Hi Brad, read the latest installment? What time is it on your state anyway?
from Billy Macdraw, age 18, ....., ....., .....; October 31, 2000

Stegosaurus would appear to be superficially more reptilian though, I would hope. Feathery stegosaurs? I don't think the world is ready for it.
from Brad, age 13, Woodville, ON, Canada; October 31, 2000

A .50cal machine gun like the M2 Browning should do it. But it has to be fired from a fixed position, which means you cannot run away as the raptors or rex approaches. Good luck.

Sorry man, I just had a bad morning. One of my country's 747 jets just went down in Taiwan. 66 Dead.
from Honkie Tong, age 16, Singapore, ?, ?; October 31, 2000

I don't have slightest the clue what you are talking. Dinosaurs were more like birds than reptiles, so I have no idea what your wife has seen. It could be a extramely ugly lizard though.
from ?, age ?, ?, ?, ?; October 31, 2000

My wife claims to have seen a reptile at a pet store that looked like a miniature stegasaurus. Does anybody out there know what she may have seen?
from Keith, age 35, New Raymer, CO, USA; October 31, 2000

Buckshot is pretty damaging. I don't think it will just tickle a raptor. Also, a raptor is very muscular so I don't think you wold be able to take it down before it got you! My original question was concerned with survival. So, yeah, injuring or bringing down a raptor would delay the hunt. And I think that only an anti-tank rifle would drive a T-Rex off. Would a heavy machine gun also do?

I see your point Levine and I concede it.
from DW, age 14, Singapore, ?, ?; October 30, 2000

Buckshot will only tickle the raptor. Buckshot is for small animals, not big raptors. If you intend to use a .50 cal to kill a Rex, please file off the fore-sight so it wouldn't hurt so much if the Rex took it from your hands and stuffed it up where the sun don't shine.

How can you say it wouldn't take more than a .50 to kill a Rex? A .50 can't even kill an elephant which is considerably smaller and lighter.If you ask me, a Linstrat air rifle firing a dart tipped with coneshell toxin is the only way to bring any dino down with one shot. But you have to be careful though, the toxin spreads everwhere so you will ahve to wear a NBC suit.
from Bradley .T, age 11, ?, ?, ?; October 30, 2000

Oh yes, I remembered the stopping power formula:

Number of shots taken to stop subject on adverage= Weight of indivudial(divided by ten) divided by power in jules f shot

So it means a Rex weighing 6000kilos from and a 2300 jule .50 bullet will take about: 6000000/10/2300

260 .50 cal rounds on adverage if you hit in in non vital areas.
from Shaun, age 15, ?, ?, ?; October 30, 2000

I beg to differ. The reason I chose even more firepower when dealing with dinos is because dinos are different, here's why.

The problem with these damn dinos is that they are harder to kill than a mammal of the same weight. Thick ribs make a shot to the heart diecy, like birds they don't have a centralised nervus system, making it hard to disable it with a head shot or a spine shot. They are also slow bleeders like birds and reptiles, slow to bleed, slow to die. My idea is killing a dino with one shot.

Rex probally wouldn't be threatened by the noise of gunfire, he has never heard it before and is not used to getting scared. A .50 cal is hardly good enough for the job, you can puncture his lung but it's unlikely to cause a collaspe. Anyway, if you can collaspe the lung of the Raptor, he will still kill you begore he dies anyway. Take bull elephants for example, they take more than a .50 to kill. In fact, I have seen them take down a elephant on TV before, it took them more than 5 volleys of .357 ammo. To say we can disable a rex with one shot is a felony. How do you hit the eye of an animal charging you at 35 miles per hour? (try playing carnivores 2 and you'll see the problem) I propose the smallest weapon we should use is the South African Riotkeeper semiauto shotgun with a 50 round drum magizine firing buckshot and discarding sabot tungsten darts.
from Honkie Tong, age 16, ?, ?, ?; October 30, 2000

But complex animals are defined by behaviour. I'll tell you how:

One species of dinosaur rooting around in a swamp after a chaotic behaviour change destroys some native plants that were the natural food for some species. This leads to the extinction of the species which leads to the extinction of all those who dependes on them in ecology. Even more dislocations happen and before you know it, it is all over, all by behaviour.

If you ask me, some modern complex animal species on earth are going extinct because of a change in behaviour of another complex animal...man.
from Levine, age 24, ?, ?, ?; October 30, 2000

Dinosuars are fun and exciting.
from Mondaizie R., age 10, Macon, Georgia, United States; October 30, 2000

I've seen pictures various places on the web of animatronic dinosaurs used in Japanese Dinosaur theme parks. Can anyone tell me the names of these parks? It seems the Japanese hold dinosaurs very dear and in the world of dinosaur sculpture seem to be extremly adept. Can anyone tell me of any english language sites dealing with japanese dinosaur sculptors and thier projects?

also, i noticed further down the list here there are some posts concerning the level of firepower needed to kill various dinosaur species. These posts seem more aimed at turning the dinosaur into hamburger. When hunting this of course is not the idea. IF you are in a situation where you need to be defending yourself against a group of various dinosaurs, a semi-automatic shotgun with a large magazine would suffice. Raptors would not stick around after one of them is blasted in the face with a round of 00. The instinct to survive would cause them to leave or at least suspend the hunt on you. A 12 guage slug to the chest of even a Utah Raptor would collapse its lungs, leaving it gasping for air in the last few seconds of its life. A T. Rex can be driven away with the Buckshot, one shot to the face, and if your aim is good, the loss of an eye will turn a Rex around in its own footprints to leave the area. These are animals, the sound of the gunshot, combined with the stinging burn of the shot would be enough to make most any predator think twice. To kill a T. Rex, or similar size carnosaur would'nt take much more than .50 fired from a rifle. A modern sniper rifle firing a round that large into the side of the chest in the correct spot will cause fatal damage to the respitory system, and if the round hits a rib, the damage will be greater, not lessened as the fragments of bone fly throught the already damaged area, while the now flattened bullet smashes through everything in front of it in a path the size of a basketball. Goodnight Gracie, so they say. But if you're hankering for Rexburgers, by all means fire up the Abrams, but if you're after a Trophy, a tree stand, some scent off, and one big rifle would be all you need........ or couse, i've always wondered how a Triceratops would react to a trap, because real hunters, bring 'em back alive.
from Tea Wrecks, age 65,000,000, ?, ?, ?; October 30, 2000

Dinosaurs information like,where they lived,what colour they are what they eat e.t.c
from AISHA, age 13, KARACHI, SINDH, PAKISTAN; October 30, 2000

Thanks, Honkie Tong for the information. I made a mistake in my original question, I meant to ask for Deinonychus, but anyway I assume that 3 shotgun blast would put them down?

I agree with Levine that the extinction of the dinosuars was probably caused by far more complex changes than just simple disasters. However, I don't think that behaviour fully encompasses the entire scope of the causes. There are far more variables than are acknowledged. Also, complex organisms are not totally insulated from external changes. If the food chain is disrupted at it's base levels, the organisms at the top are affected. That is 1 (rather weak, I think, but it's late and I'm tired) example. But these are just my views. ;P
from DW, age 14, Singapore, ?, ?; October 30, 2000

This is much talk about nothing. All you kids assume an external physical change caused the extinction of the dinosaurs. I propose that is a ridiculus and inrevelant dissusion about nothing. Physical change like a comet hitting the earth or the weather getting too cold did not make dinosauria extinct, as complex animals like dinosaurs have been living through a dynamic, constantly changing enviroment. A change caused by a comet hitting the earth or the weather getting too cold would just be another change- nothing out of the ordinary for the dinosauria.

I propose that internal subtle changes in behaviour caused the extinction of the dinosaurs. As chaos theory goes, due to the butterfly effect, one small change in behaviour will lead to more dislocations, and as soon as it has started, life is over for the dinosaurs. External change did not kill the dinosaurs. Complex organisms have insluated themselves form such changes.

Anyway, a drop in the temperature would not have killed of the marine reptiles or the warm-blooded dinosaurs. Nice try though.
from Levine, age 24, ?, ?, ?; October 29, 2000

Some people say a comet hit the earth and killed the dinosaurs. WELL I DON'T THINK SO! I think the dinosaurs died because it got to cold and the plants died and the herbivors died and then the carnivors died because they fed on the plant-eaters.
from Pooja proper names, age seven, hackettstown, New Jersey, U.S.A.; October 29, 2000

Also theres a cartoon I made up called DINOSAURZ PAINTBALL!
from SZAMN, age ?, ?, ?, ?; October 29, 2000

oh ok thanx =)
from ?Konfused?, age ?, ?, ?, ?; October 29, 2000

what do dinosaurs eat
from natasha w, age 11, london, uk, England; October 29, 2000

As a general rule, Dinos should be harder to kill than mammals. Solidly built with thick ribs and skulls, dinos were tough. Take a Grizzly bear for example. People like me know how hard it is to take down a bear with conventional small arms. The smallest pistol you you should use on a bear is a Dirty Harry Magmum 3.56. I personally recommend a Desert Eagle .50 AE. But should I face a bear, give a Berret .50cal Rifle or a M-2 Browning MG. As a general rule, bears weighting 500-900 kilos are so hard to kill, what about a 1-ton Utahraptor? Give me a tank.
from Honkie Tong, age ?, ?, ?, ?; October 29, 2000

Dinos take a lot to kill. Real life Velociraptors, at 15-30kg, will take about 1 shotgun blast to kill, or one well placed 5.56mm NATO Full metal jacket. Bigger raptors like Utaraptors are difficult to kill using small arms. A SPAS-12 Auto shotgun firing copper slugs might take it down after a prolonged session. Forget pistols and rifles on killing a Utahraptor. A light Antitank weapon might be useful.

For a T.Rex, forget all small arms and go for a rocket launcher. A M-1A2 Abrams firing a 120mm HEAT or Armour Piercing Fin Stabilised Discarding Sabot (APFSDS) round should kill a rex with one hit.

