Onyx Posted December 15, 2005 Share Posted December 15, 2005 We're nuts about Dinos aren't we, on EXC? This is my fav dinosaur: Triceratops. What about you? I'd love to know MORE about dinosaurs too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gnosis of Disbelief Posted December 15, 2005 Share Posted December 15, 2005 Pterodactyls....always loved things that fly! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Samurai Tailor Posted December 15, 2005 Share Posted December 15, 2005 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Neil Posted December 15, 2005 Share Posted December 15, 2005 My favorite dinosaurs... Dynonycus T-Rex (of course!) Megalosaurus Giganotosaurus Celophysis Sinosauropteryx Archaeopteryx Mircrocraptor gui Titanus Walleri Owls Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taphophilia Posted December 15, 2005 Share Posted December 15, 2005 My favorite dinosaurs... Dynonycus T-Rex (of course!) Megalosaurus Giganotosaurus Celophysis Sinosauropteryx Archaeopteryx Mircrocraptor gui Titanus Walleri Owls Owls are dinosaurs? Please elaborate! I had read that dinosaurs were more like birds than reptiles, is this true? I also read that they now believe that T-Rex was a scavenger and not a preditor as it had been believed. Is that true? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Neil Posted December 15, 2005 Share Posted December 15, 2005 Birds are dinosaurs. So yes, an owl is a dinosaur. The earliest known bird, Archeopteryx, was actually a member of the "raptor" dinosaurs, like Dynonycus and Velociraptor. In fact, the latest Archeopteryx find shows that it even has the retractable claw of its larger cousins. The T-Rex... yes, even I had to begrudgingly admit that the T-Rex is not an animal built for hunting, something that I really didn't want to accept. The ratio of the femur and thigh bones shows that it couldn't run, and even if it could, it couldn't pick itself up if it fell down. T-Rex also cannot slice with it's teeth, like normal dinosaur predators. Instead, it's banana-shaped teeth were more suited for crushing. Most damningly of all, a scan of the brain cavity of T-Rex shows that it's visual lobes were severely under-developed. But it's olfactory nodes are insanely large. That means that it had a particularly strong sense of smell. Those are scavenger traits. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flyby Stardancer Posted December 15, 2005 Share Posted December 15, 2005 Pterodactyls....always loved things that fly! Technically, pterodactyls aren't dinosaurs, but that's neither here nor there as far as favorite reptiles from the dinosaur times go. My favorites are all the various species of raptors and their close cousins. I have a poster of Deinonychus on my wall that I got at my dinosaur class first semester of college. I had read that dinosaurs were more like birds than reptiles, is this true? Depends on the dinosaur, mostly. But they are more closely related to birds than any modern-day reptiles. And Mr. Neil? All the sources I have say it's spelled "Deinonychus", not "Dynonychus"... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Neil Posted December 15, 2005 Share Posted December 15, 2005 Damn it! I knew that wasn't right. I couldn't get the spelling right, though, and Google kept correcting it with that spelling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taphophilia Posted December 15, 2005 Share Posted December 15, 2005 Birds are dinosaurs. So yes, an owl is a dinosaur. The earliest known bird, Archeopteryx, was actually a member of the "raptor" dinosaurs, like Dynonycus and Velociraptor. In fact, the latest Archeopteryx find shows that it even has the retractable claw of its larger cousins. The T-Rex... yes, even I had to begrudgingly admit that the T-Rex is not an animal built for hunting, something that I really didn't want to accept. The ratio of the femur and thigh bones shows that it couldn't run, and even if it could, it couldn't pick itself up if it fell down. T-Rex also cannot slice with it's teeth, like normal dinosaur predators. Instead, it's banana-shaped teeth were more suited for crushing. Most damningly of all, a scan of the brain cavity of T-Rex shows that it's visual lobes were severely under-developed. But it's olfactory nodes are insanely large. That means that it had a particularly strong sense of smell. Those are scavenger traits. I learn something new here everyday. Thank you Mr. Neil. (I also need to learn to spell better. Note to self, PREDATOR) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onyx Posted December 15, 2005 Author Share Posted December 15, 2005 Heeere's Deinonychus! OMG, look at these claws! Eeps! I'd hate to be mauled by these.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onyx Posted December 15, 2005 Author Share Posted December 15, 2005 This is a rather good timeline about evolutions from Talk Origins. I just hope it's up to date. http://www.talkorigins.org/origins/geo_timeline.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gnosis of Disbelief Posted December 15, 2005 Share Posted December 15, 2005 Technically, pterodactyls aren't dinosaurs, but that's neither here nor there as far as favorite reptiles from the dinosaur times go. Technically, you're correct, but I couldn't resist bringing 'em up anyway..