Zoom Dinosaurs DINOSAUR QUESTIONS

Q: Can you tell me order and family of the Maiasaura? Thank-you so much!
from ?, Harrisburg, PA, USA; December 10, 1998

A: Maiasaura belongs to the order Ornithischia and the family Hadrosauridae (duck-billed dinosaurs). For more info on Maiasaura, click here.

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Q: What is Maiasaura's scientific name?
from ??; December 9, 1998

A: The scientific name for the genus Maiasaura is Maiasaura. (The scientific name for each dinosaur genus is also its common name.)

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Q:What continent did the Maiasaura live on?
from Ashley, DeWitt, IA, USA; Jan. 29, 1998

A:

Thousands of Maiasaura fossils have been found in North America (in western Canada and the United States), which was part of the continent of Laurasia during the late Cretaceous period, when Maiasauras lived. Around this time, the supercontinent Pangaea was breaking up into Laurasia (what is now North America and EurAsia) and Gondwana (Africa, South America, Australia, Antarctica, and India).

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Q:Did the Maiasaura walk on two legs or four legs?
from Dani and Kimberly, Coralville, IA, USA; Feb. 20, 1998

A: Maiasauras (click here for more information) walked on four legs. Maiasaura's front legs were much shorter than the rear legs. When they ran, they probably used only their back legs, using the tail for balance.

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Q: I don't have any question but I do have a request, can you please send me some pic of the dinosaur Maiasaura. I need a lot 4 a project. Please send B 4 5-5-98. Thanks U R a life saver!!!
D.J. :)
THANKS
from D. J. J., Stafford, TX, USA; May 5, 1998

A: At the moment, all my dinosaur information is on-line. For information and a picture of Maiasaura, click here.

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Q: Do you have any information on Lesothosaur, Mamenchisaurus, or Titanosaurus? Please send me all the info you have on them,and pictures
from Heather M., Cumberland, West Virginia, USA; April 30, 1998

A: I have an information sheet on Lesothosaurus - click here to see it.

Mamenchisaurus was a long-necked, long-tailed, quadrupedal, plant-eating sauropod from the late Jurassic period, about 156 to 145 million years ago. It was about 70 feet (21 m) long. Mamenchisaurus had the longest neck of any known dinosaur, about 46 feet (14 m). It had 19 vertebrae in its spine, more than any other known dinosaur. Mamenchisaurus was named by Chung Chien Young, a Chinese paleontologist, in 1954. Fossils have been found in China. Mamenchisaurus may be closely related to Diplodocus.

Titanosaurus was another large sauropod, having a long neck, long tail, and small head. It walked on four legs, ate plants and had a heavy body with armor on its back. It was about 40 feet (12 m) long and lived during the late Cretaceous period. It is only known from incomplete fossils. Fossils have been found in India, Europe, and perhaps South America. Titanosaurus was named by British paleontologist Richard Lydekker in 1877.

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Q: I am doing a report on a Megalosaurus for my 2nd grade class. Can you tell me what the climate was like and the type of vegetation that was there when the megalosuarus was alive. Also, what other animals lived at the same time as the megalosuarus?
from Mike H., Los Alamitos, CA, USA; November 29, 1998

A: To answer these questions, first go to the page on Megalosaurus. Then, read what period of the Mesozoic it lived in (and on which continent). Go to the page about that period and find out about the climate, vegetation, and what other dinosaurs lived near it then.

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Q:Please tell me what you can about megalosaurus.
from Dawn T., Salem, WI, USA; Nov. 23, 1997

A: Megalosaurus was a huge meat eater from the Jurassic and early Cretaceous periods. It walked on two strong legs, had short arms, a tail that counterbalanced its weight, and large, sharp teeth. They were 30 feet long (9 m), 10 feet tall (3 m), and weighed 2 tons (1.8 metric tons). It was one of the earliest dinosaurs discovered. Fossils remains have been found in England and France.

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Q: I am in second grade and am doing a report on the Megalosaurus. I need to know what this type of dinosaur ate, and where they lived. I also need to know why it became extinct. I hope you can help me. Thank you very much.
from Casey C., Clearwater, FL, USA; March 10, 1998

A: Megalosaurus, meaning "great lizard," was a large theropod, a two-legged meat eater who lived from the early Jurassic through the early Cretaceous periods. It was about 30 feet (9 m) long and weighed about 1 ton. It had a big head, short neck, long, powerful legs, short arms, a long tail, and claws on fingers and toes. Fossils have been found in Europe (in France and England).