All Sngaporean males are required by law to attend the army, that's why I know so much.
from Honkie Tong, age 16, ?, ?, ?; October 29, 2000

I just read Old Blood 11. It was really good. Keep up the good work Billy. Old Blood rules!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
from firebird, age ?, ?, ?, ?; October 29, 2000

?Konfused?, Dinowarz and Old Blood can be seen at Vote for Your Favorite Dinosaur page! They are books or other things like that. Old Blood is a more serious story by Billy. DinoWarz is More comical.
from firebird, age ?, ?, ?, ?; October 29, 2000

Yeah, I'm with Konfused...I kinda know what "Dino WARZ" is but what is "Old Blood"? Where can I read it??..sounds interesing.
from Chandler, age ?, ?, ?, ?; October 28, 2000

Whats all this "Old Blood 10" and "Dino Warz 9" stuff about?? Can somebody lemme know?
from ?Konfused?, age ?, ?, ?, ?; October 28, 2000

Old Blood 10 was awesome!
from firebird, age ?, ?, ?, ?; October 28, 2000

I wouldn't want to kill a dinosaur, so I don't know. Do we have a weapons expert here?
from Brad, age 13, Woodville, ON, Canada; October 28, 2000

Hi! I'm new round here. I am awed by the amount of factual data in this web-page! I should have found this place sooner! Anyway, I have 2 questions. Supposing I cloned Micheal Crichton's Velociraptor's (the one's with the iq of chimpanzese, run at 60-70 mph and are social), and supposing something went wrong, how many NATO 5.56 mm rounds or 12-Gauge shotgun rounds would it take to take them down? (I'm guessing that one would be dead before 1 shot can be fired) Also, would a direct shot to the head with a rocket launcher bring a T-Rex down? (Same as above) I know that Dinosaur muscles and skin were probably thick (generalisation, of course there are exceptions) but I would still llike to know how many ;).
from DW, age 14, Singapore!, ?, ?; October 28, 2000

I noticed the same thing too, but I guess since some parts of his story are similar to JP, I assumed he decided to carry some parts over. I would do that if I was writing a 52,000 word story. Good work Bill, reletively original plot. Keep it up.
from Honkie Tong, age 16, ?, ?, ?; October 28, 2000

it's difficult to describe a raptor good, so i dued JP's description. But don't worry, I'll try to make the story as original as possible.
from Bily Macdraw, age ?, ?, ?, ?; October 27, 2000

I just read Old Blood 10. I liked the Oviraptors. Deinonychus's head was one foot long, not two. That seemed to be copied directly from Jurassic Park, Billy. I know, you're building up to the big turning point where everything becomes different, but there are a lot of stolen or slightly modified sentences. What's up with this &hellip stuff?
from Brad, age 13, Woodville, ON, Canada; October 27, 2000

Cool
from Ryan N., age 13, MJ, Sk, Can; October 27, 2000

How do you think the Sauropod laid her eggs?
from Chelsea C., age 12, Morgan Mill, Texas, U.S.A.; October 27, 2000

HA HA HA HA HA. NOW YOU KNOW HOW USELESS THE RAPTORS ARE!

Dinosaurs provide tremendous stimulation for the imagination. While we used to imagine the Mesozoic world as a landscape of sluggish swampdwellers, we now envision a world populated by a panoply of colorful, noisy, fast and cunning hot-blooded monsters. This is great for the Dinobiz, but does it make scientific sense? Did Dinosaurs operate under rules of physiology and evolutionary pressure substantially different from those of today? Did they develop markedly better solutions for dealing with their world than those that have evolved since? Let's look at the currently hot group, Dromaeosaurs, popularly known today as the Raptors. In movies, books and magazines these smallish theropods comprised the fastest and nastiest, and possibly smartest Dinosaurs ever. They were dressed to the nines in spikes and knives; cold-blooded homeothermic killers. While all members of this class had an impressive set of saw-edged teeth and formidably clawed forelimbs, it is the hypertrophied claws on the second toes of their hindlimbs that have transfixed our imagination. We are repeatedly told that these agile carnivores hunted in packs, slashing their large but lumbering prey to death in a series of back-foot blitzkriegs. Wait...does this really make sense? Did they really hunt in organized packs? Did they really use those curvaceous claws for slicing and dicing formidable foes into hors-d'ouvres sized snacks? I suspect it was more likely they rarely ate anything that couldn't have been nailed in a one-bite solo effort unless it was already dead. Heresy!!? Stop and consider this from an evolutionary standpoint. As Raptors were lightly built, they probably did rely on speed and agility. As they were bipedal, their back legs would have been essential to their survival. Almost any injury to such important structures would have been rapidly fatal to a creature relying on pursuit speed and kicking power. Want to hurt a back leg? Try to kick a large and angry herbivore that basically consists of thick skin over huge muscles. Ribs, pelvic bones, scutes, shields and flailing limbs would have made vital organs difficult targets. Aside from the likely humiliation of breaking a nail, they would have been at high risk for shattering a leg trying such tactics. Crippled dinosaurs didn't have a high likelihood of reproducing, leaving them losers in Darwin's evolutionary derby. Perhaps that is why they vanished by the mid-Cretaceous, giving way to the smash-mouth hunting tactics of the Tyrannosaurs. It is more likely that Raptors mostly used their razor-like teeth on smaller prey. If they did use claws, it was probably the impressive armament on their forelimbs which would have been much easier to control and less risky to survival if injured. So, what were those carpet cutters for? If there had to be a feeding function, consider other possibilities. They would have been useful for cutting through thick skin after their meal had been immobilized by other means. They could have been used to rip aprt termite nests and beehives, or to dig up whatever resembled prairie dog towns of their era. If they had a taste for escargot, the claws were perfectly shaped for extracting the delicate morsels from their spiral shells.

I'm certain that every reader who has put up with me this far is thinking about the famous Velociraptor versus Protoceratops fossil where both died locked in mortal combat, proving the function of the slashing claw. Yes, the poor Raptor was using its foot, but probably as a defensive weapon! After all, it was probably trying to raid a nest for a meal of one-bite babies when it was attacked by one of those angry herbivores alluded to above. The large slashing claw on the cassowary is a good example of such a weapon evolving purely for defensive purposes. These birds are incredibly dangerous when trapped in close quarters although they are more likely to run away than take chances with their valuable legs in a battle. It makes sense to risk an incapacitating injury only if the alternative is being eaten.

If you are uncomfortable with these magnificent structures solely serving a protective function, what could be a more likely use? Why, sex of course. Many of the most extravagant and bizarre structures in nature are primarily used to attract a mate or to intimidate rivals. A set of large claws could be very useful for displaying to a potential mate or for ritualized combat. Look at the modern rooster, possessing impressive and dangerous spurs, but hardly famed as a fierce hunter.

While difficult to prove either way, it is easier to imagine Raptors having the coordination required for mating displays than the control needed for accurately kicking an opponent in a life or death battle. Despite their reputation for having relatively large brains, it is unlikely that such complex coordination would have been possible. No other animal has developed that style of hunting since, even if birds grab smaller prey with their feet and many animals do use their feet for defensive functions. While on the subject of brain function, I have to add that the concept of Raptors hunting in organized packs inspires incredulity. No reptile, or bird for that matter possesses the social structure to accomplish that and it is doubtful that Dinosaurs with relatively small brain-to-body mass ratios could have pulled it off. Swarming on common prey is observed with many animals including crocodilians, large lizards and vultures, although it isn't truly cooperative social behavior. Finding fossils showing a group of Deinonychus with one large herbivore certainly doesn't prove or even imply social structure any more than finding a collection of flies around a dead rat.

One of the great joys of science is interpreting the evidence available. The Raptors are a fascinating group that truly deserves tremendous attention. All too often it seems that one view of fragmentary data becomes accepted as gospel and is repeated over and over as fact. The most obvious or exciting interpretation is not always the correct one. It is always fun to keep questioning, even if you get branded a heretic.
from Insaniac, age ?, ?, ?, ?; October 27, 2000

Sorry bout the mistakes in the english in parts 8-9, I was rushing this one it. But don't worry, I will be posting old blood version 1.1 soon here, with edited content and language.
from Billy Macdraw, age 18, ..., ..., ...; October 26, 2000

I do not understand this part at all:

In 1995 James Farlow of Indiana-Purdue University argued that a large T. rex could run no faster than 20 mph (32 kph), because if it did, a fall would probably be so severe as to kill it. T. rex weighed about 6 tons and was up to 20 feet (6 m) tall but Allosaurus was slightly smaller, about 3 tons and 16.5 feet (5 m) long. Farlow says that Rothschild's analysis is consistent with his theory since Allosaurus was smaller than T. rex (its smaller mass would make the impact much less powerful so the animal may have been able to recover after a running fall). Giganotosaurus and T. rex were quite similar in size, so Giganotosaurus may or may not have been a fast runner.

The size estimates for Allosaurus and T.Rex seem too samll.I thought T.Rex was 41 feet long and Allosaurus was 32 feet long. Though the weoght estimates were realistic though.
from Leonard, age 12, ?, ?, ?; October 26, 2000

I have some info on Carnotaurus, if that helps. Carnotaurus means "flesh eating bull." It lived in the Cretaceous period.

Anatomy
It was about 25 feet long and weighed 1 ton! The Carnotaurus was a theropod with 2 small brow horns. It had short arms and a long thin tail.

