Kay's Dinosaurs, Fossils and Palaeontology

Fossils show prehistoric whales gave birth on land

2009-02-07T21:55:00.000-08:00

Here is an article some people may, or may not, find interesting:

"Early whales gave birth, and probably rested and mated, on land, according to a study that examined 47.5 million-year-old fossils discovered in Pakistan.
The "stunning discovery" reinforces the belief that modern sea-dwelling mammals originated from terrestrial ancestors, said H. Richard Lane, director of the National Science Foundation's palaeontology program, which funded the research.
The team that discovered the Pakistan fossils in 2000 and 2004 were initially baffled when they found whale skeletons so close together, team leader Philip Gingerich of the University of Michigan said.
"When we first saw the small teeth, we thought we were dealing with a small adult whale, but then we continued to expose the specimen and found ribs that seemed too large to go with those teeth," he said.
"By the end of the day, we realised we had found a female whale with a foetus."
The foetus was positioned for head-first delivery, like land mammals but unlike modern whales, according to the study, published in the Public Library of Science's online journal.
The positioning indicated the whales still gave birth on land, Dr Gingerich said.
Other clues, such as the whales' big teeth that would have been well-suited to catch and eat fish, suggested to researchers that the mammals lived most of their time in the sea, but came on land to rest, mate and give birth.
The primitive whale couldn't travel far on land, although according to the study, "they could support their weight on their flipper-like limbs".
"They clearly were tied to the shore," Dr Gingerich said.
"They were living at the land-sea interface and going back and forth."
The discovery gives unparalleled insight into how the early whale gave birth and how it transitioned from land to sea, according to the researchers.
The fossils' species "occupies an intermediate position on the evolutionary path that whales traversed as they made the transition from full-time land dwellers to dedicated denizens of the deep," the authors said in a statement.
"Specimens this complete are virtual 'Rosetta stones,'" Dr Gingerich said.
They provide "insight into the life history of extinct animals that cannot be gained any other way.""

A short update of my life

2009-02-02T00:50:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone,

I haven't posted anything in a while so here are the basic updates of my quest to become a Palaeontologist (well really just updates in general)

I started my final year of high school last week
I will be starting a university course in march (see http://dino-gal.blogspot.com/2008/12/going-university.html if you dont understand why I am doing university and high school at the same time - basically I am in an advanced program)
I actaully managed to get the sequal to Jurassic Park from the library and am currently in the process of reading it

Well thats basically all, pretty boring I know. I might not be able to post often as the work load gets heavier with high school and uni so post will probably be really infreaquent. Anyway thats all for now.

Bye guys

Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton

2009-01-25T00:14:00.000-08:00

Today I finished the novel Jurassic Park written by Michael Crichton. I know, I know, why haven’t I read it before? Well that would be because I have had no time when I remembered to get it from the library and when I had time to get to the library I usually forgot. I expected the book to be significantly different to the book however I was surprised to discover that the book and the movie are in fact more different then I had imagined.

I grew up with the movie version of Jurassic Park, even when I learnt of the numerous inaccuracies in the movie I still watched it over and over again to the point where I can now quote most of the movie on demand. I found that although the book carries numerous inaccuracies also, such as the size of Velociraptor mongoliensis and the idea of Dilophosaurus being poisonous (ideas which have been replicated in the movie adaptation); I found myself enjoying the book in a strange way far more then the movie.

I was particularly proud of Crichton's mention of the difference (or lack thereof) between Brontosaurus and Apatosaurus, a point which I am constantly reminding anyone who mentions Brontosaurus of. The novel also contains quite a few viable theories and commonly accepted research. Even after growing up with the movie I found the major diferences between the book and the movie led me to actually enjoy the book as a story which I have never heard before.

On a negative I was so used to the idea that Lex was older then Tim (she is in the movie) that I often found myself confused. Furthermore the book seems to lack the feminist ideas of a teenage FEMALE computer nerd, and the more important role of Dr. Ellie Sattler in the movie, however disregarding these point I found myself genuinely enjoying the book more then i enjoyed the movie. From a girl who cant live without a good book i give this book a 9/10 (although my tastes often vary from others, so not everyone will agree with that).

