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Glossary

1:10 scale : 1 centimeter equals 10 centimeters (or 1 inch = 10 inches). The consistant scale we used in sculpting our comparative set of dinosaurian skulls. (check them out)

Accession number : a number or letter combination assigned by each museum or institute to the specimens it collects. Also called a catalog number.

Allosaurus : "other reptile." A Jurassic theropod found in North America. ~10m long. (more)

Anapsida : The group of Amniotes that has no openings behind the orbits on the skull. It includes the turtles.

Ankylosauria : "fused lizard" in reference to the fused vertebrae of their backs. A member of the super-family Ankylosauria (shortened to ankylosaur) or of the Family Ankylosauridae (shortened to ankylosaurid) Unfortunately,

Ankylosauridae : "fused lizards." Member of the Family Ankylosauridae. Frequently shortened in texts to ankylosaur, or ankylosaurid. Euoplocephalus is a typical ankylosaur.

Archosauria : "ruling lizards." The Division to which the Dinosaurs, Pterosaurs, and Crocodiles belong. Defined by the presence of antorbital fenestrae. Frequently shortened to archosaur.

Articulated : Articulated bones are found arranged as they were in life, whereas disarticulated means the bones are all jumbled up.

Bed a distinct rock unit in a stratigraphic sequence.

Bipedal : a two-legged upright gait.

Camarasaurus : "chambered lizard." A Jurassic sauropod found in North America. ~20m long. (more)

Coelophysis : "hollow form." A Triassic theropod found in North America. ~3m long. (more)

Conglomerates : are made up of particles of gravel size, sandstones of particles of sand size and shale of microscopic minerals.

Cranial capacity : The volume of the brain case; used as a measure of the size of the brain. Modern human cranial capacities average about 1500cc for males and 1300cc for smaller bodied females.

Cretaceous Period : the last Period in the Mesozoic Age145-65 million years ago. (more about the Geological Timetable)

Deinonychus "terrible claw." A North American dromaeosaur who lived in the Cretaceous Period -- cousin to the asian Velociraptor, but about twice as large. (more)

Diapsida : the Sub Class to which the dinosaurs belong. Diapsids have 2 holes (called temporal fenestrae) in the skull behind the orbit (eye opening).

Dinosauria : "terrible lizards." All dinosaurs have a hip socket that has a hole through it. Shortened to dinosaur.

Diplodocus "double beam" in reference to the appearance of its tail bones. A Jurassic sauropod found in North America. (more)

Edmontonia : "from Edmonton." A Cretaceous nodosaur found in North America. (more)

Edmontosaurus "Edmonton reptile." A Cretaceous hadrosaur found in North America. (more)

Euoplocephalus "well armored head." A Cretaceous ankylosaur found in North America. (more)

Evolution : The change in a population's gene pool over time. The Theory of Natural Selection is a statement of a mechanism by which these changes may occur.

Extant : currently existing (the opposite of exinct).

Extinct : no longer existant (the opposite of extant).

Family : the grouping above Genus in Linean classification. For humans it is Hominidae, for Tyrannosaurus it is Tyrannosauridae.

Fossil : trace of past life. Usually a bone, footprint (called a trace fossil), leaf, seed or insect preserved in rock. The science of how fossils form and how they are preserved is called taphonomy.

Gallimimus "chicken mimic." An asian ornithimimid who lived in the Cretaceous Period. (more)

Generic name : The genus name, always capitalized. It should always be italicized, but sometimes is not when it appears without the species name. The generic name is frequently abbreviated to a single letter, as in "H. sapiens.."

Herrerasaurus "Herrera lizard." An asian ornithopod who lived in the Jurassic Period. (more)

Heterodontosaurus "'mixed tooth reptile." An asian ornithopod who lived in the Jurassic Period. (more)

Hypsilophodon "High ridged tooth." A european ornithopod who lived in the Cretaceous Period. (more)

Iguanodon "iguana toothed." A european ornithopod who lived in the Jurassic Period. (more)

in situ : Latin for "in place." This term is used to indicate that a specimen has been excavated from the place where it was originally deposited and has not eroded out or moved from of its original position.

Jurassic Period : Named for the Jura mountains where the first deposits were found. It is the middle period of the Mesozoic Era. From 208 to 145 million years ago. (more about the Geological Timetable)

Lepidosauromorpha : The group of diapsids that include lizards and snakes.