Fossils
The Carnotaurs' almost complete skeleton has skin impessions have been found in Patgonia, South America. He was named by J.Bonaparte in 1985.
from firebird, age ?, ?, ?, ?; October 26, 2000

The Tyrannosaurs will escape somehow. But the entire island goes downhill after that. I really should be working on my story now instead of writing all these posts. By the way, I was doing some research on Tyrannosaurus, and I noticed that they only have 37 vertebre in their tails, not 40 as shown in Zoom Dinosaurs...sorry, I was just nitpicking.
from Billy Macdraw, age 8, ..., ..., ...; October 26, 2000

Excuse me? What do you me by escaped Tyrannosaur? It's impossible for the animals to escape. Do not listen to Alex Sophin, he is hell-bent on saying my island cannot work.
from Bradley Verrand, age 72, .., .., ..; October 26, 2000

Such a suggestion is impossible, it simply cannot be done. The island is inherently unstable. Verrand has thrown my calculations out of the window, but the mathematics ae self evident, he cannot escape chaos.
from Alex Sophin, age 35, ?, ?, ?; October 26, 2000

I want to know something about the prehistoric dinosaur carnotaurs I've been looking everywere but can't find anything,please help?
from joseph, age 09, el paso, texas, ?; October 26, 2000

I haven't really had time to read Old Blood yet but I'm sure it is great.(I've only had time to read the first one, it was really great.) You should become a writer when you chose a job, Billy!
from firebird, age ?, ?, ?, ?; October 26, 2000

First of all, I want the company to succeed. I want a big restaurant chain to buy the Edmontosaurus meat. I want to see the public's reaction to eating dinosaurs. I want descriptions of the tv commercials. I want a dinosaur rights group to object to bringing an animal back to life so we can eat it. And then I want some escaped tyrannosaurus to sniff the place out and cause a little chaos!
But of course, you're free to do anything you want in your story.
from Brad, age 13, Woodville, ON, Canada; October 26, 2000

The next Old Blood installment will be a little late, keep waiting. Meanwhile, what will you like to see happen most in the story?Billy Macdraw
from Billy Macdraw, age 18, -, -, -; October 26, 2000

I am going to state in my story that Velociraptor was mainly solitary, grouping in losely knit packs when going after large prey. (Much like Celophysis in Walking with Dinosaurs) My idea being that Velociraptor was not as advanced as the other raptors, being older in the fossil record and with a lower EQ, added to the fact that no evidence of pack hunting in Velociraptor has been found. Any ideas or objections?
from Billy Macdraw, age 18, ?, ?, ?; October 25, 2000

Why? what did you like bout Old Blood5-7.
from Billy Macdraw, age 18, ?, ?, ?; October 25, 2000

Do you know I suspect Ankylosaurus have a memory span of only 4 seconds?
Do you know I suspect Ankylosaurus have a memory span of only 4 seconds?
Do you know I suspect Ankylosaurus have a memory span of only 4 seconds?
Do you know I suspect Ankylosaurus have a memory span of only 4 seconds?
Do you know I suspect Ankylosaurus have a memory span of only 4 seconds?
Do you know I suspect Ankylosaurus have a memory span of only 4 seconds?
(He he, just kidding)
from An Ankylosaurus., age ?, ?, ?, ?; October 25, 2000

Another T.Rex question... Is Nanotyrannus a young Tee Rex? How come then Tinker does not resemble Nanotyrannus. How come Tinker had adult type teeth and Nanotyrannus did not? Did young Rexes like Tinker lose his adult like teeth and grow Nano teeth and then lose them when he grew up and replaced them with adult teeth again? Seems unlikely! So is Nano really a young rex or a totally diff. species?????
from Leonard, age 12, ?, ?, ?; October 25, 2000

Still dosen't really add up. The bulky allosaurs are unlikely to make a living simply by scaring the wits out of smaller animals. Lions do that all the time, but it hardly makes up a big part of their diet.

But I can offer no better explaination. Unlike Tyrannosaururs, which was built for speed and power, Gigantosaururs skeletons showed less muscle scarring and less tendon attatchments. Gigantosaurus skeletons also showed less air spaces than Tyrannosaururs, meaning though it was about a mere 4 feet longer, it was a full ton or ton and a half heavier. All this means that though being smaller, Tyrannosaururs was actually stronger! Which amplfies our question: We know that Gigantosaururs couldn't have served the same role as Tyrannosaurus in it's area....what did it do?

Besides having half the brain size of Rex, we have also calculated Gigantosaurus had half the bite power of Rex. 1500-3000 Newtons compaired with Rexy's record holding 3000-12000 Netwton bite.

Mabye Bill's Dino Warz was not so far-fetched after all. T.Rex could beat a Gigantosaur. (Of course, they never saw each other...but what if.....)

It's 11.39 am.
from Honkie Tong, age 16, ?, ?, ?; October 25, 2000

Prehaps. But I suspect I know the answer. Animals on a smaller piece of land tend to evolve faster as the small area encourages the propagation of the genes. Larger continents have correspondingly smaller rates of gene propagation, and therefore evolution.

The North American allosaur went extinct long before Gigantosaururs simply because of the higher rates of natural selection in the North American area. Gigantosaurus lived in then South America, which was suspected to be joined to Africa. The slower rates of evolution created a "lost world" effect, where the less advanced dinosauria still survived. Sauropods long though to be extinct still trived in South America when their North American relatives died out.

While the North went on to develop fast moving, deadily designs of which Tyrannosaururs came from, the South was still stagnating. Should a land bridge open up, the North animals would have overrun the South, maybe even overruning Africa. It has happened a few times in our earth's history, but though, not to Gigantosaururs.
from Levine, age 24, ?, ?, ?; October 25, 2000

Maybe the big bulky allosaurs were built for scaring the the other theropods into giving them free food.
from Brad, age 13, Woodville, ON, Canada; October 25, 2000

when was dinosaurs extinct
from shane p., age 13, burlington, wyoming, burlington; October 25, 2000

Old Blood 5-7 was great! I can hardly wait for more!
from Brad, age 13, Woodville, ON, Canada; October 25, 2000

Hmm... cool mini-time machine effect. Let's increase the time zones to a few million years and then see see what happens..
from Brad, age 13, Woodville, ON, Canada; October 25, 2000

Timecheck. It is 1.22 am over here in Singapore. What time is is over there?
from Honkie Tong, age 16, ?, ?, ?; October 25, 2000
I got your mail at 10:21 AM. JC

Oddly though, I don't see why the Argentian Carnosaur got so big. T.Rex evolved from the Tyrannosauids, a family specialised at catching the numerous hardosaurs at that time, and T.Rex had aready reached the limit for hunting prey like the Hardosaurs. What did the super-allosauids hunt? They weren't built for speed, but seemed to be built for bulk. Prehaps they were one off losers, going extinct because they were less effective at hunting as the other Argentian Dinos.
from Leonard, age 14, ?, ?, ?; October 25, 2000

Frankly, I believe dinosaurs didn't take an incrediblely long time to mature. Most animals usually down't make it too far past their prime in the wild. 82-100 years will be a little excessive.
from Honkie Tong, age 16, ?, ?, ?; October 24, 2000
I agree. JC

The biggest T.Rex skull was 1.7 meters long with a gape of 1 meter.
from Honkie Tong, age 16, ?, ?, ?; October 24, 2000

Does anybody know how big a basic size of a TREX skull is? I need to know this.
from firebird, age ?, ?, ?, ?; October 24, 2000

Actually, there is a whole book dedicated to raising and cloning dinosaurs, I've read it. I think it is called "The Science of Jurassic Park and The Lost World". It is very good.
from Brad, age 13, Woodville, ON, Canada; October 24, 2000

No, it is currently impossible to clone dinosaurs. You will not be able to find infomation. It will only be possible to clone dinosaurs if there is somekind of breakthrough in technology or some new discovery.
from Billy Macdraw, age 18, ?, ?, ?; October 24, 2000

Err JC, this extract from Zoom Dinosaurs seem to have the awfuly long estimates: DINOSAUR LIFE SPAN How old did the dinosaurs get to be? That question is very hard to answer.

...

Growth Rates:
Growth rates based on maximum growth rates of modern-day reptiles, even though there are probably major metabolic differences. Protoceratops: Adult 177 kg, hatchling 0.43 kg (hatchling weight calculated to be about 90% of the weight of 0.5 liter egg). Age to adulthood calculated to be roughly 26-38 years.

Hypselosaurus : Adult 5300 kg, hatchling 2.4 kg. Age to adulthood calculated to be about 82-188 years.

References
...
Ricqlés, A. de. 1983. Cyclical growth in the long limb bones of a sauropod dinosaur. Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 28:225-232.

...
(It's found in the Life Span section. Prehaps it's confusing because people do not know if it's the time taken for them to Mature or its their maximum life span)
from Billy Macdraw, age 18, ?, ?, ?; October 24, 2000
Yes, I had forgotten about that reference. It does seem way too high. I looked up the reference and that estimate to "adulthood" was based on the maximum growth rates of living reptiles (which may or may not be a good benchmark - I doubt it is a reliable way of estimating it). Either the reference was incorrect, or some dinosaurs lived for an incredibly long time and were slow to mature, or they grew at a faster rate than modern-day reptiles (indicating that they had a much faster metabolism than living reptiles), or they continued to grow throught their lives and adulthood came much earlier than maximum size (or more than one of the above alternatives).

Age to adulthood means the time to reproductive maturity, but it's hard to tell when this is for an extinct animal. Estimates can be based on the maximum size achieved by the animal, but that is misleading if the animal continues to grow throughout its life (like alligators, which grow until they die - sauropods may or may not have done this). Looking at growth rates can also be tricky, because of metabilic differences and differential seasonal growth (slow growth during cold weather, etc.). This would give Hypselosaurus a life span in the range of well over 100 years (which is long, but not that odd, considering their size; the larger the animal, the longer the life span, usually). Some people have recently proposed life-spans like in that range for some of the huge balleen whales.

Estimates for Hypselosaurus' life span range from a few decades to several hundred years (see Case, T. J. 1978. Speculations on the growth rate and reproduction of some dinosaurs. Paleobiology 4:320-328).

