Caudipteryx Was a Theropod Dubbed “tail feather”, this Theropod dinosaur lived in the Aptian age of the Late Jurassic—early Cretaceous Period, 120—136 million years ago. Two species have been described; C. zoui (the type species discovered in 1998), and C. dongi (2000). Caudipteryx, pronounced caw-DIP-tuh-riks, is one of the earliest bird-like dinosaurs to have existed, … [Read more...]
Mamenchisaurus
Mamenchisaurus Was a Late Jurassic Sauropod Mamenchisaurus was a dinosaur that lived during the Late Jurassic period and was the biggest sauropod of its time. Found in Asia and pronounced mah-MUN-chi-SAWR-us, the name means “Mamenchi lizard” and comes from the Chinese Pinyin and men, respectively ma men. Chi is the Chinese translation of “stream” or “brook”. When these … [Read more...]
Cryolophosaurus
Carnivorous Cryolophosaurus Relatively little is known about this prehistoric dinosaur, found in the frigid climate of Antarctica and named as a “frozen crested lizard”, or Cryolophosaurus, pronounced CRY-oh-LOAF-oh-SORE-us. The species type is Cryolophosaurus elliotti, or C. elliotti (Greek for "cold crested lizard"). The prehistoric species existed around 190-185 million … [Read more...]
Plesiosaurus — the First Discovered Marine Reptile
P. dolichodeirus, or Plesiosaurus, was not a dinosaur, but a plesiosaur—a marine reptile (Greek—near to lizard) from the Mesozoic Era of the Early Jurassic period. Plesiosaurus was the first species of its kind to be discovered. Though much has been learned about its anatomy and evolution, there are still many topics of debate over the species. Some of the debates surrounding … [Read more...]
Massospondylus
Massospondylus, aka M. carinatus The “elongated spine” dinosaur, Massospondylus (Greek- Greater Vertebrae), pronounced mass-o-SPON-dih-lus, was a genus quadrupedal, semi-bipedal herbivore and possible omnivore from the Early Jurassic period. Otherwise known as Massospondylus carinatus, the standing species of the Massospondylus genus M. carinatus was a mid-sized prosauropod … [Read more...]