Liopleurodon lived in ocean which covered the Europe at that time. There were two species of Liopleurodon which lived in Jurassic Period.
The name ‘Liopleurodon’ is derived from Greek. It means “smooth-sided teeth”. The name was given by Henri Emile Sauvage. Sauvage gave this name because in 1873, he found the fossils of three teeth which were just 7 centimeter in length. The two species of Liopleurodon are L. ferox and L. pachydeirus Out of the two species, L. forex is quite known and famous. The fossils of both the species are found in the countries of England and France. L. pachydeirus is a very rare species as its fossils are not discovered in very good numbers. On the other hand, the fossils of L. ferox species are found in comparatively good number. The scientists have more knowledge about L. ferox because of the availability of the skeletons; some of which are more complete or less.
Study done from the available fossils show that the body of Liopleurodon was very streamlined and adapted to swimming. Its body had four limbs which were paddle-like in shape. These paddle shaped limbs acted like propellers which made it
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possible to swim very efficiently and fast. However, to test this practically, scientists developed a robot of the same size and of same limbs. They tested it in the water. The results suggested that these limbs were not very efficient in swimming. They were not able to generate adequate amount of thrust. However, what these propellers were capable of were to provide a sudden and good amount of acceleration. This skill was very deadly for a predator like Liopleurodon. It could create an ambush in the school of fishes. The hind limbs would have moved backwards to propel it forward. And the front limbs would have allowed it to take turns. Also the scientists said that judging from the shape of its mouth and the skull, it is possible that its nostrils would have helped him a lot in strengthening its olfactory senses. It could have scanned the water with its nostrils by smelling its prey. And also determining the source of certain kind of smells. There was a lot of confusion and misinterpretation in the earlier days regarding its size. This dinosaurs came into the limelight when it was portrayed in popular culture in the 1999 BBC television series which was called Walking with Dinosaurs. In one of its episodes, Liopleurodon was also shown. The episode showed this dinosaur as an enormous animal which was over 25 meters in length. This was a huge error which was based on faulty calculations. Such kind of calculations were made from the flimsy remains and exaggerated opinions. This error persisted for four long years. It was portrayed 20 something meters in the 2003 movie Sea Monsters. Later on.
Paleontologist L.B. Tarlo said that it was very difficult to ascertain the length of Liopleurodon. This was so because no complete skeleton was found. He then predicted from the skull, the skull was approximately one-seventh of the total length of the body. When we apply this ratio to the largest skull specimen of L. ferox, the total length of the body comes out to be a little more than 10 meters. The normal size from this calculation would be around 5-7 meters in length. The weight of it was estimated to be around between 75 to 150 tons. The more recent study and the finding of the complete skull of Liopleurodon. It showed the total size of the body was actually five times more the length of the skull. Thus, reducing the expected body size of it furthermore. The maximum size that a L. ferox could reach is just up to 6.4
meters.
Ceratopsians and Pachycephalosaurs are closely related in their characteristics. Ceratopsians processed a saddle-shaped boney frill that extended from the skull to the neck and typically had horns over the nose and eyes. The most popular was the triceratops, which could reach over 26 feet and weigh in excess of twelve metric tons. Their frills served as two major functions. It protected the vulnerable neck from being harmed. The second major function that the frill provided was due to the fact that the frill contained a network of blood vessels on its underside, which were used as a means to get rid of excess heat. The Pachycephalosaurs were considered to be bipedal. They were also found to have thick skulls, flattened bodies, and tail that were covered in an array of body rods. Pachycephalosaurs were thought to have been more than fifteen feet long and processed a skull that was surrounded by a rounded dome of solid bone. It was thought that they used their heads in combat or mating contests, but that was disproved fairly recently, which I will discuss later in the paper. Both Ceratopsians and Pachycephalosaurs were “bird-hipped” and both of these suborders contained a backwards pubic bone. Both were Marginocephilia, or “fringed heads”, which is one of three clads under the Orinthiscia order. They were also herbivore dinosaurs that inherited their fringe at the back of the skull from earlier ancestors.(2) Their classi...
Themistocles contribution to the defence of Greece was more significant than any other Greek individual. To what extent do you agree?
Majungatholus atopus roamed the plains of northwestern Madagascar about 70 million years ago during the Late Cretaceous (Perkins, 2003; Rogers et al, 2003). The discovery of 21 tooth-marked elements originating from two Majungatholus atopus individuals suggests evidence that the dinosaur supplemented its diet by feeding on its own dead or hunting them (Rogers et al, 2003). It cannot be confirmed whether they were purely scavengers, hunters, or both. Scientists are certain that the marks are not the doing of any other predator because the teeth marks are not consistent with any other known species that lived in the area. Only one other theropod that inhabited the area during the time Majungatholus atopus did, Masiakasaurus knopfleri, had teeth and bite marks too small to have caused these markings. Two large crocodile species also shared the same ecosystem but their teeth were “too blunt and too irregularly spaced to have produced the narrow grooves found on the Majungatholus bones”(Perkins, 2003). The tooth marks on at least nine Majungatholus elements attest to intertooth spacing in the perpetrators jaw and denticle drag patterns consistent enough to make a compelling case for Majungatholus feeding on other Majungatholus (Rogers et al, 2003).