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flyby Stardancer Posted December 15, 2005 Share Posted December 15, 2005 Technically, pterodactyls aren't dinosaurs, but that's neither here nor there as far as favorite reptiles from the dinosaur times go. Technically, you're correct, but I couldn't resist bringing 'em up anyway..... LOL What's really sad was a guy came into my dino class last year thinking wooly mamoths were dinosaurs. I kid you not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gnosis of Disbelief Posted December 15, 2005 Share Posted December 15, 2005 LOL What's really sad was a guy came into my dino class last year thinking wooly mamoths were dinosaurs. I kid you not. Must be another YEC'er..... Four legs? Check Big body? Check Big teeth? Check (Tusks, teeth, whatever...) Hey, they must be one and the same!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thurisaz Posted December 15, 2005 Share Posted December 15, 2005 Hard for me to name any favorite, but I kind of find Ankylosaur particularly appealing... reminds me of the scientist under desperate attack from cretinists. Hard to wound due to its carapace, and deals out one NIflheluva clobbering with its tail Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gnosis of Disbelief Posted December 15, 2005 Share Posted December 15, 2005 Hard for me to name any favorite, but I kind of find Ankylosaur particularly appealing... reminds me of the scientist under desperate attack from cretinists. Hard to wound due to its carapace, and deals out one NIflheluva clobbering with its tail Great minds think alike..... I was actually thinking of adding Ankylosaurus to the list! Neat animal, built like a tank, could never mistake it for anything else! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hero of Hyrule Posted December 15, 2005 Share Posted December 15, 2005 Intresting thread. I like early hunters like Coelophysis And dull herbivores like Stegosaurus. I'm more a fan of flying and swimming reptiles from that age though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vigile Posted December 15, 2005 Share Posted December 15, 2005 Heeere's Deinonychus! OMG, look at these claws! Eeps! I'd hate to be mauled by these.... Also note that if you put feathers on it and took away its front legs it would be a bird. As Neil mentioned, birds are living dinos. Aren't sharks as well? Also note that if you put feathers on it and took away its front legs it would be a bird. As Neil mentioned, birds are living dinos. Aren't sharks as well? Oh, and to our evolution critics out there, tell me you can't see how the front legs are atrophying as they are being selected out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joyous1 Posted December 15, 2005 Share Posted December 15, 2005 Not sure why, but I like Edmontosaurus. http://www.bhigr.com/pages/info/info_eds.htm Maybe because it looks tasty? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
All Gods Fail Posted December 15, 2005 Share Posted December 15, 2005 I've always liked this guy - the Troodon. Just before the extinction he was the smartest dinosaur, and had binocular vision like mammals. It's fun to speculate where his ancestry might've wound up if they had survived... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jose Posted December 15, 2005 Share Posted December 15, 2005 I like the Slamdunkiraptor. Best athlete in the Cretaceous... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Foxy Methoxy Posted December 15, 2005 Share Posted December 15, 2005 Silly people! We all know that dinosaurs never existed. The Earth is too new and has only existed for the last six to ten thousand years!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gnosis of Disbelief Posted December 15, 2005 Share Posted December 15, 2005 Silly people! We all know that dinosaurs never existed. The Earth is too new and has only existed for the last six to ten thousand years!!!! The morons are attributing the "rate of comet disintegration" and the decay of the earth's magnetic field to "evolutionary theories." They clearly have no idea what they're talking about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Foxy Methoxy Posted December 15, 2005 Share Posted December 15, 2005 "The morons are attributing the "rate of comet disintegration" and the decay of the earth's magnetic field to "evolutionary theories." They clearly have no idea what they're talking about." Yes. If science were actually that simple, I wouldn't have needed to study so hard in High School and College. I would have just memorized a few bullet points and aced every test. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wertbag Posted December 16, 2005 Share Posted December 16, 2005 I've been reading up on the debate over whether T-Rex was a scavenger or predator, and the most common answer I keep coming across is both. Any predator is happy with a free meal so will scavenge if they can, but if they can't they have the ability to kill. Some things about the T-Rex's build: Speed - Yes T-Rex wasn't a cheetah, but it didn't have to be. It simply had to move faster than its prey (certainly Triceratops or Ankylosaur were not faster than T-Rex). Smell - Yes T-Rex had a great sense of smell, this does not dismiss it as a predator as we know of many that have good sense of smell (wolves, sharks etc). Teeth - It is suggested that rounder teeth are better for crushing than cutting, but they are also better for grabbing and holding live prey. Amount of food - A T-Rex would weight between 5-7 tons, as such if it was solely a scavenger it would require huge amounts of dead creatures to litter the countryside. Of course there had to be a surviving population of T-Rex at some point, and it seems unreasonable to account for their entire dining habits on carrion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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