The Palaeontology thread

Keyser_Soze1 · 10/05/14 - 22:17

This is just a place for all the latest news, discoveries, theories, artwork or anything else for members on here who are interested in dinosaurs and the prehistoric world.

Nothing spectacular to start with, just a few nice size comparison charts starting with some of the largest sauropod dinosaurs.

These are some of the most accurate you can find on the web.

Enjoy.

http://fc02.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2010/123/7/b/The_Brachiosaur_Parade_by_Paleo_King.jpg

http://fc06.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2013/168/a/b/thunder_lizard_size_comparison_by_scotthartman-d6909lc.jpg

http://fc04.deviantart.net/fs70/i/2012/221/5/4/the_biggest___puertasaurus_reuili_by_paleo_king-d5aewbf.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bd/Longest_dinosaurs1.png

Bunions · 10/05/14 - 22:18

Erm.............................*tumbleweed*......................

I know shit-all about this so I shall bid you good evening and do one

Frankie_Little · 10/05/14 - 22:21

I've never heard of the Puertasaurus. He's awfully large.

Keyser_Soze1 · 10/05/14 - 22:32

Frankie_Little wrote: »

I've never heard of the Puertasaurus. He's awfully large.

It's the largest dinosaur for who we have significant skeletal remains, but there are many other species approaching or around the same size.

The most massive of them all (so far) was Amphicoelias fragillimus which may have exceeded 60 metres in length and approached the mass of the largest blue whales despite all the structural adaptations dinosaurs had (pneumatic bones, avian air-sac system) for reducing their vast weight.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZVa-2W0h2ts/UnmBgtASw1I/AAAAAAAAQtA/dxUWn_wYi3M/s1600/A+fragillimus.png

http://img2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20130721141537/reptiles/images/4/49/Amphicoelias_hypothetical_size_range.png

Frankie_Little · 10/05/14 - 22:38

What's an avian air sac system? Something to do with birds?

Keyser_Soze1 · 10/05/14 - 22:47

Frankie_Little wrote: »

What's an avian air sac system? Something to do with birds?

Birds are Maniraptoran theropods and it is very probable they inherited their breathing system (like all dinosaurs ) from a common ancestor.

So it is highly likely that sauropods breathed in the same way.

Incidentally, it is a far more efficient system than we mammals are stuck with.

The best sauropod site on the net is -

http://svpow.com/

Which describes state of the art research on these giants far better than I ever could.

Keyser_Soze1 · 10/05/14 - 23:02

Here is a full range of state of the art research on these incredible beasts.

http://www.sauropod-dinosaurs.uni-bonn.de/

archiver · 10/05/14 - 23:07

Was the person who got to name them all a bit pissed when they called one "The Archbishop"?

Keyser_Soze1 · 10/05/14 - 23:17

archiver wrote: »

Was the person who got to name them all a bit pissed when they called one "The Archbishop"?

"The Archbishop" is just a nickname until it is fully described.

It was previously thought to be just another specimen of Brachiosaurus sp

A nice little image here of a Blue whale and Amphicoelias.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dKrRX0sRWiQ/Ue2uqzHQkpI/AAAAAAAAA5I/EHeXXMC6oUg/s1600/Amphicoelias_fragillimus.jpg

And the Brachiosaur parade in colour this time.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_u6CUqDWU5nw/SwhTUGCa-mI/AAAAAAAAAYM/GF71_Oju8nw/s1600/colorMAC.jpg

Bunions · 10/05/14 - 23:34

Are you a Professor?

mcg3 · 10/05/14 - 23:46

Ive always loved dinosaurs and remember reading anything to do with them while going through school.

My own favourite was and still is Triceratops

spiney2 · 10/05/14 - 23:48

i'm a mammal and dinosaurs just get on my tits .....

Sargeant80 · 10/05/14 - 23:54

Sauropod dinosaurs were very very very stupid.

Part of the reason for that is their body shape made it impossible to have large brains as they wouldn't be able to pump enough blood to their heads to keep a bigger brain working.

