Showing posts with label Utah. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Utah. Show all posts
Monday, August 12, 2013
Meet Pyg!
Sunday, June 23, 2013
The Bazinga Bee: In Honor of the Big Bang Theory
Recently on The Natural World, we've been doing our fair share of yakking about bees: FIRST, we talked about the house in Utah with the ENORMOUS beehive in it! THEN, just a few days ago, we talked about Bumblebee! (Granted, Bumblebee is a giant silicon-based alien lifeform from outerspace, but.....it still counts). Today, I'm going to introduce you to a brand new bee: Bazinga!!
For those of you who enjoy the Big Bang Theory, you might think that I just pulled a joke: after all, the star of the show, Sheldon Cooper, always utters that catchphrase following one of his "classic pranks!" However, this is no joke: in honor of the hilarious show, a bunch of Brazilian brainiacs have betrothed this bee with the brand Bazinga!!
With a full scientific name of Euglossa bazinga, the Bazinga bee is one of many creatures over the years whose scientific name references or honors someone or something. (We actually did a post on some of my favorites awhile back, and HERE is a link to that post.) Not only does the name give honor, it also helps to draw attention to the animal. According to Dr. André Nemésio, “Many orchid-bee species inhabit forested areas that may soon vanish and, as a consequence, it is possible that the bees might disappear, too,” Nemésio said.
Dr. Nemésio went on to say that, “For many areas and many species, only a strong action from the society can reverse the extinction process. So, I think it is also a valid way to make people know about these wonderful creatures and the situation concerning their conservation status.”
The executive producer of the show, Steve Molaro, stated in a press release that “We are always extremely flattered when the science community embraces our show. Sheldon would be honored to know that Euglossa bazinga was inspired by him. In fact, after ‘Mothra’ and griffins, bees are his third-favorite flying creatures.”
For those of you who enjoy the Big Bang Theory, you might think that I just pulled a joke: after all, the star of the show, Sheldon Cooper, always utters that catchphrase following one of his "classic pranks!" However, this is no joke: in honor of the hilarious show, a bunch of Brazilian brainiacs have betrothed this bee with the brand Bazinga!!
With a full scientific name of Euglossa bazinga, the Bazinga bee is one of many creatures over the years whose scientific name references or honors someone or something. (We actually did a post on some of my favorites awhile back, and HERE is a link to that post.) Not only does the name give honor, it also helps to draw attention to the animal. According to Dr. André Nemésio, “Many orchid-bee species inhabit forested areas that may soon vanish and, as a consequence, it is possible that the bees might disappear, too,” Nemésio said.
Dr. Nemésio went on to say that, “For many areas and many species, only a strong action from the society can reverse the extinction process. So, I think it is also a valid way to make people know about these wonderful creatures and the situation concerning their conservation status.”
The executive producer of the show, Steve Molaro, stated in a press release that “We are always extremely flattered when the science community embraces our show. Sheldon would be honored to know that Euglossa bazinga was inspired by him. In fact, after ‘Mothra’ and griffins, bees are his third-favorite flying creatures.”
Friday, December 21, 2012
Animal Spotlight: Gasparinisaura
Gasparinisaura is just one of those many dinosaurs that are not very famous at all, and not very well known. In fact, I hadn't even heard of it until this morning, when my episode of Dr. Who made the computer momentarily freeze, so I picked up my Jurassic Park Institue: Dinosaur Field Guide by Dr. Thomas R. Holtz and Dr. Michael Brett-Surman that was sitting next to me on the computer table and turned to page 74. Learn something new every day!
Gasparinisaura is considered to be a part of the basal, or primitive, ornithopods. Ornithopods are different from other ornithischian dinosaurs in that they have a premaxilla bone that reaches further than their maxilla bone, and that their jaw joint is further down than in other dinosaurs. Most of the basal ornithopods were around during the Jurassic Period, such as the Late Jurassic Othnielia rex, who inhabited what would become the rocks of the Morrison Formation of Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming. Most of the rest of the basal ornithopods didn't survive past the Early Cretaceous Period, but Gasparinisaura has been found in rocks dating from around 80-90 MYA, right smack-dab in the Middle Cretaceous Period of Argentina. According to the Jurassic Park Institute, "Remains of dinosaurs from this time span are so extremely rare, all the specimens in the world would fit in one small exhibit hall!"