Andrea Fildani and Michael Shultz, graduate students in the Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences, uncovered the bones of an Ichthyosaur near the southernmost tip of Chilean Patagonia. These rock layers were initially deposited at the floor of an ocean more than 100 million years ago. In their findings of the Chilean boulder, they were fortunate enough to find 17 vertebrae along with neural arches that encircle the spinal cord as well as some ribs. Paleontologists firmly agreed with Fildani’s notion that the bones had been 8 to 9 feet long and had existed around 140 million years ago (Mason 1).
Organized in the class Actinopterygii, seahorses, Hippocampus spp., are marine dwelling organisms found in bodies of water which span from tropical to temperate zones around the Earth. As cited by Foster in Life History and Ecology of Seahorses, research by R. A. Fritschze suggests that the genus Hippocampus diverged at least 20 million years ago from its ancestral origins. Research pertaining to organisms organized under the genus Hippocampus are conflicting in regards to the number species contained within it, although a general figure places the number at around fifty discovered species(website source). These odd-looking organisms reside at shallow depths of less than 30 meters and can be found in habitats containing seagrass beds and coral reefs(Foster 10). Hippocampus spp. are all predatory organisms, their main sources of food consist of small crustaceans and fish, as well as other organisms which are small enough to be consumed(lourie 10). Although Hippocampus spp. are predatory, their size and restricted mobility capabilities place them at risk of being prey for other carnivorous organisms.
Now here is some background information on the dinosaur that is causing this stir because of its heart. The dinosaur is a Thescelosaurus, which means wonderful lizard. The average length of the Thescelosaurus is three to four meters, nine to twelve feet, long with an average weight of three-hundred kilograms, or about six hundred and sixty two pounds. They lived from the Campanian age to Maastrichtian age which are the later stages of the Cretaceous period. Another distinguishing physical feature of Willo is the bird-hips that the dinosaur has instead of the lizard hip. They have primarily been found in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Colorado, Montana, South Dakota, and Wyoming. As far as their remains are concerned there is one complete skeleton, eight partial skeletons, elements, and teeth (Dinosauricon).
The Autonomic Nervous System is responsible for the functions of the body that are not thought about to control. When this system dysfunctions, it can cause havoc on the human body. One example of this would be Dysautonomia. Dysautonomia is a rare but serious disease that affects the autonomic nervous system, has many symptoms, and offers few treatment options.
The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica. "Fossil Record." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 15 May 2014.
"The Dino Directory-Dilophosaurus." The Dino Directory. The Trustees of the Natural History Museum, London. Web. 12 Mar 2014. .
In 2000, Dr. Philip D. Gingerich, a paleontologist from the University of Michigan, and his associates discovered two primitive whale fossils in the Balochistan Province of Pakistan. By dating the limestone located in the Habib Rahi Formation of the Balochistan Province, Gingerich estimated these fossils to be about 47 million years old. According to author David Braun of National Geographic News, “The researchers have classified one, Rodhocetus balochistanensis, as a new species of an existing genus, and the other, Artiocetus clavis, as a new species and new genus” (Braun, 5). The discovery of these two fossils suggests that the closest living relative of these primitive whales could possibly be the modern day hippopotamus. This suggested relationship is based on similarities in the bone structure between the two animals.
1/4 of an inch,and smaller, to almost 3 feet long. Trilobites were also the first creatures to
The debate of whether dinosaurs were cold blooded or warm blooded has been ongoing since the beginning of the century. At the turn of the century scientists believed that dinosaurs had long limbs and were fairly slim, supporting the idea of a cold blooded reptile. Recently, however, the bone structure, number or predators to prey, and limb position have suggested a warm blooded species. In addition, the recent discovery of a fossilized dinosaur heart has supported the idea that dinosaurs were a warm blooded species. In this essay, I am going to give supporting evidence of dinosaurs being both warm and cold blooded. I will provide background information on the dinosaur that was discovered and what information it provides scientists.
The Burgess Shale Fauna is a fauna that was constructed based on a group of fossils that were initially found, in the Burgess Shale area in the Canadian Rockies (Gould, 1989). They are a very important group of fossils as “modern multicellular animals make their first unprotected appearance in the fossil record some 570 million years ago” through this group (Gould, 1989, pp. 24). Moreover the Burgess Shales are known to have preserved the soft parts of animals enabling us to get a better understanding of life at the time.
underwater insects/ small fish. An interesting fact about this fish is that it's lifespan remains
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