When did the sinosauropteryx live?
Sinosauropteryx
Three specimens have been assigned to "Sinosauropteryx prima": the holotype GMV 2123 (and its counter slab [opposite face], NIGP 127586), NIGP 127587, and D 2141. Another specimen, IVPP V14202, was assigned to the genus but not to the only species by Zhang and colleagues. The assignment of an additional larger specimen to "S. prima", GMV 2124, was later found to be in error. All of the fossils were found in the Jianshangou or Dawangzhangzi Beds of the Yixian Formation in the Beipiao and Lingyuan regions of Liaoning, China. These fossil beds have been dated to 124.6–122 million years ago, during the early Aptian stage of the Early Cretaceous.
Shinisauria
Shinisauria is a clade or evolutionary grouping of anguimorph lizards that includes the living Chinese crocodile lizard "Shinisaurus" and several of its closest extinct relatives. Shinisauria was named in 2008 as a stem-based taxon to include all anguimorphs more closely related to "Shinisaurus" than to any other lizard. Several recent phylogenetic analyses of lizard evolutionary relationships place Shinisauria in a basal position within the clade Platynota, which also includes monitor lizards, helodermatids, and the extinct mosasaurs. Shinisaurians were once thought to be closely related to the genus "Xenosaurus", but they are now considered distant relatives within Anguimorpha. The fossil record of shinisaurians extends back to the Early Cretaceous with "Dalinghosaurus", which is from the Yixian Formation of China. Two other extinct shinisaurians are currently known: "Bahndwivici" from the Eocene of Wyoming and "Merkurosaurus" from the Early Miocene of the Czech Republic.
Sinosauropteryx
The first fossil specimen of the dinosaur later named "Sinosauropteryx prima" was uncovered in August 1996 by Li Yumin. Yumin was a farmer and part-time fossil hunter who often prospected around Liaoning Province to acquire fossils to sell to individuals and museums. Yumin recognized the unique quality of the specimen, which was separated into two slabs, and sold the slabs to two separate museums in China: the National Geological Museum in Beijing, and the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Paleontology. The director of the Beijing museum, Ji Qiang, recognized the importance of the find, as did visiting Canadian palaeontologist Phil Currie and artist Michael Skrepnick, who became aware of the fossil by chance as they explored the Beijing museum's collections after leading a fossil tour of the area during the first week of October, 1996. Currie recognized the significance of the fossil immediately. As "The New York Times" quoted him, "When I saw this slab of silt stone mixed with volcanic ash in which the creature is embedded, I was bowled over." When originally described, the authors named "Sinosauropteryx", meaning "Chinese Reptilian Wing".
Syodon
Syodon is an extinct genus of dinocephalian therapsids that lived approximately 267-260 million years ago during the middle Permian period of the Paleozoic era. These therapsids, located in Russia were initially believed to be true mammals. "Syodon" was first named by Stephan Kutorga in 1838. The fossils of these Synapsids were first discovered in the Molotov Province region of Russia in limestone beds with a high content of copper. However, scientists believe that these organisms likely come from higher rock beds due to increased specializations in their morphology.
Sinraptor
Sinraptor is a genus of metriacanthosaurid theropod dinosaur from the Late Jurassic. The name "Sinraptor" comes from the Latin prefix "Sino", meaning Chinese, and "Raptor" meaning robber. The specific name "dongi" honours Dong Zhiming. Despite its name, "Sinraptor" is not related to dromaeosaurids (often nicknamed "raptors") like "Velociraptor". Instead, it was a carnosaur distantly related to "Allosaurus". "Sinraptor" and its close relatives were among the earliest members of the Jurassic carnosaurian radiation. "Sinraptor" still remains the best-known member of the family Metriacanthosauridae, with some older sources even using the name "Sinraptoridae" for the family.
Sinosauropteryx
Controversy regarding the identity of the filaments preserved in the first "Sinosauropteryx" specimen began almost immediately, as the team of scientists spent three days in Beijing examining the specimen under a microscope. The results of their studies (reported during a press conference at the Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences on Thursday, April 24, 1997) were inconclusive; the team agreed that the structures preserved on "Sinosauropteryx" were not modern feathers, but suggested further research was required to discover their exact nature. Palaeontologist Alan Feduccia, who had not yet examined the specimen, wrote in "Audubon Magazine" that the structures of "Sinosauropteryx" (which he considered at the time to be a synonym of "Compsognathus", as "Compsognathus prima") were stiffening structures from a frill running along the back, and that dinosaur palaeontologists were engaging in wishful thinking when equating the structures with feathers. Subsequent publications saw some of the team members disagreeing over the identity of the structures.