Well that's all from me today,

Cya guys

The Mesozoic Era

2009-01-22T23:16:00.001-08:00

Okay so now I am going to go into greater detail about the Mesozoic Era. To quote a previous post, "The Mesozoic era is commonly referred to as the ‘age of reptiles’ as during this time dinosaurs evolved into the dominate animal group on earth. Spanning from 248 million years ago to 65 million years ago the Mesozoic era saw the evolution of not only reptiles but also mammals and birds and ended in the extinction of the dinosaurs."

The Triassic Period

The Triassic Period spanning from approximately 248 MYA (million years ago) and ending approximately 206 million years ago is the earliest period of the Mesozoic Era. During this time period the eart was home to a large supercontinent know as Pangea which was the earths only landmass during the Triassic period. This period saw the occurance of the oldest Dinosaurs, crocodilians and pterosaurs. Conifers and cycads also became common during this period. This Period consists of three Epochs as listed below.

Late Triassic beginning 227,000,000
Middle Triassic beginning 242,000,000
Early Triassic beginning 248,000,000

The Jurassic Period

The Jurassic Period spanning from around 206 MYA and ending around 144 MYA is most likely the most well known period of the Mesozoic Era dur primarily to media such as Jurassic Park. During this time period slowly broke apart forming two continents known as Lauraisa (north) and Gondwana (south). During the Jurassic Period Dinosaurs could be considered the dominate creatures on Earth, flowering plants and birds began to appear and giant marine reptiles occupied the sea. The Jurassic Period also saw the occurance of the oldest known mammals. This Period consists of three Epochs as listed below:

Late Jurassic beginning 159,000,000
Middle Jurassic beginning 180,000,000
Early Jurassic beginning 206,000,000

The Cretaceous Period

The Cretaceous Period began approximately 144 MYA and ended approzimately 65 MYA is a massive Extinction event which caused the demise of the Dinosaurs. The continuing break up of the Earths landmass during this period led to a greater diversification of species including Mammals and birds. Pterosaurs began to decline during this time period and the dinosaurs eventually became extinct. This Period consists of three Epochs as listed below

Late Cretaceous beginning 99,000,00
Early Cretaceous beginning 144,000,000

I hope all of this was of some interest or use to someone.

Cya guys.

Elliot the Aussie Sauropod

2009-01-20T05:58:00.000-08:00

Okay so for my next post I thought I might just write about one of my favorite dinosaurs....Elliot

Height: 3.5 meters high at the hip

Legnth: 16 to 21 meters (approximately)

Diet: Herbivore

Elliot is an Australian Sauropod dicovered at the Winton Formation in 1999 by his namesake, Dave Elliot. This large Sauropod lived almost 100 million years ago in the Cretaceous Period. Elliot most likely spent most of his time browsing in the forest that surrounded the inland sea which covered most of Queensland and cenral Australia during the time in which Elliot roamed the earth. Like many sauropods the immense size of Elliot ensured that he would have had very few predators.

"The remains of Elliot were discovered in 1999 by his namesake, Dave Elliott, a Winton grazier. In 2001, a team from the Queensland Museum investigated the site, and with the help of Dave and his family, unearthed more bones. In 2002, Dr Steve Salisbury (now at The University of Queensland), Dr Alex Cook and Scott Hocknull led a major excavation to the site, enlisting the help of over 40 volunteers. This excavation continued in 2003 as part of The University of Queensland's Winton Dinosaur Project. The discovery represents physical evidence of the largest dinosaur skeleton of any kind ever found in Australia. (http://www.uq.edu.au/dinosaurs/index.html?page=14121&pid=14081)"

Update on how nerdy I am

2009-01-20T05:54:00.000-08:00

UPDATE (although it is not life-changing)

I just took the second verion of the nerd test, and the results speak for themselves, I AM COMPLETE NERD.

