Creature Descriptions

Coelophysis (Hollow form)- Height: 4 ft (1.2 m) Length: 9 ft (2.7 m) Weight: 100 lbs (45.5 kg)

Coelophysis is one of the most primitive carnivorous dinosaurs and lived during the Late Triassic (230-200 mya). Hundreds of skeletons of Coelophysis have been discovered at Ghost Ranch, New Mexico -- one of the largest fossil deposits ever discovered. Coelophysis adults, young adults, and juveniles were all quickly buried together in a flash flood. The large range of ages gives scientists clues about how early dinosaurs grew. The large accumulation of Coelophysis also suggests that they lived and maybe even hunted in large packs. Coelophysis is a coelophysid, a group that is found all around the world. Coelophysis was lightly built and measured 6-10 feet in length. Many small, pointed teeth indicate that Coelophysis was a carnivore. During the Late Triassic, Coelophysis was not the dominant predator, but more likely the prey of rauisuchians such as Postosuchus or a phytosaur such as Smilosuchus. However, the shape and characteristics of the skeleton of Coelophysis will later be characteristic of some of the largest predators ever to walk the Earth.

Confuciusornis (Confucius bird)- About the size of a crow, Length: 8 to 12 in (.2 to .3 m) Weight: 1 lbs (.45 kg)

Confuciusornis is one of the oldest birds that lived during the Early Cretaceous (120 mya) in eastern Asia. It is one of the most common fossil birds from the Early Cretaceous -- hundreds of specimens ranging from juveniles to adults have been discovered. Confuciusornis indicates that birds rapidly diversified after their origin. The largest Confuciusornis specimens were about the size of a crow. Skeletons of Confuciusornis are well preserved and many specimens preserve evidence of feathers and soft tissue. Confuciusornis had a short tail and large wings. Some scientists think that two elongated, streamer-like feathers found in some Confuciusornis specimens were used for courtship behavior. It had a beak and it has been hypothesized that they ate plants even though fish remains have been found in the stomach of one specimen. It is clear that Confuciusornis was a flyer and exhibited many of the requirements for flight including: large wings, a furcula, and a modified pectoral girdle.

Effigia (Ghost)- Height: 3 ft (.91 m) Length: 12 to 15 ft (3.65 to 4.57 m) Weight: 150 to 200 lbs (68.03 to 90.71 kg)

Effigia is a crocodylian relative that lived during the Late Triassic (230-200 mya) in North America. Complete skeletons of Effigia were excavated among the fossil skeletons of the early carnivorous dinosaur Coelophysis in New Mexico in the 1940s, but were not taken out of the entombing rock until 2004. Relatives of Effigia were abundant in the Triassic of North America and close relatives have also been found in South America, Africa, and China. Effigia was 12-15 feet long and it is unclear whether it was a carnivore, herbivore, or omnivore because Effigia had a beak much like that of a bird or turtle. Modern animals with beaks can eat about anything. Effigia and close relatives were unique among the crocodylian relatives in that they were bipedal and had tiny hands. Additionally, Effigia had large eyes, a long neck, and a long tail. Many characteristics of Effigia resemble those found in ornithomimid dinosaurs from the Cretaceous, nearly 80 million years later. These similarities are an example of extreme convergence, two animals that don’t share a close relative that evolve to look like one another.

Creature Descriptions

Postosuchus (Post crocodylian)- Height: 3 to 4 ft (1.21 m) Length: 15 to 20 ft (4.57 to 6.09 m) Weight: 1500 lbs (681 kg)

Postosuchus is a crocodylian relative that lived during the Late Triassic (230-200 mya) in North America. Fossil skeletons of Postosuchus have been found in Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and North Carolina suggesting that Postosuchus was a very successful and widespread animal. Postosuchus belonged to a group of reptiles called the rauisuchians and close relatives of Postosuchus have been found in India, South America, Poland, and Germany. Rauisuchians are very closely related to the crocodylian lineage that still survives today. Postosuchus was a fierce predator that possibly fed on the early dinosaurs. It measured between 15 - 20 feet and had long pointed teeth typical of carnivorous reptiles. Like crocodylians, Postosuchus walked on all four limbs. However, in contrast to crocodylians, the arms and legs of Postosuchus were directly underneath its body. Rows of small bony plates in the skin of Postosuchus lined the backbone and protected it from predators. After Postosuchus became extinct, carnivorous dinosaurs became much bigger and came to dominate every continent.