Cynosaurus
"Cynosaurus" was first described by Richard Owen in 1876. Owen wrote and journal titled “Descriptive and illustrated catalog of the fossil reptilia of South Africa in the collection of the British Museum” in 1876. Owen named the fossil "Cynosuchus suppostus" (Owen, 1876) which later gets renamed as "Cynosaurus" by Hopson et al 1972. Owen described "Cynosuchus suppostus" as similar to "Cynochampea" in where the incisors and canines are located. The difference is that "Cynosuchus" suppostus had smaller and more upward location of nostril. The external nostril of "Cynosuchus suppostus" along with the forends of the upper and lower jaws were close in location with the nostril nearly horizontal. Owen described the molar teeth as relatively larger in size. Owen also noted the constriction of the upper jaw as it recedes and is combined with large molar teeth that shows "Cynosuchus suppostus" to have a broader and shorter skull. The nasal bones are broad and thick and overlapped by the maxillaries (Owen, 1876).
Sinosauropteryx
The hypothesis that the structures were collagen fibers was closely analyzed and disproven by a 2017 paper published by Smithwick "et al". The integument of "Sinosauropteryx" was closely compared to less controversial evidence of collagen fibers preserved in the ichthyosaur "Stenopterygius". Although the collagen hypothesis claimed that the central shafts (rachises) of purported theropod feathers were actually misidentified examples of shaft-like collagen fibers, higher quality imagery showed that these similarities were artificial. The supposed shafts in ichthyosaur collagen were actually scratch marks, cracks, and crevasses created during preparation of one of the ichthyosaur specimens. On the other hand, the shafts in the "Sinosauropteryx" specimens were legitimate examples of fossilized structures. The collagen hypothesis also claims that "Sinosauropteryx" integument includes beaded structures similar to structures occasionally found in decaying collagen of modern sea mammals. However, this claim was also unsupported, with Smithwick "et al." finding no evidence of the beaded structures which collagen hypothesis proponents identified on the specimens. The study proposes that some areas of the fossil preserved in three dimensions cast shadows which would have resembled beaded structures in low quality photographs.
&quot;Sinopliosaurus&quot; fusuiensis
In 1975, five fossil teeth were described by Chinese palaeontologists Hou Lian-Hai, Yeh Hsiang-K'uei, and Zhao Xi-Jin. The specimens were collected from the Xinlong Formation of the Guangxi Province in southern China, and assigned by Hou and colleagues to a new species of "Sinopliosaurus", a pliosauroid known only from limb elements found in the Early Jurassic. A 2008 paper by Eric Buffetaut and colleagues referred the four of the original specimens (one was not found in the museum collection) to a new species of spinosaurid dinosaur. Other spinosaurid teeth from indeterminate forms have been reported from the formation, but remain undescribed.
Yimenosaurus
Yimenosaurus (meaning "Yiman reptile") is an extinct genus of plateosaurid sauropodomorph dinosaur that lived in China in the Early Jurassic. The genus was first named in 1990 by Ziqi Bai, Jie Yang and Guohui Wang, along with its type and only species, Yimenosaurus youngi. The species name honours renowned Chinese paleontologist Yang Zhongjian, the father of Chinese paleontology, known as C.C. Young in English. Known material includes the holotype, an almost complete skull and mandible, as well as incomplete cervical and dorsal vertebrae, a mostly complete sacrum, an ilium, ischia, partial ribs and complete femur, and a paratype, a well-preserved postcrania with a fragmentary skull.
Sinraptor
The holotype specimen of "Sinraptor" was uncovered from the Shishugou Formation during a joint Chinese/Canadian expedition to the northwestern Chinese desert in 1987, and described by Philip J. Currie and Zhao Xijin in 1994. Standing nearly tall and measuring roughly in length, two species of "Sinraptor" have been named. "S. dongi", the type species, was described by Currie and Zhao in 1994. A second species, originally named "Yangchuanosaurus hepingensis" by Gao in 1992, may actually represent a second species of "Sinraptor". Whether or not this is the case, "Sinraptor" and "Yangchuanosaurus" were close relatives, and are classified together in the family Metriacanthosauridae.
Sinosauropteryx
The same specimen of "S. prima" which had preserve a lizard in its stomach contents (NIGP 127587) also had several small eggs in its abdomen. Two eggs were preserved just in front of and above the pubic boot, and several more may lie underneath them on the slab. It is unlikely that they were eaten by the animal, as they are in the wrong part of the body cavity for the egg shells to have remained intact. It is more likely that they are unlaid eggs produced by the animal itself, proving the specimen to be a female. Each egg measured long by wide. The presence of two developed eggs suggests that "Sinosauropteryx" had dual oviducts and laid eggs in pairs, like other theropods.