I'm glad you pointed this out to me - I'll change the page you cited. JC

Coooooooooooooooooool web site!
from ??????????????????????????????????????????????????, age ??????????, ??????????????????????????????, ??????????????????????????????, ????????????????????????????????????????; October 23, 2000

I just wanted to know if it is possible to clone dinasaurs and if yes where could I FIND THIS INFORMATION
from alisha, age 16, Fontana, Ca, U.S.; October 23, 2000

I don't see why you people are glossing so much over Tyrannosaururs Imperator. The tyrannosaururs don't need T.Imperator to beat Gigantosaururs, the good'ol T.Rex will do.
from Honkie Tong, age 16, ?, ?, ?; October 23, 2000

I hoped I haven't lost you, this script is a little techncal, bringing in genetics and chaos theory.
from ?, age ?, ?, ?, ?; October 23, 2000

I donno what gave you the idea that Tyrannosaururs Imperator has a 7 foot skull. Besause we haven't uncovered the skull yet. But assuming it's a tyrannosaur (only carnosaur to reach such a size in north america) and scaling the skull from the upper leg bone they have uncovered, We suspect T.Imperator is just a oversized T.Rex. But just for you. Sue-Imperator has kindly let me mesure her. She weights 18,000 pounds excess, and is 54 feet long. Her skull measured 7feet 2inches
from Billy Macdraw, age ?, ?, ?, ?; October 23, 2000

You guys are getting worked up about a person who is not 24. Start talking about dinos again! And TREX rules!
from firebird, age ?, ?, ?, ?; October 23, 2000

I don't think "T. imperator" had a 7-foot skull. Very little actual information is availible about this unpublished species, most of what people say is just a guess. Dino Warz is Billy's series of humorous scripts published in the Vote for your Favourite Dinosaur page of this site. Old Blood is the serious dinosaur novel Billy is currently posting, also in the voting section. Both are excellent.
from Brad, age 13, Woodville, ON, Canada; October 23, 2000

According to the Dinosaur Heresies, my favourite book, average sized dinosaurs (like Ceratosaurus) matured in about 5 years. But if these are cloned animals, clones mature faster (I don't get it, but its something I learned in science class last year).
from Brad, age 13, Woodville, ON, Canada; October 23, 2000

First of all I wanna say, one of the best carnivorous dinosaurs is Tyrannosaurus Imperator: Having a skull 7 ft long(you do the rest of the math) and all the others are cool too, but there AINT no competition.Then you cant leave out the mammals...dont forget Megistotherium! Wooooo!!!Ha-ha-ha! Then, What is Dino warz??? and what is old blood???!!!!! You all keep rambling on about it, what is it?
from Mr.Rogers, age ?, ?, IL, USA; October 23, 2000

Heck, I'll do better than that. Need some info on how long it takes for dinos to mature. The info I get in Zoom Dinosaurs seem awfully long to me. 82-100 years to adulthood??
from Billy Macdraw, age 18, ?, ?, ?; October 23, 2000
I can't find anywhere where we say that. JC

I haven't really read Old Blood yet. I will print it soon, and then it will be easier to read. The idea is very Jurassic Park-like, but I'm sure you have some completely different problem happen. The Edmontosaurus steaks are a good twist.
from Brad, age 13, Woodville, ON, Canada; October 23, 2000

Err guys, I might post the entire Old Blood story here when things quienten down. What do you think of it Brad?
from Billy Macdraw, age 18, ?, ?, ?; October 23, 2000

WOAH WOAH GUYS, DON'T GO SO FAR.
from ?, age ?, ?, ?, ?; October 22, 2000

Hey, Coolcat. T.Rex is not a god, and we don't worship him. So I don't see why we think you should. Do you think I REALLY CARE IF YOU like the Raptors? No! All we want to hear from you is to admit that T.Rex was meaner and deadiler and more effective than the Raptors, that all! You can go on and like your Raptor. Your Megaraptor isn't even a raptor, tsk tsk tsk. And to think you were such a big raptor fan, when you donno anything at all.
from Godpa, age 43, ?, ?, ?; October 22, 2000

I am a raptor fan and I have a message for all of you. Do not insult us because of coolcat. No raptor fan is like coolcat, she's one of a kind. The raptor community does not reconise coolcat as a raptor fan. Repeat, do not associate coolcat with us, the zoom dinosaurs fan club.
from Raptor Fan Club, age 12, ?, ?, ?; October 22, 2000

You people are too much, ganging up on coolcat like that.....btu if you can't beat them, join them! COOLCAT IS GONE, ALRIGHT YAYYYYYY CELEBRATE, COMON EVERYBODY! CELBRATE! YAAYYYYYYYYY! (My goodness coolcat, i am a raptor fan and even I dislike your attitude.)
from ?, age ?, ?, ?, ?; October 22, 2000

Ey, Coolcat? YOu want to leave ah? GO lah go lah go lah, and stop making so much noise.
from Short Fart, age ?, Perfect10, 98.7 fm, The E-go trip, 11pm to 2am; October 22, 2000

Under Dino Warz (which is the offical international dino warring legue) Rules, article 11, section 17, no man-made species or anatromic robot of any kind can be allowed. Dinosaurs must fight unargumented.
from Billy Macdraw, age ?, ?, ?, ?; October 22, 2000

WYANE, I can give you your answer. T. rex was probally the fiercest and meanest land-based carnivore ever. He was so good, he sent raptores like Velociraptors into decline. Paleontologists no agree that Tyrannosaurs were the deadilest predators that ever lived as they may have hunted in packs of 25-50 indivudials, totally over running the raptors and replacing them as the top predator.
from Honkie Tong, age ?, ?, ?, ?; October 22, 2000

I look upond your childish with apaty, Coolcat (Or whatever your alter-egos may be.) Please do the honorable thing and stop sending such LOUD, CHILDISH posts. An alternative is levaing forever-I am fine with both.
from Levine, age 24, ?, ?, ?; October 22, 2000

Coolcat, you are the most annoying personality I have encountered in Zoom Dinosaurs. Even all the T.Rex haters are kinder than you. Brad did not insult you, all he did was to poke holes in that Megaraptor2001 type x of yours (Which was a ill-concieved plan to rule all dinosaurs by the way). From what I remembered, the Raptor fans tried using Dinonator to kill the Rexes, but failed. Cheaters never prosper.
from Honkie Tong, age ?, ?, ?, ?; October 22, 2000

Coolcat, I never said you were stupid. And I don't worship T. rex, I just don't have anything against it now. I realized you shouldn't hate any dinosaur. And I never insulted Megaraptor, I just said that Megaraptr 2001 wouldn't really do anything since T. rex is extinct. You really haven't contributed much to discussions of real paleontology.
from Brad, age 13, Woodville, ON, Canada; October 22, 2000

who knows a lot about t rex and other species like velociraptors
from WAYNE J, age 12, BRIGHTON, united kingdom, england; October 22, 2000

cotuinued.... so people, do you know how to think before you speak? wait, that was a stupid question considering you've offened my friend and i! oh and Kylie sounded offened too!!! you people have offened me many times. i agree with my friends, i am never coming here again. i give you another chance, but nooooooooooooooooo you have to do it again and again! i've waited hours to get this all out of me, and that's what i'm gonna do. i agree with all those trex haters, you can't keep offending people because of the choice they have for a favorite dinosaur. and if all this offends you i'm sorry, that's more than you ever gave me! SO EXCUSE ME IF I LIKE ANOTHER DINOSAUR THAN TREX. and don't try to say anything like: " i am glad that coolcat is gone." because i will still be reading what you say!
from coolcat, age 24, ?, ?, ?; October 22, 2000

i can't believe you think i'm that stupid, Brad! i hate it here! you can't get any respect around here unless u fall on your knees and worship trex!oh and thanks for ofending my friend! he was megaraptr!i should have known i should talk with people my age. and you know i had to wait all night to get on the internet juz for people to act like i'm stupid. if you don't respect my choice and my friends then you don't respect me! i juz wanted to fit in, SUE ME!!!!! I AM NOT STUPID!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
from coolcat, age 24, ?, ?, ?; October 22, 2000

i am leaving forever.
from coolcat, age ?, ?, ?, ?; October 22, 2000

JP the book, not jp the movie. Would apprecate technical support though. Though I think we are bashing JP too much. It was the first movie to ever portray dinosaurs so realisticly.
from Billy Macdraw, age ?, ?, ?, ?; October 22, 2000

sir my name is ali shah and i want some cases on management so plz i am very thank ful to u if u send me any case
from ?, age 20, karachi, sindh, pakistan; October 22, 2000

megaraptr2001 type x is going on a rampage! i can't control him! WATCH OUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
from coolcat, age ?, ?, ?, ?; October 21, 2000

how long did dinosaurs live? do you know how many there was back then?
from chris m, age 9, st.paul, mn, usa; October 21, 2000

Coolcat, T. rex is already extinct! You are accomplishing nothing by building big "Megaraptr 2001s" to kill them (and you may be making a few enemies here along the way)!
from Brad, age 13, Woodville, ON, Canada; October 21, 2000

People take JP as serious? I've been reading a huge list of mistakes for that movie, I'll post some of them here. I haven't personally confirmed these though
A Gallimimus can be seen jumping THROUGH the T. rex!
During the raptor birth scene, the robotic arm disappears.
When Ellie and Hammond are eating ice cream, the power is suposedly off- but the fans are still rotating.
When the doctor shows off a piece of amber containing dinosaur DNA, the mosquito inside is male, as can be seen by the antennae. Males feed on nectar.
Oh, and the amber from the Dominican Republic is only 25 - 35 million years old.
'Stegasurus' and 'Tyranosaurus' are actually misspelled on the embryo labels (Confirmed)
In the Lost World, Malcolm looks through the wrong end of his binoculars (when the hunters are coming)
from Brad, age 13, Woodville, ON, Canada; October 21, 2000

i have the wepon to destroy trex!
from coolcat, age ?, ?, ?, ?; October 21, 2000

I am doing a new series called "Old Blood" it's a serious, JP like story. Hope you like it.
from Billy Macdraw, age 18, ?, ?, ?; October 21, 2000

I am thinking of wrapping up this season of Dino Warz, more serious stories or in the making though.
from Billy Macdraw, age ?, ?, ?, ?; October 20, 2000

Great article, Honkie Tong. I learned something.
from Brad, age 13, Woodville, ON, Canada; October 20, 2000

Scotty is a bit drunk, they cloned him using native scottish bird DNA fragments, explaining his erratic behaviour. He is still chasing the Pyroraptors though....
from Billy Macdraw, age 18, ?, ?, ?; October 20, 2000

So, though you knew it all about the dinosaurs? Well, think again. Read this and weep as your preconcived notions about the dinosaurs are blow away, as here comes:

Even More Dinosaur Heresies!

An article by the Honkie Tong man.

>From the size and shape of the dinosaur eggs emerging from the dusty badlands of Montana in 1993, it seemed clear that they belonged to Orodromeus, a small and probably mild-mannered plant-eating dinosaur. Delicate Orodromeus bones lay scattered nearby. Soon diggers unearthed the distinctive bones of an adult Troodon, a swift and sharp-jawed meat-eater. Logic would tell you that it had been pilfering the Orodromeus nests.