Protoceratops (First horned face)- Height: 3 ft (0.9 m) Length: 3 to 6 ft (.91 to 1.82 m) Weight: 400 lbs (181 kg)

Protoceratops was an ornithischian dinosaur that lived during the Late Cretaceous (~70 mya) in eastern Asia. Protoceratops is a ceratopsian, a group with famous members such as Triceratops and Styracosaurus. The ceratopsians lived exclusively in the northern hemisphere and survived until the end of the reign of the dinosaurs. Protocertops was one of the smaller ceratopsians in the Late Cretaceous measuring 3 - 6 feet in length. It had a large, delicate frill, a beak, and small horns on the side of its face. The teeth of Protoceratops indicate that it was an herbivore. Hundreds of skeletons have been found and an entire growth series (from babies to adults) have been discovered.

Pterosaurs – Ranges in size from a sparrow to an airplane

Pterosaurs are a group of flying reptiles that evolved in the Late Triassic and went extinct at the end of the Cretaceous. They were the first vertebrates to fly, sharing the sky with the early birds. The Pterosaurs were very diverse in size ranging from sparrow-sized to that of small airplane (30 foot wing span). Their wings were like no other flying vertebrate -- supported by an elongated fourth finger on the hand. Membranes connected the end of the wing to the body. Some Pterosaurs had very large heads with crests and beaks. Others had many teeth. New specimens from the Early Cretaceous of China show that some Pterosaurs were covered in small hair-like structures.

Creature Descriptions

Oviraptor (Egg thief)- Height: 4 ft (1.92 m) Length: 7 ft (2.13 m) Weight: 100 lbs (45.5 kg)

Oviraptor lived in the Late Cretaceous (~70 mya) in eastern Asia and was found on the famous 1920’s Asiatic Expeditions of the American Museum of Natural History. It belonged to an odd-looking group of carnivorous dinosaurs name the oviraptorids. Oviraptorids were diverse in Asia during the Cretaceous and representatives of the group have also been found in North America. Each species of oviraptorid had a unique crest on the top of its head. A close relative of Oviraptor suggests that these dinosaurs were covered in feathers. The tail and arms had long wing-like feathers. Oviraptor was bipedal, had long arms and a short tail. Oviraptor had large eyes, a short face, and a beak instead of teeth. It is unclear what Oviraptor ate, but most scientists think that it was a carnivore. Oviraptorid eggs are common in the Late Cretaceous of eastern Asia and fossil embryos have been found in Oviraptor eggs. One specimen of an oviraptorid, nicknamed “Big Mama,” was found sitting on a group of eggs. The specimen appears to have been protecting its eggs when it was buried by sand.

Redondasaurus- Height: 5 ft (1.52 m) Length: 20 to 30 ft (6.09 to 9.14 m) Head Length: 5ft (1.5 m) Weight: 26,000 lbs (11,700 kg)

Redondasaurus is a crocodylian relative that lived during the Late Triassic (230-200 mya) in North America. It is a member of a group of reptiles called the phytosaurs, which have been discovered in the Triassic of Europe, India, Africa, and North America. Phytosaurs look just like crocodylians with armored bodies, a sprawling gait, and an elongated snout. However, all of these characters evolved independently in both groups. Moreover, the nose of phytosaurs is on the top of the head instead of at the end of the snout like that of crocodylians. The carnivore Redondasaurus measures 20-30 feet and was one of the largest of its group. It had short limbs, bony plates covering its back, and an elongated, yet powerful snout. The anatomy of Redondasaurus indicates that it spent most of its life in rivers and lakes. Likewise, Redondasaurus was probably an ambush predator. Like crocodylians, phytosaurs had a variety of snout shapes ranging from thick, robust snouts to slight, elongated ones. Redondasaurus ate fishes, other reptiles, and possibly dinosaurs.

