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Description
Flashcards by hook.jenna, updated more than 1 year ago
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Created by hook.jenna
almost 12 years ago
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| Question | Answer |
| Palaeontology | The study of all prehistoric life; Knowledge comes primarily from Fossils |
| Fossil | Any preserved evidence left behind by a prehistoric organism; Word literally means 'dug-up'; Usually objects or structures found buried in an ancient rock formation. |
| Coprolites | Fossil Poo! |
| Adaptations | traits that have evolved to serve specific functions (e.g. bones) |
| Vertebrates | animals that have two special kinds of skeletal adaptations: skulls and vertebrae |
| Vertebrae | structures made primarily of bone and cartilage that surround a portion of the spinal nerve cord; vertebrae lock together to form the "Vertebral Column" |
| Invertebrates | Animals lacking vertebrae (e.g. insects, spiders, snails, squids, clams, jellyfish, worms, etc) |
| Brain Case | Found in the rear portion of the skull, formed by many skull bones; hollow chamber that houses the brain |
| Nares (pl) Naris (sng) | the pair of openings in the skull for the nostrils |
| Orbits | Openings in the skull for eyes |
| Fenestrae (fenestra sng) | Additional openings in the skull (beyond naris and orbits) providing various functions |
| Laterotemporal Fenestrae | Fenestrae on the lateral side of dinosaur skulls -provides extra room for large jaw muscles |
| Supratemporal Fenestrae | Fenestrae on the top of the dinosaur skull - Provides extra room for large jaw muscles |
| Antorbital Fenestrae | Fenestrae located between the orbit and naris - function unclear. large cavities for warming breathing air/adaptations to decrease weight of skull? |
| Centrum | spool or disc shaped body of a vertebra |
| Neural Arch | Located above the neural canal on a vertebra |
| Vertebral Processes | Vertebrae may have processes extending from the centrum or neural arch which provide attachment surfaces for muscles and/or articulation surfaces for ribs |
| Transverse Process | - type of Vertebral process that extends from the lateral sides or the vertebrae |
| Spinous Process | Type of Vertebral Process that extends upwards from the Neural Arch |
| Cervical Vertebrae | Vertebrae in the neck |
| Dorsal Vertebrae | Vertebrae of the back - frequently supporting tall spinous processes and large rib articulation surfaces |
| Sacral Vertebrae | Vertebrae of the hips; fused to pelvic bones to provide solid anchors for powerful leg muscles |
| Sacrum | Single solid bone structure formed by the fusion of the sacral vertebrae |
| Caudal Vertebrae | Vertebrae in the tail |
| Chevrons | Bones located underneath Caudal Vertebrae; protects a large blood and nerve channel; provide support for tail muscles |
| Gastralia | small ribs positioned across a dinosaurs underbelly underneath the ribcage - unique to dinosaurs |
| Tetropod | means "four feet"; animals that evolved from an ancient ancestor with four feet and limbs |
| Limb Girdles | Include Pectoral Girdle and Pelvic Girdle; connect limbs to the rest of the skeleton |
| Scapula | shoulder blade; largest bone in pectoral girdle |
| Pelvic Girdle | composed of 3 bones tightly connected to each other; ilium, pubis and the ischium |
| Ilium | Upper hip bone; fused to sacral vertebrae |
| Pubis | positioned in front of the ischium, nearer the belly; helps compose pelvic girdle |
| Ischium | positioned behind the pubis, nearer the tail; helps form the pelvic girdle |
| Acetabulum | the depression or hole in the pelvic girdle into which the hind limb articulates |
| Humerus | Largest bone in the forelimb; between the shoulder and the elbow |
| Femur | Largest bone in the leg; between the hip and the knee |
| Ulna | One of two parallel bones extending from the elbow to the wrist; usually the thicker |
| Radius | Usually the thinner of the two parallel bones extending from the elbow to the wrist |
| Carpals | The bones in the wrist |
| Metacarpals | The bones between the wrist and the fingers |
| Phalanges | Finger bones and/or Toe bones |
| Fibula | Usually the thinner of the two bones running between the knee and the ankle; forms the shin |
| Tibia | Usually the thicker of the two parallel bones running between the knee and the ankle |
| Tarsals | the bones in the ankle |
| Metatarsals | The bones between the ankle and the toes |
| Saurischian Dinosaurs | Have a pubis that extends downwards and forwards, towards the rib-cage. "Lizard-Hipped" |
| Ornithischian Dinosaurs | Has a pubis that extends downwards and backwards towards the tail; also a beak-forming bone in upper jaw. |
| Sauropodomorphs | a major group of saurischian dinosaurs; large herbivores with elongated necks and small heads |
| Prosauropods | Early group of sauropodomorphs; First group of large-bodied herbivores to evolve |
| Theropods | Second major group of Saurischian dinosaurs; bipedal and carnivorous with serrated blade-like teeth and sharp hooked claws; NB: some were herbivorous and lacked teeth; Birds are theropods |
| Sauropods | A later group of Saurischian dinosaurs; some of the largest animals to walk the earth; veterbrae filled with complex air sacs to help reduce weight; Teeth simple and peg like. |
| Ornithopods | 1 of 5 major Ornithischians; lack armor, walk/run bipedally; small, antelope-sized (but not iguanodonts/hadrosaurs) |
| Iguanodont | A large Ornithopod; spike-shaped claw on each hand |
| Hadrosaurs | Late evolving Ornithopods; "Duckbilled dinosaurs"; very successful; elaborate boney crests, strikingly large beaks in front of their mouths, and dense tightly-packed teeth in the rear of their mouths; teeth form large chewing surfaces collectively referred to as dental batteries; |
| Pachycephalosaurs | major group 2 of 5 Ornithischians; bipedal, short arms, unusually stout strong tails, armored skulls; behind the beak at front of mouth sharp conical teeth and leaf shaped teeth in rear; perhaps omnivorous. |
| Ceratopsians | Major group 3 of 5 Ornithischians; late evolvers, large parrot like beaks, greatly expanded skulls in rear; many have large boney frill or neck shield; many have large horns; possess dental batteries; most large ceratopsians quadrupedal with short tails |
| Stegosaurs | Major group 4 of 5 Ornithischians; quadrupedal, rows of porjecting osteoderm plates down backs; osteoderm spikes on tails; front limbs are shorter than hindlimbs; slow runners, could pivot quickly, rear up stand on hind legs; heads are small for body, snout narrow. |
| Osteoderms | bones that develop within the skin and are a common component of animal armor |
| Ankylosaurs | last major group of Ornithischians; most heavily armored of all dinosaurs; quadrupedal, short legs, wide ribcages; backs and skulls mostly covered in spike protective osteoderms; some with osteoderms on ends of tails forming mace or "tail club"; short snouts, broader rounded beaks |
| Integument | Body Covering |
| Fossil Footprint | natural foot molds originally made in soft, fine grained sediments; occasionally include impression of foot scales |
| Keratin | tough but flexible material composing hair, feathers, fingernails, scales, outside of claws beaks and horns; helpful for preservation through fossilization |
| Melanosomes | pigment cells within a feather; may provide clues to colour of dinosaurs |
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