Avian Dinosaurs
Which group of dinosaurs do birds belong to?
Theropods
What did theropod dinosaurs eats?
Meat
What did ornithischian dinosaurs eat?
Plants
During which geologic period did dinosaurs first appear?
Triassic period
What is the leading theory for the cause of the extinction of the non-avian dinosaurs?
An asteroid strike
What is the state bird of South Dakota?
Ring-Necked Pheasant
What state was Sue the T.Rex found in?
South Dakota
What is the state fossil of South Dakota?
Triceratops
On which continent did dinosaurs first appear?
South America
How long ago did the non-avian dinosaurs go extinct?
65-66 million years ago
What do scientist consider the earliest bird?
Archaeopteryx
List 2 theropod dinosaurs that had feathers.
Velociraptor, utahraptor, archaeopteryx, sinosauropteryx, Yutyrannus, microraptor, etc.
What did ankylosaurs have at the end of their tails that they used to defend against predators?
What group of animals are the ancestors of dinosaurs?
Archosaurs
What percent of animal species went extinct at the end of the Cretaceous period?
75%-80%
How many species of birds exist today? (within 100)
11,000
In Jurassic Park, velociraptor is depicted as a man-sized dinosaur. What was the true size of velociraptor?
1.5 - 2 meters long, 0.5 meter tall, comparable to a large turkey
The pelvic structure of ornithischians is similar to what modern group of animals?
birds
When was the first scientifically discovered dinosaur found?
1824
What evidence was found to support the asteroid strike hypothesis for the dinosaur's extinction?
Chicxulub crater, iridium deposits
What is the most widespread (common) dinosaur alive today?
Domestic Chicken
What was the largest theropod dinosaur to have existed?
Spinosaurus
What did dinosaurs like triceratops and pachycephalosaurus use their head gear (horns, bony-domed head) for?
Mating display, combat
What evolutionary trait distinguishes dinosaurs from their reptile relatives?
upright gait with legs positioned beneath the body
Besides an asteroid strike, what is the other most commonly proposed cause/contributing factor of the dinosaurs' extinction?
Volcanism