But wait. Not so fast.

Three years later, scientists discovered tiny Troodons huddled inside the eggs. The adult had not been raiding the nest, but tending it.

"The Orodromeus had been brought back as food for the baby Troodons," says paleontologist Jack Horner of the Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman, Mont.

New revelations

>From that corrected conclusion cascaded new revelations about dinosaur behavior: Troodon nested in colonies, guarded its clutches and baby-sat its young, even hauling food back to feed the babies. No longer was Troodon a lifeless pile of ancient bones with razor teeth, but a living, breathing, walking creature with fears and worries just like us.

Today paleontologists give life to dinosaurs not simply by assembling their bones in museum displays, but by inspecting those bones and their surroundings for signs of the life they once supported. For instance, Tyrannosaurus rex's arms seem so small that it's hard to imagine they were useful. But the Late Cretaceous kingpin clearly used those arms for something - perhaps grappling with prey - because the scars where muscles attached to the arm bones of the now-infamous T. rex named Sue are "humongous," says paleontologist Kenneth Carpenter of the Denver Museum of Natural History.

"These muscles would have been comparable in size to a human thigh," he says. "Right there we flesh out what the animal looked like and how it would have behaved."

Behaving like modern animals?

It also helps to look at the flesh-and-blood animals of today for similarities with the dinosaurs of yesterday. Modern animals like ostriches with long and slender legs are fast runners, so it makes sense that dinosaurs with such legs could have hustled along just as quickly. Since today's fish-eaters such as porpoises and crocodilians boast conical teeth - the better to skewer their dinner with - dinosaurs with conical teeth, such as Suchomimus of Africa, probably went fishing for supper, too.

"It's what we call comparative anatomy," explains paleontologist Thomas Holtz of the University of Maryland. "Different animals have solved problems in similar ways, so we look at similarities in their anatomy and, consequently, their lifestyles."

Past and present animals with similar lifestyles might well have behaved in similar ways, too. Sure, T. rex's serrated teeth look awfully mean and nasty, but would it have been good business for such a predator to have acted mean and nasty?

"Think about the big predators we have today - lions and grizzly bears, for instance," says Anthony Russell, a professor of zoology at the University of Calgary. "They don't go around scaring the life out of everything. There's not a value in being nasty. Lions don't want their prey to run away. They don't go running toward their prey, growling and making a big racket. They sneak up, trying to be as quiet as possible, until they get close enough to pounce. We see them as fearsome, we don't see them as bullying, and it makes sense biologically that T. rex would have been the same way."

Social behavior

But the big tyrannosaurs, including the species known as Albertosaurus, Gorgosaurus and Daspletosaurus, may have been bullying with their own kind. New research by Darren Tanke and Philip Currie of the Royal Tyrrell Museum in Alberta, Canada, shows that nearly half of all tyrannosaurs in museum collections they examined bear distinctive gouge marks from the teeth of other tyrannosaurs on their faces.

"That's like going to the shopping mall and seeing that every other man who walks by has a broken arm," Tanke says. "Something is going on in the population in terms of behavior that's causing this."

Today, social animals such as wolves that live in groups almost always establish some kind of social hierarchy, and Tanke suspects that's what tyrannosaurs did, too. Especially younger dinosaurs, "being socially inept, would be fighting for food or social status and they would have been facing off, biting each other on the head and trying to avoid being bitten."

Injuries provide clues

The more active modern animals are, the more injuries they sustain, and dinosaur injuries reveal sure-fire evidence of their habits. Paleontologists have long suspected that Stegosaurus swung its spiked tail like a medieval mace at attacking allosaurs, but it was only when Denver museum volunteer Lorrie McWhinney closely examined 51 stegosaur tail spikes up to 2 feet long that she found the proof: about 10 percent of the spikes showed healed fractures or other signs of traumatic injury.

"There's no doubt, if they sustained that kind of injury, they were swinging those spikes with great force as an active part of their system," McWhinney says.

Even predator-prey relationships show up well on the fossils of the predators. After studying the fossils of Tyrannosaurus Rex, McWhinney came to the conclusion that Tyrannosaurus had encountered Ankylosaurus- an lost. Sue a compound fratures in one of her legs that was hard to heal, making it impossible for her to run after her prey. The fracture was at Ankylosaur tail level, giving proof as to how Ankylosaurus caused such a massive injury. "It was amazing that Sue could even walk after that- showing that Tyrannosaurus were extremely tough and hard to kill." McWhinney says.

Such wounds also give a clue as to the social life of Tyrannosaurus. "Sue must have had a mate to bring her food." says McWhinney. "The injury would have slowed her down so much, even scavenging would have being difficult."

Artists have long drawn horned dinosaurs like Triceratops using their horns to defend against attacks by T. rex and its brethren, but a study of horned dinosaurs turned up few injuries to the horns themselves, suggesting they were intended less as weapons than elaborate decorations. In the same way, Raptors have long been portrayed as the ultimate killer, but any evidence as to injury sustained from hunting are sorely lacking, pointing to more of a heyna's lifestyle than a lion's. Adult duckbill dinosaurs, though, suffered many crushing fractures of the spool-shaped vertebrae in their tails that sometimes healed at unusual angles. Were the duckbills using their tails as weapons?

Or were they just clumsy?

"I'd like to think it's probably because they're living in herds and they're just stepping on each others' tails," Tanke says. "It's a consequence of their lifestyle."

Great bone beds in Alberta and the Gobi Desert of Mongolia - full of dozens or even hundreds of dinosaurs that died together - provided the first strong evidence that some species traveled together like the vast herds of bison that once roamed the American Plains. Even more evidence emerged from trackways where dinosaurs left their monstrous footprints in mud or sand that later turned to stone. Tracks along the Paluxy River in Texas seem to show a group of carnivores trailing a herd of about one dozen long-necked plant-eaters, although it's unclear just how closely one followed another.

"There's always the question with tracks of: Do they represent one single event or is it an accumulation over time?" says University of Wyoming paleontologist Brent Breithaupt, now studying newfound tracks of dinosaurs that strutted along an inland sea during the Middle Jurassic. "One has to be careful not to let the thrill of the fantasy lead the interpretation."

An article by Honkie Tong
from Honkie Tong, age 16, Hougang, East, Singapore; October 20, 2000

did anyone enjoy being in dino warz? i did! (i know trex did win, that's the part i hated!)
from coolcat, age ?, ?, ?, ?; October 20, 2000

I am number1 My friends are so much fun yes! smooches and crazy kat A dino sat on her a** and then she drank some tea!!!
from Kandy, age 12, il, ?, united states; October 20, 2000

Thank you, coolcat. I don't have any story ideas right now, but I do promise to keep writing dinosaur stories.
from Brad, age 13, Woodville, ON, Canada; October 20, 2000

Stegosarus is not lousy either. The lousiest dinosaur has to be a sauropod, since they show the littlest variation and probably led very boring lives. Apatosarus seems rather bland compared to all of the more recently discovered sauropods, but it is not the lousiest. That could be Camarasaurus- no, that's still cool. I'd say the lousiest dinosaur is the chimeratic pug-faced weak amphibious brontosaur of the old picture books. But real dinosaurs? They're all too cool.
from Brad, age 13, Woodville, ON, Canada; October 20, 2000

Dino Wars 9 is different, but it's still funny. I liked it. But, where is Scotty? (Scotty isn't a Scottish dinosaur BTW, I'm pretty sure he's from Saskatchewan)
from Brad, age 13, Woodville, ON, Canada; October 20, 2000

This is a pro-Tyrannosaur song for all you Tyrannosaur-haters.

Chrous

DON'T HATE ME, BECAUSE I'M BEAUTIFUL!

DON'T HATE ME, BECAUSE I'M THE BEST!

DON'T HATE ME, BECAUSE I'M CHAMPION!

JUST LOVE ME, LIKE THE REST

DON'T HATE ME.........

******************************************************

DON'T HATE ME WHEN I KILL YOUR DINOSAUR ,MAKE HIM INTO LEATHER JEANS AND TIGHT MOSHSKIN PANTS! DON'T BE ENVIOUS WHEN YOUR FRIEND SAYS I' BETTER JUST BE GLAD, I DIDN'T EAT YOU. DON'T BE ANGRY WHEN YOUR MUM LOVES ME MORE! WITH ME, YOU CAN NEVER COMPAIR ! DON'T HATE ME, COS I'M SMARTER THAN YOU IT NATURAL, COS I'M THE BEST....... JUST LOVE ME......
from Honkie Tong, age 16, Singapore, ?, ?; October 20, 2000

Dino Warz 9, it's finally here. Be warned though, this eposide is very different from the adverage Dino Warz. You've been warned.
from Billy Macdraw, age 18, ?, ?, ?; October 19, 2000

i'm back! oh and i enjoyed being in dino warz! yo, i liked your story Brad. it was goooooooood! keep writing!
from coolcat, age ?, ?, ?, ?; October 19, 2000

I know size dosen't matter, but in for Gasparinisaura, it's simpily ridiculus!
from ?, age ?, ?, ?, ?; October 19, 2000

WHAT??? Hehe, Gasparinisaura and Gallimimus are sooo cool! They are not lousy! The lousiest dinosaurs have to be the stegosaurs, though they are pretty cool too.
from Chandler, age ?, ?, ?, ?; October 19, 2000

DEATH OF A DYNASTY It's the end of an era.
Dino Warz 9
from ?, age ?, ?, ?, ?; October 19, 2000

The Dino Warz book of records.

1. Most uninvolved kill, Brad's much anticipated match between Compsognathus and Brachiosaurus! They didn't even touch each other!

