Dinosaur

95 Pages·2004·12.76 MB·English

by  Dougal Dixon

e.guides
Dinosaur
Dougal Dixon
Written by
and John Malam

5
CONTENTS
HOW TO USE THE WEB SITE 6 FEEDING 52
WHAT IS A DINOSAUR? 8 DIGESTIVE SYSTEMS 54
THE BIRD CONNECTION 10 ATTACK 56
ERA OF THE DINOSAURS 12 DEFENSE 58
UP IN THE AIR 14 WINNING A MATE 60
BELOW THE WAVES 16 BODY TEMPERATURE 62
DINOSAUR HABITATS 18 BRAINS AND INTELLIGENCE 64
THE END OF THE DINOSAURS 20 SENSES 66
TURNING TO STONE 22 GROWING UP 68
EARLY DISCOVERIES 24 DEATH AND DISEASE 70
FOSSIL SITES 26 PACK HUNTERS 72
IN THE FIELD 28 HUNTER OR SCAVENGER? 74
BODY FOSSILS 30 HERDING DINOSAURS 76
TRACE FOSSILS 32 NESTING COLONIES 78
EXAMINING FOOTPRINTS 34 CHANGING FACES 80
IN THE LAB 36 DINOSAURS ON DISPLAY 82
COMPUTER RECONSTRUCTION 37 REFERENCE SECTION
DATING FOSSILS 38 EVOLUTION 84
RECONSTRUCTING THE PAST 40 CLASSIFICATION 85
BIPEDAL CARNIVORES 42 PROFILES 86
LONG-NECKED HERBIVORES 44 BIOGRAPHIES 90
BIPEDAL HERBIVORES 46 GLOSSARY 93
HORNED AND ARMORED 48 INDEX 94
MOVING AROUND 50 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 96
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How to use the Web site
e.guides Dinosaur has its own Web site, created by DK and Google™.
When you look up a subject in the book, the article gives you key facts
and displays a keyword that links you to extra information online.
Just follow these easy steps.
http://www.dinosaur.dke-guides.com
1 3
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Address : http :// go
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Find the keyword in the book…
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DKand Google bring to you the bestofthe Web.
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Eapnpteera rasn tyh kroeuywghoordu tf rtohme Wtheeb bsoitoek. in the box below. this box Uonselifnuel rinesfeoarmrcahteirosn for
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Internet zone
fossils
fossils
You can onlyuse the keywordsfrom the bookto search
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7
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address, askpermission from an adultfirst.
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you and the Internet
Fossils link, pages 22–23, 30–33 Useful information for
Play a fossil quiz. online researchers
Watch how fossils form. TInotpe rsneeatr csha fteilpys from Google
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find any broken or incorrect links, or if you find content that you think is
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©Dorling Kindersley 2004
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Triceratopsskeleton
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Watch how fossils form.
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8
WHAT IS A DINOSAUR?
≥ GIGANOTOSAURUS
In the middle of the 1800s, the first fossil skeletons of some To find out more about the remains that are
found, scientists reconstruct dinosaurs, sometimes
extraordinary creatures were unearthed. These skeletons are of the
from only a few fragments of fossilized bone or a
dinosaurs—prehistoric reptiles that have captured the imaginations skull. The fossils of this Giganotosaurushave told
scientists a great deal about how this creature
of people ever since. Dinosaurs, which means “terrible lizards,”
lived. The way that the hips and legs are put
ruled the world for more than 160 million years before they died together shows that it was able to run after prey.
The clawed feet and rows of teeth are evidence
out 65 million years ago. Everything we know about them has that once Giganotosaurushad caught the prey,
the carnivore was equipped
come from the examination of skeletons, or bits of skeletons,
to tear it apart.
found by paleontologists, the dinosaur-hunters of the
modern world, and by other scientists.
Head of
femur fits
into hip socket
Hipbone
Femur (thighbone)
HYPSILOPHODON
Tibia
ORNITHISCHIAN
(shinbone) (“BIRD-HIPPED”)
GALLIMIMUS
SAURISCHIAN Hips and legs
(“LIZARD-HIPPED”) allowed dinosaur
to move feet easily
TYRANNOSAURUS forward and
HIND LIMBS backward
≤ LEG BONES ≤ HIPBONES
Dinosaurs were archosaurs—a group of reptiles Dinosaurs are divided into two separate
that contained crocodiles, alligators, and groups based on the structure of their
flying pterosaurs. However, the legs of most hipbones. The groups are called the
reptiles stick out at the side and the body “saurischians” and the “ornithischians.” The
is slung beneath. Those of a dinosaur saurischians had hipbones like a modern
are more like those of a mammal. They are lizard—the three hipbones radiating away
vertical, supporting the weight of the body from the socket that held the leg, and the
above them. There is a ball-shaped plug at the pubisbone pointing down and forward. The
head of the thighbone (femur) that protrudes ornithischians had hipbones like a modern
sideways. This fits into a socket in the side of bird—the pubis sweeping back along the
the hipbones. A shelf of bone above the ischium, while a pair of extensions to the
socket prevents the leg from popping out. pubis reached forward.
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Lightbut
dinosaurs strong skull
PSITTACOSAURUS SKULL ALLOSAURUS SKULL
(ORNITHISCHIAN) (SAURISCHIAN)
Nostril
Eye socket
Tooth rowset in from edge Teethflush with
Predentary bone edge of jaw
≤ SKULLS
Dinosaur skulls were usually open latticeworks of bony struts. That is why
they are rare—they fell to pieces too easily and have been lost. Only the
horned dinosaurs had solid skulls. The saurischians and the ornithischians had
