ZoomDinosaurs.com Dinosaur and Paleontology Dictionary

ASIACERATOPS (pronounced AY-zha-SER-ah-tops) Asiaceratops (meaning "Asian horned face") was a primitive ceratopsian, a quadrupedal, beaked, horned, frilled, plant-eater from Kazakhstan during the late Cretaceous period, about 97.5 to 90 million years ago. It was about 6-7 ft (2 m) long and weighed about 180 kg. It was similar to Montanoceratops. Only fragmentary fossils of Asiaceratops have been found. It was named by paleontologists Nessov and Kaznyshkina in 1989. The type species is A. salsopaludalis.

ASIATOSAURUS (pronounced AYE-see-at-tuh-SAWR-us) Asiatosaurus (meaning "Asian lizard") was a large sauropod, a quadrupedal plant-eater from Mongolia during the early Cretaceous period. Only fragmentary fossils of Asiatosaurus have been found. It was named by paleontologist Henry Osborn in 1924. The type species is A. mongoliensis.

ASTEROID An asteroid is a large rock or small planet from the belt that orbits the sun between Mars and Jupiter. An asteroid impact with the Earth may have caused the extinction of the dinosaurs.

ASTRODON (pronounced AS-troh-don) Astrodon (meaning "star-tooth") was a long-necked plant-eating dinosaur, a brachiosaurid sauropod that was about 30? feet (9 m) long (which is small for a brachiosaurid). It lived during the early Cretaceous period, about 130 million-120 million years ago. Astrodon is known only from fossilized teeth found in Maryland, USA (Astrodon is the state dinosaur of Maryland). Astrodon was named by Johnston in 1859. The type species is A. johnstoni. Astrodon may be the same as Pleurocoelus.

ATLANTOSAURUS (pronounced at-LAN-tuh-SAWR-us) Atlantosaurus ("Atlanta lizard") is a doubtful genus and is probably Apatosaurus. It was named by Marsh in 1877.

ATLASCOPCOSAURUS (pronounced AT-las-KOP-kuh-SAWR-us) Atlascopcosaurus (named for the company Atlas Copco [Compagnie Pneumatique Commerciale], that donated some of the equipment for the dig) was an ornithopod about 6.5 to 10 feet (2 to 3 m) long and weighed roughly 125 kg. It was a plant-eater that lived during the early Cretaceous period. It is known only from fossilized jaws and teeth found in Australia. It was named by T. Rich & P. Rich in 1989. The type species is A. loadsi

ATOM Everything is made up of tiny atoms. An atom is the smallest part of an element that has the properties of that element.

ATREIPUS (pronounced ah-TREE-ih-pus) Atreipus is a poorly-known ornithischian (bird-hipped) dinosaur known only from its fossilized tracks. No fossilized bones have been attributed to this ichnogenus. Two sizes of footprints (4.5 and 1 cm long) have been found in conjunction, indicating that this small dinosaur walked on four legs and its rear legs were much larger and longer than the front legs. Atreipus was roughly 6 feet (1.8 m) long. Trackways were found in Pennsylvania, USA Mike Szajna and Brian Hartline. It lived during the late Triassic period, about 220 million years ago. The type species is Atreipus milfordensis

AUBLYSODON (pronounced ah-BLEECE-oh-don) Aublysodon (meaning "backwards tooth") is a poorly-known theropod dinosaur (perhaps a tyrannosaurid) about 15 feet (4.5 m) long, weighing about 80 kg. It was a meat-eater from the western USA during the late Cretaceous period, about 76 million-65 million years ago. Its front teeth were long and sharp but not serrated. It was named by paleontologist J. Leidy in 1868. It is only known from teeth and partial skulls. The type species is A. mirandus

AULAPODUS Aulapodus icels is an ichnogenus, a dicynodont known from its human-sized footprints, which were made during the Permian period, roughly 255 years ago. According to paleontologist James Kitching, Aulapodus is Aulacephaledon, a relatively common dicynodont known from the area. The tracks of this plant-eating, tusked therapsid were found in the Karoo near Grahamstown, Eastern Cape, South Africam which was a marsh during the Permian period. Aulapodus was named by geologist Billy de Klerk in 1998. The tracks were found by IC ''Ice'' Els, a very perceptive road builder.