2. Oddest kill: The Tinker swallowing trick.

3. Grossest kill: Take your pick

4. Bloodiest match: Dino Warz 3, over 8000 raptors died.

5. Lousyiest dino: It's a tie between Gallimimus and Gasparinisaura

6. Biggest disapointment: Gigantosaurus

7. Biggest cheaters: Raptors

8. Weakest heart: Gallimimus

9. Biggest mismatch: It's a tie between three fights. Compy vs Brachi, Rex vs Gallimimus and Rex vs Gasparinisaura.

10. Most number of kills in a single move: 18 done by Sue

11. Shortest match: T.Rex vs disgrunted Gallimimus fans, 12.539 seconds.

12. Greatest unexplained mystrey in Dino Warz: How the heck did tinker use a machine gun?

13. Most overkilled dino: Raptors.

14. Best dino: Need you ask? Sue and company.
from Billy Macdraw, age ?, ?, ?, ?; October 19, 2000

Will the little guy make it? Will he survive the raptors? Find out in the next Dino Warz!
from Billy Macdraw, age 18, ?, ?, ?; October 18, 2000

DONG ZHIMING Dong Zhiming is a Chinese paleontologist who named the following Chinese dinosaurs: Alxasaurus (with Russell, 1993), Archaeoceratops (with Azuma, 1998), Bellusaurus (1987), Chungkingosaurus (1983), Datousaurus (1984), Gasosaurus (1985), Gongbusaurus (1983), the familty Homalocephalidae (1978), Huayangosaurus (1982), Hudiesaurus (1998), Kelmayisaurus (1973), Microhadrosaurus (1979), Micropachycephalosaurus (1978), Nanshiungosaurus (1979), Shanshanosaurus (1977), Shunosaurus (1983), Siluosaurus (1998), Sinornithoides (with Russell, 1994), Tianchiasaurus (1993), Tugulusaurus (1973), Tuojiangosaurus (1977), Wuerhosaurus (1973), Xiaosaurus (1983), Xuanhanosaurus (1984), Yangchuanosaurus (1978), and Zizhongosaurus (1983). He worked extensively with Dong Zhiming, and also worked with Li, Tang Zilu, Zhang, and Zhou Shiwu, who were co-namers of many of the above-listed dinosaurs

Ps. Can you put chinese dinosaurs in Dino Warz?
from Zhang S., age 15, Beijing, ?, China, people's republic; October 18, 2000

Coming up on Dino Warz 8. Please place infomation on Gasparinisaura!

Tyrannosaurus versus Suchomimus, Pyroraptor and disgrunted Gallimimus fans!

Location: Argentina, to settle any doubts of the countrymen of Gigatantosaurus who is the meanest.
from Billy Macdraw, age 18, ?, ?, ?; October 18, 2000

I still don't feel so good after swallowing that dinosaur, my stomache hurts! It's because he was much large than me? Ow! Mummmmm! Mum? Mommmmieeeeeeee!
from Tinker, age 8, ?, ?, ?; October 18, 2000

Did people enjoy my little story? I had fun writing it.
from Brad, age 13, Woodville, ON, Canada; October 18, 2000

Kat R., could you please post a few reasons for us being descended from tyrannosaurids? I'd really like to see that!
from Brad, age 13, Woodville, ON, Canada; October 18, 2000

Brad: I'm currently here at the local dinosaur battle arena waiting for the much anticipated match between Compsognathus and Brachiosaurus. While these dinosaurs are still preparing for the fight, the famous T. rex trio of Sue, Suzie, and Sue-Imperator have dropped in as part of thier world tour for an autograph signing. Let's go check it out!
Sue: Hello, Brad. It's nice to see you here. Wait, you don't vote for us!
Brad: Uh, yeah, sorry about that. Can you still sign this poster for me?
Sue: Okay. I'll just use my claws [rips a hole in the poster]
Suzie: That's not how you sign stuff! [bites the corner]
Sue-Imperator: Here, I have a pen. Oops! I shouldn't put so much weight on my hand when I'm writing!
Brad: [takes back the torn pieces of paper] Thanks, this is really cool! Now I'm being told that one of our contestants is ready for battle-it's time for an exclusive interview with Compsognathus!
Compy: Hi, Brad. I've trained really hard and I think I'm ready for my first battle!
Brad: Your going up against Brachiosaurus as your first battle? He's pretty big.
Compy: Yes, well, me being a carnivore and him being a herbivore it is pretty obvious who will win.
Sue-Imperator: Who?
Compy: Me, of course! You should know that carnivores always win dino battles!
Sue: We should get going, we have to be at a battle in Argentina for tomorrow.
Suzie: Yeah, we're going to fight their top dino!
Brad: Giganotosaurus?
Suzie: No, Gasparinisaura!
Brad. Oh, that's nice. Have fun!
Manospondylus gigas: Not so fast! I challenge you to a dino war!
Brad: This could be very interesting. I'll put up some info on our new challenger:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Manospondylus gigas: Tyrannosaur named by E. D. Cope in 1892, Manospondylus gigas was based on two dorsal vetrebrae. One was lost or misplaced in the early 20th century, and this dinosaur was pretty much forgotten when Tyrannosaurus rex entered the spotlight. Manospondylus is considered an invalid synonym of Tyrannosauurs.

Manospondylus gigas: That's right! I deserve to be king of dinosaurs, I was discovered first. But I end up just another forgotten fossil-I don't even have a snappy nickname!
Brad: Sorry to hear about that, Manospondylus gigas.
Manospondylus gigas: To prove that I'm the real king, I'll defeat the T. rex trio in battle!
Sue: One of you against three of us? I think we can handle that.
Dynamosaurus impersious: You're forgetting about me, rexes! You stole my fame too.
Brad: The challengers are still outnumbered, but this new guy looks angry.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dynamosaurus impersious: Described by Osborn at the same time as Tyrannosaurus, Dynammosaurus impersious was reffered to T. rex the next year, in 1906. Although some have recently reassessed the validity of this genus, it has never achieved the same fame as the tyrant king. Also considered an invalid synonym.

Brad: I can see why you're upset. Brachiosaurus hasn't shown up yet, so I guess we'll see this settled now.
Compy: He's probably afraid of me! I am so scary!
Sue: Okay Manospondylus and Dynamosaurus, let's fight! T. rex will always be the most popular dinosaur!
Suzie: Yeah, you can't beat a dinosaur whose name means "tyrant lizard king!" We're roylaty!
Dynamosaurus impersious: My name means "power lizard," because I'm powerful!
Manospondylus gigas: And my name means... [flips through Greek dictionary] manos, manos... "Porous vertebra." Dang.
Sue-Imperator: Enough chatting, let's finish them off so we can catch our plane.
Suzie: Good idea!
[Sue grabs Manospondylus by the leg an throws him out of the arena]
Manospondylus: Hey, this fight is rigged. Wheee!>CRASH<
Brad: Well, I'm just making sure I don't get killed off if I make any more guest appearances in Billy's Dino Warz.
Sue: Smart move.
Suzie: Look, it's Tinker.
Tinker: Billy says we have to leave soon... hey, who is that?
Dynamosaurus: I'm the true king of dinosaurs!
Tinker: No you're not [swallows Dynamosaurs whole]
Brad: I guess that's over. Bye, rexes!
Compy: Now its my turn to fight Brachiosaurus.
Brachiosaurus: I'm here, and I'm ready to win!
Brad: Great, its time to see what we came for. Standing in one corner is Brachiosaurus from Colorado, an impressive beast measuring 75 feet and weighing in at over 30 tons! In the other corner is Compsognathus from Germany. He is three feet long and weighs a full eight pounds!
[Compy whispers something to Brad]
Brad: Oh, and I've just been informed that he's really scary and eats meat! Meat!
Brachiosaurus: So? I'm invincible! Not even Allosaurus can beat me.
Compy: Yeah, well you're made of meat.... and I eat meat raw!
[Brachiosaurus takes a step towards Compsognathus]
Compy: Aaaugh! The pressure! I'm collapsing out here!
Brad: It looks like Compy has been crushed by Brachiosaurus's shadow! I've never seen that happen before!
Compy: Am I going to be okay?
Brad: Sure, you just make sure you get lots of-
Compy: Meat!
Brachioaurus: I'll be leaving now.
from Brad, age 13, Woodville, ON, Canada; October 18, 2000

Thanks for posting the writing tips, Bill! DinoWarz 7 is the best ever!
from Brad, age 13, Woodville, ON, Canada; October 18, 2000

How old does one have to be to post an e-mail address?
from Brad, age 13, Woodville, ON, Canada; October 18, 2000
I'll have to ask our legal advisor. I'll put his answers here when I get it. JC

Tyrannosaurus imperator. Length: Up to 52 feet (15 m). Height: Up to 23 feet (7 m). Weight: Up to 18,440 pounds (9 m tonnes). When a creature seems to be at the pinnacle of its evolution, what could possibly be the next step? Getting bigger and nastier, that's what. Even 60,000,000 years or so after transplantation, Tyrannosaurs did not evolve much. The ultimate predator, the killer of killers, is still Tyrannosaurus, but bigger than T. rex: T. imperator, the Emperor of the Tyrant Lizards. Here, we see a blackdeath, as they are called, warning other predators away from its kill, a Pachyrhinosaurus, with a mighty roar.
from Blackdeath, age ?, ?, ?, ?; October 18, 2000

HELENA, Mont. (AP) -- What may be the largest Tyrannosaurus rex fossil ever found has been unearthed on a Montana cattle ranch, touching off a dispute over who has claim to the site. University of Notre Dame paleontologist Keith Rigby said identification of the fossil is not yet complete, but if it is not a T-rex it may be a completely new variety of dinosaur -- and the largest meat-eater ever found. "There is some possibility that it may be new, and T-rex may have to become 'T-who?"' Rigby said Tuesday. Rigby said he found a pubis bone, one of three bones in the pelvis, that measures at least 52 inches, compared with 48 inches in the largest T-Rex fossil ever measured. However, the femurs, or thigh bones, which paleontologists normally use to estimate the size of dinosaurs, are still unexcavated. The find is "exciting, but not earth-shattering," said J. Michael Parrish, a dinosaur expert at Southern Illinois University. He said only a couple of dozen T-rex specimens are known and the largest size keeps changing, but that Rigby is probably right that his would be the biggest T-rex known. Parrish said other carnivores found recently in South America and Africa are thought to be larger than a T-rex, but comparisons among species are difficult. Rigby said he was forced to reveal the find before the fossil could be confirmed because of an unauthorized excavation over the weekend, which prompted federal agents to intervene to keep bones from being taken away. James Rector, a lawyer who has been helping Rigby, said he saw two sons of the former landowner and other relatives using a tractor to dig at the site on Sunday. Rector said he alerted the FBI and the federal Farm Service Agency, which owns the land. No one was arrested, but the FBI is investigating. Rector said he asked Steve Walton, a son of former landowner Edmund Walton, what he intended to do with the bones and the man replied: "I'm going to save my farm and feed my children." T-rex fossils can be extremely valuable. A 50-foot fossil nicknamed Sue, which was found in South Dakota in 1990, is expected to bring more than $1 million when it is auctioned next month at Sotheby's in New York. Rigby said he began work at the Montana site more than a year ago with permission of people who claimed to own the land, but he later became suspicious. He said he did a title search and found that FSA took ownership of the land several years ago. Two men who identified themselves to The Associated Press in separate calls as Steve Walton and his cousin, Fred Walton, said Tuesday the group did not take anything from the site and were there merely out of curiosity. Both said ownership of the land is still in dispute and they might be entitled to some money from the dinosaur find. A similar fight was waged over Sue, one of the most complete T-Rex fossils ever found. It was seized by the government in 1992 from Peter L. Larsen, the fossil dealer who excavated it. The government said the land where Sue was found was under federal jurisdiction and off-limits to Larsen. Sotheby's is selling the fossil on behalf of the Sioux Indian on whose ranch Sue was found.

