Subcultural engagement for the 21st Century...
Barbelith is a new kind of community (find out more)...
You can login or register.

Underground > Laboratory >

Interesting/obscure areas of knowledge about dinosaurs

All Acting Regiment

18:45 / 19.03.07

This might be a rather strange topic, but I was just reading on wikipedia about how:

Based on current fossil evidence, there seem to have been no burrowing species of dinosaur and few climbing species. Since the later mammalian radiation in the Cenozoic produced many burrowing and climbing species, the lack of evidence for similar dinosaur species is somewhat surprising. Because most dinosaur species seem to have relied on land-based locomotion, a good understanding of how dinosaurs moved on the ground is key to models of dinosaur behavior; the science of biomechanics, in particular, has provided significant insight in this area. For example, studies of the forces exerted by muscles and gravity on dinosaurs' skeletal structure have investigated how fast dinosaurs could run,[27][28] whether diplodocids could create sonic booms via whip-like tail snapping,[29] whether giant theropods had to slow down when rushing for food to avoid fatal injuries,[30] and whether sauropods could float.

I find all this stuff really interesting. What do you think and do you know any other similar oddments?

19:20 / 19.03.07

Well, the weirdest ideas seem to be about dinosaurs that were hairy, warm-blooded and social, but I'm not sure how "leftfield" those are any more. Hotly debated, yes, but fairly well known.

The "social" thing was really the hook of Jurassic Park, in which the "warm-blooded" thing also gets a mention.

It's still freaky to think about for me, though.

jentacular dreams

09:54 / 21.03.07

Re the burrowing thing. My ecology and succession education is truly years behind me, but could it have something to do with grasses only really appearing in the cretaceous (I think)? Is it possible that prior to this the soft earth (i.e. burrowable) was too soft, or prone to collapse in rain seasons (at least for burrows bigger than those used by snakes, toads and protorodents)?

It sounds very suspect to me even as I write it but I can't think of any other reason that niche wouldn't have been available.

20:34 / 21.03.07

Sorry, I haven't read your link yet Allecto, but could this be a coincidence?

15:28 / 22.03.07

Not dinosaurs, specifically, but them lizards flew.

Not a coincidence, either. "Xiang," by the way, means something more like "glide" -- they didn't really fly, but they did get around in the air, which means they had to get up high enough to do it, which means climbing happened. Maybe not with dinosaurs, but other reptiles.

All Acting Regiment

08:32 / 23.03.07

Ah!

The fossil remains of small dinosaurs that burrowed into the ground have been found by scientists in Montana, US.

The 95-million-year-old bones are from an adult and two juveniles and were unearthed in a chamber at the end of a 2.1m-long sediment-filled tunnel.

The researchers say the discovery is the first definitive evidence that some dinosaurs dug dens and cared for their young in such structures.

Details are reported in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B.

"Burrowing also represents a mechanism by which small dinosaurs may have exploited the extreme environments of polar latitudes, deserts and high mountain areas," Dr David Varricchio and colleagues tell the publication.

Removing the fossils (David Varricchio/MSU)
The team has been commended for its diligence
The Montana dinosaurs have not been seen by palaeontologists before and have been given the scientific name Oryctodromeus cubicularis, meaning "digging runner of the lair".

Well, there we go.

All Acting Regiment

08:55 / 23.03.07

I also do this. How safe is your workplace/home/ill-advised theme park and novel?

10:17 / 23.03.07

Hee hee. Nice one.

All Acting Regiment

13:48 / 04.12.07

Mummified Dinosaur Unveiled:

December 3, 2007—Dakota, a 67-million-year-old "dino mummy" unveiled today by a British paleontologist, is seen here in an artist's rendering.

The extraordinarily preserved hadrosaur, or duck-billed dino, still had much of its tissues and bones intact, encased in an envelope of skin.

Research into the dinosaur's remains may further scientists' understanding of how the ancient creatures' skin appeared and how quickly they moved, said team leader Phillip Manning of the University of Manchester, a National Geographic Expeditions Council grantee.

"This specimen exceeds the jackpot," Manning said.

Dakota was about 35 feet (12 meters) long and weighed some 35 tons, but the dinosaur was no slowpoke, according to preliminary studies. (Related news: "T. Rex Quicker Than Fastest Humans, Study Says" [August 23, 2007].)

With the aid of a large-scale CT scanner, researchers determined that Dakota had a more muscular rear end and more powerful legs than previously believed, according to Manning.

The dig and subsequent scanning are the subjects of Dino Autopsy, a National Geographic Channel special airing on December 9 at 9 p.m. EST/10 p.m. PT. (The National Geographic Society owns National Geographic News and co-owns the National Geographic Channel.)

20:51 / 09.01.08

more news on dino skin.