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Saurischian, or lizard-hipped, dinosaurs are divided into two suborders: The theropods and the sauropods. Although these suborders share basic pelvic anatomy, they are very different from each other in other aspects.

Theropods were completely carnivorous. They had huge heads, big teeth and strong jaws for chewing prey. The most famous theropod is probably the Tyrannosaurus rex, whose strong legs, powerful tail and tiny arms are typical of the suborder. Like Tyrannosaurus rex, theropods were bipedal and could not walk on Read the rest of this entry »

About two months ago, I subscribed to DIRECTV via www.cable.tv. While I’ve never really been a person who loves watching television in the past, I can’t get enough of all the new programming – particularly on the History Channel, National Geographic Channel and Discovery Channel.

Much to my delight, last week happened to be “Dino Week” on Discovery Channel, and I was reintroduced to my favorite childhood dinosaur – Stegosaurus.

Stegosaurus means “roof lizard” or “covered lizard” because of the bony plates lining its spine. Growing up to 30 feet in length and weighing about four tons, the Stegosaurus roamed the Earth during the Late Jurassic period – about 155-150 million years ago.

Interestingly, although Stegosaurus was about the size of a school bus, its head was tiny – about the size of a horse’s head – and its brain was only the size of a walnut. When this dinosaur was first discovered in 1877, scientists were baffled by the fact that such a massive creature could have such a tiny brain. Consequently, Othniel C. Marsh, a renowned 19th century paleontologist, theorized that a second brain existed in the Stegosaurus’ rump, which, presumptively, helped the giant lizard control the rear part of its body.

However, that theory has largely been dismissed by modern experts. A more accepted explanation is that the cavity in the Stegosaurus’ tail was used to store excess food in the form of glycogen.

There were many Prehistoric swimming marine reptiles that were not dinosaurs but rather called Plesiosaurs. These were the turtle like creatures that swam in the seas while the Dinosaurs roamed the land. They were a precursor to turtles in that their bodies looked just like turtles, but they had paddle, flipper like extremities instead of the more rounded feet that turtles today have. The Plesiosaurs probably laid eggs on the shores of sand beaches, just as many marine turtle species do in the Read the rest of this entry »

A scientific examination of the fossil record can produce a wealth of data that is of much interest to the field of biology. Studying the evolution and development of different species over a geologic age has given us a window into the ways life has developed. Applying what we have learned to contemporary biology affords us a greater understanding of the world around us.

Much has been discovered on the origin and development of different plant and animal Read the rest of this entry »

Learning about the different species from prehistoric times gives us insight into the development of certain species today. Prehistoric documentation tells us that Pterosaurs were winged creatures that flew the skies. However, there are some very pronounced differences between them and our modern birds.

Modern birds walk upright on two legs while on land. It is believed that the Pterosaurs used four limbs to walk on land. Pterosaurs were more of a lizard like creature, unlike the feathered birds we see today. The name means winged lizard.

Even though both species have the ability to fly, there Read the rest of this entry »

Dinosaurs excite people of any age and almost anyone can recognize some of the most famous species such as Tyrannosaurus Rex and Triceratops. Yet, there is still much more for people to learn about dinosaurs to fully understand and appreciate their existence.

One question that is often asked is whether bipedal or quadrupedal dinosaurs had the advantage. The true answer, while much more complex, is that neither had much more advantage over the other. For example, bipedal dinosaurs had different body styles such that their weight distribution had to be different. Read the rest of this entry »

The majority of the dinosaurs that we are familiar with that were carnivores had scales. These were massive beasts that engaged in hunting other animals for their daily sustenance. Some of these dinosaurs were known to be bipedal. This means that for the most part the walked about on two feet (or paws). Overall, evidence has shown that the majority of carnivorous dinosaurs were scaled.

There has been some evidence that these dinosaurs had what is referred to Read the rest of this entry »