Fossil gives clues into T. rex's behavior CHICAGO (AP) - In ''Jurassic Park,'' the terrified kids held perfectly still so a hungry celluloid Tyrannosaurus rex couldn't detect them. In reality, scientists say, they would've been lunch meat. CT-scanning of the desk-sized skull of Sue, the most complete T. rex fossil ever found, suggests the supreme carnivore in North America 65 million years ago had acute senses. Its forward-pointing eyes provided a wide field of view, and ear structures suggest it could hear well. But Sue's key advantage was smell. Its olfactory bulbs were grapefruit-sized. The skull opening for the bundle of olfactory nerves leading to the brain is wider than the spinal cord. ''The olfactory bulbs are larger than the cerebrum,'' said paleontologist Chris Brochu of the Field Museum of Natural History, the only scientist to have extensively examined the Sue fossil. The dinosaur ''smelled its way through life,'' he said. Sue's skeleton will be unveiled at the Field Museum on May 17 after nearly three years of cleaning and assembly. For now, it is off-limits to outsiders. Brochu has yet to reveal many details. At a recent paleontology meeting, he said it was unlikely that the bones, however complete, would settle key debates about the superstar of dinosaurs. Among them: T. rex's color and vocalizations, whether it was warm-blooded, hunter or scavenger, male or female. Others are more hopeful. Thomas R. Holtz, Jr. of the University of Maryland examined Sue briefly before it was auctioned in 1997, but key parts were still jacketed in protective plaster. ''The complete tail of a T. rex has not yet been described,'' he said. ''I would like to see if the furcula, or wishbone, is present.'' Peter Larson, president of the Black Hills Institute of Geological Research in Hill City, S.D., directed the fossil's excavation in 1990. He spent two years examining the bones until they were seized by federal agents in a legal dispute. He believes the Sue fossil is an older female. Among predatory birds, fish and insects, females are larger than males, he notes. Sue has a wider pelvis that would accommodate egg-laying. And, similar to crocodile anatomy, she lacks an extra bone that male crocs and smaller, presumably male T. rex skeletons both have. Reading behavior based on bones is trickier. Sue's teeth are foot-long cylinders with serrated edges. Her stomach contents included acid-etched bones of a duckbilled dinosaur. Other T. rex remains include bones from triceratops and other plentiful herbivores. A T. rex gulped everything and relied on a powerful digestive tract to process bone and horn. In the movies, T. rex is a solitary killer. But many scientists believe the real-life carnivores hunted in packs. Evidence? The Sue excavation also yielded juvenile and infant T. rexes in the same location. Long before dying, Sue suffered a broken left leg that was slow to heal. ''She couldn't have hunted on it,'' Larson said. ''I think her mate helped her.'' How did Sue die? T. rexes fought each other, probably over territory, food and mates. Embedded in Sue's ribcage is the tooth of another T. rex. The left side of the skull is smashed, with holes along her jaw. Brochu doubts it is evidence of a fatal encounter. The holes don't line up with the bite of a T. rex, he said. Larson disagrees. ''In her last fight she didn't do so well,'' he said. T. rex might have ruled North America in the late Cretaceous Period. But on the roster of the biggest and baddest dinosaurs, some formidable predators are emerging around the world. In March, scientists announced the discovery in Argentina of a yet-to-be-named meat eater that lived 100 million years ago. At 45 feet, it was 10% longer than T. rex. It had a long, narrow skull with scissor-like jaws, whereas the T. rex had nutcracker jaws. ''It probably attacked and dismembered its prey with a surgical precision,'' said Phil Currie of the Royal Tyrrell Museum in Alberta, Canada. ''T. rex was a creature of brute force.'' In 1998, researchers in central Africa found Suchomimus tenerensis. It was as large as a T. rex, but it prowled 30 million years earlier. Its pointy crocodile-like jaw sported 100 teeth. It also had 16-inch sickle claws. In Argentina, Gigantosaurus was discovered in 1995. It weighed 50% more than T. rex and was a contemporary of Suchomimus about when Africa and South America were connected. It had thin, flat teeth like daggers.
from ?, age ?, ?, ?, ?; October 18, 2000

10 little dinosuars bouncing on the bed
Pacyacephalasaurus fell off and broke his head
Momma called the doctor and the doctor said
"No more boneheads bouncing on the bed"
(that dino has a big boney plate on his head)

9 little dinosaurs riding on a bike
stegosaurus crashed and smashed up his spike
the policemen yelled from atop his trike
"No more nut-brains riding on a bike"
(stegos only had brains the size of walnuts)

8 little dinosaurs munching on a mooth
Tyrannosaurus chomped and broke his tooth
the dentist shouted from the dentist booth
"No more sharp tooths munching on a mooth"
(trex had lots of sharp teeth)

7 little dinosaurs rafting down the river
Spinosaurus flipped over and went all aquiver
the lifeguard said with a cold, wet shiver
"No more silly sails rafting down the river"
(spinosaurus had a large sail on his back)

6 little dinosaurs jumping off a peak
archepoteryx dove off and tweaked his beak
one called the ranger and the ranger shrieked
"No more feather heads jumping off a peak"
(archeopteryx was the 1st dino with real feathers)

5 little dinosaurs playing in the street
ankylosaurus saw a car to beat
he charged and ran and went down the street
"no more dino tanks playing in the street"
ankylosaurus was covered in armor like a tank)

4 little dinosaurs acting sorta cool
Suprasaurus wore his shades to school
the teacher sighed "why thats against the rules"
"No more super lizzards acting sorta cool"
(suprasaurus was the longest dino)

3 little dinosaurs on a camp out
Chasomsaurus asked whats that lava tube about?
then he slid down the tube and he blasted out the spout
"No more frill seekers on a campout"
(chasomsaurus had a big frill on his head)

2 little dinosaurs watching baseball
Saurolophus yelled "hey thats a bad call"
The umpire didnt like that talk at all
"No more big mouths watching baseball!"
(saurolophus had a huge mouth like a snake)

1 little dinosaur walking all alone
the sun burnt triceratops into dried up bones
"look" called the scientist "at all the fossil stones"
"No more three horns walking all alone"
(triceratops has 3 horns)

No more dinosaurs hanging on the brink
they all dissapeared in a geologic wink
the doctor cried "well this just stinks"
"No more dinosaurs..now theyre all EXTINCT"

EXTINCTION STINKS!
from Darryl F., age 10, ?, ?, ?; October 18, 2000

Dinosaur Top Ten for 1996 John Schneiderman took a poll of many of his friends who are paleontologists orjust plain dinosaur fans! He added them all up and made a list of the most popular dinosaurs for 1996.
John said:

First of all, I would like to thank all the individuals who submitted their list of (13) favorite dinosaur genera. I received 92 replies, with a total of 1150 names (not all respondants provided 13 names). According to the Dinosaur Mailing List there are 799 dinosaur genera ...that have appeared in the literature... Of course not all these genera are currently considered valid,... So I've come up with a count of 407 valid dinosaur genera names, and of this, 137 dinosaur genus names were picked by all those who responded to this survey. There were some non-dinosaurs picked: Kronosaurus, Dimetrodon, and Deinosuchus, and some modern Dinosaurs (birds): Falcon, Bald Eagle, Penquin, and Parakeet.

Here is the list of the Dinosaur Top 10 in David Letterman order! TA DA! (the comments come from John S.)

10. Archaeopteryx -- 25% Yes...birds are Dinosaurs !

9. Allosaurus -- 26% The nasty killer of the Late Jurassic and into the early Cretaceous.

8. Parasaurolophus -- 27% John thinks it's because of the cool crest.

7. Oviraptor -- 28% No longer given a bum wrap for eating Protoceratops eggs, now a loving, strange-looking, brooding mother.

6. Utahraptor -- 29%

5. Stegosaurus -- 31%

4. Apatosaurus -- 32% Although 31% prefer the name "Brontosaurus".

3. Triceratops -- 39% What can I say, 3 horns, a solid frill, and an attitude.

2. Deinonychus -- 42% What every small child wants to be when they grow up.
and finally...

1. Tyrannosaurus-- 56% Okay...so he (she) might not be the largest of the terrestial meat-eaters, but still without question, the King (Queen)!!
from John S., age ?, ?, ?, ?; October 18, 2000

An Exclusive: The making of Dino Warz (The serious version)

Hi, I am Billy Macdraw, and I am the manager of Dino Warz- Tinker? Yes, can you stop waving your tail? It's annoying. Thank you.

Okay, if you wanna write about a dino battle, here are some tips.

Get a good cast: At first, the T.Rex was juz called T.Rex, but I decided Sue would be a better choice as she is the most famous T.Rex in the world. One thing lead to another and before you know it, we have Sue and Sue-Imperator.

Character: You characters need to have character. Sue is ravenous, Suzie like to act. And Sue-Imperator? Well, she is the youngest of the three, though she is the biggest

Setting: The current use of Zoom Dinosaur regulars like Honkie Tong, Brad, Levine make the story hilarious and relate to the user.

