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Dino 101: Dinosaur Paleobiology > Paleobiology > Flashcards

Paleobiology Flashcards

1
Q

Abelisaurids

A

A group of ceratosaurid theropods that thrived throughout
Gondwana during the Middle Jurassic to Late Cretaceous;
characterized by short forelimbs, small teeth, and
ornamented skulls; examples: Carnotaurus,
Majungasaurus, and Rugops

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2
Q

Acetabulum

A

Hip socket where the femur inserts; in dinosaurs, it is
formed by the ilium, ischium, and pubis

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3
Q

Adaptation

A

An evolved trait that serves a specific function

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4
Q

Aesthenosphere

A

The viscous layer of the upper mantle below the
lithosphere; between roughly 80 and 200 km below the
Earth’s surface

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5
Q

Aetosaurs

A

A group of heavily armored and herbivorous Triassic
archosaurs (not dinosaurs); examples: Aetosaurus,
Desmatosuchus, Stagonolepis

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6
Q

Air sac systems

A

Air filled chambers that store and facilitate the movement of
air during respiration; well developed in birds and some
dinosaurs

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7
Q

Airscribe

A

A preparation tool resembling a mini-jackhammer; used for
the delicate removal of hard rock during the preparation of
fossils

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8
Q

Alfred Wegener

A

German meteorologist who devised the theory of
continental drift

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9
Q

Amber

A

Fossilized tree resin

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10
Q

Ambush predators

A

Predators that specialized in sit-and-wait hunting strategies

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11
Q

Ammonite

A

A kind of extinct marine cephalopod with a spiral shell;
ammonites thrived from the Devonian through the
Cretaceous but died out during the End-Cretaceous
Extinction

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12
Q

Amniotes

A

A group of tetropods that lay eggs equipped with a special
water-tight membrane layer called an amnion

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13
Q

Anapsids

A

A group of amniotes that have no skull fenestra; turtles are
a modern example; note: the validity of this clade is
contested among paleontologists

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14
Q

Ancestral

A

Primitive; an ancestral trait is one that was present in the
ancestors of a group

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15
Q

Ankylosaurs

A

Heavily-armored quadrupedal ornithischian dinosaurs;
examples: Ankylosaurus, Edmontonia, Polacanthus

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16
Q

Antorbital fenestra

A

Opening in the skull in front of the orbits; characteristic of
archosaurs

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17
Q

Archaea

A

A group of single celled organisms that lack cell nucleuses
and membrane-bound organelles; the oldest fossil
evidence of archaea dates to 3.8 billion years ago

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18
Q

Archean Eon

A

Division of the Geologic Timescale from 4 to 2.5 billion
years ago; during this time, the atmosphere likely lacked
free oxygen and stromatolites first appeared

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19
Q

Archosauromorpha/
Archosauromorphs

A

A group of diapsids that includes archosaurs and many
more primitive groups; first evolved during the late Permian

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20
Q

Archosaurs

A

A group of advanced archosauromorph diapsids that
includes crocodiles, dinosaurs, birds, and many extinct
groups; characterized by mandibular and antorbital
fenestrae

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21
Q

Arthropods

A

Invertebrate with an exoskeleton, segmented bodies, and
jointed appendages; account for over 80% of all known
living animal species

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22
Q

Articulations

A

Locations where two or more bones connect

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23
Q

Aves

A

The clade containing birds

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24
Q

Bacteria

A

A large group of microorganisms whose cells lack nuclei;
bacteria are thought to be among the oldest forms of life
and to have first evolved about 4 billion years ago

25
Bearpaw Formation
A marine shale formation exposed in western North America; formed during the time of the Western Interior Cretaceous Seaway (75-72 million yeas ago); common fossils include ammonites, shellfish, fish, and marine reptiles
26
Binocular vision
A special form of sight where the field of vision of two forward pointing eyes overlap, granting depth perception; common among flying and arboreal animals
27
Binomial name
The two part scientific name of a species; composed of a genus name and a species epithet; written in italics
28
Biological species concept
A group of organisms that can interbreed
29
Bipedal
Walks on two legs
30
Bivalves
Group of marine and freshwater mollusks with hinged twopart shells and a plane of symmetry that runs along the hinge line; examples: clams, oysters, scallops
31
Bonebed
A deposit of fossil bones, usually in large quantities
32
Brachiopods
Group of marine organisms with hinged two-part shells and a plane of symmetry that runs perpendicular to the hinge line
33
Brachiosaurids
A group of sauropod dinosaurs with longer forelimbs than hindlimbs; lived from the Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous; examples: Brachiosaurus, Europasaurus, Giraffatitan
34
Braincase
Part of the skull that encloses the brain
35
Branches
Lines on a cladogram that show how descendants from a common ancestor diverged to become unique species
36
Burgess Shale
Fossil rich deposit in British Columbia, Canada; famous for its exceptional preservation of 505 million years old (Cambrian) marine organisms
37
Cambrian Explosion
The rapid appearance of most of the major animal groups around 540 million years ago
38
Cambrian Period
Division of the Geologic Timescale from 542 to 490 million years ago
39
Camouflage
Cryptic adaptations that help an animal to blend in with its environment
40
Carboniferous Period
Division of the Geologic Timescale from 355 to 300 million years ago
41
Carcharodontosaurids
A group of theropod dinosaurs with teeth that somewhat resemble those of modern sharks; lived during the Late Jurassic to Late Cretaceous; examples: Giganotosaurus, Carcharodontosaurus, Concavenato
42
Carl Linnaeus
18th century Swedish naturalist who created binomial nomenclature
43
Carnivorous
Meat-eater; feeds on other animals
44
Cast
A type of fossil that forms when a natural mold becomes filled with sediment
45
Caudal vertebrae
Vertebrae in the tail
46
Caudofemoralis
Hind limb retractor muscle positioned at the tail base (absent in mammals and some birds)
47
Cellulose
Tough organic compound that forms plant cell walls
48
Cenotes
Sinkhole formed from the collapse of limestone; a circular arrangement of cenotes mark the rim of the Chixulub crater
49
Cenozoic Era
Division of the Geologic Timescale from 66 million years ago to the present; often called “The Age of Mammals”
50
Ceratopsians
Group of ornithischian dinosaurs characterized by large beaks, facial horns, and head frills; lived during the Cretaceous; examples: Triceratops, Centrosaurus, Psittacosaurus
51
Ceratosaurs
Group of theropod dinosaurs not closely related to birds; lived during the Jurassic to Cretaceous; examples: Ceratosaurus, Carnotaurus, Limusaurus
52
Cervical vertebrae
Vertebrae in the neck
53
Champsosaurs
Group of semi-aquatic diapsids with elongated snouts; lived during the Middle Jurassic to Miocene
54
Character matrix
Dataset of anatomical details used in a phylogenetic analysis
55
Character states
Alternative forms (often presence or absence) of anatomical features recorded in a character matrix
56
Chixulub impactor
The meteor that formed the Chixulub crater; estimated to have been at least 10 kilometers in diameter
57
Clavicle
Collarbone; part of the pectoral girdle
58
Coal
A combustible sedimentary rock that forms from dead vegetation (usually from wetland forests) that are deeply buried, heated, and pressurized
59
Coelurosaurian theropods
A group of theropod dinosaurs closely related to and including birds; examples: Compsognathus, Tyrannosaurus, Velociraptor

Dino 101: Dinosaur Paleobiology (1 decks)

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