 |
|
Definitive Evidence Found of a Swimming Dinosaur
May 24, 2007An extraordinary underwater trackway with 12 consecutive prints provides the most compelling evidence to-date that some dinosaurs were swimmers. The 15-meter-long trackway, located in La Virgen del Campo track site in Spain's Cameros Basin, contains the first long and continuous record of swimming by a non-avian therapod dinosaur.
A team led by Rubén Ezquerra, Fundación Patrimonio Paleontológico de La Rioja, La Rioja, Spain, discovered the prints in an area long known for its abundance of terrestrial dinosaur trackways dating from the early Cretaceous 125 million years ago. The team's findings are reported in the June issue of GEOLOGY, published by the Geological Society of America.
The trackway consists of 6 asymmetrical pairs of 2-3 scratch marks each. Each set of scratch marks, preserved in a layer of sandstone, averages approximately 50 centimeters in length and 15 centimeters wide. The spacing between them suggests an underwater stride of 243-271 centimeters.
According to co-author Loic Costeur, Laboratoire de Planétologie et Géodynamique de Nantes, Université de Nantes, France, the S-shaped prints paint a picture of a large floating animal clawing the sediment as it swam in approximately 3.2 meters of water. Ripple marks on the surface of the site indicate the dinosaur was swimming against a current, struggling to maintain a straight path.
"The dinosaur swam with alternating movements of the two hind limbs, a pelvic paddle swimming motion," said Costeur. "It is a swimming style of amplified walking with movements similar to those used by modern bipeds, including aquatic birds."
The question of whether dinosaurs could swim has been researched for years. Until now, however, very little hard evidence existed documenting the behavior. Several earlier discoveries were later found to have been produced on dry ground or categorized as ghost traces, possible undertracks preserved in lower layers of sediment.
"The trackway at La Virgen del Campo opens the door to several new areas of research," said Costeur. "New biomechanical modeling will increase our understanding of dinosaur physiology and physical capabilities, as well as our view of the ecological niches in which they lived."
Geological Society of America
According to co-author Loic Costeur, Laboratoire de Planétologie et Géodynamique de Nantes, Université de Nantes, France, the S-shaped prints paint a picture of a large floating animal clawing the sediment as it swam in approximately 3.2 meters of water. Ripple marks on the surface of the site indicate the dinosaur was swimming against a current, struggling to maintain a straight path.
"The dinosaur swam with alternating movements of the two hind limbs, a pelvic paddle swimming motion," said Costeur. "It is a swimming style of amplified walking with movements similar to those used by modern bipeds, including aquatic birds."
The question of whether dinosaurs could swim has been researched for years. Until now, however, very little hard evidence existed documenting the behavior. Several earlier discoveries were later found to have been produced on dry ground or categorized as ghost traces, possible undertracks preserved in lower layers of sediment.
"The trackway at La Virgen del Campo opens the door to several new areas of research," said Costeur. "New biomechanical modeling will increase our understanding of dinosaur physiology and physical capabilities, as well as our view of the ecological niches in which they lived."
Geological Society of America
Dinosaur Current Events and Dinosaur News RSSWarm-blooded dinosaurs worked up a sweat
Were dinosaurs "warm-blooded" like present-day mammals and birds, or "cold-blooded" like present day lizards? The implications of this simple-sounding question go beyond deciding whether or not you'd snuggle up to a dinosaur on a cold winter's evening.
The last European hadrosaurs lived in the Iberian Peninsula
Spanish researchers have studied the fossil record of hadrosaurs, the so-called 'duck-billed' dinosaurs, in the Iberian Peninsula for the purpose of determining that they were the last of their kind to inhabit the European continent before disappearing during the K/T extinction event that occurred 65.5 million years ago.
The humble beginnings of a king
Tyrannosaurus rex and related large carnivorous dinosaurs together form the family Tyrannosauridae. A long forgotten fossil skull in the collections of the Natural History Museum in London has now provided crucial clues to the early stages of the lengthy evolutionary history of these fearsome predators.
New dinosaur species from Montana
A husband and wife team of American paleontologists has discovered a new species of dinosaur that lived 112 million years ago during the early Cretaceous of central Montana.
New analyses of dinosaur growth may wipe out one-third of species
Paleontologists from the University of California, Berkeley, and the Museum of the Rockies have wiped out two species of dome-headed dinosaur, one of them named three years ago - with great fanfare - after Hogwarts, the school attended by Harry Potter.
Do 3 meals a day keep fungi away?
The fact that they eat a lot - and often - may explain why most people and other mammals are protected from the majority of fungal pathogens, according to research from Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University.
Crushed bones reveal literal dino stomping ground
Imagine the gruesome sound of bones snapping as a thirsty, 30-ton dinosaur tramples a heap of fresh carcasses on his way to a rapidly shrinking lake.
Chinese and American paleontologists discover a new Mesozoic mammal
An international team of paleontologists has discovered a new species of mammal that lived 123 million years ago in what is now the Liaoning Province in northeastern China.
Archaeopteryx was not very bird-like
New research published this week clips the wings of Archaeopteryx. First found in Germany in the 1860's and dating to 150 million years ago, Archaeopteryx has long been considered the iconic first bird.
