Appearances and Anatomy Flashcards
what is the literal meaning of fossil
dug up
what are the five types of dinosaur fossils
coprolites aka poo, eggshells, footprints, skin and bones
true or false - bones have a lower chance of being preserved as fossils
false - they have a much greater chance
was the Velociraptor as big as a human
no, it is the size of a dog
what is the current living animal that comes close to the long necked sauropod
whales
what are the four functions of bones, in brief ; give examples if needed
- resist gravity to maintain form
- provide a rigid framework for muscle attachment
- provide protection - skull bones protect the brain
- store mineral reserves
what are the two skeletal adaptations that go with being a vertebrate
skull and vertebrae
what is vertebrae made of
bone and cartilage that surround the spinal cord
what are three examples of vertebrates
fish, snakes, mammals, birds, turtles, amphibians
true or false - land animals were the first vertebrae
false - aquatic animals were
what are three examples of invertebrates
insects , spiders, snails, squids, jellyfish and worms
are invertebrates or vertebrate more common now and why
vertebrates are because of their ability to support their weight and be an anchor to very large muscles
what is the point of the brain case
it houses the brain and has many small openings that allow nerves to pass through and connect to the brain inside
true or false - the size and shape of brain tells us about their mental capabilities
true
what is the difference between nares and orbits
nares are the openings for nostrils and orbits are the openings for the eyes
what are the skull openings called
laterotemporal and supratemporal fenestrae
what is the point of the additional skull openings
provide extra room for the jaw muscles
true or false - the distalorbital fenestrae is found between each naris and orbital
false - it is called the antorbital fenestrae
what are the names of the structures in the basic form of the vertebrae
centrum - disk-shaped body
neural arch - above the centrum, and covers the neural canal
neural canal - is an opening that allows the spinal nerves to run through
vertebral processes - provide attatchment surfaces for muscles
what are the two vertebral processes
transverse process - extend from the lateral sides
spinous process - extend upwards from the neural arch
do cervical vertebrae have openings , why or why not
yes they do, to allow for blood and nerve channels that support the weight of the head
what are the vertebrae called in the back and hips
dorsal and sacral, respectively
true or false - dorsal vertebrae often haven shorter spinous processes
false - they have tall ones
how can the hips be further strengthened
the sacral vertebrae are fused together to form the sacrum
where are the caudal vertebrae
they are in the tail
what is the name of the bones that support the tail
chevrons
what is the difference between dorsal vertebrae in mammals and dinosaurs
mammals - the dorsal vertebrae close to hips do not connect to the ribs
dinosaurs - they do
what is the name given to the small ribs aka belly ribs under the ribcage
gastralia
what is another name for the shoulder girdle
pectoral girdle
what is the scapula
it is also called the shoulder blade and it is the largest bone one each side of the pectoral girdle
give the name of the three pelvic bones
ilium, ischium and pubis
give the locations of the three pelvic bones
ilium - upper hip bones
pubis - in front of the ischium, close to the belly
ischium - near to the tail
where does the hind limb connect
the acetabulum
true or false - the femur is the largest bone in the forelimb
false - humerus
true or false - the metacarpals are the finger bones
false - they are the bones between wrist and fingers
true or false - the femur is the largest bone in the hindbone
true
what is the bone that forms the shin
tibia
the finger bones are
a) phalanges
b) metacarpals
c) metatarsals
phalanges
what are the two major groups of dinosaurs
Saurichians and Ornithischians
what is the major difference between the two groups of dinosaurs
Saurischian - have a pubis that extended down and up, towards the ribcage
Ornithischian - have a pubis that extended down and back, towards the tail; they also have a beak forming bone that the other group does not have
what is the literal meaning of Saurichians and Ornithischians
Saurischian - lizard-hipped
Ornithischians - bird hipped
true or false - birds are ornithiscians
FALSE - they are part of a special group of saurischians
what are the two major groups of Saurichians
sauropodomorphs and theropods
what differentiates the sauropomorphs and prosauropods
sauropomorphs have elongated necks and small heads
prosauropods are part of sauropodomorphs and the first group of large-bodied dinosaurs
what is a similarity between the sauropomorphs and prosauropods
they are both herbivores
what is the later group of sauropodomorphs and their characteristics
sauropods - they are gigantic and includes the largest animals to walk earth ; they have four legs and have peg like teeth
true or false - therapods are ornithischians share a herbivorous ancestor
false - they are saurischians that shared a carnivorous ancestor
what kind of teeth do therapods have
sharp, blade like teeth
what is an example of theropods that still exist today
birds
in ornithischians, what was the special adaptation given by the backwards extending pubis
it created more space for extra large digestive organs
true or false - carnivores have smaller digestive organs than herbivores
true
what are the five groups of ornithischians
ornithopods, pachycephalosaurs, ceratopsians, stegosaurs and ankylosaurs
what group of ornithischians does the iguanodonts belong to
ornithopods
true or false - most ornithopods walked in a quadrupedal fashion
false - they walk bipedally
what is the name given to the duckbilled dinosaurs
hadrosaurs
what are two facial/dental characteristics of hadrosaurs
they have large beaks and dense, tightly packed small teeth in the back of their mouths
what are dental batteries
large chewing surfaces created from the tightly packed rows of small teeth
what is the name given to bipedal dinosaurs with short arms and strong tails but very short in height
pachycephalosaurs
true or false - pachycephalosaurs may have been very calm and gentle in the past
false - they have armoured skulls which means they may have been involved in ramming/butting heads with competitors for territory
what kind of teeth do pachycephalosaurs have
very sharp, conical teeth in front ; leaf-shaped teeth in back
palaeontologists speculated that pachycephalosaurs were
a) omnivores
b) carnivores
c) herbivores
a) because of their sharp front teeth
triceratops are part of what group of ornithischians
ceratopsians
true or false - triceratops are one of the largest cerartopsians
true
true or false - ceratopsians are bipedal
false - they are quadrupedal
do ceratopsians have horns or beaks
yes they have parrot-like beaks and large horns
if the dinosaur is a ornithischian , how are the pubis and ischium located
they both are pointed backwards
which dinosaur is most closely related to birds
Tyrannosaurus
Stegosaurs are:
a) bipedal
b) quadrupedal
b) quadrupedal
What is a distinctive bone structure that is found on stegosaurs?
osteoderms
TRUE or FALSE: Stegosaur front limbs are shorter than their back limbs.
TRUE
TRUE or FALSE: Stegosaurs were fast runners.
FALSE –> due to the shorter front limbs they were not fast runners but could probably pivot quickly
TRUE or FALSE: Stegosaur heads are small relative to their bodies and their snouts are broad.
FALSE –> snouts are narrow
(note: it is TRUE that their heads are small relative to their bodies)
What is the most heavily armored dinosaur? (hint: it is an ornithischian)
anklyosaur
Ankylosaurs are:
a) bipedal
b) quadrupedal
b) quadrupedal
Select all that apply to ankylosaurs:
a) narrow ribcage
b) wide ribcage
c) short legs
d) long legs
e) long snout
f) short snout
g) broad snout/beak
h) narrow snout/beak
(hint: there are 4 answers)
b) wide ribcage
c) short legs
f) short snout
g) broad snout/beak
What is the main difference between osteoderms on stegosaurs and ankylosaurs?
stegosaur osteoderm: plate-like structures along spine and tail
ankylosaur osteoderm: spikey structures covering the body + mace at end of tail (tail club)
What is the word that refers to a dinosaur’s body covering (e.g. skin, keratin, feathers, etc.)?
integument (or integumentary structures)
What is the term used to refer to dinosaur specimens that include a lot of skin fossils?
mummies
What was the first mummified dinosaur specimen that was found?
hadrosaur
Why is dinosaur skin more likely to be fossilized that human skin?
the scales of a dinosaur are covered in a substance known as KERATIN
What is keratin?
tough but flexible material that also composes hair, feathers, fingernails, and outside of claws, beaks, and horns
(also covers dinosaur scaly skin)
TRUE or FALSE: Bone decomposes faster than keratin.
FALSE: Keratin may be tougher than flesh, but it still decomposes faster than bone.
TRUE or FALSE: Most theropod dinosaurs had feathers.
TRUE
What is the largest known feathered dinosaur?
Yutyrannus
What is/are the function(s) of osteoderms? (Select all that apply.)
a) mineral reserve
b) gather heat from sun
c) armor (against predators)
d) for appearances (to look good)
all of the above are functions of osteoderms
What are melanosomes?
pigment cells within a feather
How is feather colour influenced (in birds and possibly dinosaurs)?
shape and arrangement of melanosomes
What colour(s) do long and narrow melanosomes correspond to?
a) black and grey colours
b) brown and reddish colours
c) white (no colour)
d) shiny black and blue (glossy/iridescent)
a) black and grey colours
What colour(s) do short and wide melanosomes correspond to?
a) black and grey colours
b) brown and reddish colours
c) white (no colour)
d) shiny black and blue (glossy/iridescent)
b) brown and reddish colours
What colour(s) do narrow melanosomes that are aligned in the same direction correspond to?
a) black and grey colours
b) brown and reddish colours
c) white (no colour)
d) shiny black and blue (glossy/iridescent)
d) shiny black and blue (glossy/iridescent)
What colour(s) do no melanosomes correspond to?
a) black and grey colours
b) brown and reddish colours
c) white (no colour)
d) shiny black and blue (glossy/iridescent)
c) white (no colour)
TRUE or FALSE: Muscles are seldom fossilized.
TRUE
What do paleontologists often look for on dinosaur bones to find clues about the muscles? (2)
1) shape of bones (note: correspond to muscle shape)
2) muscle scars on the bone
