DINOSAURS OF THE PRE-HISTORIC WORLD - COUNT DOWN
 |
WILLIAM BUCKLAND |
THE FIRST DINOSAUR TO BE NAMED:
A number of dinosaurs had been named before the word "DINOSAUR" itself had been coined. DINOSAURIA meaning "fearfully great lizards" was proposed as a name for the group by Richard Owen in 1842. The Reverend William Buckland was the first to name a dinosaur, in 1824. He called it MEGALOSAURUS, meaning "GREAT LIZARD".
HEAVIEST DINOSAURS EVER DISCOVERED:
.jpg) |
BRUHATHKAYOSAURUS |
1. BRUHATHKAYOSAURUS: 126 tonnes
Fossil remains of this dinosaur were found in southern India. Some authorities have estimated it as having weighed as much as 220 tonnes, more than a blue whale, but such claims have been questioned.
2. AMPHICOELIAS: 122 tonnes
Its massive size, with a length of some 25 m (82 ft) has been extrapolated from vertebrae fragments discovered in Colorado in 1877, but since lost.
3. PUERTASAURUS: 80-100 tonnes
Its huge size has been estimated form partial remains found in Patagonia in 2001.
4. ARGENTINOSAURUS: 60-88 tonnes
An Argentinean farmer discovered a 1.8 m (6 ft) bone in 1988. It was found to be the shinbone of a previously unknown dinosaur, which was given the name Argentinosaurus.
5. ARGYRSAURUS: 80 tonnes
This South American dinosaur's name means 'SILVER LIZARD'
6. SAUROPOSEIDON: 50-60 tonnes
Known only from vertebrae discovered in Oklahoma in 1994, its name means 'Earthquake lizard-god'.
7. PARALITITAN: 59 tonnes
Remains discovered in 2001 in the Sahara Desert in Egypt suggest that this was a giant plant-eater.
8. ANTARCTOSAURUS: 45-50 tonnes
The creature's thigh bone alone measures 2.3 m (7.5 ft) and a total length of 18 m (60 ft) has been estimated. Some authorities have put its weight as high as 80 tonnes.
9. TURIASAURUS: 40-48 tonnes
The largest dinosaur yet discovered in Europe, remains of Turiasaurus were unearthed in Spain in 2003.
10. SUPERSAURUS: 35-40 tonnes
Fragments of Supersaurus were unearthed in Colorado in 1972. Another more complete specimen, known as "Jimbo", has been discovered in Wyoming and is undergoing examination.
SMALLEST DINOSAURS:
1.MICROPACHYCEPHALOSAURUS - max. size - 20 in.
Micropachycephalosaurus is ironically the longest name for the smallest dinosaur. Discovered in Argentina, Mussaurus - meaning 'MOUSE LIZARD' - is the smallest complete dinosaur skeleton found.
2. SALTOPUS - max. size - 23 in.
 |
MICROPACHYCEPHALOSAURUS |
3. COMPSOGNATHUS - max. size - 24 in.
FRUITADENS - max. size - 24 in.
MICROCERATOPS - max. size - 24 in.
YANDANGORNIS - max. size - 24 in.
7. BAMBIRAPTOR - max. size - 27 in.
8. MICRORAPTOR - max. size - 33in.
9. LESOTHOSAURUS - max. size - 35 in.
10. SINOSAUROPTERYX - max. size - 39 in.
WANNANOSAURUS - max. size - 39 in.
COUNTRIES WITH MOST DINOSAURS:
1. USA - no. of dinosaurs - 89
2. CHINA - no. of dinosaurs - 60
3. MONGOLIA - no. of dinosaurs - 48
4. CANADA - no. of dinosaurs - 37
5. ARGENTINA - no. of dinosaurs - 29
6. UK - no. of dinosaurs - 26
7. FRANCE - no. of dinosaurs - 13
8. GERMANY - no. of dinosaurs - 10
9. SPAIN - no. of dinosaurs - 9
10. TANZANIA - no. of dinosaurs - 9
5 BEASTS OF THE PREHISTORIC DEEP:
Dinosaurs may have been the lords of the land, but they weren't the only giants of the prehistoric world. The ancient oceans were also inhabited by beasts of nightmare proportions.
 |
LIOPLEURODON |
LIOPLEURODON:
This savage marine reptile of the late Jurassic era grew to around 25 m (82 ft), and preyed on prehistoric crocodiles and other marine reptiles such as ICHTHYOSAURS.
BASILOSAURUS:
The erroneously named BASILOSAURUS - 'King Lizard' was not actually a reptile, but a deadly ancestor of the whale. Its long body - up to 26 m (85 ft) - gave it an appearance more like a sea snake than a modern cetacean.
DUNKLEOSTEUS:
This massive (8-10 m / 26-33 ft) fish had an armour-plated head and two long blades instead of teeth, which it used to crush any prehistoric prey it could find including sharks.
MEGALODON SHARK:
These fearsome fish may have grown to lengths of 16 m (50 ft) and had the most powerful bite of any creature known to have existed on Earth.
GIANT SEA SCORPION:
The discovery of a huge fossilized claw in 2007 revealed that giant sea scorpions of coastal swamps may have measured up to 2.5 m (8.2 ft).