Proud to be a Nerd

2009-01-19T02:46:00.000-08:00

Yes ladies and gentlement I am a nerd, and I am proud of it. There are however somethings about me that contradict the nerd sterotype, such as:

I am female
I have friends
I dont suck at all sports
I prefer normal cloths (not skimpy clothes though, as far as I am concerned they arn't normal)

I am not sure why I posted this however it is mainly to post my nerd score. I am addicted to sci-fi, am intelligent, were glasses (only for reading), read alot, quote sci-fi to my usually confused friends, am obsessed with becoming a palaeontologist, spend some of my spare time on dinosaur forums and sci-fi forums etc (the list goes on).......This and the questions which I answered to prove that I am a nerd (nerd score of 98%) is in a strange way something I think I am weirdly proud of.

So thats all from me todays, I know it isnt much just a random thought.

Cya guys.

Geological Time Periods

2009-01-10T04:26:00.000-08:00

Okay so today I am going to give anyone who wants to read it the basic information about various Geological Periods throughtout time.Geologist and Palaeontologist divide the past into several different periods called eras, which are further subdivided into periods, each of which lasts for millions of years. The earth can be presumed to be around 4.5 billion years old dating back to the Precambrian era.

The Precambrian Era
The Precambrian Era is the longest geological era beginning 4.5 billion years ago and lasting approximately 4 billion years. The Precambrian era is generally separated into two eons the first of which being the Archaean Eon. spanning from around 4.5 billion years ago to 2.5 billion years ago, during this time air temperatures lowered and the water vapour condensed forming the first primeval oceans. This was a period of great volcanic activity when immense lava flows solidified both on the surface and below were transformed into rocks which were then carried by the first rivers to oceans where they were deposited at the bottom of the oceans forming the first sediments. The second eon was the Proterozoic Eon spanning from 2.5 billion years ago to 500 million years ago.

The Palaeozoic Era

Palaeozoic literally translates as ‘ancient life’; this era saw the occurrence of the oldest fish, reptiles and insects. During this era animals first began to have hard parts such as shells and carapaces in their bodies. The harder sections of the body fossilize well and it is from this era onwards that scientists have been able to successfully chart the rise and fall of individual groups of animals and plants. Beginning 500 million years ago and ending in an extinction event 248 million years ago. The Palaeozoic Era including:

The Permian Period beginning 290 MYA (million years ago)
The Carboniferous Period beginning 354 MYA
The Silurian Period beginning 443 MYA
The Ordovician Period beginning 490 MYA
The Cambrian Period beginning 543 MYA

The Mesozoic Era
The Mesozoic era is commonly referred to as the ‘age of reptiles’ as during this time dinosaurs evolved into the dominate animal group on earth. Spanning from 248 million years ago to 65 million years ago the Mesozoic era saw the evolution of not only reptiles but also mammals and birds and ended in the extinction of the dinosaurs. This era consist of three periods listed below.

The Cretaceous Period beginning 144 MYA
The Jurassic Period beginning 206 MYA
The Triassic Period beginning 248 MYA

The Cenozoic Era
A mass extinction event 65 million years ago marks the beginning of the Cenozoic Era or ‘recent’ era which is the current geological era. The extinction event at the end of the Cretaceous period destroyed everything larger then a crocodile including dinosaurs. The small animals that did survive found themselves in a very different setting as this era is also marked by the separation of the continents and the formation of their own unique plants and animals. The Cenozoic Era currently consists of two periods which are subdivided into seven epochs as depicted below.

The Quaternary Period consisting of the:

The Holocene Epoch beginning 10,000 years ago
The Pleistocene Epoch beginning 1.8 MYA

The Tertiary Period consiting of the:

The Pliocene Epoch beginning 5 MYA
The Miocene Epoch beginning 24 MYA
The Oligocene Epoch beginning 34 MYA
The Eocene Epoch beginning 55 MYA
The Palaeocene Epoch beginning 65 MYA

The Holocene Epoch beginning 10,000 years ago is our current Epoch. Further information regarding these Geological time periods will eventually be posted on my website (when I have time). So thats all from me today, bye guys. If some of this is wrong blame the books I read not me.