AUROCHS (pronounced OR-rox) Aurochs was a large, wild ox that lived in Europe. This hoofed mammal (an artiodactyl) went extinct in 1627. It was black and had forward-curving horns; it stood about 6 feet (1.8 m) tall at the shoulder. The aurochs was the ancestor of domestic cattle. The genus and species are Bos primigenius.

AUSKTRIBOSPHENOS Ausktribosphenos nyktos (meaning "Australian Cretaceous tribosphenic mammal that lived during the night") was a small mammal that lived during the Cretaceous period, about 115 million years ago. This insect-eater was not a dinosaur, but it lived during the time of the dinosaurs. Its fossilized jaw was found by Nicola Barton in 1997 at Flat Rocks, southeast of Melbourne, Australia. Ausktribosphenos may have been nocturnal. It is the oldest-known mammal from Australia, and was neither a marsupial nor a monotreme (it may have been a placental mammal or a new type of mammal). Ausktribosphenos was named by Tom Rich and Pat Vickers-Rich.

AUSTROSAURUS (pronounced AW-stroh-SAWR-us) Austrosaurus (meaning "southern lizard") is a poorly-known sauropod (perhaps a cetiosaurid) dinosaur about 50 feet (15 m) long, weighing roughly 20000 kg. It was a plant-eater during the early Cretaceous period, about 113 million-98 million years ago. Incomplete fossils were found in Queensland, Australia. It was named by paleontologist J. Longman in 1933. It is only known from teeth and partial skulls. The type species is A. mckillopi

AUTOTROPH (pronounced AW-toh-trofe) An autotroph (or producer) is an organism that makes its own food from light energy or chemical energy (inorganic matter) without eating. Most green plants, many protists (one-celled organisms like slime molds) and most bacteria are autotrophs. Autotrophs are the base of the food chain.

AVACERATOPS (pronounced AY-vuh-SUR-uh-tops) Avaceratops was a small, horned, frilled ceratopsian dinosaur about 7-14 feet (2-4 m) long, weighing roughly 1200 kg. It was a beaked plant-eater from Montana during the late Cretaceous period, about 77 million-73 million years ago. It was named by Canadian paleontologist Peter Dodson in 1986. It is known from partial skulls. The type species is A. lammersi

AVIMIMUS (pronounced AH-vee-MIME-us) Avimimus (meaning "bird mimic") was a very fast moving, long-legged, bird-like theropod dinosaur about 5 feet (1.5 m) long, weighing about 14 kg. It was a long-beaked carnivore from Mongolia during the late Cretaceous period, about 85 million-75 million years ago. It may have had feathers. It was named by Russian paleontologist Sergei Mikhailovich Kurzanov in 1981. The type species is A. portentosus

AVIPES (pronounced AH-vee-MIM-us) Avipes (meaning "bird foot") was a small theropod dinosaur or lagosuchian (reptiles that led to the dinosaurs) with bird-like feet (hence its name). It was a long-beaked carnivore from Germany during the middle Triassic period. It was named by paleontologist von Huene in 1932. The type species is A. dillstedtianus

AZHDARCHO (pronounced as-DAR-choh) Azhdarcho (meaning "dragon") was a pterosaur, a flying reptile, not a dinosaur. It was a carnivore that lived during the late Cretaceous period. It is known from fossils found in Uzbekhistan. It was named by Nessov in 1984.

AZENDOHSAURUS (pronounced ah-ZEN-doh-SAWR-us) Azendohsaurus (meaning "Azendoh [Morocco] lizard") was an early plant-eating dinosaur, a prosauropod about 6 ft (1.8 m) long. It is known only from a partial jaw and some teeth found in Morocco. It lived during the late Triassic period, about 228 million years ago. It was named by paleontologist Dutuit in 1972. The type species is A. laaroussii

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