Let's take a brief look at what we know about the evolution and the dispersal of the basal ornithopods, shall we? According to my massive, 861 page book called The Dinosauria, every member of the clade Ornithopoda (which includes the iguanodonts and the duck-billed hadrosaurs, as well as the basal ornithopods) had a common ancestor that came from Asia. This is interesting to note, because two other major clades of dinosaurs, the Marginocephalians (which includes the ceratopsians like Triceratops and the Pachycephalosaurs like Pachycephalosaurus and Stygimoloch) and the Thyreophorans (which includes stegosaurs like Stegosaurus and ankylosaurs like Ankylosaurus [yes, I know, that sounded incredibly redundant]) are hypothesized to have originally evolved in Asia, before spreading out to other parts of the world. Whew, that would have been a mouth-full if I had had to say that out loud.
Anyways, paleontologists believe that this common ancestor would have inhabited Asia during the Early Jurassic Period, or perhaps even before that. According to the book, prior to the Late Jurassic, a "major dispersal to North America took place." Following this dispersal to North America, two "subsequent dispersals from North America" followed, one to Europe, and the other to South America. (Keep in mind that, at this time in Earth's history, the continents were intermittently connected, allowing for the over-land dispersal of animals that would be entirely unable to do the same thing today.) The European dispersal contained ornithopods of the lineage that would one day lead to the relatively famous dinosaur known as Hypsilophodon. This dispersal is thought to have occurred before or during the Early Cretaceous. Meanwhile, the South American dispersal "took place (at the latest) during the early Late Cretaceous," and was composed of members of the lineage that would one day lead to our home-dawg, Gasparinisaura. Boy, am I the only one who just skimmed those last two paragraphs?
Gasparinisaura, like many of the basal-most members of the ornithopods, was just a little guy, only around two feet long, and probably weighing about as much as a chicken. Remains of Gasparinisaura are found in the Río Colorado Formation. With further digging (oh so witty) in The Dinosauria, I have been able to come up with other dinosaurs found in this formation. Here is a list of all of the dinosaurs mentioned in the book.
Alvarezsaurus, a member of the group of dinosaurs known as the alvarezsaurids, a group of Maniraptoran dinosaurs thought to be fairly closely related to the ornithomimosaurs.
Patagopteryx, a flightless bird that probably weighed around as much as a turkey.
Neuquenornis, a small, pigeon-sized bird. Apparently, paleontologists have not only discovered a partial skeleton of this animal, but also some eggs with embryos! Pretty neat!
Velocisaurus, a four or so foot long ceratosaur, not very well known. A noasaurid, and, as you can see in the pictures below (all four of the pictures are of Velocisaurus), looks a lot like its close relative, Masiakasaurus, whose picture you can see if you click on the word "Masiakasaurus" where it is yellow.
Aucasaurus, a thirteen or fourteen foot long abelisaur, thought to be a close relative of Carnotaurus. Known from a skeleton that is quite complete, but not yet fully described.
Neuquenosaurus and Titanosaurus, a pair of sauropod dinosaurs.
Gasparinisaura is considered to be a part of the basal, or primitive, ornithopods. Ornithopods are different from other ornithischian dinosaurs in that they have a premaxilla bone that reaches further than their maxilla bone, and that their jaw joint is further down than in other dinosaurs. Most of the basal ornithopods were around during the Jurassic Period, such as the Late Jurassic Othnielia rex, who inhabited what would become the rocks of the Morrison Formation of Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming. Most of the rest of the basal ornithopods didn't survive past the Early Cretaceous Period, but Gasparinisaura has been found in rocks dating from around 80-90 MYA, right smack-dab in the Middle Cretaceous Period of Argentina. According to the Jurassic Park Institute, "Remains of dinosaurs from this time span are so extremely rare, all the specimens in the world would fit in one small exhibit hall!"