Australian's must recognise the fossil record of their own country

2009-01-03T19:49:00.000-08:00

Even amongst Australians, Australian dinosaurs are seldom recognised.
"When the Australian palaeontologist Steve Salisbury travelled to South America, he noticed something very unusual about the toy dinosaurs on sale. "You never see any plastic T. rex," he recalls.
The ferocious Tyrannosaurus from North America may still be popular with Australian children but in Argentina, in particular, toy boxes are bursting with a different meat eater: one that once roamed that southern continent, and perhaps ours, called Giganotosaurus. (http://www.smh.com.au/news/earth-hour/gondwana-dinosaurs-rule-ok/2008/03/05/1204402557479.html)"

There are numerous fossil sites in Australia which the majority of the Australian population (let alone the rest of the worl) know of. One of the richest sources of Dinosaur fossils anywhere in Australia is the winton formation. This formation is a rock unit which blankets large areas of cental-western Queensland, Australia. Consisting of sedimentry rocks (eg. sandstone, siltstone and claystone), the sediments that make up these rocks represent the remnamts of river plains that filled the left by the Eromanga Sea (an inland sea that covered large parts of Queensland and central Australia at least four times during the Early Cretaceous).

The Winton formation is, in some areas, over 400 metres thick, which implies that in order to bring with them such a huge amount of sediment, the rivers that flowed across these plains must have been comparable in size to the present day Amazon or Mississippi. By around 95 million years ago, the job was complete and the inland sea would never be seen again. The Winton Formation is now, as previouslt mentioned one of the richest sources of Dinosaur fossils anywhere in Australia.

There are also numerous other fossil sites in Australia. These other fossil sites include:

Dinosaur Cove, Victoria
Strzeleki Ranges, Victoria
Minmi Corssing, Queensland
Muttaburra, Queensland
Hughenden, Queensland
Cloncurry, Queensland
Roma, Queensland
Broome, West Australian
The Opal feilds or South Australia and New South Wales'

With so many sites, it seems ridiculous that so many Australians would be able to debate whether a T-Rex would be able to defeat a Spinosaurus in a fight, or easily be able to tell you the distincive features of a Brachiosaurus, and yet not even know a thing about one of Australia's largest dinosaurs Elliot, let alone Muttaburrasaurus or Ozraptor.

"A lot of popular literature and children's books are dominated by what we know of northern hemisphere dinosaurs," says Doctor Steve Salisbury of the University of Queensland. This point is definately true, which brings me to the conclusion that perhaps primary school teachers should start teaching these many Australian Dinosaur's names before they teach the children what a Tyrannosaurs Rex is.

Personally I find dinosaurs such as T-rex, Triceratops and Stegosaurus interesting, however I find the Australian dinosaurs equally as interesting. Perhaps it is time that Australia took a page out of South America's book and started taking pride in our own unique fossil record as well as those of other countires.

I will soon start posting some information about various Australian dinosaurs on my website (http://dino-gal.webs.com/), however this may take some time. Any way, thats all from me today, cya guys.

New Species Of Prehistoric Giants Discovered In The Sahara

2009-01-02T06:10:00.000-08:00

A random peice of information which i found interesting.