Comedy: Dino Warz is built around comedy, though it can get pretty serious sometime.

T.Rex: Don't write a dino battle without it, or write about it losing any battle. (my personal opinion)

Time: Each story takes me about 2 hours to write, so if you are not type, don't try it.

That should be enough. And Cya on the flipside!
from Billy Macdraw, age 18, ?, ?, ?; October 18, 2000

Dino Warz 7, it's out! This one is done in honour of Rex fans across the globe.
from Billy Macdraw, age 18, ?, ?, ?; October 18, 2000

Rock T.Rex
by Robin W. Don't wanna be sleezy
pleez juz let me
I ain't got no family plan
don't just bleeze me
give me, permission to land!

I do wanna rock, T.Rex
But you're making me feel so good
Is it gonna stop, T.Rex
For you're making me feel the ground
from Robin W., age ?, ?, ?, ?; October 18, 2000

Hey I knew that, I was just carrying out a thought experiment!
from Leonard, age 12, ?, ?, ?; October 17, 2000

Yes, Kat.R, you are indeed far behind time. I seriously suspect that it's a minority who thought we are decendants of Tyrannosaurus.

Tyrannosaurus had excellent eyesight. The poor/ frog eyesight theory was just idle specutlation cooked up by the scavenger camp. It's quite impossible for a Tyrannosaur to see that way, quite impossible. I do believe that Tyrannosaurus had better eyesight than a dog. Tyrannosaurus is closely related to the birds, most of which had good colour vision. In fact, Tyrannosaurus had better hearing, eyesight and smell that the other dinosaurs of it's time. Yes, Tyrannosaurus could swim if it wanted to.
from Levine, age 24, ?, ?, ?; October 17, 2000

I think Leonard knows that, he is just weighting the two dinosaurs out. I am quite sure kids like him know these facts. Though I do agree with him. Weighing all the pros and cons, my money is on Tyrannosaurus if we could clone them and pit them together.

Nanotyrannus is not a juvenille tyrannosaurus, the discovery of Tinker showed that juvenille tyrannosaurus are very sdifferent from nanotyrannus. Tinker had T.Rex teeth even when he was young, no nanotyrannus had that. Mabye you are a little back in time, but the debate has been settled, Nanotyrannus is indeed a seperate Tyrannosaur that lived alongside T.Rex

Don't believe me? Visit Kidrex.com to find out for yourself.
from Honkie Tong, age 16, Singapore, ?, ?; October 17, 2000

I would like to reply to a "Leonard" who was talking about a fight between tyrannosaurus rex and a gigantosaurus carolini. The two would NEVER have met. There was a shallow sea and 30 million years separating them. Please, e-mail me, questions, doubts, I post theories, thoughts, and corrections on her all the time. My internet name is carcardontosaur, kat r., or simbaspirit. My e-mail once again is @@@@#$@$
from carcardontosaur, age ?, ?, ?, ?; October 17, 2000
Sorry, but the FTC (Federal Trade Commision) does not allow us to list kid's e-mail addresses. JC

I would like to announce a few theories I have been trying tho inform. These are not facts but I am the worlds biggest tyrannosaur fan and I am convinced some of these are true 1.Nanotyrannus was indeed a juvenille tyrannosaurus
2.This one is unlikely bt could it be possible that WE evolved from the tyrannosauroids?(I have too many reasons to list so if you are questioning this PLEASE feel free to e-mail me at c@#@)
3.Tyrannosaurs were more than able to swim but did it well.
4.That the tyrannosauroids had vision more like a dogs than a frogs.
5.That the arms were used to gash deep wounds in thier prey making it bleed to death.
I have many more and reasons for each and every one so I am begging you to e-mail me withany questions or doubts. #@#@#@
from Kat R., age 14, ?, ?, ?; October 17, 2000
Sorry, but the FTC (Federal Trade Commision) does not allow us to list kid's e-mail addresses. JC

It's an honour to be featured in Dinowarz.
from Honkie Tong, age 16, ?, ?, ?; October 17, 2000

Everbody has a right to like his own dino. Its only when he or she starts insultion other dinos where the FUN STARTS! LET'S PARTY!
from Honkie Tong Ka Fong, age ?, ?, ?, ?; October 17, 2000

No more yo,yo whatzup! i'm leaving! i will not be chating here any longer! bye! and i still like raptr!
from coolcat, age ?, ?, ?, ?; October 17, 2000

Of course I want more DinoWarz. I'm currently considering writing my own dinosaur battling episode featuring some of my own favourites. Look for it soon on the voting board, since I don't think we can control the formatting as well here. (I just pressed ENTER twice, does it show up?)
from Brad, age 13, Woodville, ON, Canada; October 17, 2000

Brad, Just typing returns won't make HTML put in a break - sometime, if I see it, I'll add a break or a paragraph marking. If you want to add a return (a line break) yourself, type <BR>; if you want to to start a new paragraph, type <P>. JC

i got your message, Suzie! i'm glad you're alright, and i'm glad you're babies are alright too!
from coolcat, age ?, ?, ?, ?; October 17, 2000

Right, if Avialae was the ancestors of true birds it would also include them, or we wouldn't use it today. Aves is a taxon within Avialae though, they are not synonyms. Alvarezsaurs are cool. Dann Pigdon has a great picture on his site of the 6-metre alverez Rapator ornitholestoides, perhaps Megaraptor and Rapator are close relatives. Do the smaller alverzsaurs (Mononykus, Alvarezsaurus, etc.) have raptor-mimic claws though?
from Brad, age 13, Woodville, ON, Canada; October 17, 2000

(Continuation on last post) I don't think Megaraptor could be a ceratosaur..there are certain features of it that stand out as quite coelurosaurian. Also, Noasaurus differed from the coelurian deinonychosaurs in how the sickle claw was built; Noasaurus had a depression where the flexor attached (muscle) and deinonychosaurians and troodontids had a knob. Megaraptor had a knob, like the deinonychosaurs.
from Chandler, age ?, ?, ?, ?; October 17, 2000

Brad: Avialae contains "real" birds and "near birds"...it's another name for "Aves" if that helps. Megaraptor's estimated size is up to 8 m for a deinonychosaur, probably only 6 m for a bird..but that is still quite large. In fact, it probably didn't look much like a bird, maybe it resembled Alvarezsaurus in having a long tail and stuff like that. I guess we'll never know unless we find a complete specimen of either Unenlagia or Megaraptor.
from Chandler, age ?, ?, ?, ?; October 17, 2000

Roarrr what?
from Suzie, age ?, ?, ?, ?; October 17, 2000

yo, is Suzie there? i got a message for her! please reply so i know!
from coolcat, age 5,000,000, ?, ?, ?; October 16, 2000

yeah i know, it was easy Brad! i've known those since kindergarden! thanks for helping me! new question: what are the parts of the plant's cell? hint: three of the parts are the same as the animal cell! yo,who wants more dino warz!?!
from coolcat, age 5,000,000, ?, ?, ?; October 16, 2000

No Brad, they really found the arms. Nobody had even suspected that bird had arms until they found it. Wish you had that issue didn't ya?
from ?, age ?, ?, ?, ?; October 16, 2000

Have they found the hands of the terror bird, or is it just speculation? I really wish I had bought that issue of Discover magazine instead of just glossing over it in a store...
from Brad, age 13, Woodville, ON, Canada; October 16, 2000

I thought avaialans were "near birds", not "birds". Could Megaraptor be of any relation to the abelisaurian ceratosaur Noasaurus, another Argentinian dromaeosaur mimic? There's something about an 8-metre bird that doesn't sound right.
from Brad, age 13, Woodville, ON, Canada; October 16, 2000

Nucleus, Cell Membrane, and Cytoplasm (I knew two of those without asking anyone!) I've never heard of Vasco da Gama, but I might be able to help if I knew the category. Yahooligans.com is a very schoolwork-oriented search engine that isn't bogged down with tons of unrelated ads, you might try going there. Plus, they have a cool little poll.
from Brad, age 13, Woodville, ON, Canada; October 16, 2000

Did you hear about this theory about the tyrannosarids driving the raptors into decline? As the theory goes, as the tyrannosauids rose in the fossil record, the raptors started to decline suddenly. In fact, there were very few species of raptor left by the K-T. Odd, you expect such a smart, fast predator to sweep away any competition.
from Honkie Tong, age ?, ?, ?, ?; October 16, 2000

Coolcat, no offence, but we are starting to tire of your antics.
from Jamie Yeo, age 12, ?, ?, ?; October 16, 2000

Did you know the dinosaurs were recreated about 10llion years after the K-T extinction. In a weird evolutionary experiment, one giant predatory bird of that time actually spotted hands instead of wings, crossing the divide between the Avian and non-avian dinosaurs.
from Damean, age 14, ?, ?, ?; October 16, 2000

One thing I have learned from this page is that T.Rex is unstoppable. The more hate-posts we send about him, the more support pours in from his fans, he is THAT popular. hehe
from Damean, age 14, ?, ?, ?; October 16, 2000

Yo, I AM A GIRL! DON'T EVER CALL ME A BOY! Brad you're right again! hey if any of you know any thing about Vasco da Gama please notify me. i have a report coming up and i'm fresh out of info. question: what are the three parts of an animal cell? hint: the parts start with N/Cy/Cell M/. seeya dudes!
from coolcat, age 5,000,000, ?, ?, ?; October 16, 2000

Brad: Yes, they did fix the species name of Utahraptor to ostrommaysorum to agree it into the plural. Honkie: Megaraptor may have been bigger than Utahraptor, and it was either a "raptor" (deinonychosaur) like Utahraptor, etc. or it was an avialan (bird), and a giant one at that. It may be the adult version of Unenlagia...or a relative. Proves how similar dinosaurs and birds can get:)
from Chandler, age ?, ?, ?, ?; October 16, 2000

The biggest "raptor" beginning with U in the cooldinos sense was Utahraptor ostrommaysorum (or ostrommaysi, not sure if that got fixed or not). I'm hoping "raptor" doesn't mean a living bird or prey though, because I don't know one of those that starts with u.
from Brad, age 13, Woodville, ON, Canada; October 16, 2000