Sunday, January 7, 2018

The Diplodocus

Diplodocus

Diplodocus is an extinct genus of diplodocid sauropod dinosaurs. The name is derived from Greek διπλός "double" and δοκός "beam", in reference to its double-beamed chevron bones located in the underside of the tail. Once the most famous dinosaur in the world, Diplodocus had four large sturdy legs supporting a long neck and a long tail that could be flailed around like a whip. It was huge and may have reached over 30 metres and weighed around 15 tonnes.
 
They lived there about 150 million years ago during the late Jurassic period they thrived in a time when the Earth's warm temperatures encouraged rapid plant growth. Diplodocus needed a lot of food to keep it alive. Using rake-like teeth, this animal could have stripped an area of any vegetation very quickly, especially considering that there is evidence they travelled in herds, the quantity of plant material eaten by these massive herbivore must have been considerable. Diplodocus' tail was about 14m long, which is one of the longest tails of any animal to have ever walked the earth. Like most Sauropods, Diplodocus' nostrils were actually high up on its forehead instead of at the end of its snout. A recently discovered fossil of a skin impression suggests that this animal had spines along its neck.    
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Friday, January 5, 2018

Ankylosaurus


Ankylosaurus is a genus of armoured dinosaur. Its fossils have been found in geological formations dating to the very end of the Cretaceous Period, about 68–66 million years ago, in western North America.

Scientific name: Ankylosaurus
Mass: 4,000 – 7,000 kg (Adult)
Height: up to 1.7 m (Adult)
Length: 7 – 11 m (Adult)
Higher classification: Ankylosauridae

Did you know: Ankylosaurass
    1. Means ‘fused lizard’.
    2. Had four horns on its head.
    3. Lived at the end of the Cretaceous Period (around 66 million years ago).
    4. Were one of the last dinosaurs remaining before the large extinction
    event that occurred around this time.
    5. Was a large dinosaur, it reached a length of  around 9 metres  and
    a weight of around 6000 kg.
    6. Were herbivores (plant eaters) and had small teeth relative to their body
    size.
    7. Had body armour made from huge plates of bone which were embedded
    into the skin which helped protect it against attackers. Similar body armour
    is found on a crocodile or armadillo.
    8. Had a massive tail club that it could use to generate a large amount  of
    force potentially breaking the bones of another dinosaur while defending
    itself.