"ScienceDaily (Dec. 17, 2008) — Dinosaur hunters on a month-long expedition to the Sahara desert have returned home in time for Christmas with more than they ever dreamed of finding. They have unearthed not one but two possible new species of extinct animals. Their success marks one of the most exciting discoveries to come out of Africa for 50 years.
'The team have discovered what appears to be a new type of pterosaur and a previously unknown sauropod, a species of giant plant-eating dinosaur. Both would have lived almost one hundred million years ago.
The palaeontologists discovered a large fragment of beak from a giant flying reptile and a more than one metre long bone from a sauropod, which indicates an animal of almost 20 metres (65 feet) in length. The discovery of both is extremely rare.
The expedition was composed of scientists from the University of Portsmouth, University College Dublin (UCD) and the Université Hassan II in Casablanca and was led by UCD palaeontologist, Nizar Ibrahim.
Ibrahim, who is an expert on North African dinosaurs, said: ““Finding two specimens in one expedition is remarkable, especially as both might well represent completely new species.”
Dr David Martill, a reader in Palaeobiology at the University of Portsmouth, said: “Plant eaters are uncommon in this deposit, extremely rare in this region and to find one this large is very exciting. It’s a major discovery.”
For Martill it was also significant because it marked a successful conclusion to a quest begun almost 25 years ago. In 1984, driven back by sandstorms, his original mission to find a sauropod came to a halt just 20 miles away from the area of desert he had pinpointed as ripe for excavation. He returned empty handed but was left itching to retrace his steps.
A quarter of a century later he unearthed the dinosaur that eluded him so long ago, together with fellow enthusiast, Ibrahim to whom he is passing the baton.
Ibrahim will undertake the detailed analysis of the sauropod bone, which both scientists expect is a new species and genus of the sauropod family.
“From our initial examination on site, we’re almost certain that we have a new species on our hands,” said Ibrahim, who will spend the next six months examining all of the fossils and writing about them for his PhD thesis.
He will also examine the pterosaur remains which are particularly uncommon because their bones, optimised for flight, were light and flimsy and seldom well preserved.
He said: “Most pterosaur discoveries are just fragments of teeth and bone so it was thrilling to find a large part of a beak and this was enough to tell us we probably have a new species.”
The team spent a month in the desert and travelled over five thousand miles by Landrover in an epic overland trip which has taken them through the Atlas mountains and has seen them battling sandstorms and floods in an Indiana Jones-style quest.
Having discovered the giant sauropod bone they had to return to the nearest town to get more water and plaster with which to protect it, a trip which involved crossing flooded rivers in their Landrover at night with water coming in through the doors.
During their fieldwork they were cut off from civilisation for 4 days when heavy rain in the Atlas mountains flooded the river Ziz. To retrieve the bone they had to manhandle the fossil in its plaster jacket down the side of a mountain, clearing thousands of stones to make a safe path to carry it on a wooden stretcher.
“There was a point when we wondered if we would make it out of the desert with the bone, but we had worked so hard to find it so there was no way I was leaving it behind. It took us 5 days to get the bone out of the ground and down the mountain – and that was not the end of our problems,” said Ibrahim.
Dr Martill added: “When we had managed to get the bone in the Landrover the extra weight meant we kept sinking in the sand dunes and on several occasions everybody except the driver had to walk while we negotiated difficult terrain. Our journey home was equally eventful. While crossing the Atlas mountains we got caught in a snowstorm and total whiteout. But it’s all been worth it.”
The team were also excited to discover some rare dinosaur footprints, including some that record several animals walking along the same trail.
As well as discovering hundreds of dinosaur teeth, they also unearthed bits of giant crocodiles and some new species of fish.
Ibrahim said: “It’s amazing to think that millions of years ago the Sahara was in fact a lush green tropical paradise, home to giant dinosaurs and crocodiles and nothing like the dusty desert we see today. Even to a palaeontologist dealing in millions of years it gives one an overwhelming sense of deep time.”
The team also included Moroccan scientists Prof Samir Zouhri and Dr Lahssen Baidder as well as Portsmouth researchers Dr Darren Naish, Dr Robert Loveridge and Richard Hing.
Prof Samir Zouhri, head of the Department of Geology at the Université Hassan II in Casablanca said: “Nizar Ibrahim is a very determined researcher and I knew that he would have success on this trip, but these fossils exceeded our expectations. It is wonderful that we have made these siginficant discoveries and that they will return to Morocco for display after study in Dublin.”
The sauropod and the pterosaur were found in south-east Morocco, near the Algerian border. (http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081216114750.htm)"

In Dinosaurs Defence

2009-01-01T02:16:00.000-08:00

Okay guys, today’s topic (and the first topic of the new year).....DINOSAUR DEFENSES.Throughout the many years in which dinosaurs roamed the earth, various herbivorous dinosaurs developed defensive mechanisms in order to defend themselves against their carnivorous predators. These defensive mechanisms ranged from bony plate to spikes to simply running away. Many herbivores also used the simple idea of 'safety in numbers' to defends themselves against predators. The Stegosauria family is distinctively recognised for its presumed means of defence of two rows of tall, bony plates or spikes which ran from head to tail and also at least two pairs of tail spikes. On one of the more commonly recognised species of this family, the Stegosaurus, some of the bony plates were over 60 cm high.