Let's take a brief look at what we know about the evolution and the dispersal of the basal ornithopods, shall we? According to my massive, 861 page book called The Dinosauria, every member of the clade Ornithopoda (which includes the iguanodonts and the duck-billed hadrosaurs, as well as the basal ornithopods) had a common ancestor that came from Asia. This is interesting to note, because two other major clades of dinosaurs, the Marginocephalians (which includes the ceratopsians like Triceratops and the Pachycephalosaurs like Pachycephalosaurus and Stygimoloch) and the Thyreophorans (which includes stegosaurs like Stegosaurus and ankylosaurs like Ankylosaurus [yes, I know, that sounded incredibly redundant]) are hypothesized to have originally evolved in Asia, before spreading out to other parts of the world. Whew, that would have been a mouth-full if I had had to say that out loud.
Anyways, paleontologists believe that this common ancestor would have inhabited Asia during the Early Jurassic Period, or perhaps even before that. According to the book, prior to the Late Jurassic, a "major dispersal to North America took place." Following this dispersal to North America, two "subsequent dispersals from North America" followed, one to Europe, and the other to South America. (Keep in mind that, at this time in Earth's history, the continents were intermittently connected, allowing for the over-land dispersal of animals that would be entirely unable to do the same thing today.) The European dispersal contained ornithopods of the lineage that would one day lead to the relatively famous dinosaur known as Hypsilophodon. This dispersal is thought to have occurred before or during the Early Cretaceous. Meanwhile, the South American dispersal "took place (at the latest) during the early Late Cretaceous," and was composed of members of the lineage that would one day lead to our home-dawg, Gasparinisaura. Boy, am I the only one who just skimmed those last two paragraphs?
Gasparinisaura, like many of the basal-most members of the ornithopods, was just a little guy, only around two feet long, and probably weighing about as much as a chicken. Remains of Gasparinisaura are found in the Río Colorado Formation. With further digging (oh so witty) in The Dinosauria, I have been able to come up with other dinosaurs found in this formation. Here is a list of all of the dinosaurs mentioned in the book.
Patagopteryx, a flightless bird that probably weighed around as much as a turkey.
Neuquenornis, a small, pigeon-sized bird. Apparently, paleontologists have not only discovered a partial skeleton of this animal, but also some eggs with embryos! Pretty neat!
Velocisaurus, a four or so foot long ceratosaur, not very well known. A noasaurid, and, as you can see in the pictures below (all four of the pictures are of Velocisaurus), looks a lot like its close relative, Masiakasaurus, whose picture you can see if you click on the word "Masiakasaurus" where it is yellow.
Aucasaurus, a thirteen or fourteen foot long abelisaur, thought to be a close relative of Carnotaurus. Known from a skeleton that is quite complete, but not yet fully described.
Neuquenosaurus and Titanosaurus, a pair of sauropod dinosaurs.
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
23-Fact Tuesday: All About Allosaurus!
Today we are going to do yet another 23-Fact Tuesday, and this time it is all about a particularly interesting dinosaur known as Allosaurus. But this 23-Fact Tuesday is particularly special, as it is also the birthday post of one of my personal heroes and one of the people who inspired me to take this dinosaur- and animal-oriented path, Mr. "Dino" George Blasing! Happy birthday, Mr. Blasing! Here we go!
1. On Halloween in 1879, Arthur Lakes discovered a tooth from a dinosaur that was later identified as Allosaurus in Wyoming.
2. In the United States, Allosaurus is found in the Morrison Formation, and lived alongside other animals such as Stegosaurus, Apatosaurus, Ceratosaurus, Camptosaurus, Gargoyleosaurus, and many others.
3. The claws on the hand of Allosaurus could reportedly grow up to 10 inches long.
4. Some scientists believe that Allosaurus had a very weak bite, around the strength of a leopard. Regardless of exactly how weak of a bite it had, Allosaurus was definitely not a heavy-biter champion, and many paleontologists hypothesize that it instead used its skull sort of like a hatchet to kill its prey, using its razor-sharp teeth to critically injure its prey.
