Koskinonodon formerly known as Buettneria
Mounted specimen on display at the American Museum of Natural History
Reconstruction by Matt Celeskey
When: Triassic (~228 - 216 million years ago)
Where: North America
What: Koskinonodonis one of the later surviving of the giant amphibians. This beast could read up to 10 feet (~ 3 meters) long and was very common in the ancient American southwest. Koskinonodon was known by the name Buettneria for over 80 years, until a long standing nomenclature problem was resovled. See, the name Buettneria was applied to this animal in honor of W. H. Buettner, a fossil collector in the first part of the 20th century. This was in 1922, however, a living species of katydid was given the genus name of Buettneria decades earlier in 1889. Thus the name was not actually availble to be used for this giant amphibian. The name Koskinonodon was applied in 2007. This name was used because a specimen that was named Koskinonodon in 1929 was later determined to belong to the same genus as the previously known specimens that were then called Buettneria. When a genus is renamed this is typically how it is done, you comb though the past literature and use the oldest available name that has ever been used for any species (or specimens!) now housed in that genus. Sadly sometimes you end up using names that are just not as cool as the original. Sorry W. H. Buettner. At least your namesake fossil lives on in outdated museum exhibits. ;)
Koskinonodon is closely related to another large amphibian I have posted, Metoposaurus. It is likely that these two animals occupied the same habitates in life. What differentiates them? At just the general morphology level Koskinonodon has a much longer skull, a longer tail, and less robust limbs. It is common that when a paleo environment is reconstructed just one example of each ‘type’ of animal is used, but this is not really realistic. Think about the average North American forest today. Multiple species of all sorts of ‘types’ of animals are found there, multiple squirrels, deers, and birds that resemble each other very closely but are distinct species. This is how it was in the Mesozoic world as well!
Mongolia President Enters Fray Over T. bataar Fossil
And the feud continues! As some of you already know, a few days ago a rare tyrannosaurid skeleton (T. bataar), was auctioned off and sold for just over $1,000,000. The problem here is that this skeleton was stolen out of Mongolia, and the country would like it back. Here’s a bit of information from Huffington Post that was published yesterday:
“The president of Mongolia says the skeleton, which stands 8 feet tall and 24 feet long (2.4 by 7.3 meters), was almost certainly taken illegally out of his country. American and Mongolian paleontologists have supported President Elbegdorj Tsakhia’s claim that this dinosaur, a species sometimes called Tyrannosaurus (aka Tarbosaurus) bataar, is from Mongolia, where these close relatives of the North American Tyrannosaurus rex are found.”
“So far at least, the remains of tarbosaurs haven’t shown up in many places. In fact, all fossils that can be positively identified as tarbosaur remains come from one spot in the Gobi Desert.”
“‘The specimens we can clearly tell are tarbosaurus, and all of the nice material of Tarbosaurus comes from a particular rock formation,’ said Lawrence Witmer, an anatomist and paleontologist at Ohio University. ‘So we all feel pretty confident this specimen almost certainly comes from Mongolia.’”
“We want this dinosaur to go back to Mongolia, where it belongs; that is the sole purpose of this,’ said Mongolian paleontologist Bolorsetseg Minjin as she stood on the sidewalk with other protesters near the auction in Manhattan on Sunday (May 20).”
Let’s hope it is taken back to its rightful country and studied by professionals, as well as being viewed by the public. If you’d like to read the full article from HP, click this link!
I hope this gets resolved peacefully, respectfully, and justly.
For the honor and respectable future of paleontology, this specimen - and every other illegally obtained fossil - needs to be sent back to it’s country of origin.
geologise:
crownedrose:
Look, a big meat-eater! Is that a Tyrannosaurus rex?
A simple guide to telling the difference in large carnivorous theropod dinosaurs.
by: crownedrose.
I’ve been in situations where I’ve witnessed, or have had someone ask me the question to whether that big theropod over there is a T. rex. Seeing as the Tyrannosaurus is one of the most well known dinosaurs on Earth, many people mistake other large meat-eating dinosaurs as the T. rex as well. The photos above showcase nine different large sized theropod dinosaurs, including Tyrannosaurus rex in the middle photo.What is a theropod, you ask? To put it simply, theropoda is the suborder for the bipedal saurischian dinosaurs, which consists of the world’s favourite, T. rex, and is also the suborder which helps us link to the evolution of birds. Many people can’t tell straight away if the big skeleton they see on display is a T. rex or not until they look at the identification panel. If it looks to have a similar skull or a large skeletal body like T. rex, some people will pin it as such. This post is meant to help you see the differences in these guys for the next time you’re at the museum. Each photo above is the skull profile of a large theropod, and the descriptions will also include quick identification traits for the rest of the skeleton. How many can you identify?