It went extinct long before the huge K-T mass extinction; it died out in a typical background extinction. The Cretaceous was a time of great environmental change; there was a lot of volcanic activity, continents were moving, and a lot of new species were competing with old ones. The inability to adapt to change quickly is generally the cause of extinctions.

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Q: I need a picture of a "MEGALOSAURUS", either an artist's RENDITION, or a SKELETON, over the internet, that I can print for my kids. Can someone EMAIL me one, or advise of a web site that may have one available. I need this for my 3rd grade class. Thank you all in advance for helping me. S. Palmer
from Stephanie P., Newtown, PA, USA; March 18, 1998

A: For a picture of Megalosaurus and an information sheet, click here.

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Q: Is the megalosaurus a saurischian or a ornithischian?
from Dana, North English, Iowa, USA; March 17, 1998

A: Megalosaurus was a saurischian dinosaur.

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Q: What is a Melanorosaurus,what does it look like?
from Q. D., Alton, Illinois, USA; April 27, 1998

A: Melanorosaurus (meaning "black mountain lizard") was a large, heavy prosauropod, an early plant-eating saurischian dinosaur. It lived during the late Triassic period, about 228 to 219 million years ago. It walked on four sturdy legs, was about 40 feet (12 m) long, had a long neck, long tail, thick bones, a bulky body, five-toed feet, and a small head. Its rear legs were longer than its front legs. Its fossils have been found in South Africa. Melanorosaurus was named in 1924 by the British paleontologist Sydney H. Haughton.

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Q: I need information on the metriorhynchus. How did it protect itself, interesting information, any sites I can visit to get more information. Thanks
from Fred J., Raleigh, NC, USA; September 29, 1998

A: Metriorhynchus was a marine crocodile from the middle Jurassic period (the Callovian age). It was not a dinosaur, but another type of reptile. Like other crocodilians, it probably protected itself with its teeth and tail. Its fossils have been found in Chile, South America. I can't find any sites on Metriorhynchus on the web, but Crocodilian.com has a lot of information about crocodiles.

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Q: hi ~ !
my name is ivan. I'm a 5th grader from Cerritos California. At school, we are doing a dino project. I need to find info on the dinosaur species: monoclonius. I was wondering if u can assist me in finding /sending me information on that particular species.
thank you for all your help. i like your web page. It's one of my favorite sites.
from ivan, Cerritos, CA, USA; May 25, 1998

A: Monoclonius (meaning "single stem," referring to its single nose horn) was a late ornithischian dinosaur, the order of bird-hipped, herbivorous dinosaurs. It was a member of the suborder marginocephalia, and the family of large, horned, frilled, herding herbivores (plant-eaters), the Ceratopsians. It was related to Styracosaurus and Centrosaurus and was first found in the late 1800's and named in 1876. It was a frilled dinosaur about 20 feet (6 m) long), had a large horn on its snout, had 2 small horns near the top of its frill, and had a toothed, horny beak. It had a bulky body, a short, thick, pointed tail, a very large skull. It lived during the late Cretaceous period and may have roamed in herds (like other Ceratopsians, notably Styracosaurus). Monoclonius probably ate cycads, palms, and other prehistoric plants with its tough, toothed beak. It could also chew well with its cheek teeth (like other Ceratopsians, but unlike most other dinosaurs).

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Q: I know that Monoclonius have been found in Coahuila. Is that true?
from Andrés L., D.F., D.F., México; September 12, 1998

A: I haven't heard about this but it could well be true. Sometimes it takes news time to make its way around.

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Q: Does the Muttaburrasaurus belong to the Ornithischian or Saurischian group of dinosaurs?
from Chris H., Sydney, NSW, Australia; August 26, 1998

A: Muttaburrasaurus was an Ornithischian and an Ornithopod, a plant-eating dinosaur about 24 feet (7 m) long, dating from the early Cretaceous period, about 113-97.5 million years ago. It had a large bulge on its long snout between its eyes and its mouth, a flattened thumb spike, hoof-like claws, and teeth that worked like shears. It is either an Iguanodontid or a Camptosaurid dinosaur. It was described and named by Ralph E. Molinar and Alan Bartholomai in 1981 from a fossil found in Queensland, Australia.