5. The first fossils of Allosaurus that were ever discovered were originally thought to be petrified horse hooves.
6. Allosaurus is the state dinosaur of Utah.
7. Allosaurus certainly didn't sit on its rump and enjoy hamburgers and tea, as their skeletons show that they suffered many injuries throughout their lives. As a matter of fact, the Allosaurus specimen that is on display at the Smithsonian Institution has a number of broken ribs, a smashed shoulder blade, and a damaged lower jaw.
8. The lower jaw of the specimen at the Smithsonian was so damaged, in fact, that it took scientists more than 100 years to figure out that it was, in fact, an Allosaurus jaw!
9. A predator-prey relationship between Allosaurus and Stegosaurus was all but confirmed with the discovery of a specimen of Allosaurus with a hole in one of its tail vertebrae that perfectly matched the shape and size of the thagomizer on the tail of Stegosaurus.
10. "Allosaurus" spelled backwards is "Suruasolla," which means absolutely nothing.
11. The small horns above the eyes of Allosaurus are mostly thought to have been for display, as most scientists believe them to be too weak to withstand much stress resulting from conflict with prey or other Allosaurus.
12. Allosaurus gives its name to the group Allosauroidea, which includes the Chinese theropods Yangchuanosaurus and Sinraptor, and the carcharodontosaurids, which includes one of the largest carnivorous dinosaurs of all time, Carcharodontosaurus, amongst other dinosaurs.
13. Some of the other scientific names that Allosaurus fragilis has had over the years are Allosaurus lucaris, Allosaurus ferox, Labrosaurus ferox, Labrosaurus lucaris, Antrodemus, Poicilopleuron valens, Laelaps trihedrodon, Epanterias amplexus, Hypsirhophus discurus, Hypsirhophus partim, and Creosaurus atrox, with a few other names under debate right now. Specifically, some scientists think that the dinosaur known as Saurophaganax is the same animal as Allosaurus. However, I have talked with a few people, including Matthew Mossbrucker, curator of the Morrison Natural History Museum, and he says that he has seen the remains of Saurophaganax and believes them to be distinct from Allosaurus.
14. Besides Saurophaganax, Allosaurus was much larger than the other known theropods from Late Jurassic Morrison, such as Ceratosaurus and Torvosaurus.
15. We humans actually live closer in time to the famous Tyrannosaurus rex, Triceratops, and other dinosaurs from that time period than they do to Allosaurus!
16. Allosaurus fragilis was first named by famous paleontologist Othniel Charles Marsh in 1877.
17. The scientific name of Allosaurus fragilis translates to "fragile different lizard," named such due to the fact that Marsh believed that the vertebrae of Allosaurus would have been quite weak, and were different from those of other, previously discovered dinosaurs. Now we know that vertebrae of this kind were quite common.
18. One of the most famous specimens of Allosaurus is the approximately 95% complete specimen nicknamed "Big Al." Estimated to be only a teenager at his TOD, he is about 26 feet long, which probably helps to explain why so many of my dinosaur books list the estimated length of Allosaurus at around 26 feet.
19. Allosaurus lived during the Late Jurassic Period, around 155.7-150.8 MYA in the United States (Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming, Montana, Oklahoma, and South Dakota), Portugal, and possibly the Tendaguru Beds of Tanzania, although many people believe that this is African animal is an entirely different animal from Allosaurus.
20. Work began at the Cleveland-Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry in 1960, and over 40 individual specimens of Allosaurus have been uncovered there since then.
21. Due to the vast number of Allosaurus specimens discovered in all different stages of its growth development (especially from Cleveland-Lloyd), paleontologists have been able to estimate that Allosaurus reached full-size at around 15 years of age, and lived to around 22-28 years old.
22. Fossils of Allosaurus are still being discovered to this day, a fact which I can personally attest to. Blocks of stone are still being excavated at the Morrison Natural History Museum, and bones of Allosaurus, as well as its teeth, are currently being cleaned.
