting from the back of its skull (a frill). One short, wide horn was on its snout above its parrot-like beak and two backwards-facing brow horns were above its eyes. It had a large skull, four sturdy legs with hoof-like claws, a bulky body and a short, pointed tail. Chasmosaurus hatched from eggs. Its femur (thigh bone) was 75 cm long.

Fossilized Chasmosaurus skin has been found. The skin had knob-like bumps that had 5 or 6 sides.

Chasmosaurus was the most widely distributed Ceratopsian (horned, frilled vegetarians). Many species in this genus have been found, including:

C. belli (Lambe, 1902) [type species] - originally Monoclonius- from Alberta, Canada
C. canadensis (Lambe, 1902) - originally Monoclonius - from Alberta, Canada
C. mariscalensis - Lehman, 1989 - from Texas, USA
C. russelli - Sternberg, 1940 - with no brow horns - from Alberta, Canada

Classification
Chasmosaurus was a late Ornithischian dinosaur, the order of bird-hipped, herbivorous dinosaurs. It was a member of the suborder Marginocephalia, and the family of large, horned, herding herbivores, the ceratopsians. The ceratopsians were one of the last major group of dinosaurs to evolve, and include Psittacosaurus, Leptoceratops, Pachyrhinosaurus, Montanoceratops, Chasmosaurus, Centrosaurus, Triceratops, Styracosaurus, Protoceratops, and others.

When Chasmosaurus lived
Chasmosaurus lived in the late Cretaceous period, about 76 to 70 million years ago, toward the end of the Mesozoic, the Age of Reptiles. It was among the last of the dinosaur species to evolve before the Cretaceous-Tertiary extinction 65 million years ago. Among the contemporaries of Chasmosaurus were Tyrannosaurus rex (which probably preyed upon Chasmosaurus), Ankylosaurus (an armored herbivore), Corythosaurus (a crested dinosaur), and Dryptosaurus.

Behavior
Chasmosaurus was probably a herding animal, like the other ceratopsians (horned, plant-eating dinosaurs). This hypothesis is supported by the finding of bone beds, large deposits of bones of the same species in an area.

Chasmosaurus hatched from eggs which may have been cared for by adults.

When threatened by predators, Chasmosaurus probably charged into its enemy like the modern-day rhinoceros does. This was probably a very effective defense.

Intelligence
Chasmosaurus was a ceratopsian, whose intelligence (as measured by its relative brain to body weight, or EQ) was intermediate among the dinosaurs.

Diet

Chasmosaurus was an herbivore, a plant eater. It probably ate cycads, palms, and other prehistoric plants with its tough beak. It could also chew well with its cheek teeth (like other Ceratopsians, but unlike most other dinosaurs).

Locomotion
Chasmosaurus walked on four short legs

Discovery of fossils
Chasmosaurus was named by Canadian paleontologist Lawrence Lambe in 1914. Many Chasmosaurus fossils have been found, mostly in Alberta, Canada and Texas, USA.

Daily facts, Dinosaur facts, Chasmosaurus

Dinosaur Facts: “Horn Lizard” Ceratosaurus

Anatomy
Ceratosaurus was a powerful predator that walked on two strong legs, had a strong, s-shaped neck, and had a short horn on its snout. It had a massive tail, a bulky body, and heavy bones. Its arms were short and it had four-fingered hands (a primitive configuration) with sharp claws. It also had large eyes (and therefore probably had very good eyesight).

Ceratosaurus was 15 to 20 feet long (4.5 to 6 m) long, weighing roughly 0.5 to 1 ton (500 kg to 1 tonne). It had a skull a snout horn and two short brow ridges, and bony knobs and ridges above its eyes and on the top of the head. This common hunter had large, powerful jaws with long, sharp, teeth.

When Ceratosaurus lived
Ceratosaurus was a large but common meat-eater from the late Jurassic period, about 156 million to 145 million years ago.

Behavior
Ceratosaurus may have hunted in groups. In groups, Ceratosaurus could have ambushed even the very large sauropods. Ceratosaurus competed with the giant predator Allosaurus for iguanodonts, stegosaurs, sauropods.
Intelligence
Ceratosaurus was a theropod, whose intelligence (as measured by its relative brain to body weight, or EQ) was high among the dinosaurs.

Diet
Ceratosaurus was a carnivore, a meat eater. It was a large, fierce predator that could kill even large sauropods. Ceratosaurus may also have been a scavenger.

Locomotion
Ceratosaurus walked on two muscular legs.

Discovery of fossils
Ceratosaurus was named in 1884 by paleontologist Othniel C. Marsh, who theorized that Ceratosaurus was a good swimmer, like the crocodilians (since it had a long, thin tail). Many Ceratosaurus fossils have been found, in Colorado and Utah, USA, and in Tanzania, Africa.

