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Sauropod Seasonal Migrations

Large sauropods such as Camarasaurus probably went on seasonal migrations when food and water became scare. A study of dinosaur teeth has shown these migrations could be up to 190 miles (300km) in distance. Studies of dinosaur teeth from Camarasaurus in the states of Utah and Wyoming in North America have led to this conclusion. The long-necked dinosaurs migrated during long hot, dry spells when water and food would have become scarce in search of better conditions in the surrounding foothill.

There is evidence that not all the Camarasaurus survived the journey with some dying on the way. These sauropods large size (they were 20 metres long and weighed up to 18 tonnes) would have been an aid to migration as their long legs would have assisted them in moving long distances. The research relied on two different oxygen isotopes, which was present in the different water sources, which became included into successive layers of the tooth enamel.

Torosaurus or Triceratops

Palaeontologists are divided as to the true identity of Torosaurus. This enormous horned dinosaur had for a long time been thought of as a distinct genus or type. Now some scientists are arguing that Torosaurus is really a fully-grown up Triceratops. Jack Horner and John Scannella first proposed that this theory. However it is not that simple as it goes down to species level. There are two species of Triceratops and two of Torosaurus. One, Torosaurus latus, is thought to align with Triceratops. The other Torosaurus species – utahensis – that was discovered in Utah, may still be of a separate genus.

Sex and age have caused many problems with the identification and naming of dinosaurs. On several occasions what were originally thought to have been separate species of dinosaurs have had to be reassigned as either females or males of another species, or as young or different growth stages of another species.

Cycads not ‘Living Fossils’

Close analysis of modern cycads species has shown that they are not ‘living fossils’ from the time of the dinosaurs as originally thought. Cycads that were contemporary with the dinosaurs experienced large-scale damage with the mass extinct episode at the end of the dinosaur era 65 million years ago. Researchers discovered that modern species of cycads diverged only 12 million years ago from DNA analysis, and that genetically they are very different from their ancient counterparts.

There are about 300 species of cycad living today. The 3 year study looked at 199 different cycad species and concluded that they went through major change 12 million years ago allowing many new biological species to be created. The Dinosaur Museum has a fossil cycad from the Jurassic on display in its Gallery of Time.

New Archaeopteryx Skeleton

This year saw the 150th anniversary of the naming of Archaeopteryx – the iconic ‘missing link’ animal between dinosaurs and birds. Up until now only 10 specimens were known to exist, however now an 11th has been discovered and is ready for the scientists to study and name. The new specimen is very well preserved excepted that the skull and one forelimb are missing. The archaeopteryx is in the classic dinosaur death pose, and can be seen for the first time by the public at the Munich Show between 28th and 30th October.

Half-Term Great Dinosaur Hunt

The Great Dinosaur Hunt is happening throughout the Autumn halft-term at the Dinosaur Museum in Dorchester. The event involves the whole museum and lets children explore and search out the answers to the clues of the dinosaur mystery. The Dinosaur Museum is the perfect place for the dinosaur hunt with its exciting blend of actual fossils, skeletons, and life-size dinosaur reconstructions with hands on, and multimedia displays.

The Great Dinosaur Hunt is fun for children and all those children who correctly crack the code and solve the dinosaur mystery win a special  certificate.

The Dinosaur Museum is situated in the centre of Dorchester the historic county town of Dorset. Over the year’s it has won much acclaim, most recently being cited as one of Britain’s top ten family museums. It is open daily from 10am to 4pm. The Great Dinosaur Hunt starts on Saturday 22 October and ends on Sunday 30 October.

T rex Was Bigger Than Thought

New research shows that T rex had accelerated growth during in teenage years eventually becoming heavier than previously thought. “Sue” the most famous Tyrannosaurus rex specimen would have weighed in at  9.1 tonnes. This is almost a third more than previously thought. T rex would have had a large appetite to feed this growth, and would have needed a large area in which to hunt. Its top speed was probably about 25 miles an hour.

The results were achieved by using three-dimensional laser scans and computer modelling. Five specimens of Tyrannosaurus rex were studied including “Sue”. The most likely source of food for Trex were Hadrosaurs or duck-billed dinosaurs. They were plentiful and lived at the same time and in the same vicinity as T rex.

Spinosaurus – New King of Dinosaurs

T rex’s  long reign as king of the dinosaurs has now ended. Discoveries over the last few years have brought to light a few carnivorous dinosaurs that were even bigger. Spinosaurus is now the biggest land predator of all time at a massive 17 metres long. It had a long snout (about 99cm) with long, straight conical teeth that were perfectly adapted for its primary diet of fish. Spinosaurus would have hunted along the banks and shallows of the rivers and lagoons of what is now North Africa.

Vertebrae of sawfish have been found embedded in the fossilised remains of a Spinosaurus skull. We have a smaller cousin of Spinosaurus in Britain – Baryonyx. Spinosaurus lived in the middle of the Cretaceous period about 95 million years ago. The first fossils of Spinosaurus were discovered in 1912 in Egypt by Ernst Stromer and were taken back to Germany where they were subsequently destroyed in Allied bombing raids during World War II.

Spinosaurus is one of the stars of the BBC’s new Planet Dinosaur series – the long awaited follow up to Walking with Dinosaurs.

Plesiosaur Babies

New research on the skeleton of a pregnant plesiosaurus has revealed that these marine creatures gave birth to live young, in much the same way as whales do today. It is also probable that like whales they would have cared for their young. Plesiosaurs were not dinosaurs but were marine reptiles living in the seas at the same time. The pregnant plesiosaur skeleton is held at the Los Angeles Natural History Museum.

BBC Planet Dinosaurs

The BBC have launched a new ground-breaking dinosaur series called Planet Dinosaur that looks at some of the many dinosaurs to have been discovered in the last 10 years. There have been a host of fascinating new dinosaurs discovered, scientifically named and described which have led to vast leaps in our knowledge of dinosaurs. No longer is T rex the king of dinosaurs. Recently two larger carnivorous dinosaur have come to light Carcharodontosaurus and the largest of them all Spinosaurus.

World’s Smallest Dinosaur

What is thought to be the world’s smallest dinosaur has been discovered near Bexhill in East Sussex. The dinosaur, nicknamed ‘Ashdown maniraptoran’ after the brickworks where it was discovered, lived 145 to 100 million years ago during the early Cretaceous. It weighed only 200 grams and was no more than 30 cms long. ‘Ashdown’ was discovered by British palaeontologists. The skull has not been recovered so it is difficult to be definite about what the dinosaur ate. However based on other small maniraptorans it was probably an omnivore.

The closest rival to ‘Ashdown” for the record of ‘world’s smallest dinosaur’, is Anchiornis from China. It is believed to be between 30 to 40 cms long, but the uncertainty makes an exact comparison difficult.