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Q:What information can you give me on the nanosaurus?
from Ruth H., Mesa, AZ, USA; Jan. 20, 1998

A: Nanosaurus (meaning "dwarf lizard") was a small bipedal plant eater from the Jurassic Period. It was about 4 feet long (120 cm) and 1.5 feet tall (46 cm). Fossils have been found in North America. Nanosaurus was an Ornithischian dinosaur and belonged to the Fabrosaur family.

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Q: Where could we see a Nanotyrannus skeleton in person?
from Nathaniel T., Petaluma, CA, USA; July 31, 1998

A: The Cleveland Museum of Natural History has a complete Nanotyrannus lancensis skull. They has misnamed this skull Gorgosaurus lancensis for years and had even put inappropriate plaster horns on it.

Nanotyrannus was a small tyrannosaurid (related to a resembling a tiny T. rex) that lived during the late Cretaceous, about 68-65 million years ago. It is known from the above-mentioned skull which was found in Montana in 1942 and is only 22 inches (57.2 cm) long. Nanotyrannus was not classified until 1988. Nanotyrannus means "dwarf tyrant." Some paleontologists think that Nanotyrannus is simply a juvenile Tyrannosaurus.

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Q: What is an Ornitholestes? Where can I find information on the web for this dinosaur? My daughter has a project due and this is the name the teacher gave her. Need ASAP
from ?; May 6, 1998

A: Ornitholestes (meaning "bird robber") was a carnivore from the late Jurassic period, about 156-145 million years ago. It walked on two long legs, was lightly built, and must have been a very fast runner. It had a small head, a small bony crest on its long snout, a long, tapered tail, and strong, clawed, four-fingered hands (one finger of which was tiny). It was about 6.5 feet (2 m) long (from snout to tail). It may have hunted the newly evolved Jurassic period birds. Fossils have been found in Wyoming, USA. Ornitholestes was first described by the US paleontologist Henry F. Osborn in1903.

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Q: Did the Ornitholestes live in a group or independantly? Did it eat all kinds of birds or just small animals?
from Brendan F., Litchfield, CT, USA; April 25, 1998

A: Ornitholestes (meaning "bird robber") was thought to be a hunter of the primitive Jurassic period birds in addition to any other meat it could catch. It was a small (3.5-6.8 feet long), fast-moving theropod dinosaur and could probably catch many small animals. I've never seen a refence to it living in herds.

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Q:I am a 2nd grader. I go to Lowell School in Boone, IA. We are learning about dinosaurs. I need some information about Ornitholestes. I need to know how tall it was, how much it weighed, and how did it traveled. Did it travel by itself, with a partner, in a pack, or in a herd?
from Samantha K., Boone, IA, USA; Feb. 3, 1998

A: Ornitholestes (meaning "bird robber") was a bipedal dinosaur with a small head and long tail. It was a about 6 feet tall, a carnivore, lightly-built, had three-fingered hands, and lived during the late Jurassic period. It was a Theropod. Fossils have been found in North America. I don't know about their social behavior.

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Q: What is the Ornithomimidae?
from Danielle, Algonquin, IL, USA; June 1, 1998

A: The Ornithomimidae (meaning "bird mimics") were a group of dinosaurs that were a lot like ostriches. They were fast-miving theropods that had long legs, small heads, light bodies, large eyes and brains, and toothless beaks. Unlike ostriches they had long tails, 3-toed feet and 3-fingered hands. They lived during the late Cretaceous period and may have been omnivores (eating both plant and animal material). The Ornithomimidae included Ornithomimus, Gallimimus, Struthiomimus, Dromiceiomimus, and Elaphrosaurus.

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Q: Do Ouranosaurus lay eggs or do they have live births? Also do Ouranosaurus travel in herds, small groups, or alone?
from Lisa M., York, PA, USA; November 15, 1998

A: Ouranosaurus was an iguanodontid dinosaur that is known from 2 fossilized Nigerian skeletons. It probably hatched from eggs, although none have been found with Ouranosaurus skeletons or containing Ouranosaurus hatchlings. No bonebeds (many fossils of the same species, but of different ages, found in the same area) were found, so its herding behavior is unknown. For more information on Ouranosaurus, click here.

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Q: Can you show me a picture of an Oviraptor?
from Amanda D., Reston, VA, USA; December 16, 1998

A: For more information about Oviraptor, click here.