23. Allosaurus is the favorite dinosaur of the famous dinosaur educator, "Dino" George Blasing.
And remember, if you have a birthday coming up, just email me the date at cuyvaldar123946@gmail.com with the date and your favorite animal, and I will do my best to get a post in! And remember, if you like what you're reading, make sure you LIKE US ON FACEBOOK, follow us (if you have a google or gmail account), or hit the subscribe button off to the right if you don't!
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| Allosaurus Vs. Stegosaurus at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science |
2. In the United States, Allosaurus is found in the Morrison Formation, and lived alongside other animals such as Stegosaurus, Apatosaurus, Ceratosaurus, Camptosaurus, Gargoyleosaurus, and many others.
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| A skeleton of Gargoyleosaurus from the Denver Museum of Nature and Science |
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| Allosaurus Vs. Camptosaurus that I saw at a traveling exhibit at the San Antonio River Walk in Texas |
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| Ceratosaurus at the Smithsonian |
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| Stegosaurus at the Utah Field House |
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| The arm and the claws of Allosaurus, mounted at the Morrison Natural History Museum |
5. The first fossils of Allosaurus that were ever discovered were originally thought to be petrified horse hooves.
6. Allosaurus is the state dinosaur of Utah.
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| A reconstructed skeleton of Allosaurus at the Cleveland-Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry in Utah |
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| A crushed femur belonging to Allosaurus from the Cleveland-Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry |
9. A predator-prey relationship between Allosaurus and Stegosaurus was all but confirmed with the discovery of a specimen of Allosaurus with a hole in one of its tail vertebrae that perfectly matched the shape and size of the thagomizer on the tail of Stegosaurus.
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| Allosaurus Vs. Stegosaurus at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science |
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| The "thagomizer" of Stegosaurus, mounted at the DMNS. Check out THIS post to learn about how this particular part of the Stegosaurus got its name! |
11. The small horns above the eyes of Allosaurus are mostly thought to have been for display, as most scientists believe them to be too weak to withstand much stress resulting from conflict with prey or other Allosaurus.
13. Some of the other scientific names that Allosaurus fragilis has had over the years are Allosaurus lucaris, Allosaurus ferox, Labrosaurus ferox, Labrosaurus lucaris, Antrodemus, Poicilopleuron valens, Laelaps trihedrodon, Epanterias amplexus, Hypsirhophus discurus, Hypsirhophus partim, and Creosaurus atrox, with a few other names under debate right now. Specifically, some scientists think that the dinosaur known as Saurophaganax is the same animal as Allosaurus. However, I have talked with a few people, including Matthew Mossbrucker, curator of the Morrison Natural History Museum, and he says that he has seen the remains of Saurophaganax and believes them to be distinct from Allosaurus.
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| A reconstructed skeleton of Saurophaganax that I saw at a traveling exhibit at the San Antonio River Walk in Texas |
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| A reconstructed skull of Saurophaganax that I saw at a traveling exhibit at the San Antonio River Walk in Texas |
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| A Triceratops skull at the Morrison Natural History Museum |
17. The scientific name of Allosaurus fragilis translates to "fragile different lizard," named such due to the fact that Marsh believed that the vertebrae of Allosaurus would have been quite weak, and were different from those of other, previously discovered dinosaurs. Now we know that vertebrae of this kind were quite common.
18. One of the most famous specimens of Allosaurus is the approximately 95% complete specimen nicknamed "Big Al." Estimated to be only a teenager at his TOD, he is about 26 feet long, which probably helps to explain why so many of my dinosaur books list the estimated length of Allosaurus at around 26 feet.
19. Allosaurus lived during the Late Jurassic Period, around 155.7-150.8 MYA in the United States (Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming, Montana, Oklahoma, and South Dakota), Portugal, and possibly the Tendaguru Beds of Tanzania, although many people believe that this is African animal is an entirely different animal from Allosaurus.
20. Work began at the Cleveland-Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry in 1960, and over 40 individual specimens of Allosaurus have been uncovered there since then.
