DINOSAURS OF UTAH
NEWEST DINOSAUR DISCOVERY Feather from a dinosaur trapped in amber (fossilized resin from extinct trees) Theropod (mainly uses its hind legs to move around)
TIME PERIODS Paleozoic 251-542 million years ago Mesozoic 65 251 million years ago Cenozoic 65 million years ago to present
PALEOZOIC 251-542 million years ago Time of ancient life Only one continent (called Pangaea)
PALEOZOIC Marine organisms were strange and bizarre many of them are now extinct Trilobites Climactichnites Conodonts Ostracoderms (armored fish)
PALEOZOIC Strange and bizarre organisms Ordovician Ammonoids Placodermi (armored fish) 20 foot long alligator like creatures Massive marine extinction occurred at the end of Paleozoic time
MESOZOIC 65-251 million years ago Split into three different time periods Triassic (200-251 million years ago) Jurassic (145-200 million years ago) Cretaceous (65-145 million years ago) Extreme changes in earth Era of dinosaurs Pangaea Continent starts to drift apart Evolutionary Experimentation follows resulting in great variety of animals
LATE MESOZOIC ERA Periods of massive animal extinction Polarity shifts (reversal of earth s magnetic field) stopped for 35 million years It is normal to have a shift every 500,000 years We have not had a shift in about 780,000 years More ocean water due to a period of global warming (about 15-20 warmer than today) High volcanic activity above and below water Western Interior Seaway forms
WESTERN INTERIOR SEAWAY Part of Utah underwater Sandy and muddy areas around central/eastern Utah
CONTINENTS DRIFT APART During the Mesozoic Era continents begin to separate During the Cretaceous period, continents start to drift apart and take the shape similar to how they look today Continents moved about one inch per year
UTAH DINOSAURS Herbivore: plant eating Carnivore: meat eating
HERBIVORE FOOD Conifers Coniferous trees grow up instead of out and are of a triangular shape. Its seeds grow in cones. There are three major groups of conifers -- firs, spruces and pines.
HERBIVORE FOOD Ginkgos are large trees, normally reaching a height of 60 100 feet Long branches Deep root system that is resistant to wind and snow Can live to be more than 2,500 years old Can grow roots on the underside of leaves that will sprout new trees if they come in contact with soil
HERBIVORE FOOD Cycads are short, palm tree-like trees Many cycad fossils have been found Used to be much more abundant and diverse Leaves are stiff and would have been difficult to chew
HERBIVORE FOOD Ferns: flowerless plants that has feathery or leafy foliage Can grow very dense in the right environment
CARNIVORE FOOD Carnivores ate other dinosaurs, lizards, insects, and early mammals
APATOSAURUS Herbivore Inaccurately called Brontosaurus for many years Grew to about 75 feet long, 45 tons (equal to about 9 elephants) Large claw on thumb of front feet probably to help it move side to side while finding food to eat
APATOSAURUS Nostrils on top of head suggesting they might have had trunks, but we don t know for sure Tail could have been used like a whip against other animals Probably not attacked often due to their size Probably moved around alone or in small groups of 2-3 Often lived near Stegosaurus not sure why
STEGOSAURUS Herbivore Most common Utah Stegosaurus was about 20 feet long and had 6-8 tail spikes Weighed as much as 6 tons (equal to about one adult elephant) Small teeth used to eat tough plant tissue Claws on each of its feet Plates on its back thin wall of bone surrounding spongy center probably full of blood
STEGOSAURUS Plates attached to back muscles, not spine Plates probably used to warm or cool their body Tail spikes probably used for defense Probably attacked by Allosaurus Lived near Apatosaurus Ate vegetation near the ground One of the smallest brain to body size ratios (about the size of a human fist)
CAMPTOSAURUS Herbivore Many have been found in Utah Usually 15-18 feet long A few have been found that are much larger (28 feet) Weighed 2000 pounds (similar to a Rhino) Thoroughly chewed food with its small teeth
CAMPTOSAURUS Very powerful hind legs Probably ate vegetation close to the ground Probably ate on all four legs and then got on hind legs to move from place to place No protective armor; slower than other dinosaurs was probably able to hide in dense vegetation Probably moved around in herds
CAMARASAURUS Herbivore 50 feet long; 12 feet high Weighed about 25-30 tons (5 elephants) Many have been found in Utah Thousands of Camarasaurus fossils have been found Probably carried their tails high above the ground
