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Newly discovered horse-sized dinosaur fossils shed light on how T. rex evolved

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Newly discovered horse-sized dinosaur fossils shed light on how T. rex evolved

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New discovered dinosaur (horse sized) showed proof on how the T-Rex expanded.

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Mar 15, 2016 | By Tess

While much is known about the infamous Tyrannosaurus Rex in popular knowledge, such as its mammoth size, its dominant predatory capabilities, and its ability to scare the pants off of movie audiences, scientists have continued to puzzle over how the long-extinct species became such a dominant hunter during the late Cretaceous Period, around 70 million years ago. Now, however, scientists may have more insight into the Tyrannosaurus Rex's evolution, thanks to a recent and significant paleontological find.

For years, paleontologists and researchers have known that the tyrannosaur family of dinosaurs, of which the T. Rex was a part, evolved from small, dog-sized predators into the massive creatures we are more familiar with. This evolution occurred over the course of 70 million years, and many questions remained as to how the giant dinosaur got to where it did. Deep in the Kyzylkum Desert of Uzbekistan, newly discovered fossils of a previously unknown horse-sized dinosaur could offer some important clues, according to a new published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Dr. Hans Sues
The newly discovered fossils, from a dinosaur called the Timurlengia euotica that lived about 90 million years ago, reveal some particularly important pieces of information about the T. Rex. Firstly, that the dinosaur's transition from an average-sized biter to the familiar colossal beast which adorns the Jurassic Park logo actually occurred very suddenly, towards the end of its 70-million-year evolutionary period. And secondly, the fossils of the horse-sized creature suggest that the tyrannosaur, prior to its sudden growth spurt, had developed keen senses and cognitive abilities, such as the ability to hear low-frequency sounds.

As Hans Sues, chair of the Department of Paleobiology at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History, explains of the newly found species, "Timurlengia was a nimble pursuit hunter with slender, blade-like teeth suitable for slicing through meat. It probably preyed on the various large plant-eaters, especially early duck-billed dinosaurs, which shared its world. Clues from the life of Timurlengia allow us to fill in gaps and better understand the life and evolution of other related dinosaurs, like T. rex."

Steve Brusatte, who led the team of paleontologists studying the tyrannosaur fossils added, "The ancestors of T. rex would have looked a whole lot like Timurlengia, a horse-sized hunter with a big brain and keen hearing that would put us to shame. Only after these ancestral tyrannosaurs evolved their clever brains and sharp senses did they grow into the colossal sizes of T. rex. Tyrannosaurs had to get smart before they got big."

Scientists were able to find out information about the dinosaur's enhanced cognitive capabilities thanks to the discovery of an astonishingly well-preserved Timurlengia euotica braincase. By using CT scanning and 3D printing technologies, researchers at the University of Edinburgh were able to recreate a model of the braincase in order to investigate the fossil in depth. Two holes in the braincase showed that the T. euotica had optic nerves that would have been connected to very large eyes, giving it a sharp sense of vision. Significantly, scientists also found that the dinosaur had a very long cochlea, the auditory portion of the inner ear, indicating that the dinosaur may have been able to hear low frequency sounds, such as the footsteps of prey or food approaching.

Amy Muir, an undergraduate who worked with geoscientist Ian Butler to analyze the CT scans of the fossil explains, "I mainly worked on the computer using a program called Mimics to analyze the CT scans and create a 3D model of T. euotica's cranial anatomy. When you look at the model of T. euotica's cranial anatomy, the first thing you notice is that it has huge ears, with wide semicircular canals. This is unusual for a tyrannosaur - usually the semicircular canals are narrower and the inner ear is smaller." These keen senses may have helped the tyrannosaurs evolve from small predatorial dinosaurs into the hulking, top of the foodchain T.Rex by allowing them to expertly avoid pry while becoming more skilled hunters.

Thought the find is significant and has offered many clues into the only partially understood evolution of the infamous Tyrannosaurus Rex, there is still much left to be discovered. As the study concludes, "Timurlengia remains a single data point from a still murky interval in dinosaur history, and future discoveries from this gap will undoubtedly lead to a better understanding of how tyrannosauroids rose from marginal creatures into some of the largest terrestrial predators in Earth history."

Posted in 3D Printing Application

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Dr. Arv Edgeworth wrote at 3/17/2016 3:12:39 AM:

Dinosaurs like most reptiles probably kept growing as long as they lived. Has anyone considered the possibility that the smaller fossils were possibly the younger ones and the larger fossils were much older. We could possibly be looking at younger and older fossils of the same dinosaur species, not separate species.

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Mar 15, 2016 | By Tess While much is known about the infamous Tyrannosaurus Rex in popular knowledge, such as its mammoth size, its dominant predatory capabilities, and its ability to scare the pants off of movie audiences, scientists have continued to puzzle over how the long-extinct species became such a dominant hunter during the late Cretaceous Period, around 70 million years ago.

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In 2103 the pterosaur is a dinosaur that was found by a 9 year old girl.

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The rare fossils and feathered models in the latest Dinosaurs Among Us exhibit opening today at New York's American Museum of Natural History are arresting, but the aesthetic appeal of such relics is nothing new to wealthy collectors. That's a mixed blessing. Museums have a history of spending millions of dollars to outbid one another and secure spectacular skeletons, but now they're more often coming up against affluent individuals whose deep pockets they can't match. T. Rex skulls alone are routinely valued over $1 million.