Classification
Ceratosaurus belonged to the:

Kingdom Animalia (animals)
Phylum Chordata (having a hollow nerve chord ending in a brain)
Class Archosauria (diapsids with socket-set teeth, etc.)
Order Saurischia - lizard-hipped dinosaurs
Suborder Theropoda - bipedal carnivores
Neotheropoda (”Herrerasaurs”) - primitive theropods with 4-fingered hands.
Family Neoceratosauria - primitive, medium-sized predators; many had horns. Included: Ceratosaurus, Noasaurus, Carnotaurus, Indosuchus, Majungatholus, etc.
Genus Ceratosaurus

species nasicornis (the type species; Marsh, 1884)
species dentisulcatus (?, 1995)
species ingens (Janensch, 1920; this is a dubious species)
species roechlingi (Janensch, 1925)

Daily facts, Dinosaur facts, Ceratosaurus

Dinosaur Facts: “tail feather” Caudipteryx

Caudipteryx zoui

Caudipteryx (meaning “tail feather”) was a feathered theropod dinosaur dating from the late Jurassic period to perhaps the early Cretaceous period, roughly 120-136 million years ago. Caudipteryx resembled Velociraptor and may be the closest-known ancestor of birds.

In the chain of creatures leading from theropod (dromaeosaurid) dinosaurs to birds, Sinosauropteryx is the earliest bird-like dinosaur. For now, the chain includes (in chronological order):

Archaeopteryx - The oldest known bird (150 mya) had asymmetrical feathers - it could probably fly short distances (from Germany).

Sinosauropteryx - covered with proto-feathers and with short arms (121-135 million years ago).

Protarchaeopteryx - Long, symmetrical feathers on arms and tail, but it probably could not fly (from China, 121-135 mya).

Caudipteryx - a small, very fast runner covered with primitive (symmetrical and therefore flightless) feathers. (from China, 121-135 mya)

Unenlagia - a much larger ground-dwelling theropod (from Argentina). It had flexible arm movement (up and down, like that of a bird) (90 mya).

Velociraptor - a larger, ground-dwelling carnivore from Mongolia) with a swiveling wrist bone (this type of joint is also found in birds and is necessary for flight) (85 - 80 mya).

Eoalulavis (from Spain) - the earliest bird that had good maneuverability while flying, even at low speeds (this extra flight control is obtained from a tuft of feathers on the thumb called the alula - it also helps in takeoffs and landings).

Feathers

Caudipteryx had feathers covering its very short arms, most of its body, and on its short tail. The feathers ranged from downy to structured quills with shafts and veins up to 6 to 8 inches (15-20 cm) long.

Its feathers were symmetrical, which indicated that it did not fly (modern-day flightless birds have symmetrical feathers; flying birds have asymmetrical ones). Protarchaeopteryx’s feathers may have been used for insulation, retaining in its body heat.

Anatomy

Caudipteryx had long legs, very short arms, and was about the size of a turkey, about 3 feet (1 m) tall. It lacked the typical theropod long tail but had a short tail with a generous fan of feathers up to 6 to 8 inches (15-20 cm) long. Its teeth were long, sharp, and had deep, bulbous roots. These teeth were only in the front of the upper jaw, and pointed outward, giving it a buck-toothed look. It was found with gatroliths (gizzard stones) in its gut that were used to grind up its food.

Birds and Dinosaurs

“For the first time we have something that is unquestionably a dinosaur with unquestionable feathers. So what we have is a missing link between meat-eating dinosaurs and the earliest bird,” said paleontologist Philip Currie of the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Paleontology, Drumheller, Alberta, Canada, “This shows that dinosaurs are not extinct, but are well-represented by 10,000 species of birds.” The existence of Protarchaeopteryx, Sinosauropteryx, and Caudipteryx lends credence to the theory the birds are descended from theropod dinosaurs and not from 4-legged arboreal (tree living) reptiles. There are, however, dissenting voices who point out that the new feathered fossils are from a time after that of Archaeopteryx, the first bird (which lived about 147 million years ago, before Caudipteryx and Protarchaeopteryx). This suggests that perhaps the fossils’ resemblance to birds could be a case of convergent evolution and that their feathers evolved for insulation, not flight, indicating a warm-blooded physiology.

Locomotion

Caudipteryx did not fly but ran on two long legs. It was probably a swift runner given its long legs and slight body.

Other Feathered Dinosaurs

Other Chinese feathered dinosaurs dating from between 145

and 125 million years ago (during the late Jurassic and early Cretaceous periods) have been found in the same area of China. These fossils, Sinosauropteryx and the more primitive Protarchaeopteryx robusta have features which are more dinosaur-like than bird-like, and are considered to be theropod dinosaurs. Their feathers were all symmetrical, which indicates that none of them could fly. These other finds reinforce the theory that birds are descended from dinosaurs.

Fossils

Two specimens of the fossil Caudipteryx have been found in the sediment of an ancient lake bed in China’s Liaoning Province (in northeastern China) and were identified by Philip Currie.

Daily facts, Dinosaur facts, Caudipteryx