Front limbswere shorter roughly the same arrangement of bones in the skull. The ornithischian skull
than the hind limbs in
had an extra bone at the front of the lower jaw called the predentary.
this group of carnivores
This usually held the lower half of a birdlike beak.
DIPLODOCUS
FORELIMBS >
FORELIMB
Different species of dinosaurs Prehensible Spikeon
fifth finger thumb for use
had different kinds of
for grasping as a weapon
forelimbs. The carnivores, such or a tool
as Baryonyx, usually had long,
grasping claws on the fingers
for killing or tearing flesh. The
Curved claw
herbivores, such as Iguanodon,
for slashing
may have had grasping fingers prey
to hold their plant food when Weight-bearing
standing on their hind legs. toes
They would also have had
weight-bearing hooves for
moving around on all fours.
The heavy, long-necked
herbivores, such as Diplodocus, Small claws Three
for grasping weight-bearing
had strong forefeet like the
hooves
hind feet, needed for bearing
the huge body weight. BARYONYX CLAW IGUANODON HAND
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THE BIRD CONNECTION
There are dinosaurs flying in our skies today—despite more than a century SIMILARITIES BETWEEN
COMPSOGNATHUS AND
of arguments, most scientists now believe that small meat-eating dinosaurs
ARCHAEOPTERYX
evolved into birds. The development of feathers turned dinosaurs that could
run or climb into birds that could fly. The earliest true bird is Archaeopteryx, 1 Bony tail core
which lived during the late Jurassic in the area known today as southern 2 Ankle joint
Germany. A small hunting dinosaur called Compsognathus also lived in that
3 Long legs
area at that time. Archaeopteryx looked like a cross between a reptile and
4 Short body
a bird, and it had strong legs and feathers that it would have used to fly.
Compsognathus was birdlike, with long back legs and hollow bones. 5 Enlarged breastbone
6 Teeth in long, slim jaws
Tail had about
40 bones In the saurischian 7 Slim, flexible neck
(lizardlike) hip, or
1 ilium, the pubis
88 Long, clawed fingers
angles forward
Tail used
to balance
COMPSOGNATHUS SKELETON >
Compsognathus was one of the first dinosaurs discovered. The
4 Backbone
first skeleton was unearthed in 1859. It had long jaws, sharp
held straight
teeth, a small body, strong hind legs with three-toed feet, and
a heavy tail. Its long hind legs were built for running, and the
claws and teeth show it to have been a hunter. It looks just Ischium
like the skeleton of any other meat-eating dinosaur.
Pubis
Keen eyesight to Neat jaws with
spot prey sharp teeth
Slender head
5
Slim body
Long, slender
leg boneperfect
for running
2
3
8
Long fingers
for grasping prey
Elongated foot
bone
Three-toed feet
≤ EFFICIENT HUNTER with claws to hold
down prey
Compsognathus(“pretty jaw”) looked like a tiny version of the
huge meat-eaters that lived during the late Jurassic. Yet, despite
its sharp claws and teeth, it was only the size of a chicken. It was
an agile hunter, chasing small animals that included insects and
fast-moving lizards. It ran swiftly along on its two back legs, its
long tail balancing it as it made fast turns in pursuit of its prey.
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dinosaurs
Horn-tipped claws
on front of wings for
grasping branches
Skull is lightweight
Large eye socket because it has
hollow bones
6
Large eye socket
Sharp teeth Lightweight skull
7 Tail with 23 ≤ FLYING DINOSAUR
6 bones, fewer than Archaeopteryxhad
Hipbones Compsognathus wings, with flying feathers
7 arranged just like those of a
ARCHAEOPTERYX SKELETON > 4 1 modern bird, and its body was
The skeleton of Archaeopteryxclosely covered in feathers. However, it
resembles that of Compsognathus. Only a had the head, clawed hands, and
few examples of Archaeopteryxskeletons long, bony tail of a dinosaur. It lived
have been found, and one of these was Furcula 5 on tropical desert islands and walked
(wishbone)
only identified in 1987—although it had like modern and fluttered after its flying insect prey.
been in a German museum for many birds It could not have flown very far or very
decades, paleontologists had thought it Elongated leg fast as it did not have strong flight muscles.
bones, like
was a Compsognathus. The presence of a Compsognathus
wishbone and the length of the arms are the 2 3
main differences between these two animals.
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Fully reversed
Longer arms than (opposable) first
Compsognathus toeused to perch
in all birds
MODERN BIRD
To the modern eye, birds do not look like dinosaurs, GRAY
anSdh arrepp ltaeceetdh blyo sat Ribcageis a Cfilnagweerds are despite their ancestry. The skeletons of birds have HERON
lightweight beak rigid casing, supports for evolved over time, becoming much more lightweight
giving support than that of either Compsognathusor Archaeopteryx.
the feathers
to the muscle This means that the modern bird needs to use much
action of less energy to stay airborne. The heron is the
the wings modern bird whose shape most resembles
Compsognathusand Archaeopteryx.
A typical bird, such as this heron, has lost
some features that were common to
Tailis a short Compsognathusand Archaeopteryx. It
stump, with a fan does not have hand claws, toothed jaws,
of tail feathers or a bony tail because they would not help
it to fly. Instead, the hand only supports
the wing feathers, a lightweight horny
beak has replaced the teeth, and the tail
Upper foot bones fused is a muscular stump controlling a broad
HERON SKELETON into a single bone surface of feathers.