Background information
Dinosaur facts!
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Dinosaur means ‘terrible lizard’, yet they were not lizards.
Sir Richard Owen, an English scientist, was the person to coin the term
‘dinosaur’ back in 1842.
Dinosaurs laid eggs like modern birds, lizards, crocodiles, and others.
More than 1,000 different kinds of dinosaurs have been found.
Crocodiles and alligators have been around since the time of the dinosaurs,
and they still look much like they did back then.
Dinosaurs were reptiles, but were different from the reptiles of today, such as
lizards and turtles.
Theropod (meat-eating) dinosaurs were similar to and closely related to birds.
Dinosaurs’ legs did not stick out to the sides of their bodies as do the legs of
lizards; instead, dinosaurs’ legs were positioned straight under their bodies like
the legs of horses.
No one knows what colour dinosaurs were; they could have been green, brown
or even blue and pink with purple spots, but probably not.
Dinosaurs are usually named after a characteristic body feature, the place
where they were found, or a person involved in their discovery.
Dinosaurs lived from late in the Triassic Period (225 million years ago) until the
end of the Cretaceous Period (65 million years ago), according to fossil finds.
(For details see http://museumvictoria.com.au/prehistoric/what/geotime.html)
Dinosaurs varied in size. Brachiosaurus (one of the largest dinosaurs) was over
30 metres long and up to 15 metres tall; Compsognathus was 60 centimetres
long and weighed about 3 kilograms (approximately the size of a chicken).
There are several theories of how dinosaurs became extinct. Here are two:
- A large asteroid hit the earth and wiped out the dinosaurs.
- Increased volcanic activity destroyed the dinosaurs' environment.
A new dinosaur is found approximately every 7 weeks, but it may take two
years or more to get it named.
Q: Which dinosaur slept all day?
A: The dino-snore!
Therizinosaur embryo model
Artist: Brian Cooley
http://museumvictoria.com.au/melbournemuseum/
- 22-
Background information
Myths uncovered
Myth: Giant dinosaurs laid giant dinosaur eggs.
False: Even though some dinosaurs grew very large, they all started out small. The
largest round dinosaur eggs were the size of a bowling ball. The largest elongated
dinosaur eggs were the size of a fat French bread stick. Most dinosaur eggs were
much smaller and all were very small compared to the adults.
Myth: Dinosaurs and humans lived at the same time.
False: Dinosaurs and humans did not live at the same time. Humans like us
appeared on Earth about a quarter of a million years ago – i.e. 64¾ million years
after the last of the dinosaurs.
Myth: All dinosaurs lived at the same time.
False: Different dinosaurs lived at different times. For example, Tyrannosaurus and
Triceratops lived at the same time about 68-65 million years ago, but the longnecked Apatosaurus lived about 80 million years earlier. Palaeontologists divide
the times in which dinosaurs lived into three geological time periods (Triassic,
Jurassic, and Cretaceous).
Myth: Archaeologists dig up dinosaurs.
False: Archaeologists dig up evidence of humans – their bones and artefacts.
Palaeontologists dig up dinosaurs and other fossils.
Myth: All fossils are dinosaurs.
False: Not all fossils are dinosaurs.
Ancient horses, shells, sharks’ teeth,
kangaroos, fish, trees and even flowers
can be fossils.
Tarbosaurus teeth
http://museumvictoria.com.au/melbournemuseum/
- 23-
Background information
Dinosaur egg facts
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
The largest dinosaur egg ever found belonged to the Hypselosaurus; it was 55
centimetres in diameter. The Hypselosaurus egg in the exhibition is 20
centimetres in diameter.
The largest eggs in the exhibition belonged to a giant oviraptor. They are 45
centimetres long and 15 centimetres wide.
Dinosaur eggs were hard-shelled.
Some dinosaurs may have been altricial (al TRISH el) - meaning an animal that
needs intense parental care during incubation and for a period of time after
hatching. Theropod dinosaurs may have been altricial.
Some dinosaurs may have been precocial (pree KOH shel) - meaning the
animal can take care of itself immediately after hatching. Sauropod dinosaurs
may have been precocial.