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Q: Was Oviraptor a type of Velociraptor?
from Brendan C., Tully, NY, USA; August 5, 1998

A: No, but they were both theropods, Tetanurae, Coelurosaurids, and Maniraptors - so they are pretty close relatives. Velociraptor was a Dromaeosaur (the smartest group of dinosaurs); Oviraptor belonged to the family of Oviraptors.

For more information about Oviraptor, click here.

For more information about Velociraptor, click here.

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Q:Did Oviraptor travel in a herd, with a partner, or by itself?
from Chris, Boone, IA, USA; Feb. 26, 1998

A: I haven't heard of any evidence of Oviraptor bonebeds (large deposits of bones of the same species in an area), fossilized trackways of many dinosaurs travelling together, or large groups of fossilized nests grouped together. This means that there is no positive evidence for herding behavior for Oviraptors.

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Q: How much did the Oviraptor weigh?
from Maria T., Old Forge, PA, USA; November 23, 1998

A: Oviraptor weighed about 55 to 76 pounds (25 to 35 kg). For more information on Oviraptor, click here.

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Q:How tall was oviraptor?
from tom b., rocky river, ohio, USA; Oct. 28, 1997

A: Oviraptor was small, standing about 6 feet (2 m) tall, and measuring about 5 feet (1.5 m) from head to tail.

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Q:What kind of hip did Oviraptor have? How did they travel?
from Chris, Boone, IA, USA; Feb. 25, 1998

A: Oviraptor was a theropod, a "Lizard-Hipped" or Saurischian dinosaur. I'm not sure what you mean by "How did they travel?"

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Q: When did the pachycephalosaurus live? How did the pachycephalosaurus get its name? On average, how long did it live? How did it protect itself? What would happen to it if it were very ill?
from Sarena, West Long Branch, NJ, USA; April 10, 1998

A: Pachycephalosaurus lived during the late Cretaceous period, about 76 to 65 million years ago. It name means "thick-headed lizard" because it had a very thick skull - up to 10 inches thick. Pachycephalosaurus was named in 1943 by Barnum Brown and Erich M. Schlaikjer. No one knows how long they lived. Pachycephalosaurus has very little protection from predators, mostly it just ran away - and it wasn't the quickest dinosaur. If it was very ill, it probably dies, either from the illness or from predators, like T. rex.

For an information sheet on Pachycephalosaurus, click here.

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Q: Everywhere I see, I read that pachycephalosaurus butted heads(like rams). But we learn in Physics that if the area of contact is very less, pressure is very high. So how is it that, pachycephalosauruses could butt heads as their head-domes are almost spherical in shape?
from Arvind S., Bangalore, Karnataka, India; August 18, 1998

A: Pachycephalosaurus' huge dome, with up to 10 inches of bone in thickness, may have been used for ramming rivals during mating and dominance combat, for attracting mates, and as a last-ditch self-defense against predators. The animal that could produce the most amount of force, and do the most amount of damage to its foe, would win the conflict. This would give an advantage to the animal with a spherical shape. A spherical shape is one way to increase the force that one can inflict while not damaging yourself (a pointed shape is another one that some other animals use).

There are other pachycephalosaurids, like Wannanosaurus, which may have had similar behaviors and was also very thick skulled, but had a flatter head.

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Q: When did the Parasaurolophus die? Also, where did they live?
from Amanda C., Kingman, Arizona, USA; December 17, 1998

A: For information on Parasaurolophus, click here.

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Q: What is Parasaurolophus means and how it was named?
from Brianna T., Sterling, VA, USA; December 13, 1998

A: Parasaurolophus means "beside Saurolophus," and Saurolophus means "ridged lizard". It was named by paleontologist Wm. A. Parks in 1922. For more information on Parasaurolophus, click here.

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Q: Did Parasaurolophus swim?
from Casey W.; August 14, 1998

A: Although Parasaurolophus had partially webbed fingers and lived in coastal and upland areas, there is no evidence that Parasaurolophus spent much time in the water. It used to be thought that its crest was used as a snorkel-like device, indicating that the animal spent much time in the water, but since the crest has no nostril at the top, this theory has been dismissed. Also, fossilized stomach contents have been found, consisting mostly of land plants. Again, this indicates that Parasaurolophus spent most of its time on land.

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Q:How tall was Parasaurolophus?
from Stacey, Boone, IA, USA; Feb. 12, 1998

A: Parasaurolophus was about 16 feet tall.