CLL Dodge · 10/05/14 - 23:54

Giant crocodiles beat the dinosaurs:

http://www.livescience.com/45342-crocs-killed-dinosaurs-with-death-rolls.html

DHW · 11/05/14 - 00:53

I love anything and everything dinosaur my favourites being Tyrannosaurus Rex, Mosasaur and Pachycephalosaurus.
I also found the recent "Pinocchio Rex" discovery pretty cool.
http://www.livescience.com/45399-pinocchio-rex-was-long-snouted-t-rex-cousin.html

Zizu58 · 11/05/14 - 01:06

Educate me please .

I , of course, understand the need for science / scientists but what real use is history and related topics ?

What actual USE to us is finding and learning about fossils / dinosaurs or whatever ?

archiver · 11/05/14 - 01:36

Zizu58 wrote: »

Educate me please .

I , of course, understand the need for science / scientists but what real use is history and related topics ?

What actual USE to us is finding and learning about fossils / dinosaurs or whatever ?

Excellent questions. Thanks.

We undeniably have a need to know - everything. The big question as regards dinosaurs is - why are there only fossils? Why aren't they here now running around frightening the children? We learn from the reasons, why they aren't still in the same massive bodies, that the same thing could happen again and have similar, or even worse affect(*) on our own and all other species. Luckily, not only do we have the intelligence to discover as much as we can about the past, we also (hopefully) have the technology to look out for similar dangers and maybe even avoid similar devastation.

That's the big reason, but as far as (some) individuals are concerned - it's fascinating. :cool:

(* should that be 'effect'? Can't quite work out which to use.)

ThatGuy11200 · 11/05/14 - 08:50

Pterosaurs are interesting. People tend to think they were leathery and bald, thanks to films and TV, but many were actually quite fuzzy, like Anurognathus:

http://gwawinapterus.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/anurognathus-profile.jpg

ThatGuy11200 · 11/05/14 - 08:59

archiver wrote: »

Excellent questions. Thanks.

We undeniably have a need to know - everything. The big question as regards dinosaurs is - why are there only fossils? Why aren't they here now running around frightening the children? We learn from the reasons, why they aren't still in the same massive bodies, that the same thing could happen again and have similar, or even worse affect(*) on our own and all other species. Luckily, not only do we have the intelligence to discover as much as we can about the past, we also (hopefully) have the technology to look out for similar dangers and maybe even avoid similar devastation.

That's the big reason, but as far as (some) individuals are concerned - it's fascinating. :cool:

(* should that be 'effect'? Can't quite work out which to use.)

It should be 'effect'.

But also, fossils in general allow us to study ancient climates, plate tectonics, evolution, and can be used to determine the most likely sites for oil/gas/coal.

Studying more recent fossils, like the megafauna of a few tens of thousands of years ago, helps us understand the impact that humans can have on different environments. Things like forest clearing, burning, hunting, etc.

swingaleg · 11/05/14 - 09:00

archiver wrote: »

(* should that be 'effect'? Can't quite work out which to use.)

Yes, it should be 'effect' !

Not as sexy as dinosaurs but I have an almost daily encounter with palaeontology as I walk in Regent's Park, London and go past the clump of fossilised tree stumps......

http://www.supporttheroyalparks.org/assets/0000/9234/Fossilised_trees_behind_the_fence.jpg

TheSilentFez · 11/05/14 - 11:32

When I was 4 I watched Walking with Dinosaurs which made me want to be a palaeontologist for most of my childhood. I eventually changed my mind and decided to apply to study Chemistry at university (this year if my A-levels go well), but I still credit Walking With Dinosaurs and my love of palaeontology for starting my passion for science.

Nevertheless, I still find palaeontology interesting. That documentary from a couple of years back, Planet Dinosaur, narrated by John Hurt was brilliant. I thought it even surpassed the legendary Walking With... Series.
(The recent Walking With Dinosaurs movie which committed the cardinal sin of having talking dinosaurs, however, was an abomination.)

Zizu58 wrote: »

Educate me please .