Mammalia : The class to which all mammals including primates belong. Mammals have hair and mammary glands and give birth to live young.

Marginocephalia : "bordered heads." These animals all have some kind of bony frill at the back of the skull. The group includes the pachycephalosaurs and ceratopsians.

Mass extinction : A point in the geological record where a large number of species (or individuals) disappear at once. There are many reasons for mass extinctions; disasters, rapid climate changes, and pandemic disease toname a few. Several extinction events occured during the Mesozoic Era.

Mesozoic Era : "Age of Middle Life." The age of the donsaurs, it includes the Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous Periods. Spans 250 to 65 million years ago. (more about the Geological Timetable)

Morphology : the study of physical features (shape). In paleontology it is mostly the study of bones and teeth since this is what is most likely to be preserved by fossilization.

Nodosauridae : "node lizards." Member of the Family Nodosauridae. Frequently shortened in texts to nodosaur, or nodosaurid.

Ornithischia : "bird hipped." A branch of the Dinosauria that contains all of the herbivorous dinosaurs with the exception of the Sauropods.

Ornithopoda : "bird foot." The ornithischian subgroup of dinosaurs that includes the hadrosaurids and iguanodontids.

Oviraptor : "egg theif." A bizarre Cretaceous theropod found in mongolia. It is now thought that this animal ate shellfish. (more)

Parapsid : The group of Amniotes that has 1 well defined upper temporal fenestra behind the orbit, but lack a clearly defined lateral temporal fenestra. It includes the giant marine reptiles like the plsiosaurs.

Plate : The outer crust of the earth is composed of a number (about 20) of large rigid pieces of rock which are called plates. These plates move around relative to each other and sometimes collide. Friction between these plates causes mountain building, volcanoes and earthquakes. All of North America sits on one plate.

Plateosaurus : "plated lizard." An early Jurassic prosauropod found in Europe. (more)

Postcranial : "behind the head," refers to the rest of the skeleton not including the skull.

Protoceratops : "first horned face." An early Cretaceous ceratopsian found in Asia. (more)

Psittacosaurus : "parrot reptile." An early Cretaceous ceratopsian found in Asia. (more)

Quadrupedal : a four-legged gait.

Quarry : a term used to designate a particular location that has yielded fossil remains.

Sauropoda : "lizard toed." The group of saurischians that includes the long-necked dinosaurs like Camarasaurus and Diplodocus. Frequently shortened to sauropod.

Saurischia : "lizard hipped." These animals have a forward facing pubic bone.

Sediments : layers. In geology, rocks that are created through the repeated deposition of soils (sand, mud, etc.) are called sedimentary rock. Sandstone and slate are good examples.

Site : a term used to designate a particular location that has yielded fossil or archaeological remains.

Species : the smallest taxonomic unit defining a group of animals that are unable to breed to produce fertile offspring.

Strata : layers of geological deposits. Since strata are laid down one on top of another, the lowest are the oldest and the upper the youngest. Singular, stratum.

Stratigraphy : the study of the relative positions of deposits, and the sequence of events associated with them.

Stegoceras : "horny roof." A Cretaceous Marginocephaliad found in North America. (more)

Stegosaurus : "roofed lizard." A Jurassic Thyreophor found in North America. (more)

Synapsid : The group of Amniotes that has 1 opening called the temporal fenestra behind the orbit. This group is sometime described as the mammal-like reptiles because it contains the ancestors of all modern mammals.

Systematics : The taxonomic classification of a particular specimen. This shows the relatedness of a given animal to another one.

Taxonomy : The science of classification. Paleontologists usually use a system called cladistics that is based on the differences and similarities of bones.

Taphonomy : The science of how fossilization occurs.

Theropoda : "three toed." The group of saurischians that includes all the meat-eating dinosaurs. Frequently shortened to theropod.

Thyreophora : "shield bearers." A varied group of dinosaurs that all have bony plates along their spine. The Stegosauria and Ankylosauria are members of this group.

Triassic : The first period of the Mesozoic, 250 to 208 million years ago. (more about the Geological Timetable)

Triceratops : "three horned face" A Cretaceous ceratopsian found in North America. (more)

Tyrannosaurus : "tyrant lizard." A Cretaceous carnosaur found in North America, and eastern China. (more)

Vertebrata : The Phylum to which all animals that possess a bony or cartilaginous support for the spinal cord belong.

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