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Q:How is a Plateosaurus Classified?
from Katherine G., Sacramento, CA, USA; Feb. 4, 1998

A: Plateosaurus was a large Triassic Saurischian (the order of lizard-hipped dinosaurs), belonging to the Suborder Sauropodomorpha, Infraorder Prosauropoda, and Family Plateosauridae.

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Q: How tall is a Plateosaurus?
from Max H., Jackson, WY, United States of America; April 28, 1998

A: Plateosaurus was about 27.5 feet (8 m) long and about 7 feet (2 m) high at the hips.

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Q: I'm in 2nd grade and I'm doing a report on plateosaurus. I cannot find the enemies or its protection. Could you please help me?
from Jonathan H., Elverson, PA, USA; March 24, 1998

A: Plateosaurus (meaning "flat lizard," referring to its flat teeth) was an early saurischian dinosaur, a prosauropod. It was a 26 foot (8 m) long plant eater (an herbivore) with little protection. Its head was small, and it had leaf-shaped teeth that would not be very good for defense. It could walk on two or four legs, but probably ran on all four legs. For protection from meat-eaters, it could use its speed, its large size (large for its time, the late Triassic period), its tail (which may have been used to scatter smaller predators), possibly congregation in herds, and perhaps body camouflage (to blend into the greenery).

Plateosaurus lived in western Europe and South America (Argentina) during late Triassic period, when most dinosaurs were still quite small. Large meat-eaters from that time include some Megalosaurs and Dilophosaurus. Small meat-eaters could only threaten Plateosaurus when in packs, or by attacking the very young; these include Eoraptor (see the next question), Staurikosaurus, and Herrerasaurus.

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Q:I need some information on Polacanthus. How tall was it. Did it travel in a herd or by itself?
from Daniel, Boone, IA, USA; Feb. 18, 1998

A: Polacanthus, another name for Hylaeosaurus, was a primitive ankylosaur with spines, about 15 feet (4.6 m) long. The only was we can surmise herding behavior in an extinct species is when bonebeds (large deposits of fossil bones found together, mostly of the same species) or multiple trackways (fossilized animal tracks) are found. For Polacanthus, neither bonebeds nor multiple trackways that can be definitely attributed to Polacanthus have been found, so it is unknown whether or not it traveled in herds.

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Q: When and where did the Procompsognathus live?
from Herbert S., Iceland; December 30, 1998

A: Procompsognathus lived in what is now Germany during the late Triassic period, about 222 to 219 million years ago. For more info on Procompsognathus, see the entry in the Dinosaur and Paleontology Dictionary.

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Q: Could you please tell me some info about these two dinos: Procompsognthus and Titanosaurus. thanks
from Maverick, Missouri, USA; December 7, 1998

A: There are entries for these two in the Dinosaur Dictionary, just look under "P" and "T."

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Q: Do you sell dinosaur bones? What does Protoceratops mean?
from Elisabeth and Chantelle, Chicopee; June 2, 1998

A: No, I don't sell dinosaur bones. Protoceratops means "First horned face." For more information on Protoceratops, click here.

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Q: Is there a difference between a raptor and a Velociraptor?
from Max S., Sewickley, PA, USA; September 25, 1998

A: Yes. In the movie Jurassic Park, they said raptor to mean Velociraptor (and also made it a lot bigger than it really was). This, however, is not standard. Scientifically, raptor refers to birds of prey; only a few paleontologists use 'raptor' to refer to dinosaurs (and they usually mean the bird-like dromaeosaurids, which include Dromaeosaurus, Velociraptor, Deinonychus, Utahraptor, etc.).

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Q: My son is in the second grade and is doing a report on dinosaurs. He has chosen to report on raptors but i'm not sure that this is the correct name for them. Could you give me the proper name for the tiny dinosaurs.
from dbsnowball, s.orleans, MA, USA; May 13, 1998

A: The dromaeosaurids are sometimes referred to as the"raptors" These dinosaurs were intelligent, small, large-eyed, fast, bipedal, efficient killers that were closely related to birds. They had large, sickle-shaped claws on the middle toe of each foot, capable of slashing prey. They may have hunted in packs, killing even large sauropods. Dromaeosaurus, Deinonychus, Adasaurus, Utahraptor, Elopteryx, and Velociraptor are examples of dromaeosaurids. They were the most intelligent group of dinosaurs. For more information on the Dromaeosaurids, click here.

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