The Supersaurus meaning ’super lizard’ was discovered in Colorado in the Upper Jurassic Morrison Formation in 1972, and was officially named by Jim Jensen the Supersaurus vivianae in 1985.

A member of the Diplodocid family these sauropods were a group of dinosaurs which comprised of some of the largest species ever to exist. In terms of height and weight these dinosaurs were big, but what was fascinating about them was their massive length.

Physical Appearance

Being a part of the Diplodocid family we already know the Supersaurus was a 4 legged herbivore with immense proportions but other common features include an extremely small head, pegged teeth and of course an extremely long tail to counter balance its massive neck.

Fossil remains suggest that the Supersaurus could reach lengths of up to 115 ft, and a weigh up to 35 to 40 tonnes.

Jim The Supersaurus

The problem with the Supersaurus fossil discovered in 1972 was that only a few specimens from the neck vertebrae and the shoulder girdle were found. These evidences are enough to determine the massive extent of its size as well as certain basic characteristics but other than that all other characteristics had to be borrowed from other members of the Diplodocid family.

Thankfully in 1996 an entire specimen of the Supersaurus was unearthed in Douglas, Wyoming which over time and much study will clarify and put to rest the various discrepancies and anomalies associated with the Supersaurus.

Behavioral Patterns

Despite having extremely long necks, according to new calculations Diplodocids like the Supersaurus probably couldn’t reach up as high as was first thought. In fact many scientists believe they were unable to lift their necks much higher than their shoulders, which would limit them to eating and browsing leafy twigs and low growing ferns.

Despite a limit on lifting their necks, the extreme length they possessed would still have assisted them in grazing and finding food over large areas. This would suggest their ideal habitat may have been large open meadows and swampy marsh lands rich in greenery.

The neck may have been great at searching and covering large distances but what about the equally long tail, what was that used for ? Well scientists have speculated that the tail which gets narrower and lighter towards the tip was probably capable of an extremely powerful whipping action which could have been used to snap at and ward off deadly marauders and predators.

Taking this idea further some scientists believe the snapping action may have been powerful enough to produce deafening sounds which could have been used in defence, mating or even long distance communication.

The Corythosaurus was a crested duck-billed dinosaur which existed during the late cretaceous period around 80 million years ago. The name Corythosaurus means “Helmet Lizard” which stems from the Greek words ‘korythos’ meaning helmet and ’saurus’ meaning lizard. The name was given due to the similarity between the crest on it’s head and the helmets worn by soldiers in ancient Greece.

Bernard Brown discovered the very first Corythosaur skeleton in the Red Deer River valley in Alberta, Canada in 1912. But unlike other discoveries this one was a little different because instead of just uncovering a few remnants this was a complete head to toe fossil so well preserved that it even carried fossilised skin. It’s no coincidence that this well preserved fossil led to the Corythosaur becoming one of the worlds better known dinosaurs (it was even featured in Jurassic Park).

Taxonomy

The hadrosaurids or the duck-billed dinosaurs have been classified by scientists and paleontologists into two prominent groups, namely the hadrosaurinae and the lambeosaurinae. The Corythosaurus belonged to the second group due to its crested skull.

In terms of species there were about seven different variants of the Corythosaurus acknowledged by scientists. These included the C. excavatus, C. casaurius, C. intermedius, C. frontalis, C. brevicristatus and C. bicristatus. However in later years it’s thought that this classification was incorrect and therefore currently only the C. casaurius is recognized as the sole Corythosaurus species.

Physical Features

The Corythosaurus were over 30 ft tall and weighed about 4 tonnes. These were big dinosaurs and for this reason were also considered great prey for the likes of the Tyrannosaurus Rex, who was known to hunt them regularly.

Skull & Teeth

The frontal portion of their skull was usually flattened and protruded outwards to form a beak. As herbivores this was extremely helpful when they collected leaves and twigs from the branches of high trees.

Interestingly enough no teeth were present in the front of the beak but despite this the Corythosaurus had an extremely well defined dental arrangement at the rear. A selection of almost perfect molars and incisors were present for the cutting, chewing and grinding of tough vegetation such as magnolia leaves, twigs, foliage, cycads, pine and conifer leaves.

The skull of the Corythosaur was unique in another way, it accommodated nasal channels which granted the species a great sense of smell and the ability to create loud sounds. The use of high pitched sounds may have been helpful in alerting others of danger, food or simply to communicate over long distances.

Webbed Feet

The limbs of the Corythosaur consisted of three digits and were padded, similar to the webbed feet of ducks. Initially this characteristic threw scientists off, leading them to believe the Corythosaurus was an aquatic species. It was only later that these theories were abandoned after realising the webbing was simply deflated padding.

Behavioral Patterns & Hunting

Not much information is available on the behavioral patterns of these dinosaurs but it’s generally believed that they were extremely timid and most likely herding animals who formed nesting colonies.

The Ankylosaurus was a heavily plated, four legged herbivore which originally emerged in the Jurassic period but spread rapidly during the Cretaceous, by which time it was flourishing in the northern continents and even as far south as Australia and Antarctica.

Discovered by Barnum Brown in 1908, it was popularly referred to as the “fused” or “curved” lizard owing to its Greek roots ‘ankulos’. The remains of the ankylosaurus were discovered in different parts of North America, more specifically in the Lance Formation in Wyoming, Hell Creek aswell as the Scollard Formation in Alberta, Canada.

Taxonomy

Belonging to the Ankylosaurid genus the Ankylosaurus only had one species the A. magniventrisare. The term ‘magniventris’ has a specific meaning and here it can be traced back to its Latin origins where ‘magnus’ refers to great or large while ‘ventris’ refers to the belly. Therefore the A. magniventris refers to the enormous extent of the ankylosaurus.