Furthermore, though private enthusiasts who act responsibly are an integral part of the fossil market, in some cases scientific breakthroughs go unstudied and unseen because of unscrupulous actions on the dinosaur black market. Breakthroughs like those seen at the AMNH exhibit are dependent on rigorous science, spanning from a fossil's discovery to its display, and even wealthy collectors who have the best intentions may be unwittingly doing harm-and could find themselves afoul of the law to boot. Actor Nicolas Cage famously relinquished a rare tyrannosaur skull -which Leonardo DiCaprio also bid for-when the U.S. attorney in Manhattan filed a civil forfeiture complaint to return it to Mongolia.

Of course, amateurs have long played a crucial role in fossil collecting, notes Michael Novacek, Provost of Science and Curator of the Division of Paleontology at the AMNH, who cites numerous examples of dinosaurs found by non-scientists, like a nine-year-old who had a pterosaur named after her in 2013. Moreover, scientists are happy to hear that ancient life has captured the public imagination: Museums around the world are indebted to wealthy dinosaur enthusiasts who have generously bankrolled voyages and endowed funds.

"We're not objecting to fossils being sold; we don't have anything against people who want to own fossils," says Philip Currie, Professor at the University of Alberta and Canada Research Chair of Dinosaur Paleobiology. "But where I work in Mongolia, it's horrible what's happened." Currie describes decimated digs with bones smashed and partial skeletons left behind as the most valuable fossils are ripped from the ground.

Mongolia is not alone. Demand (and high prices) has led to a black market, where people in fossil-rich nations raid excavation sites-a problem in U.S. public lands as well. Because raiders rarely have any technical skill, they can't record data about a fossil's context, which can lead to catastrophic loss.

For example, oviraptor, discovered in the 1920s, takes its name from Latin for "egg thief," but this dinosaur was exonerated decades later when fossils showed it was positioned protectively over eggs in its nest, not stealing them for food. Such knowledge would be lost if the fossils were simply lifted from the ground without recording the surroundings. Delicate imprints of feathers, the basis of much of the AMNH's new exhibit, wouldn't have survived rough excavation either.

Worse, sellers know that certain fossils, like teeth, fetch a higher price on their own, so they will destroy fossils to extract valuable parts. "You really have to have experience to identify a lot of features in skeletal anatomy," says Ashley Heers, postdoctoral researcher in the AMNH's division of paleontology, who stresses that many poachers can't tell what's important and what's not at a dig site. To wit, careful years-long examination of a medullary bone led to the surprising possible discovery of a pregnant Tyrannosaurs Rex.

And because aesthetics are crucial to collectors, poachers do their own "restoration work," says Currie. "When you look at it, it may look good, but it's really doctored with plaster." That means it will have little scientific value even if someone wants to donate it; museums can't accept illegally acquired goods, and even a relatively intact specimen can't be the basis of a scientific paper without the author showing proper provenance.

Donors might not even get that far, however. Recently the U.S. has been cracking down on fossil smuggling. Mongolia has the oldest fossil protection laws on the books, nearly a century old, but other countries have also banned the export. For example, the AMNH's recently unveiled 122-foot Titanosaur was unearthed in Patagonia and will ultimately return to Argentina. "These are national treasures," says curator Novacek.

That means that collectors may often be presented with illegally sourced artifacts, which can have legal ramifications if they buy them. A fossil that sold for $1 million at Heritage Auction in 2012 was immediately seized and returned to Mongolia; it was later revealed that it was supplied by the same man who had provided Cage's skull, who was sentenced to three months in prison.

So what's a responsible fossil collector to do to follow his passion? "Work with a scientist," Novacek told Penta. Speaking in the AMNH's exhibit hall, he said that scientists can do a great deal to help wealthy buyers sift through potential acquisitions and make good decisions without sacrificing the integrity of their collection.

Alberta's Currie echoes that sentiment. "Bottom line, the best thing is to ask questions. Whether it's me or someone at the AMNH, ask a paleontologist. They're very willing to give information." He says that anything from nations like China, Mongolia, and Argentina is immediately suspect, because these countries have long-standing export bans. He also suggests collectors look at a specimen's papers-often shadily sourced fossils will be listed as rocks or other minerals on documents to skirt laws.

Sponsoring fossil-finding missions is another possibility. Philanthropists have long funded paleontologists: Andrew Carnegie's team found the skeleton of one of the biggest land-animal skeletons ever, and named it Apatosaurus Louisae after the magnate's wife. Museums are happy to publicly acknowledge their patrons for individual fossils and exhibits, and sponsors are welcome to drop by at dig sites to see their generosity in action.

Fascination with fossils won't go extinct any time soon, so to prevent harmful, illegal practices and avoid legal trouble, wealthy collectors need to ensure they're acting on the right side of the law. The good news is that responsible collectors can do a great deal to advance science while still indulging their passions.

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The rare fossils and feathered models in the latest Dinosaurs Among Us exhibit opening today at New York's American Museum of Natural History are arresting, but the aesthetic appeal of such relics is nothing new to wealthy collectors. That's a mixed blessing.

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This is a dimetrodon it was found in 1831.

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1.Find more fossils.
2.Go to a museum with a lot of breathtaking fossils.
3.Put bones together to make 1 big animal/dinosaur.

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This tells you what a fossil is,different fossils and how dinosaurs die and turn into fossils.

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Смех, юмор. Подписывайтесь на наш канал!

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This is about How fossils form.

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1.How do fossils stay in place when they're in the ground?
2.Do fossils and rocks stay in place?
3.What are the most common fossils?

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This is a Velociraptor that has been in the ground for millons of years.