The Paleontology Thread

[MoarCrossovers]

Eh, I dont buy the beak hypothesis.

It’s sad the community and media is already acting like it’s confirmed when it’s literally just somebody saying “they MAY have had beaks”

I can’t wait for the complaints of “where are the beaks” on every piece of pale part ever now”

But in other news, it’s confirmed that Edmontosaurus, and maybe other hadrosaurs, had hoof like structures on their front legs

Eh... It was more like a giant nail, in reality. The bottom of the foot was still scales/skin, with the keratin structure covering the digits.

[gottatalktothefake]

That’s neat, thanks for the clarification

[Rhedosaurus]

10 meter/33 foot long pilosaur found in Poland.

Late Cretaceous era dinosaur footprints of hadrosaurs, a theropod, most likely the tyrannosaur Nanuqusaurus, and an ankylosaur found and described in Alaska.

[Rhedosaurus]

Does anybody know how sauropods slept and where they put their necks when doing so? Because the only idea I can think of is that they put their necks, and maybe tail if they were tall enough, in between the gaps of the main branches as props before they slept standing.

[_JNavs_]

Does anybody know how sauropods slept and where they put their necks when doing so? Because the only idea I can think of is that they put their necks, and maybe tail if they were tall enough, in between the gaps of the main branches as props before they slept standing.

Is it possible they slept curled up? Or were their bodies not that flexible?

[gottatalktothefake]

Finally went to the new Sue exhibit recently with my family, and it was incredible. It was so much better with all of the context and world surrounding T. rex instead of just the skeleton itself.

Also the T. rex breath station is rank as fuck. According to a family member who is a nurse “it smells like wet gangrene”.

[Rhedosaurus]

Does anybody know how sauropods slept and where they put their necks when doing so? Because the only idea I can think of is that they put their necks, and maybe tail if they were tall enough, in between the gaps of the main branches as props before they slept standing.

Is it possible they slept curled up? Or were their bodies not that flexible?

The smaller ones 40 feet and under could, but I don't think any over 60 could.

Finally went to the new Sue exhibit recently with my family, and it was incredible. It was so much better with all of the context and world surrounding T. rex instead of just the skeleton itself.

Also the T. rex breath station is rank as skreeonk. According to a family member who is a nurse “it smells like wet gangrene”.

That's interesting. I saw Sue back in 2000 when she was the centerpiece of the museum.

[JAGzilla]

I would imagine they either slept standing up and could just unconsciously keep their necks and tails stable (sharks sleep while swimming and hippos sleeping underwater automatically surface to breath, so things like that are possible) or they lay down and kept their necks flat on the ground in front of them, if they were flexible enough to allow that. Either way, they likely slept in short naps, waking up frequently to check for predators, like giraffes do. Sleeping too deeply would be dangerous for an animal with a long, vulnerable neck and a heavy, ponderous body that couldn't have had very fast reaction times.

[Rhedosaurus]

I would imagine they either slept standing up and could just unconsciously keep their necks and tails stable (sharks sleep while swimming and hippos sleeping underwater automatically surface to breath, so things like that are possible) or they lay down and kept their necks flat on the ground in front of them, if they were flexible enough to allow that.

Except that sharks and hippos barely have necks. That and only some certain sauropods could conceivably lay down. A 90 ft long, but lightly built (it was only 12-15 tons) Dipodocus or a fairly small titanosaur like Saltasaurus might and a dwarf sauropod could. But an 80 ft long 35 ton Brontosaurus, that one 110 ft long 50 Apatosaurus from Oklahoma, and a 90-100 ft long, 90+ ton Alamosaurus can't because of how massivly built they were, especially Alamosaurus and any other large titanosaur for that matter. And Brachiosaurus certainly couldn't.

[JAGzilla]

I would imagine they either slept standing up and could just unconsciously keep their necks and tails stable (sharks sleep while swimming and hippos sleeping underwater automatically surface to breath, so things like that are possible) or they lay down and kept their necks flat on the ground in front of them, if they were flexible enough to allow that.