Early people drilled holes in fossilized dinosaur eggshell and used it for
jewellery.
Dinosaur eggs were first identified by scientists in the 1920's.
The first written account about prehistoric eggs appeared in France in 1859.
Dinosaur eggs are known from all continents, except Australia and Antarctica.
Over 200 dinosaur egg sites have been found.
Eggs have been found in places such as Mongolia, China, France, India, the
United States and Canada.
Dinosaur embryos or hatchlings have only recently been discovered.
Some dinosaurs laid their eggs in nests.
Dinosaur eggs were laid in different patterns including a spiral pattern,
concentric circles, irregular clusters, arcs, parallel rows, alternating parallel
rows, and double rows.
Q: What do you get if you cross a pig with a dinosaur?
A: Jurassic Pork!
Fossilized dinosaur nest
http://museumvictoria.com.au/melbournemuseum/
- 24-
Background information
Egg-cellent facts
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Oology (pronunciation: oo-OL-o-gee) is the study of eggs.
The egg white consists largely of a protein called albumen.
The yolk contains a higher proportion of the egg's vitamins than the white and is
one of the few foods that naturally contain vitamin D.
Eggshells may have as many as 17,000 tiny pores on their surface that allow
oxygen in and carbon dioxide out.
Hard eggshells protect the animal inside by stopping the material inside from
drying out.
The eggshells of large birds (such as the ostrich) and dinosaurs are quite
strong, consisting of several layers of minerals. They therefore tend to become
fossils fairly easily.
The colours, shapes, sizes, and textures of eggs vary.
Eggs cannot be infinitely large, not even dinosaur eggs. As eggs get larger, the
shells must get thicker so they are strong enough to hold the embryo. The
eggshell must also be porous to allow the exchange of oxygen and carbon
dioxide, which becomes difficult as the shell thickens. If the shell became too
thick the embryo would suffocate.
Scientists classify eggs of different animals according to the size and shape of
the egg and the thickness and texture of the eggshell.
Some reptile eggs are soft and leathery like the eggs of turtles. Others are hard,
like the eggs of birds.
Living creatures that lay shelled eggs
include turtles, alligators, crocodiles,
birds, platypuses, echidnas
and most snakes.
Fossil Sauropod egg
http://museumvictoria.com.au/melbournemuseum/
- 25-
Background information
Protoceratops facts
• Means ‘First Horned Face’, so named because it was an ancestor of the
well-known Triceratops that had three facial horns.
• Walked on four legs, had a large head, bulky body, parrot-like beak, cheek
teeth, and a small frill on its head.
• Were 2–2.5 metres long, 1 metre tall, and weighed about 400 kilograms.
• Lived about 86 to 71 million years ago, during the late Cretaceous Period.
(see http://museumvictoria.com.au/prehistoric/what/geotime.html)
• Probably a herding animal.
• We don't know what the eggs of Protoceratops were like because no one
has ever found an embryo inside an egg. Oviraptor eggs were once
mistaken for Protoceratops eggs.
• Was an herbivore.
• First discovered in the Gobi Desert, Mongolia in the 1920's.
• Is a member of the order of bird-hipped herbivorous dinosaurs.
Q: What do you get if you cross a Triceratops with a kangaroo?
A: A Tricera-hops!
http://museumvictoria.com.au/melbournemuseum/
- 26-
Background information
Sauropod facts
• Sauropod (SAWR-o-pod) means ‘Lizard Footed’.
• They walked on 4 legs, and had 5 toes on their feet.
• They are a subgroup of the Saurischid or lizard-hipped dinosaurs.
• They had very long necks, small heads with blunt teeth, a small brain, and a
long tail to counterbalance the weight of their necks.
• They were probably herbivores (plant eaters).
• Were on Earth for about 100 million years, from the lower Jurassic to the
upper Cretaceous. (For details of geological time periods, see
http://museumvictoria.com.au/prehistoric/what/geotime.html )
• Sauropods were widespread; bones and footprints have been found on all
continents.
• Sizes ranged from 2-3 metres long to over 30 metres long.
• The sauropod Seismosaurus was the largest animal ever to walk the Earth;
it was up to 36 metres long.