All descendents of the ankylosaurid group are recognisable for their bony tail club and hugely armored body. In fact the ankylosaurus are considered to be symbolic of the standard armored dinosaur.

Physical Features

The ankylosaurus was the largest of the ankylosaurids and measured anything from 20-30 ft long. With an extremely wide and bulky frame the ankylosaurus was the tank of dinosaurs in more ways than one.

The Tail Club

One of the most prominent features of the bone structure of the ankylosaurus was its tail club. The vertebrae of the tail region was formed as a series of huge osteoderms which are actually bone plates. These bone plates were interconnected with seven tail vertebrae joining together providing enormous strength to the base of the club. If enough strength and power wasn’t enought they also possessed several bony tendons which infused extra power to the tail allowing it to be used effectively as a defensive weapon. It’s thought that a single strike of the tail could break the bones of it’s attacker.

Body Plates (Armor)

While the tail club formed a significant part of the body of the Ankylosaurus, a further unique feature of it’s physical appearance were the body plates or the layers of osteoderms that covered its entire body. These plates formed an armor which added to the defensive strategy of the Ankylosaurus.

Head & Skull

The head and skull of the Ankylosaurus was more or less triangular in shape and much wider compared to its length. This structure is common for herbivores who mostly fed from the low lying vegetation on the ground and not from the high branches of trees like those of the Corythosaurus.

Like most herbivores the ankylosaurus possessed small leaf shaped teeth which were suitable for chewing. No specialized grinding teeth were found which provides evidence that there food type was limited to foods that were easily chewable.

The Stegosaurus was considered to be the largest of the stegasaurid family and existed throughout the late Jurassic period. It’s name is derived from the Greek word ‘stegos’ meaning roof and ‘saurus’ meaning lizard, making it the ‘Roof Lizard’.

Stegosaurus Fossils & Origins

The very first fossils and relics of the stegosaurus were excavated in the western parts of North America in the year 1877 by Othniel Charles Marsh. In fact it wasn’t until 2006 that more fossils were uncovered outside of North America blowing away the theory that they were exclusive to North America. The 2006 discovery in Portugal was the first of it’s kind in Europe, indicating that the dinosaur existed much further adrift than had once been thought.

Taxonomy & Variations

Despite there being various classifications for the different stegosaurus dinosaurs most of these were based on only a few minor differences in appearance. The foremost among them include the long spined roof lizard or the Stegosaurus Longispinus which measured about 20 ft long and owes its name to its four extraordinarily long tail spines.

The armored roof lizard or stegosaurus armatus was not only one of the first stegosaurus remains to be found but measured about 30 ft in length and possessed much smaller plates compared to the rest of its family. The most popular variant of the stegosaurus was the stegosaurus stenops or the narrow faced roof lizard which was usually shorter than the stegosaurus armatus but had a unique skeletal structure and several huge and expansive body plates.

There are also several other variant species of the stegosaurus which have been discovered from time to time although most of these are still under observation and research, hence not much information is available on them. Some of these include the Stegosaurus Seeleyanus, Stegosaurus Sulcatus, Stegosaurus Affinis and the Stegosaurus Ungulatus.

Physical Features

The stegosaurus was a large bodied dinosaur with a heavy arching back and a tail that was extremely tough and always held high in an upward position. (that’s correct unlike the cartoons, it didn’t drag along the floor).

The stegosaurus measured around 30 ft in length, it had padded hoofs with the forelimbs having five toes and the hind limbs having just three. The overall structure and body shape indicated that the stegosaurus wasn’t a fast moving dinosaur and was most likely a slow wanderer.

The head of the stegosaurus was quite small and insignificant compared to the enormous size of its body. The positioning of the head as is evident from the fossilized remains of the skull also prove that they were herbivores consuming simple vegetation that grew on the forest floor.

Like all herbivores the stegosaurus possessed an extremely efficient dental arrangement which aided in the chewing and grinding of its food. This meant the bone structure of the skull and the jaws accommodated the stegosaurus with cheeks to store food whilst chewing and a set of small triangular, flat teeth which aided in grinding plant matter.

It’s Brain

A very interesting fact that has been noted by scientists is that despite their magnanimous body size, their brains were extremely small. Whilst their body weight stood close to 5 tonnes, its brain weighed a puny 80 grams.

Another interesting theory about the Stegosaurus brain is the concept of a ‘second brain’. Many scientists have said the huge passage near the hip region could easily have housed something like a brain. This theory has been much popularized by scientists who acknowledge that the second brain was essential in organizing and controlling the various functions on the back part of the body.

Plates And Tail Spikes

The most important corporeal feature of the Stegosaurus has to be its plates and the tail spikes which make it stand out among the various dinosaur species. There has been a lot of research regarding the function of these plates and tail spikes and a common consensus has been reached regarding the fact that these spikes and plates were usually used by the stegosaurus for defense purposes.

The stegosaurus comprised of 17 dermal plates shaped like kites having four sides and it should be noted that these were not generated from the bones but rather protruded from the external surface of the skin. These plates are believed to have belonged to a kind of osteoderms which refer to a kind of bony scales on the body and similar bone structures can be observed in most lizards and crocodiles of today. While these plates have been usually considered as being used for defense purposes against marauders who attacked these herbivores, it can be also be noted that they were not enough to guard the stegosaurus completely as the sides remained exposed to attack. However, the plates also have other functions like it helps to regulate body temperature of the stegosaurus though this fact is also debatable.

The stegosaurus possessed about four tail spikes in addition to the 17 dermal plates and these tail spikes were also referred to as thagomizers. The use of the tail spikes have been highly debated from time to time. While a set of evidences do prove that these spikes were indeed used for defense and as a means for protection, it has also been noted that many of the body plates overlapped the vertebrae of the tail thus greatly constraining its movement.