Difference between revisions of "AY Honors/Dinosaurs/Answer Key"
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===c. Why did dinosaurs lay eggs. === | ===c. Why did dinosaurs lay eggs. === | ||
===d. What types of skin did dinosaurs likely have? Give species examples of each.=== | ===d. What types of skin did dinosaurs likely have? Give species examples of each.=== | ||
| + | Although much rarer than fossilized bones, skin prints from dinosaurs have also been found in the fossil record. Many prints highlight bumpy skin, small or large non-overlapping scales and in some species bony plates. Hadrosaurs have some of the best preservation of skin prints, showing non-overlapping bumpy scales, sometimes nearly hexagonal in shape. Dinosaurs like Stegosaurus had bony plates on their skin, possibly for protection, thermoregulation, sexual advertising or a combination of the three. The Ankylosaur had osteoderms - bony projections and plates - embedded its its skin that provided a complete armor coating. | ||
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===e. What are the sauropodomorphs? === | ===e. What are the sauropodomorphs? === | ||
===f. In which two groups are they divided?=== | ===f. In which two groups are they divided?=== | ||
Revision as of 15:42, 23 September 2014
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1. What does the term dinosaur mean? Who used that term for the first time?
The word Dinosaur is a Latinized combination of the Greek roots “deinos” [terrible] and “sauros” [lizard] - so the word means Terrible Lizard. Sir Richard Owen, a British anatomist and taxonomist, coined the term in the early 1840s after determining that a set of fossil bones he studied, including those of Iguanodon and Megalosaurus, were not lizards, but something uniquely different.
2. Discuss how scientists figure out what live dinosaurs may have looked like, considering that they may have had only a small number of bones / evidence to base their reasoning on.
One of the first steps in dinosaur reconstruction is comparative anatomy. Because bones often have analogous features, functions and articulation, paleontologists can make a first set of assumptions about the size, shape and gait of the dinosaur, even with only a small number of bones. Close investigation of bones can reveal signs of muscle attachment, which can further give shape to the dinosaur. Paleontologists also use comparative anatomy to see basic forms of animals in similar environments, using clues from the rock and other fossils around the dinosaur bones to infer a particular ecosystem, and looking at modern animals that live in similar ecosystems for potential models. In some cases, impressions of skin and feathers can offer some clues as to the external appearance. Although there is no fossilization of color, paleontologists can draw some inferences from patterns and colors in modern animals that live in similar ecosystems or have similar lifestyles.
3. Explain or discuss the following within a group or to an instructor
a. Why is the Tyrannosaurus Rex considered to have been the king of the dinosaurs?
b. What other dinosaurs are also considered dominate “king” species?
c. Why did dinosaurs lay eggs.
d. What types of skin did dinosaurs likely have? Give species examples of each.
Although much rarer than fossilized bones, skin prints from dinosaurs have also been found in the fossil record. Many prints highlight bumpy skin, small or large non-overlapping scales and in some species bony plates. Hadrosaurs have some of the best preservation of skin prints, showing non-overlapping bumpy scales, sometimes nearly hexagonal in shape. Dinosaurs like Stegosaurus had bony plates on their skin, possibly for protection, thermoregulation, sexual advertising or a combination of the three. The Ankylosaur had osteoderms - bony projections and plates - embedded its its skin that provided a complete armor coating.