Except that sharks and hippos barely have necks.

So? I was just pointing out that some animals are capable of performing somewhat complex behaviors while asleep. Balancing a neck might be doable, too. I'll say you're probably right that large sauropods would've had a hard time lying down, though.

[SoggyNoodles2016]

Does anybody know how sauropods slept and where they put their necks when doing so? Because the only idea I can think of is that they put their necks, and maybe tail if they were tall enough, in between the gaps of the main branches as props before they slept standing.

As mentioned, they probably just slept standing up. If their necks evolved to hold themselves up all day, I don't think it's a stretch that they were able to hold them up while awake.

[Tyrant_Lizard_King]

Finally went to the new Sue exhibit recently with my family, and it was incredible. It was so much better with all of the context and world surrounding T. rex instead of just the skeleton itself.

Also the T. rex breath station is rank as skreeonk. According to a family member who is a nurse “it smells like wet gangrene”.

That's interesting. I saw Sue back in 2000 when she was the centerpiece of the museum.

Saw her in 2010 at her 10th anniversary. I think I lost all my photos though when my last hard drive crashed.

[Dino-Mario]

New ceratopsian! Ferrisaurus sustutensis

https://peerj.com/articles/7926/?fbclid ... z7kxC8CU4Q

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british- ... -1.5351223

[SoggyNoodles2016]

A Mexico expedition has discovered a group of traps early humans used to capture, butcher and ritually arrange the remains of prey items, including the skeletons of 14 mammoths

[Rhedosaurus]

How did Denversaurus become its own species again when we still have just the one skeleton with a pretty damaged skull? It was supposed to be an Edmontonia back in the 1990's and the 2000's, but it suddenly became it's own thing. How is that and don't we need more specimens to be sure of that?

[SoggyNoodles2016]

How did Denversaurus become its own species again when we still have just the one skeleton with a pretty damaged skull? It was supposed to be an Edmontonia back in the 1990's and the 2000's, but it suddenly became it's own thing. How is that and don't we need more specimens to be sure of that?

According to my brief research, it has too many distinct features of it's own to be one to one for Edmontia and it's stratigraphical postion places it as living after Edmonita, not around the same time as it would if it was a species.

[Rhedosaurus]

How did Denversaurus become its own species again when we still have just the one skeleton with a pretty damaged skull? It was supposed to be an Edmontonia back in the 1990's and the 2000's, but it suddenly became it's own thing. How is that and don't we need more specimens to be sure of that?

According to my brief research, it has too many distinct features of it's own to be one to one for Edmontia and it's stratigraphical postion places it as living after Edmonita, not around the same time as it would if it was a species.

But again. Considering how there is just one specimen with a damaged skull, don't we need more remains in much better shape to be sure?

[Gigantis]

So uh..did that "Sauropods have beaks" hypothesis go anywhere or is it in the trash?

[SoggyNoodles2016]

How did Denversaurus become its own species again when we still have just the one skeleton with a pretty damaged skull? It was supposed to be an Edmontonia back in the 1990's and the 2000's, but it suddenly became it's own thing. How is that and don't we need more specimens to be sure of that?

According to my brief research, it has too many distinct features of it's own to be one to one for Edmontia and it's stratigraphical postion places it as living after Edmonita, not around the same time as it would if it was a species.

But again. Considering how there is just one specimen with a damaged skull, don't we need more remains in much better shape to be sure?

Again, the fact they existed in two completely different time frames negates any possibility of the morphological differences not being enough.

There's a million year gap, by that point, they are different species, no matter how alike they are. It's like saying if there's any evidence Neovenator isn't just a species of Allosaurus

[ScootaVaran]

So uh..did that "Sauropods have beaks" hypothesis go anywhere or is it in the trash?

Well the theory hasn't gone anywhere if that's what you're asking. Something like that will need some more evidence and even then it would take time before the public accepts it.