1. Albertosaurus sarcophagus (photo source): Albertosaurus is commonly mistaken for a Tyrannosaurus because they are both in the same family: Tyrannosauridae. Albertosaurus was smaller than Tyrannosaurus, but shares the similar features of a large skull, heterodont teeth, and two digits on short forelimbs. On the top of the skull (above and slightly in front the eyes) are bony crests. As well, Albertosaurus is more slender than Tyrannosaurus, especially when you look at the lower legs. (full skeleton)
2. Allosaurus fragilis (photo source): Allosaurus may be one of the more common theropods mistaken for a T. rex that I’ve witnessed. Though smaller than the T. rex, the shape of an Allosaurus skull is flatter at the top, and also is decorated with horns above the eyes, along with a pair of ridges that went along the top of the nasal bones, meeting to the horns. Allosaurus as well had three digits on its forelimbs instead of two like Tyrannosaurus rex. (full skeleton)
3. Carcharodontosaurus saharicus (photo source): In Jurassic Park III, we witness a fight between T. rex and Spinosaurus. Though, do you want to know who who the true rival is? You guessed it: Carcharodontosaurus! (Both reining from what is now Northern Africa). Carcharodontosaurus is larger than T. rex, with three digits on it’s forelimbs (of decent length), a longer skull, and long serrated teeth. (full skeleton)
4. Carnotaurus sastrei (photo source): I’ve done a lot of research work on Carnotaurus the past few months, and when it comes to pathetic forelimbs, Carnotaurus definitely wins out compared to T. rex! Meaning “meat-eating bull”, Carnotaurus has two thick horns decorating its skull right above the eyes; definitely an appropriate name. The skull itself is bulky (and short in length) looking, until you look at the lower jaw that tends to be slender. It’s a very distinctive skull, but those two bull-like horns on the top of the skull and very short arms (don’t let Terra Nova’s bad rendition of the “Carno” fool you!) will help you quickly identify it. (full skeleton)
5. Tyrannosaurus rex (photo source): In centre is the skull of my favourite T. rex: Sue! Most people can recognise them by their iconic skeletons and thick/massive teeth and jaws, but you’d be surprised as well. With such a massive head and body, these dinosaurs were machines when it came to ripping apart carcasses. Then there’s those small forelimbs with two finger digits which are not as pathetic as the public thinks; they’re actually quite powerful! In the Tyrannosauridae family, T. rex is the largest. Most people know a Tyrannosaurus when they see one, but the skull is featured in the centre to show the differences in all nine animals listed here. They have long hind legs (especially compared to the skeleton proportion as a whole), and their skull is quite wide near the back, whereas the tip of the front part of the skull is more narrow; overall, the skull of T. rex is very robust. This structure helped T. rex to have great binocular vision (unlike how T. rex is depicted in Jurassic Park to have movement-based vision was just a fabrication). Like other theropods (and sharks), T. rex constantly replaced their teeth, which were also heterodont (meaning their teeth took on different shapes depending where they lay inside the jaws). (full skeleton)
6. Spinosaurus aegyptiacus (photo source): Believe it or not, I’ve seen people mistake Spinosaurus as a T. rex multiple times. I’ve been surrounded by dinosaurs my entire life, so I’m not sure how you can confuse two very different (and distinct) specimens. Spinosaurus has a large sail on its back, which are extensions of the vertebrae, and a long crocidillian-like snout. If you’ve ever watched Jurassic Park III, you’ll remember this guy being the main antagonist. (full skeleton)
7. Daspletosaurus torosus (photo source): Daspletosaurus is another good example of being mistaken for a T. rex. Daspletosaurus - just like Albertosaurus - is actually in the same family as Tyrannosaurus rex: Tyrannosauridae. Just like T. rex, Daspletosaurus is equipped with two finger digits ending with claws, short forelimbs (though not as short compared to T. rex), but was smaller compared to its North American cousin. Daspletosaurus also walked what is today western North America, but lived about 10 million years before Tyrannosaurus rex came onto the scene. The skull itself had crests near the eyes, and the ‘holes’ in the skull (aka orbit/eye socket, for example) were a bit different in shape compared to T. rex. Sometimes for closely related dinosaurs such as Daspletosaurus and T. rex, you must look closer and closer at detail, and one good way is by look at the shapes of those “holes”. Random note: this guy is the blurry dinosaur in my layout background. (full skeleton)
8. Giganotosaurus carolinii (photo source): This dinosaur is usually confused with Carcharodontosaurus as they are closely related, both belonging to the family Carcharodontosauridae. Giganotosaurus has a long skull (some have described it to me as almost “stretched”), is estimated to be the largest skull of any known theropod, and its teeth are different than Tyrannosaurus: shorter and more narrow. Many though do confuse this to be a T. rex, which is why it’s on the list! (full skeleton)
9. Ceratosaurus nasicornis (photo source): Ceratosaurus is one of my favourite theropods. Decorated with horns/crests above the eyes and a blade-like nasal horn (which is where its name comes from: “horned lizard), these dinosaurs lived in the Late Jurassic. The horns help easily identify these dinosaurs, along with its distinctively long and serrated teeth. Ceratosaurus was much smaller than the T. rex, had shorter forelimbs for its body (possessing three digits on each hand), and one of the more flexible theropods on this list. (full skeleton)
As I was entering the dinosaur names in google and flickr to get photos, I can’t tell you how many of these nine specimens came up in the search when I was not looking for them at that time! There are more theropods out there who get mistaken as a Tyrannosaurus, but the eight above are the ones I see this happen to the most. In the end, you can’t just look at the skull or just the rest of the body to clearly identify a dinosaur; you must take everything into account. Luckily, museums have those nice identification plates for the public to read, but hey, next time you may not need to read them!If you’d like to know more detailed information about the theropods mentioned here, I am currently writing a series of posts (for Tumblr) called “Theropod Of The Day”. Daily posts (depending on my schedule) will give you quick and easy information on the dinosaurs listed above, and others that are not mentioned here! I’m hoping to get the series started next week, so keep a lookout for the posts, and track the tag “theropod of the day” on Tumblr!
