Episode 473: Dinosaurs on Trial. Is T. rex hyped up? Is Stegosaurus in charge of killing Thag? Did Parasaurolophus disturb the peace? Is Utahraptor too large for a raptor? We put those dinosaurs on trial to decide their fates. Plus solutions to many different questions.
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The dinosaur of the day: Caenagnathasia
- Caenagnathid oviraptorosaur theropod that lived within the Overdue Cretaceous in what’s now Uzbekistan (Bissekty Formation)
- To not be perplexed with Caenagnathus (coated in episode 417)
- As an oviraptorosaur, would have had feathers, a beak, a protracted neck, and lengthy limbs
- Fossils discovered come with jaw bones, vertebrae, and a femur
- In accordance with the items of jaw discovered, cranium estimated to be about 3 in (7.6 cm) lengthy
- Small, estimated to be about 2 feet (0.61 m) lengthy and weigh 3 lb (1.4 kg)
- Sort species is Caenagnathasia martinsoni
- Named and described via Phil Currie and others in 1994
- Genus identify way “contemporary jaw from Asia”
- Genus identify refers back to the dinosaur being a caenagnathid and being present in Asia
- Species identify is honor of Gerbert Genrikhovich Martinson
- Holotype contains the decrease jaws
- Two specimens discovered in the beginning, and each are adults
- One specimen present in a layer round 90 million years outdated, which makes it the oldest recognized caenagnathoid
- Extra fossils discovered later (in expeditions between 1997 and 2006) from the similar house the place the holotype used to be discovered, and one specimen is also an immature particular person
- Contains every other dentary bone (decrease jaw) and a few disassociated postcranial bones (bones from the skeleton, like vertebrae, a part of a femur, and extra)
- Assigned the disassociated bones to Caenagnathasia as it’s the one recognized oviraptorosaurian from the Bissekty Formation
- There’s additionally an unnamed specimen from Kazakhstan (Bostobe Formation) that used to be described in 1988 and may additionally be Caenagnathasia
- In 2015 scientists, Yao Xi and others described a partial pair of fused decrease jaws from the Iren Dabasu Formation of Nei Mongol, China that they referred to Caenagnathasia (present in a 2012 expedition)
- Now 4 recognized dentaries
- Latest to find is helping display that Caenagnathasia lived in a bigger extra vast ranging house than in the past concept, and lasted longer
- Youngest specimen, via about 10 million years
- Within the paper, mentioned the specimen used to be much more likely a brand new species of Caenagnathasia, however “given the restricted nature of the fabric, on the other hand, we chorus from officially erecting a brand new species”
- Stated discovering extra whole specimens would possibly lend a hand make clear the possible new species
- Both method, displays that Caenagnathasia lasted no less than 10 million years, “representing some of the longest-lived theropod genera”
- In accordance with jaws, most likely ate eggs, along with different meals
- Different dinosaurs that lived round the similar time and position integrated the ceratopsian Turanoceratops, the ankylosaur Bissektipelta, theropods such because the alvarezsaur Dzharaonyx, the dromaeosaur Itemirus, the tyrannosauroid Timurlengia, sauropods corresponding to Dzharatitanis, and enantiornithines
- Different animals that lived round the similar time and position integrated turtles, molluscs, fish, plesiosaurs, mammals, pterosaurs, lizards, crocodylomorphs, and amphibians
Amusing Reality:
Garret’s favourite a laugh information: The time period “thagomizer” originated in a a ways facet caricature via Gary Larson, in his 1982 comedian; And we’re nearer in time to when T. rex lived than T. rex used to be to Stegosaurus
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