CAMARASAURUS One of the most complete (90%) dinosaur skeletons ever found was a Camarasaurus Very strong teeth compared to others that could chew a variety of different plants Ate plants a little higher than ground level
DIPLODOCUS Herbivore 70 feet long; 13 feet tall 15 tons (3 elephants) Probably roamed in herds Ate vegetation in high places Could not lift heads higher than about the top of their bodies Droppings mostly liquid and would have formed a pool 33 feet across
DIPLODOCUS Necks moved more side to side to reach food instead of up and down Could probably lift up some on their hind legs to get higher using their tail to balance Small teeth were not used much probably used a gizzard to help digest food Ate stones (several pounds) that were used to help digest food in a gizzard
DRYOSAURUS Herbivore Small (6-10 feet long; 3-4 feet tall) Weighed about 200 pounds Small teeth that could thoroughly shear plants Probably a very fast runner
DRYOSAURUS Many fossils have been found of Dryosaurus babies in Utah As small as 4 inches long about the size of small bird near Dinosaur National Monument Baby fossils finds are rare Utah seems to have been a good place for Dryosaurus to nest and lay their eggs
TRICERATOPS Herbivore Rare in Utah Rows of teeth locked together to form continuous cutting blade When food was swallowed it was shredded and probably looked something like confetti
TRICERATOPS Probably used horns to ward off predators (possibly charging them) Biggest predator was probably Tyrannosaurus Rex Probably traveled in herds Poor sense of smell
ALLOSAURUS Carnivore Most common dinosaur found in Utah (most found near Price) It has been named the official fossil of Utah At least 44 different animals have been found in Emery County alone 43 feet long; 8-9 feet tall Weighed 2 tons (Rhino)
ALLOSAURUS Head was about three feet long Lower jaw had flexible joints allowing large chunks of food or even entire animals to be swallowed at once Strong neck and back Tail probably used to balance Massive hind legs Probably one of the smartest dinosaurs
ALLOSAURUS Too slow for Dryosaurus and not strong enough to prey on larger dinosaurs Probably had poor hearing, but a good sense of smell May have hunted in groups Most of the fossils are found in an area that was a swamp Larger dinosaurs would have gotten stuck in the mud when it rained providing Allosaurus with a way to catch them
ALLOSAURUS Had 4 inch long teeth that angled towards the back of their mouth prey would push farther into the teeth if they struggled Allosaurus droppings have been found 5 feet long Four inches thick
UTAHRAPTOR Carnivore New discovery Very sharp claws and teeth to kill prey 20 feet long
UTAHRAPTOR About 1,000 pounds (large horse) Foot claw was close to two feet long Largest raptor found in the world Probably a solitary hunter (hunted alone)
TYRANNOSAURUS REX Carnivore Rare in Utah 35 feet long 6-7 tons (one elephant) Excellent hearing and smell Droppings have been found to be about as large as half a gallon.
TYRANNOSAURUS REX Teeth probably about six inches long Lived all over North America Probably ate dinosaurs like Triceritops and Alamosaurus Could run about as fast as a human slower than most other dinosaurs
EXTINCTION Before becoming extinct, dinosaurs adapted to global warming, moving continents, and changing food sources (plants changed and many animals became extinct) They were more successful than any land animals in the history of the earth (lived for 140 million years) We don t know why dinosaurs became extinct
EXTINCTION Possible reasons: Disease Massive asteroid hit earth Climate changed drastically Plants changed Shrinking seas Volcanoes Many other animals became extinct at about the same time Most dinosaurs became extinct much earlier Last survivors: Triceritops, Alamosaurus and Tyrannosaurus
EXTINCTION Most reliable information suggests something like this: Most dinosaurs and several other animals died off slowly over several millions of years for a variety of reasons The last surviving dinosaurs (Triceritops, Alamosaurus and Tyrannosaurus) were struggling to survive about 65 million years ago There is strong evidence to suggest that a major event such as an asteroid hitting earth or large volcanic activity ended the lives of the last dinosaurs
EXTINCTION Evidence that suggests an asteroid hit earth shows it was a huge asteroid: About the size of Salt Lake City Left a crater the width of Farmington to Nephi (middle of Utah) about a 100 miles long Dented the crust of the earth (18 miles thick) Had a major effect on earth s ecosystem