• Fossil evidence suggests that herds of at least one group of sauropod,
Titanosaurus, returned to the same nesting site year after year.
• Egg shape was spherical (round), ranging in size from a grapefruit to a
bowling ball.
• Laid eggs in a clutch (a group of eggs all laid at the same time).
• Different sauropods had different neck stances. Some held their necks
vertically, others held their necks horizontally (parallel to the ground).
http://museumvictoria.com.au/melbournemuseum/
- 27-
Background information
Ornithopod facts
•
The word Ornithopod (or-NITH-o-POD) means ‘bird feet’.
•
Walked on two feet (bipedal) but sometimes on all four (quadrupedal).
•
Ornithopods sometimes had a beak or ‘duck bill’.
•
The most diverse group of ornithopods were the duck-billed hadrosaurs.
Like ducks, the muzzle was wide and flat and lacked teeth. The bones of
the snout extended far back into the rest of the skull and sometimes formed
crests or horns.
•
Originally discovered in Asia and North America.
•
Lived from the early Jurassic to the late Cretaceous. (For details of these
periods, see http://museumvictoria.com.au/prehistoric/what/geotime.html).
•
Probably had an herbivore diet.
•
Laid spherically shaped eggs.
http://museumvictoria.com.au/melbournemuseum/
- 28-
Background information
Theropod facts
•
Walked on two feet (bipedal).
•
Walked on three large clawed toes.
•
Had hollow bones.
•
All carnivorous dinosaurs were theropods.
•
Some theropod dinosaurs may have been omnivorous.
•
Well known theropods include Tyrannosaurus rex, Allosaurus,
the Oviraptorosaurs and Troodon.
•
Birds are the living descendants of theropod dinosaurs.
•
Eggshells of theropods had two distinct layers, similar to the eggs of modern
birds.
•
Most theropod eggs were elongate in shape.
•
One bizarre, enigmatic theropod, Therizinosaurus, (thair-uh-ZINE-uhsaurus) had characteristics of both sauropods and ornithopods. Unlike most
theropods, they ate plants, their eggs were round and their eggshells did not
have two layers.
http://museumvictoria.com.au/melbournemuseum/
- 29-
Background information
Oviraptor facts
•
First found in the Gobi Desert, Mongolia, in 1924.
•
Oviraptor means ‘egg thief’, because a fossil specimen was found preserved in
what was thought to have been the act of stealing eggs from a Protoceratops
nest. Now it is thought that she was protecting her own eggs from some form of
disaster, such as a sandstorm or powerful thunderstorm.
•
Grew to 2.5 metres long and weighed 25-36 kilograms.
•
Walked on two long, slender, bird-like legs.
•
Had a flexible neck, long tail, short arms, long legs and a sharp toothless beak
that was strong for crushing things.
•
Hands had 3 fingers, and feet had claws up to 9 centimetres long.
•
Lightly built, long legged, fast runner.
•
Lived during the late Cretaceous period (88-65 million years ago).
•
Had elongated eggs with a bumpy surface.
•
Laid eggs in a wide, shallow nest, in a circular pattern up to 3 layers deep.
http://museumvictoria.com.au/melbournemuseum/
- 30-
Background information
‘Baby Louie’ facts
‘Baby Louie’ model
Sculpted by Brian Cooley
Photographed by Louie Psihoyos
• A model of ‘Baby Louie’ is displayed in the Hatching the Past exhibition.
• Louie was incubated until the time of hatching, but died before he could
hatch, and was immediately preserved.
• Louie was the first articulated theropod dinosaur hatchling ever found.
• Was named after a friend of the man who discovered the fossil.
• Was excavated from the ancient rocks of the Shinguo Formation in Henan
Province, China.
• Baby Louie was originally thought to be the Chinese cousin of
Tyrannosauruas rex – Tyrannosaurus bataar, but was finally identified as
an Oviraptor by recognizing the bone of the lower jaw. (A beak without teeth
is characteristic of oviraptors).