I , of course, understand the need for science / scientists but what real use is history and related topics ?

What actual USE to us is finding and learning about fossils / dinosaurs or whatever ?

I'm not saying there is no use to learning about fossils, but I really don't like this sort of backwards cynical attitude towards science. Scientific research doesn't have to have a practical use. Science can be done for the sake of science and for the sake of furthering human understanding and knowledge.
It's said that humans climbed Everest simply "because it was there". If people sat around thinking "but what use is there for climbing Everest?", no-one may well have got anywhere.
We can do science simply because we can and because it's exciting and fun... and if any practical use comes out of our understanding: even better.

Keyser_Soze1 · 11/05/14 - 21:30

Thank you for all the replies.

I will post more later but I am busy at the moment.

As far as the question as to what use is Palaeontology?

It tells humanity where we came from and allows us to see some (only a fraction of a percent ever survived as fossils) of those wonderful life forms that came before us.

That would be more than enough - but all scientific knowledge is important, and in the case of prehistoric life - a hell of a lot of fun. ^_^

Keyser_Soze1 · 12/05/14 - 01:39

For all the creationists and their tiresome and ill-informed whines about the lack of 'transitional' fossils (actually there is no such thing every individual animal - including us - is on an evolutionary continuum) here are a few nice articles and charts showing whale evolution.

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/how-did-whales-evolve-73276956/?no-ist

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/03/26/1250895/-When-Whales-Walked-The-Evolution-of-Cetaceans

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-l9uUaNdZnHU/UQjt4MJDuyI/AAAAAAAAWTY/z4wjP0j_H4s/s400/Phylogenetic-Blueprint-modern-whale.jpg

http://novataxa.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/modern-whale-phylogenetic-blueprint.html

http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/23/20/0e/23200e8bd292d1adc4e999376b9a1c03.jpg

http://www.kalliopimonoyios.com/images/lg/whaleEvolution-KMonoyios.jpg

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evolution_of_cetaceans

Bulletguy1 · 12/05/14 - 01:52

Keyser_Soze1 wrote: »

For all the creationists and their tiresome and ill-informed whines about the lack of 'transitional' fossils......

Wow.......far out. :cool:

Keyser_Soze1 · 12/05/14 - 01:55

Thanks, I am just editing the post with a few more articles.

Keyser_Soze1 · 12/05/14 - 07:42

ThatGuy11200 wrote: »

Pterosaurs are interesting. People tend to think they were leathery and bald, thanks to films and TV, but many were actually quite fuzzy, like Anurognathus:

http://gwawinapterus.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/anurognathus-profile.jpg

Yes they are, and they came in such a range of size and variety that it boggles the mind.

The very largest of them - from the Azhdarchidae family - like Quetzalcoatlus northropi and Hatzegopteryx thambema (whose head alone was three metres long) must have been a truly awe inspiring sight.

Imagine an animal as tall as a Giraffe launching itself into the air from it's knuckles on wings spanning up to 13 metres!

http://static.palaeontologyonline.com/7-640.jpg

http://scienceblogs.com/tetrapodzoology/wp-content/blogs.dir/471/files/2012/04/i-dbf8d11d1c2645a71c76fd49a0c4971c-Witton,%20giraffe,%20azhdarchid.jpg

http://www.sciencephoto.com/image/395308/530wm/C0083853-Pterosaur_size_comparison%2C_artwork-SPL.jpg

Incredible!

Here are some links for those who are interested.

http://www.pterosaur.net/

http://pterosaur-net.blogspot.co.uk/

http://www.pterosaur.org.uk/PDB2012/P/index.htm

http://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/current-exhibitions/pterosaurs-flight-in-the-age-of-dinosaurs

http://www.palaeontologyonline.com/articles/2012/fossil-focus-pterosaurs/

http://pterozor.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/reappraisal-of-azhdarchid-pterosaur.html

http://www.markwitton.com/#

And one of the best books on the subject.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Pterosaurs-Natural-History-Evolution-Anatomy/dp/0691150613

Hey there!

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