Hey, look guys, somebody posting about dinosaurs. Frolic in the wisdom. Also, you should probably check out dino-files.tumblr.com, they do dinosaurs on a regular basis.
We will now have the opportunity to point our Twilight Bracelets and Avatars at each other in CyberConnect2’s upcoming title. The game shall be known as .hack//Versus, and it will be bundled with the upcoming .hack movie known as .hack//Sekai no Mukou ni.
Confirmed for the game so far are going to be Sora (Another Kite look alike that shares the name of Sora from.hack//Sign that might be the main character of .hack//Sekai no Mukou ni.), Haseo (Regular and his ultimate form.), and a mysterious character that is unknown for now. There could also be a chance that Orca and Balmung from the first four PS2 games (Unless they are different characters with a similar look to the two Descendants of Fiana.) might be playable as well. Fans of the series should also be hyped, because you will have access to Haseo’s signature skill, which means that they are not holding back on any abilities.
“Last weekend, I spoke with CyberConnect2 CEO Hiroshi Matsuyama. We talked about Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Generations as well as other projects like .hack. Matsuyama gave fans a call to arms asking them to bug Namco Bandai Games America on Facebook for future titles because right now .hack is just for Japan.
Matsuyama also said he would like to make a sequel for Solatorobo, but sales in North America haven’t been strong. Since we’re fans of CyberConnect2′s works we thought we’d let Namco Bandai Games America know there are other .hack and Solatorobofans out there. Matsuyama said to request .hack on Facebook, so that’s what we’ll do!
Post these banners on Namco Bandai Games America’s Facebook page to support CyberConnect2′s projects.” - Spencer, Siliconera
- Motteke! Sailor Fuku - Lucky Star OST
- Funky Baiser - Un Monstre a Paris OST
- Lithium - Evanescence
- Nikoniko Champ - Keroro Gunsou OST
- Feel Good Inc. - Gorillaz
- Marceline’s Fry Song - Adventure Time
- Aishuu Melencholia - Duel Jewel
- Forbidden Friendship - How To Train Your Dragon OST
- The Dream Collapses - Professor Layton & The Eternal Diva OST
- 19-2000 Soulchild Remix - Gorillaz
- Suiren - Ehru
- Little Susie - Michael Jackson
- Dragon Training - How To Train Your Dragon OST
- Organization XIII - Kingdom Hearts OST
- Rainbow Connection - Kermit the Frog
- Video Killed the Radio Star - Buggles
- Atlantis of the Sands - Uncharted 3 OST
- Transformers Theme Song - Lions
- Lost Sheep - Circa Paleo
- Destiny Islands - Kingdom Hearts OST
I’m… not entirely sure what this says about me…
Dinodontosaurus
Mounted specimen on display at the Harvard Museum of Natural History
Reconstruction by Dmitry Bogdanov
When: Triassic (242 - 230 million years ago)
Where: Worldwide
What: Dinodontosaurus is a synapsid, or ‘mammal like reptile’. It was one of the most common large herbivorous animals in the mid Triassic. These beasts reached lengths of 8 feet (2.4 meters) and are estimated to have weighed hundres of pounds. They fall within the clade Dicynodontia, so named for their two large front teeth. A fossil find in Brazil of over 10 Dinodontosaurus, including juveniles, shows these animals lived in herds and cared for their young.
Synapsids were extremtly common in the Permian, but were hit hard by the end Permian extinction. Some groups, such as the Dicynodonts exemplified by Dinodontosaurus, however, made it though the extinction just fine. The extinction at the end of the Triassic period, however, was brutal to this clade, wiping out the vast majority of species. Some dicynodonts made it though this extinction, but the clade continued to dwindle throughout the rest of the Mesozoic, with the last dicynodont vanishing in the mid Cretaceous. In the synapsid family tree dicynodonts are fairly far up there, falling far closer to gorgonopsids than to the basal “pelycosaurs”.