• Its parents were the largest species of Oviraptors ever found and could have
been over 9 metres in length.
http://museumvictoria.com.au/melbournemuseum/
- 31-
Background information
Dinosaur enigma
Therizinosaur (thair-uh-ZINE-uh-saur)
The embryos inside the eggs described in this exhibit belong to a bizarre,
enigmatic group of theropods. These dinosaurs were omnivorous (ate meat and
plants) and had both theropod and sauropod/ornithopod characteristics.
Theropod characteristics of the Therizinosaur:
Hollow bones
Bipedal
Three fingered hands equipped with enormous claws.
Ornithopod and sauropod characteristics of the Therizinosaur:
Leaf shaped teeth
Egg shape is round, not elongate like most theropods
Eggshell pattern is ornithopod-like, not ratite with two layers like theropods.
Unique characteristics of the Therizinosaur:
Four toes on the feet
Hand claws are the longest of any theropod.
Preparation of fossils of this kind requires patience to expose tiny embryonic
bones. Firstly, dilute acid is applied to dissolve calcium carbonate (marble) in the
host rock. Then preservative is painted on exposed bones. These two steps are
repeated hundreds of times until tiny bones are revealed.
A model of a Therizinosaur embryo and casts of Therizinosaur eggs are displayed
in this section of the Hatching the Past exhibition.
http://museumvictoria.com.au/melbournemuseum/
- 32-
Background information
Websites to visit
Discover more about fossils and dinosaurs in Victoria
http://museumvictoria.com.au/dinosaurs/
http://museumvictoria.com.au/prehistoric/
Find out more about Australian fossils
http://www.abc.net.au/science/ozfossil/
Learn about fossilisation by playing games online
http://www.abc.net.au/beasts/fossilfun/
Watch animations of baby dinosaurs
http://dsc.discovery.com/convergence/dinosaurplanet/video/video.html
An online exhibition about eggs
http://www.royalalbertamuseum.ca/vexhibit/eggs/vexhome/textstruc.htm
Dinosaur eggs and babies
available at the Melbourne Museum shop
Kits, models, DVDs
Various dinosaur nests/babies/egg excavation kits ($6.95-$11.95)
Models of dinosaur hatchlings emerging from eggs ($5.95-$13.95)
DVD: Dinosaur Eggs and Babies, Centre Communications
and Paradigm Media, 2002 57 minutes ($44.95)
Books for children
Leonie Bennett, Dinosaur Babies, Titock Media,
Tunbridge Wells, England, 2007 ISBN 978-1846966071 ($12.95)
Camilla De La Bedoyere, Why Why Why Did Dinosaurs Lay Eggs?
Miles Kelly Publishing, UK, 2005 ISBN 978-1848100015 ($19.95)
Andrew Plant, Australia’s Dinosaurs, Heinemann Library,
Melbourne, 2007 ISBN 978-1740703611 ($32.95)
Richard Powell, Billy’s Egg, The Five Mile Press, Rowville
ISBN 978-1741789041 ($12.95)
Alicia Zadrozny, Little Dino’s Egg, Reader’s Digest, 2008
ISBN 978-0794414559 ($16.95)
Books for adults
Kenneth Carpenter, Eggs, Nests and Baby Dinosaurs: A Look at
Dinosaur Reproduction, Indiana University Press, 1999
ISBN 978-0253334978 ($75.00)
A large range of general dinosaur and fossil books, kits and models is also available.
http://museumvictoria.com.au/melbournemuseum/
- 33-
Background information
Dinosaur books
(Recommended by StoneCompany.com)
Robert Bakker, Maximum Triceratops, (Random House, 2004),
illustrated by Luis V. Rey ISBN: 978-0375823046
Robert Bakker, Dinosaurs, (Random House, 2005),
illustrated by Luis V. Rey ISBN: 978-0375831416
Robert Bakker, Raptor Pack, (Random House, 2003),
illustrated by Michael Skrepnick ISBN: 978-0375823039
Henry Gee, Field Guide to Dinosaurs, (Barron’s Educational Series, 2003),
illustrated by Luis V. Rey ISBN: 978-0764155116
Luis V. Rey, Extreme Dinosaurs, (Chronicle Books, 2001) ISBN: 978-0811830867
http://museumvictoria.com.au/melbournemuseum/
- 34-