Tag Archives: Diet

Oviraptorid Jaw Muscles Described, Part 2

Posted on January 28, 2013 by

In the last post, I discussed the one jaw to cranium muscle that isn’t a depressor that bears on its mechanics (m. depressor mandibular, or mDM) and the palatal and psuedotemporal groups of muscles (m. pterygoideus and m. psuedotemporalis, respectively). … Continue reading →

Posted in Biology, Biomechanics, Paleontology | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Placodonts Are Also Cool

Posted on November 12, 2012 by

As I mentioned in another post on placodonts, these armored, vaguely turtle-like archosauromorphans can get pretty odd. Most investigation of placodont biology has been superficial, which is to say exterior examination or at the least histological work on the limb … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Paleobiology, Paleontology, Reconstruction | Tagged , | 6 Comments

More Eaters of Ammonites

Posted on November 5, 2012 by

I posted earlier my initial skull reconstruction of the durophagous mosasaur Globidens dakotensis (here), but it occurs to me that I’ve not done so to the updated version of the skull that now appears on the banner above, and I … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Paleobiology, Paleontology, Reconstruction | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Osborn Was Right

Posted on September 17, 2012 by

I am not going to go into too much detail with this post. Following recent discussion on the applicability of blogs as distributors of information, I am going to try a tactic whereby I outline an argument I’ve been cultivating … Continue reading →

Posted in Paleobiology, Paleontology | Tagged , , , , | 23 Comments

Dromaeosaurs are Terrestrial Hawks

Posted on December 19, 2011 by

Denver Fowler and colleagues have just published a series of papers dealing with the reconstruction of predatory behavior as indicated by the proportions, curvature, and anatomy of the pes in theropod dinosaurs. They began this study investigating birds, and the … Continue reading →

Posted in Biology, Paleobiology, Paleontology, Science Reporting | Tagged , , , , | 15 Comments

What Carbon Has To Do With It

Posted on December 8, 2011 by

This may go under the radar, so I consider it opportune to mention it. While it doesn’t directly consider fossil archosaurs in any fashion, or a ridiculously over-hyped but very popular group of bird-stem archosaurs, the study at hand does … Continue reading →

Posted in Paleobiology, Paleontology, Science Reporting | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

For A Few Spinosaurus More

Posted on October 7, 2011 by

As I intimated earlier – and to quote Monty Python — the holotype of Spinosaurus aegyptiacus has ceased to be.

Posted in Paleontology, Reconstruction, Taxonomy | Tagged , | 7 Comments

The Next Step

Posted on October 3, 2011 by

While discussing lips in theropod dinosaurs is easy, and a bit dinosaur-centric (what about lips in nondinosaurian archosaurs?!), there are two major elements of the dinosaury that bear understanding: First, that ornithischians present an additional hurdle to overcome when discussing … Continue reading →

Posted in Biological Comparison, Paleobiology, Reconstruction | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

The Hypothetical Noasaur

Posted on September 28, 2011 by

I suggested once that I would produce a reconstruction of a noasaurid skull, based on new material from the Maeverano Formation of Madagascar (Masiakasaurus knopfleri), but I haven’t got around to it. While catching a recording of TVs latest pseudo-scientific … Continue reading →

Posted in Paleobiology, Paleontology | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Incredulous Teeth, IV: Triassic Palate Mashers

Posted on August 31, 2011 by

Placodonts are by far one of the most interesting if less diverse clades of Triassic sauropterygian (a group including the far more diverse plesiosaurs and ichthyosaurs). These taxa include the relative basal Placodus and Paraplacodus, but the more interesting taxa … Continue reading →

Posted in Biological Comparison, Biology, Paleobiology, Paleontology, Reconstruction | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment