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Paleo 200 > Lesson 1 > Flashcards

Lesson 1 Flashcards

1
Q

What does paleontology study? Where does the evidence from this study come from?

A
  • paleontology looks at prehistoric life

- >the evidence for these studies comes from fossils

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2
Q

What is a fossil

A
  • it is any preserved evidence left behind by a prehistoric organism
  • > they are found buried in ancient rock formations
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3
Q

What are examples of dinosaur fossils

A
  • examples are:

- >footprints, eggshels, poop, feather and skin impressions

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4
Q

What is the definition of an adaptation

A

-adaptations are traits that have evolved because they have specific functions

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5
Q

How do bones help serve animals major functions(describe four of them)

A

1) Bones passively resist gravity and maintain animals form
- >bones act like support columns

2)Bones provide a rigid framework for muscle attachment

3) Bones provide protection and can be a major component of horns/weapons
- >eg; skull

4) Bones store mineral reserves
- >eg; osteoclasts and osteoblasts

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6
Q

Are dinosaurs vertebrates

A

-yes they are vertebrates

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7
Q

What two structures do vertebrates have

A
  • they have:

- >skulls and vertebrae

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8
Q

What is the vertebrae made up of and what do multiple vertebrae make up

A
  • they primarily are structures of bone/cartilage
  • > they surround the spinal nerve cord

-together, vertebrae interlock to make a vertebrae column

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9
Q

Give examples of invertebrates

A
  • spiders, snails, squids, clams, jellyfish and worms

- >so basically insects and some sea animals

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10
Q

Are vertebrates or invertebrates more populated on land

A

-vertebrates are more populated on land

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11
Q

What is the brain case

A
  • it is a hollow chamber formed by multiple skull bones
  • > the BRAIN CASE houses the brain
  • > many small openings in the brain case
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12
Q

Are there nerves in the brain case

A
  • yes the brain case contains many small holes

- >nerves pass through these openings and connect to the brain

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13
Q

How does size and shape of a brain case help scientists?

A
  • the size and shape of the brain case indicates the size and shape of the brain that it housed
  • > therefore, provides clues to a dinosaur’s mental capabilities
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14
Q

What are nares and orbits

A
  • nares are the pair of openings for nostrils

- orbits are the pair of openings for the eyes

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15
Q

Where is the laterotemporal fenestrae

A

-fenestrae on the lateral side of the skull

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16
Q

Where is the supratemporal fenestrae

A

-they are located on top of the skull

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17
Q

What is the purpose of the laterotemporal fenestrae and supratemporal fenestrae

A

-they provide extra room for large jaw muscles

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18
Q

Where is the antorbital fenestrae located

A
  • it is located between each orbit and naris

- >function is unclear

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19
Q

Describe the basic form of vertebra. Make sure to include terms such as centrum, neural arch and neural canal

A
  • the vertebra has a spool or disk-shaped body called centrum
  • above the centrum is the neural arch, which covers the neural canal
  • the neural canal is the opening in each vertebra
  • > this is where spinal nerves run through
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20
Q

What are vertebral processes

A

-they provide attachment surfaces for muscles and sometimes provide articulation surfaces for ribs

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21
Q

What are the two types of vertebral processes

A
  • they are transverse processes
  • > extend from the lateral sides of the vertebrae
  • spinous processes
  • > which extend upwards from the neural arch
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22
Q

What are vertebrae in the neck referred to as

A
  • they are referred to as cervical vertebrae
  • > they have extra-large openings for blood and nerve channels
  • > adapted to support the weight of an animal’s head
23
Q

What are the vertebrae in the back referred to as

A
  • they are referred to as dorsal vertebrae

- >they often have tall spinous processes and large rib articulation surfaces

24
Q

What are the vertebrae in the hips referred to as

A
  • they are referred to as sacral vertebrae

- >pelvic bones are fused to the sacral vertebrae

25
What is the sacrum
-sacral vertebrae are fused with one another and form a single solid bone called the sacrum
26
What is the vertebrae in the tail referred to as
-they are referred to as the caudal vertebrae
27
What are chevrons? Where are they located
- chevrons are bones - >located underneath the caudal vertebrae - >chevrons protect a large blood and nerve channel -they also provide support for tail muscles
28
What are the largest ribs in dinosaurs
-the ones that connect to the dorsal vertebrae and form the ribcage - note in dinosaurs all dorsal vertebrae connect with the ribs - >however, in mammals, the dorsal vertebrae close to the hips do not
29
What are gastralia
- they are small ribs positioned across a dinosaur's underbelly - >udnerneath the ribcage
30
What are tetrapods
- they are animals that evolved from an ancestor with four feet and four limbs - >examples include dinosaurs, mammals, reptiles and amphibians
31
What are limb girdles?
-limbs of a tetrapod are connected to the rest of the skeleton by limb girdles - note the forelimbs are connected to the pectoral girdle also called the shoulder girdle - the hindlimbs are connected the pelvic girdle or hip bones
32
What is the largest bone on each side of the pectoral girdle
-the scapula or shoulder blade is the largest bone on each side of the pectoral girdle
33
What three bones are the pelvic girdle composed of
- they are composed of the upper hip bone(ilium) - below the ilium are the pubis and the ischium - >the pubis is in front of the ischium and is nearer the belly - >the ischium is positioned behind the pubis, nearer the tail
34
What is the acetabulum
-it is the depression or the hole in the pelvic girdle into which the hind limb articulates
35
What is the largest bone in the forelimb? Where is it located
- the largest bone in the forelimb is the humerus | - >it is located between the shoulder and elbow
36
Where is the radius and the ulna located
- they are located between the elbow and the wrist | - >note the radius is the thinner of the two
37
What are the bones in the wrist referred to as
- they referred to as carpals - >the bones between the wrist and fingers are the metacarpals -note finger bones are called the phalanges
38
What is the femur
- the femur refers to the hindlimbs - >the femur is between the hip and the knee - >it is the largest bone in the hindlegs
39
What is the fibula and tibia referring to
- the fibula and tibia are two parallel bones | - >between the knee and the ankle
40
What is the bones in the ankles referred to as
- they are referred to as tarsals - >the bones between the ankles and the toes are called metatarsals -the bones in the toes are called phalanges
41
What are the two major groups of dinosaurs? What is the difference between them
- saurischians and ornithischians - >they do share the same ancestor but paleontologists are not sure what this ancestor looked like - saurischians are those that share an evolutionary ancestor that had a pubis which extended downwards and forwards towards the ribcage - ornithischian dinosaurs are those that share an evolutionary ancestor that had both a special beak-forming bone in the upper jaw and a pubis that extended downwards and backward towards the tail - THEREFORE, THE MAJOR DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TWO IS THAT THE GROUPS ARE BASED ON THE PUBIS SHAPE OF A SHARED ANCESTOR
42
What are the two major groups of saurischian dinosaurs
- they are sauropomorphs and prosauropods - >sauropomorphs were large herbivores that had elongated necks and relatively small heads - >prosauropods were an early group of sauropodomorphs -note prosauropods were the first group of large-bodied herbivorous dinosaurs to evolve
43
Did sauropods have complex air sacks
- yes they had air sacks which helped reduce weight | - >the teeth of sauropods are usually simple and peg-like
44
Describe the characteristics of theropods
- they were bipedal saurischian dinosaurs that shared a carnivorous ancestor - >many theropods were carnivorous and had serrated blade-like teeth and sharp hooked claws - >but some were herbivorous and had a few teeth altogether - note birds are theropods - >therefore, the theropods are the only group of donosaurs to not go extinct
45
What are the characteristics of ornithischians
- they have a backwards extending pubis - >this creates the most space for them in the ribcage - >in this space they had a large digestive organs - all known ornithiscians were thought to be herbivores - >they all also had beaks to eat plants
46
What are the five types of ornithiscians
-the five types are: ornithopods, pachycephalosaurs, ceratopsians, stegosaurs and ankylasours
47
What is an ornithopods
- include a wide range of dinosaurs that lack armor | - >and that either walked bipedally all the time or assumed a bipedal stance when running
48
What is a hadrosaur
- 'duck-billed dinosaurs' - they evolved late in the history of dinosaurs - some hadrosaurs have elaborate boney crests - >and all hadrosaurs have strikingly large beaks in the front of their mouths and dense tightly packed rows of small teeth in the rear of their mouths
49
What are pachycephalosaurs
- they were bipedal - >with short arms - >stout and strong tails - >armored skulls - they have sharp conical teeth in front of their mouths behind their beaks - >leaf-shaped teeth in the rear -the front teeth have led some paleos to believe that these dinosaurs might have been omnivores as well
50
What are ceratopsians
- another group that evolved late in history of dinosaurs - large parrot-like beaks and skulls that are greatly expanded in the rear - many have large horns and also possess dental batteries - note triceratops is an example - >most were quadrupedal and have short tails
51
Describe the characteristics of stegasours
- a group of quadrupedal dinsoaurs - >with rows of projecting osteoderm plates down their backs and long osteoderm spikes on their tails - their front limbs are much shorter than their hind limbs - >they were not the fastest runners - >but they could pivot quickly and rear up to stand on their hind legs
52
Describe the characteristics of ankylosaurs
- they are the most heavily armored of all dinosaurs - >they are quadrupedal with short legs and wide ribcages - >their backs and skulls are covered in osteoderms - unlike their relatives, the stegasours - >most ankylosaurs have short snouts and broader rounded beaks
53
What is an integument
-it refers to the body covering
54
Can fossilization of the skin be possible? Give an example
- yes - >eg; sometimes a footprint may include the impressions of foot scales -skin impressions from other regions of a dinosaur's body can be preserved if a dinosaur was covered by mud shortly after it died and before its flesh rotted away

Paleo 200 (10 decks)

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