The Ankylosauridae family had incredibly armoured bodies. Their bodies were equipped with bands of bony studs or plates which covered neck, flanks and back, and in some specimens, the belly. More specifically, Ankylosaurus also had a 'club' on the end of its tail. Along Anylosaurus' back were stiffening tendons which provided anchorage for the tail-swinging muscles preventing 'whip lash' from damaging the bones. The main part of the tail had no stiffening tendons and could therefore be swung freely from side to side. This implies that the Anylosaurus tail may have been used as a means of defence.

Some Ceratopidae family, which included the well known Triceratops, had bony skull frills and large horns on their brows. This family of dinosaurs resemble the modern Rhinoceros and may have used these distinct features as a means of defence.

The Iguanodon had a long sharp spike on each hand in the place of a thumb, these spikes may have been used may have been used as defensive mechanisms (eg. to stab an attacking). Many larger dinosaurs such as Sauropods were so large that many carnivores simply did not attack them unless it was absolutely necessary. Other smaller dinosaurs which had no 'armour', may well have found running away the best defensive mechanism.

Regardless of the various individual means of defence which some herbivores may have had. The most common means of defence was simply 'safety in numbers', one of the many reasons for which herbivores often travelled in herds.

Going to University

2008-12-31T01:55:00.000-08:00

Hey guys.

Yesterday I got the confirmation. I have been acepted into my local university to study a few biology subjects at first year university level while I complete high school.

Although I am in my final year of high school in 2009, I completed half of my senior high school subjects as of the end of the 2008 school term. Ummm if your in America or somewhere like this and reading this, i'm not sure how you school year works so I will just add that our school years are from january to late november/early decmeber.

Anyway I am only studying a few biology subjects next year as my local university does not allow me to study palaeontology. I will be moving south at the end of my final year of high school for that. Studying a few courses next year is however, as far as I am concerned, bringing me one step furhter to finally reaching my dream of becoming a palaeontologist so I am pretty excited about that.

Anyway seemingly as this is my last blog for the year, I will take the chance to wish anyone who reads this a Happy New Year!

Cya,

From Dino Gal

Jurassic Park in real life

2008-12-29T05:20:00.000-08:00

Okay so obviously i am talking about cloning. Clearly jurassic park style dinosaurs are still far out of reach, and futher research is still required in these areas. However the various extinct genomes have been resurrected.

Australian Scientis at the Universtiy of Melbourne have sucessfully ressurected the extinct gene of the Tasmanian Tiger (Thylacinus cynocephalus). The Tasmanian Tiger was a large carnivorous Australian marsupial which was hunted to extinction in the early 1900's. Scientists have sucessfully isolated the Col21A gene and injected into a mouse embryo. This process was sucessfull in 'resurecting' the extinct gene. Similar experiments have been conducted using mammoth DNA.

This technology will enable scientists to examine the biological functions of DNA from numerous extinct species. This not onlynallows palaeontolgist to gain futher insight into the lives of extinct animals, it also may prove potentially benificial in curing various, currently incurable diseases.

With almost 99% of species which have existed on earth being extinct, this opens up numerous possiblilities. The ability to access these extinct genes (provided of course that there is a sufficent quantites of DNA) facinates me. With further research one must consider the possibility of one day being able to effetively 'resurect' species entirely, something that with cureent extinction rates could enurse the survival of the diverse range of species on earth.

So who knows maybe one day we really will be able to go to some sort of 'park' and see dinosaurs alive and moving (although this would as Alan Grant puts it in the movie "Put me out of the job", well future job at least). With alot more time, effort, and money maybe someday someone really will be able to say 'Welcome to Jurassic Park'.

Australasian Science Award 2008

2008-12-29T00:32:00.000-08:00

Hey guys, this I find interesting so i thought that I would post it. Good to see a Palaeontolgist winning this prize.