Inside the first bird, surprising signs of a dinosaur
The raptor-like Archaeopteryx has long been viewed as the archetypal first bird, but new research reveals that it was actually a lot less "bird-like" than scientists had believed.
More Dinosaur Current Events and Dinosaur News Articles
 |
Mattel SCREATURE Interactive Dinosaur by Mattel Your own prehistoric pal! Dare pet his head? More bite than roar! Can you master Screature, or will you be his prey? Lifelike and realistic with ferocious sounds, Screature uses an infrared sensor to sense and attack his prey with your help. If you can control Screature, he will respond loyally to your petting, but if you pet him in the wrong place, Screature attacks! Set him in room guard mode and Screaturewill guard all your prized treasures! Screature is a mean little predator with a big appetite. Try me, open tray package. 3x 'AA' batteries included, with minor assembly required. |
 |
Dozen Jumbo Dinosaurs up to 6 inches long by Toy C Set of 12 realistic toy dinosaur figures. Dinos are made from slightly flexible plastic, are hollow inside. Set includes: Ceratosaurus, Pachycephalosaurus, Stegosaurus, Parasaurolophus, Tyrannosaurus, Spinosaurus, Brachiosaurus, Velociraptor, Apatosaurus, Euoplocephalus, Triceratops, Styracosaurus. |
 |
My Big Dinosaur Book (My Big Board Books) by Roger Priddy (Author) |
 |
Scientific Explorer's My First Dinosaur Science Kit by Scientific Explorer With My First Dino Kit, You're a real paleontologist! Use excavation tools to dig up a dinosaur skeleton and then classify and display your findings. Build a glow in the dark model, or grow and shrink some giant dinos, all while you learn about the prehistoric past. Did some dinosaurs have feathers? Are crocodiles as ancient as the dinosaurs? You'll find out. Ages 4+ adult supervision required. |
 |
Melissa & Doug Dinosaur Stamp Set by Melissa and Doug Mix and match the 8-9 playfully detailed stamps to create hundreds of beautiful scenes, and then color in the pictures with the 5 colored pencils! Each themed set includes 2 colored inkpads. Ages 4+. Each set 8.75" x 8" x 2". |
 |
ZipBin Dinosaur Playset by Neat Oh ZipBin is more than great-looking storage. It's a portable play world that unzips to reveal space to play, create and imagine. And it's easy to clean up... in a zip! The Dinosaur storage bin's dramatic exterior theme identifies the contents and will look great in your child's room. When the bin is unzipped, it becomes a dinosaur island play mat, complete with a colorful island, a volcano, and oozing tar pit and a mysterious cave. When play is done, the play mat becomes the storage bin in a zip, capturing the toys inside. Includes four dinosaurs: Tyrannosaurus Rex, Saurolophus, Triceratops, and Compsognathus, 4-5" long. ZipBin measures approximately 16" x 13" x 9". |
 |
How Do Dinosaurs Play With Their Friends by Jane Yolen (Author) What if a dinosaur's friends come to play? Does he mope, does he pout if he can't get his way? Does he hide all his dump trucks, refusing to share? Does he throw his friends' coloring books up in the air? Time and time again, children are told to "play nice." This brilliantly illustrated board book is packed with rhymes that will teach children how. Mark Teague's laugh-aloud illustrations, along with Jane Yolen's playful text, will show children that "playing nice" can be easy and fun. Perfect for parents to read aloud with their children, this book is as humorous as it is instructive. |
 |
Dinosaur Starring: D.B. Sweeney, Julianna Margulies, Samuel E. Wright, Alfre Woodard, Ossie Davis Directed By: Eric Leighton, Ralph Zondag Also With: Ralph Zondag (Writer), John Harrison (Writer), Rhett Reese (Writer), Robert Nelson Jacobs (Writer), Shirley Pierce (Writer), Tamara Lusher (Writer) Join the action-packed adventure of a group of dinosaurs overcoming enormous challenges through courage, loyalty, and hope in Disney's DINOSAUR, a special effects phenomenon! Set 65 million years ago, DINOSAUR tells the compelling story of an iguanodon named Aladar, who is separated from his own kind and raised by a clan of lemurs, including the wisecracking Zini and the compassionate Plio. When a devastating meteor shower plunges their world into chaos, Aladar and his family follow a herd of dinosaurs heading for the safety of the "nesting grounds." Along the way, Aladar befriends Baylene, the dignified, elderly brachiosaur with a take-no-prisoners attitude; Eema, the unstoppable styrachosaur; and Neera, a feisty fellow iguanodon. Together, they must stand strong amid food and water... |
 |
Fisher Price Spike Jr. by Fisher Price Meet Spike Jr.! The little dinosaur that comes bigger than life. He walks, laughs and roars at the touch of a button. |
|
Fisher-Price Imaginext Ultimate Dino by Fisher-Price Meet Spike, the dinosaur that kids bring to life at the touch of a button. He walks, he stands on his hind legs, he blinks, his mouth opens and closes, and his spikes even light up. You make it all happen with the easy-to-use remote control! Spike also makes lots of fun sounds, too. He growls, snorts, roars and more. Requires 3 "AA" alkaline batteries, not included. Also uses rechargeable 9.6 Volt NiMH battery, included (a $25 retail value)! Spike stands 27" tall. |
| © 2009 BrightSurf.com |