Seismosaurus (Earth-shaking lizard)- Height: 84 ft (25.6 m) Length: 115 ft (35 m) Weight: 50,000 lbs (22,000 kg)

Seismosaurus, one of the longest dinosaurs yet discovered, lived in northern New Mexico during the Late Jurassic (~145 mya). It is estimated to be over 120 feet in length and to weigh 30 tons. Seismosaurus is classified as a sauropod and, more specifically, a diplodocid, a group that contains the famous Diplodocus and Apatosaurus. Diplodocids were common and diverse in North America. Only a partial skeleton, including the stomach region, the pelvis, and parts of the tail, of Seismosaurus has been found to date. The rock in which it was found is so hard and preparation work is so slow that the bones are still being prepared today at the New Mexico Museum of Natural History of Science. Stones that are hypothesized to have helped Seismosaurus crush plant material were found in its stomach cavity. Some herbivorous birds also eat stones to help digestion.

Creature Descriptions

Tarbosaurus (Terror lizard)- Height: 11 ft (3.35 m) Length: 35 ft (10.6 m) Weight: 8,000 lbs (3,600 kg)

Tarbosaurus lived in the Late Cretaceous (~70 mya) of eastern Asia. Many skeletons have been found, from juveniles to adults. Tarbosaurus is a member of the tyrannosaurids, a group that includes the most well-known dinosaur, Tyrannosaurus Rex. Tyrannosaurids were some of the largest predators to have walked the Earth, but were restricted to the northern hemisphere. Tarbosaurus ranged in size from 30-40 feet in length and could have weighed up to five tons. The animal was clearly a carnivore and would have hunted hadrosaurs, ceratopsians, or even other carnivores. It had robust jaws, banana-shaped, serrated teeth, and strong muscle attachments for a powerful bite. Like its close cousin Tyrannosaurus Rex, Tarbosaurus had tiny arms. Evidence from the study of other tyrannosaurids suggests that Tarbosaurus may have been a social animal; it may have hunted in packs and may have had a social structure within the group. Furthermore, careful studies of the brain suggest that Tarbosaurus had a good sense of smell and had binocular vision, two characteristics that would have made it an excellent hunter.

Tarchia (Brain)- Height: 8 ft (2.4 m) Length: 20 ft (6.1 m) Weight: 5,700 lbs (2,586 kg)

The ankylosaurid Tarchia lived during the Late Cretaceous (~70 mya) in eastern Asia. Ankylosaurids were abundant in the Cretaceous faunas in the northern hemisphere where isolated armor plates are commonly found. Entire skeletons of Tarchia have been found in dune deposits. Tarchia was one of the largest Asian ankylosaurids measuring 20–25 feet long The back of Tarchia, like all of the ankylosaurs, was completely covered in armored plates. These plates protected it from large predators such as tyrannosaurids and dromeosaurs. The skull of Tarchia is thick and robust, measures over a foot wide and a foot long, and has two horn-like protuberances behind the eye. Tarchia had small, leaf-like teeth that suggest that it was an herbivore.

Velociraptor (Swift thief)- Height: 2 ft (0.6 m) Length: 5 ft (1.52 m) Weight: 30 lbs (13 kg)

Made famous by the Jurassic Park movie series, Velociraptor was a small carnivorous dinosaur that lived during the Late Cretaceous (~70 mya) in eastern Asia. Velociraptor adults were slightly larger than a turkey and not as large as they have been portrayed in the movies! It is a member of a group called the dromeosaurs that evolved in the Jurassic and has members in North and South America, Asia, and Europe. Dromeosaurs are found in nearly every fossil deposit from the Cretaceous period, which suggests that they were very successful. Close relatives of Velociraptor, such as Sinornithosaurus, suggest that Velociraptor was covered in feathers and that its arms and legs were covered in long feathers. However, Velociraptor did not have the adaptations for flight. Velociraptor was bipedal, has an elongated tail strengthened with small bony rods, long arms, and three lengthy fingers with large, pointed claws. Furthermore, the foot of the Velociraptor bears a modified “killing claw” that was used for hunting. One skeleton of Velociraptor was found attacking a Protoceratops. Both animals were likely in mortal combat when a sand dune collapsed and instantly buried them.