Fossil Finds
What is the name of the largest, best-preserved specimen of the Tyrannosaurus rex?
Sue
During the time of the Triassic, all the continents were fused into one supercontinent. What was the name of this continent?
Pangea
The word "dinosaur" is derived from the Greek words "deinos" and "sauros." What do these words mean?
Terrible + Lizard
Who is the man credited with discovering the first known specimen of the Spinosaurus aegypticus?
Ernst Stromer
Biologist Teri Kaskie was visiting the Dinosaur Provincial Park in Alberta when she found a hadrosaur fossil sticking out of a rock. Upon closer inspection, she discovered that the specimen was so well-preserved, it still had one thing on it that almost no other fossil had: what was it?
Skin
Of the different archosauromorphs, one group survived the End-Triassic Extinction and went on to dominate and diversify. These were the archosauriformes, a diverse group that even includes the dinosaurs. Today, two subclades of archosauriformes are still alive and kicking: semiaquatic crocodiles and...?
Birds, the last of the feathered dinosaurs
Which dinosaur's name means "the quick plunderer"?
Velociraptor
Spinosaurinae is only one subfamily of the Spinosauridae family. What is the other one?
Baryonychinae
In a desert lake in Southern Brazil, a “bone bed” was discovered of a certain ancient reptile. At least 47 of these specimens of varying ages were discovered in this desert lake, indicating that this place was a colony for this particular reptile. What was this reptile?
Pterosaurs
The allokotosauria (a name which meant "strange reptiles") was a clade of early archosauromorphs from the Middle to Late Triassic. They included two species of reptile: the trilophosaurus and...?
Azendohsauridae
This genus of trilophosaurid archosauromorphs from the Late Triassic has a name that means "wonderful creeping thing" in Greek. What is this?
Teraterpeton
In 1996, the State Museum of Natural History Stuttgart acquired a dinosaur skull of what was assumed to be a giant pterosaur. However, after removing some alterations that had been made to the skull, it turned out to belong to a spinosaur. What did they name this spinosaur?
Irritator challengeri
During the construction of the University of Massachusetts Amherst campus, a geology professor noticed some interesting rocks in the rubble where the campus was being built. He brought it home to analyze it and discovered that it was a fossil that belonged to which Early Jurassic dinosaur?
Neotheropods
The eorhynchochelys was an extinct genus of stem-turtle from the Late Triassic. The most notable thing about this particular ancient turtle was that it was missing one important thing. What was it missing?
A shell
This genus of allosaurid dinosaurs is named, rather humbly, the “lord of lizard-eaters.” What was this dinosaur’s name?
Saurophaganax
Spinosaurs, like all theropods, had what is called a ziphodont dentition. This means that their teeth had ______ on the front and back. What did their teeth have?
Serrations
The Natovenator polydontus was a dromaesaurid dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous. Its name, natovenator, means “to swim” (nato) and “hunter” (venator), hinting at this dinosaur’s semi-aquatic lifestyle. However, that makes where this specimen was found MUCH more interesting. Where was the natovenator found?
Gobi Desert
You know that dinosaurs aren’t really known for having great arms, but in the wild world of the Triassic, there’s one species that boasts the title of “weirdest arms.” Some characteristics include a flat blade-shaped radius that was almost perpendicular to the ulna, fused wristbones, and a single giant claw on their second digit. What is the name of this lizard?
Drepanosaurus
The ankylosaurine dinosaur Zuul crurivastator was named after a character from an 80's movie. Name the movie.
Zuul from 1984’s Ghostbusters
One of the most disputed things about the spinosaurus relates to the function of their sails or humps. There are some that say they served a hydrodynamic purpose, while others suggest they were used for courtship rituals. However, there is one interesting use that has been proposed, and it has to do with something called “Haldane’s Principle”. What is this use?
Thermoregulation / Cooling