"Science prize for fossil discovery
10 November, 2008

Dr John Long at the Gogo site where the fossilised placoderm fish was first discovered.Image: Peter LongSource: Museum Victoria
Dr John Long has won the 2008 Australasian Science Prize for his discovery of a 375-million-year-old fossil and embryo.
The find was significant not only because it uncovered the oldest known example of any creature giving birth to live young, but also because the fossilised placoderm fish had an intact umbilical cord. It was found on an expedition to Gogo led by Dr Long in mid-2005.
Dr Long is the Head of Sciences at Museum Victoria. His discovery of the fossil embryo in the Gogo area of north-west Western Australia, published in Nature in May 2008, was also the cover story in the July issue of Australasian Science.
Long describes the fossil as “the Rosetta stone that opened our minds to interpreting other fossils” with less clearly recognisable embryos. The “mother fish” is a major breakthrough in palaeontology, which will help to provide insight into the breeding behaviour of an entire class of extinct species; it constitutes the oldest example of vertebrate sex unearthed to date.
The fossil, a 25-cm long placoderm fish, belongs to the dominant group of vertebrates throughout the Middle Palaeozoic era – sometimes dubbed “dinosaurs of the sea”. It has been named “Materpiscis attenboroughi” after renowned naturalist Sir David Attenborough.
Dr Long published the work with collaborators Dr Kate Trinajstic, Dr Gavin Young, and Dr Tim Senden, and was funded by the Australian Research Council. Dr Long commented that the award constitutes “a shot in the arm for palaeontology” and "a fantastic recognition of the way museums are doing high quality science”
The Australasian Science Prize was established in 2000 and is overseen by leading scientific referees. Dr Long is scheduled to receive the 2008 prize on 10 November and then deliver a public lecture, “Live Birth in the Devonian”."

Here is the link if you want to find otu more: http://museumvictoria.com.au/About/MV-News/2008/Science-prize-for-fossil-discovery/

Sauropods (a brief explaination)

2008-12-28T01:20:00.000-08:00

Okay, I am now going to talk to you about my favorite type of dinosaurs......SAUROPODS!!!!!!!!!

Sauropods are a infraorder of Saurischian (lizard-hipped) dinosaurs. Sauropodmorphs ('lizard foot forms') are genreally quadruped herbivors with long necks and often large thumb claws, small heads, and teeth shaped for cropping and chewing plants. Their long necks allowed them to browse tall trees, and thier body's were often rather large.

Although the close reletive of saurpods (prosauropod) died out during the jurassic period, Sauropods endured to the end of the Mesozoic Era. The Sauropods live between 200 million and 65 million years ago and are still considered the largest animals to have live on land. In order to support their large bodies sauropods had hollows carved out of thier vertebrae and massive hip girdles fused to their backbones by four sacral vertebrae to form solid suport for their bodies and large tails.

Sauropods are further divded into various families including Brachiosauridae, Titanosauridae and Diplodocidae. The largest of the Sauropods is often considered to be Argentinosaurus, and the longest being Diplodocus. For all those Aussies out there, you should all know at least one Sauropod well ..... Elliot! (One of the many dinosaurs from winton, and Australia's largest)

Okay so that is my not so interesting report on Sauropods, cya all later.

Introduction

2008-12-28T00:53:00.000-08:00

Okay guys, this is my first blog here so i suppose i shall introduce myself

My name is Kaylene (although I prefer Kay), you shall know me as Dino Gal 097 (and yes i know it is a bad name). I live in Australia and am still at high school. As for my goals and aspirations, well those havnt really changed since I learnt to talk. I have wanted to be a Palaeontologist since I knew what one was (and trust me that was an extremely young age). I have had a keen interest in dinosaur since I was one (yes thats right one).

My favorite movies are Jurassic Park, all of the Stargate movies, and Twilight. I love books (especially Twilight) and when I am not reading or on my computer I am watching stargate. I know, I know. I am a nerd.

Okay so thats all you really need to know about me. This blog will mainly be about it's topic (Dinosaurs, Fossils and Palaeontology), although I may occasionally make something more personal.