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| Unarticulated bones of Allosaurus from the Cleveland-Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry |
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| A whole bunch of Allosaurus leg bones all put next to each other to show the growth of the animal, largely based upon bones found at the Cleveland-Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry, which is where this picture was taken |
23. Allosaurus is the favorite dinosaur of the famous dinosaur educator, "Dino" George Blasing.
And remember, if you have a birthday coming up, just email me the date at cuyvaldar123946@gmail.com with the date and your favorite animal, and I will do my best to get a post in! And remember, if you like what you're reading, make sure you LIKE US ON FACEBOOK, follow us (if you have a google or gmail account), or hit the subscribe button off to the right if you don't!
Monday, July 23, 2012
The Thagomizer of Stegosaurus
Stegosaurus is a very famous dinosaurs, one of the most famous, along with Triceratops and Tyrannosaurus. All three of these dinosaurs have been found in Colorado; in fact, the first Triceratops bones were actually found in Denver, and Stegosaurus is the state dinosaur of Colorado! Stegosaurus has also been found in Wyoming and Utah, in the Morrison Formation, as well as in Portugal. The row of plates along its back make it very interesting looking, as do the spikes on the end of its tail, nicknamed a "thagomizer." Holes in the vertebrae of a potential predator of Stegosaurus, Allosaurus, fit exactly with the size of one of the spikes on the tail of the Stegosaurus, showing that there was almost certainly a predator-prey relationship between the two, as was previously suspected. Studies have shown that the tail end of Kentrosaurus, a close relative of Stegosaurus, also with a thagomizer on its tail, could have been brought around to the side of the dinosaur, potentially swatting at enemies trying to attack the Stegosaur from the side.
Finally, discoveries of articulated Stegosaurus skeletons show that the spikes were actually horizontal from the ground, as opposed to held at an angle, as you can see in the outdated and incorrect picture below.
It's an interesting word, though, isn't it: "thagomizer." It certainly doesn't sound like a very sciency name; in fact, when I first heard it, I immediately thought it sounded like something out of one of my favorite comic strips, Calvin and Hobbes, by Bill Watterson. Well, if you thought that as well, then you were actually surprisingly close to the mark, as the term did in fact come from a comic strip, another one of my favorites: The Far Side.
The term wasn't used scientifically until the year 1993, at the annual meeting of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology, by the one-time Curator of Paleontology at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science Ken Carpenter. The name has been used multiple times since then, in different mediums; books and television shows (including another personal favorite, BBC's Planet Dinosaur), as well as places such as the Smithsonian Institution and Dinosaur National Monument. Although an informal name, it is popular, and has amusing origins.
Gary Larson created a great number of hilarious The Far Side cartoons covering all sorts of topics. However, it seems like a large number of them featured animals, or were in some way nature related. You will undoubtedly see a great many of them in this blog as time goes on, but here are a few other amusing dinosaur ones.
Finally, discoveries of articulated Stegosaurus skeletons show that the spikes were actually horizontal from the ground, as opposed to held at an angle, as you can see in the outdated and incorrect picture below.
It's an interesting word, though, isn't it: "thagomizer." It certainly doesn't sound like a very sciency name; in fact, when I first heard it, I immediately thought it sounded like something out of one of my favorite comic strips, Calvin and Hobbes, by Bill Watterson. Well, if you thought that as well, then you were actually surprisingly close to the mark, as the term did in fact come from a comic strip, another one of my favorites: The Far Side.
The term wasn't used scientifically until the year 1993, at the annual meeting of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology, by the one-time Curator of Paleontology at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science Ken Carpenter. The name has been used multiple times since then, in different mediums; books and television shows (including another personal favorite, BBC's Planet Dinosaur), as well as places such as the Smithsonian Institution and Dinosaur National Monument. Although an informal name, it is popular, and has amusing origins.
Gary Larson created a great number of hilarious The Far Side cartoons covering all sorts of topics. However, it seems like a large number of them featured animals, or were in some way nature related. You will undoubtedly see a great many of them in this blog as time goes on, but here are a few other amusing dinosaur ones.
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