Sinotyrannus
Sinotyrannus (meaning "Chinese tyrant") is a genus of large basal proceratosaurid dinosaur, a relative of tyrannosaurids which flourished in North America and Asia during the Jurassic and early Cretaceous periods. "Sinotyrannus" is known from a single incomplete fossil specimen including a partial skull, from the Early Cretaceous Jiufotang Formation of Liaoning, China. Though it is not much younger than primitive tyrannosauroids such as "Dilong", it is similar in size to later forms such as "Tyrannosaurus". It was much larger than contemporary tyrannosauroids; reaching a total estimated length of , it is the largest known theropod from the Jiufotang Formation. The type species is "S. kazuoensis", described by Ji "et al.", in 2009.
Siamosaurus
A 2010 publication by Romain Amiot and colleagues found that oxygen isotope ratios of spinosaurid bones indicates semiaquatic lifestyles. Isotope ratios from teeth from the spinosaurids "Baryonyx", "Irritator", "Siamosaurus", and "Spinosaurus" were compared with isotopic compositions from contemporaneous theropods, turtles, and crocodilians. The study found that, among theropods, spinosaurid isotope ratios were closer to those of turtles and crocodilians. "Siamosaurus" specimens tended to have the largest difference from the ratios of other theropods, and "Spinosaurus" tended to have the least difference. The authors concluded that spinosaurids, like modern crocodilians and hippopotamuses, spent much of their daily lives in water. The authors also suggested that semi-aquatic habits and piscivory in spinosaurids might explain how spinosaurids coexisted with other large theropods: by feeding on different prey items and living in different habitats, the different types of theropods would have been out of direct competition.
The exact position of "Siamosaurus" within Spinosauridae is difficult to determine because it is only a tooth taxon. However a study by Arden et al. (2018) identified it as a member of the Spinosaurinae.
Simosaurus
Simosaurus is an extinct genus of marine reptile within the superorder Sauropterygia from the Middle Triassic of central Europe. Fossils have been found in deposits in France and Germany that are roughly 230 million years old. It is usually classified as a nothosaur, but has also been considered a pachypleurosaur or a more primitive form of sauropterygian.
Dinosauromorpha
Dinosauromorphs appeared by the Anisian stage of the Middle Triassic around 242 to 244 million years ago, splitting from other ornithodires. Early Triassic footprints reported in October 2010 from the Świętokrzyskie (Holy Cross) Mountains of Poland may belong to a dinosauromorph. If so, the origin of dinosauromorphs would be pushed back into the Early Olenekian, around 249 Ma. The oldest Polish footprints are from a small quadrupedal animal named "Prorotodactylus", but footprints belonging to the ichnogenus "Sphingopus" that have been found from Early Anisian strata show that moderately large bipedal dinosauromorphs had appeared by 246 Ma. The tracks show that the dinosaur lineage appeared soon after the Permian-Triassic extinction event. Their age suggests that the rise of dinosaurs was slow and drawn out across much of the Triassic.
Marasuchus
Until 2003 "Marasuchus" was thought to be one of the closest relatives of the dinosaurs. At present it has been supplanted by other dinosauromorphs such as "Silesaurus". Nonetheless, "Marasuchus" remains an important animal for understanding the origin and evolution of dinosaur characteristics. The following is a 
cladogram of basal Dinosauriformes according to Nesbitt (2011), and Dinosauria according to Baron "et al." (2017):
Alfred Romer first discovered fossils of the species in the 1960s in the Chañares Formation of the Ischigualasto-Villa Unión Basin in northwestern Argentina, all parts of the reptile’s skeletal anatomy are known from fossils except for the skull and lower jaw. The formation was dated as being 235 to 234 million years old.
Dinosorex
Dinosorex is an extinct eulipotyphlan genus, popularly referred to as giant terror shrews due to their fearsome lower incisors. "Dinosorex" lived in Europe from the late Oligocene or early Miocene to the late Miocene, with a range that stretched from Ukraine to Iberia. It was about the size of a modern hedgehog, but its enlarged and strengthened incisors (which have been found to contain iron particles within the enamel) may have allowed it to adopt a partially carnivorous diet, as opposed to the strictly insectivorous diet of most modern mammals of that size.
Chindesaurus
Chindesaurus ( ) is a genus of herrerasaurid dinosaur that lived approximately 235-210 million years ago during the latter part of the Triassic Period in what is now the Southwestern United States. "Chindesaurus" was a small, bipedal, carnivore, that could grow up to long.
Dinosauriformes
Dinosauriformes is a clade of archosaurian reptiles that include the dinosaurs and their most immediate relatives. All dinosauriformes are distinguished by several features, such as shortened forelimbs and a partially to fully perforated acetabulum, the hole in the hip socket traditionally used to define dinosaurs. The oldest known member is "Asilisaurus", dating to about 245 million years ago in the Anisian age of the middle Triassic period.
Hierosaurus
Hierosaurus (meaning "sacred lizard") is an extinct genus of nodosaurid ankylosaur which lived during the Cretaceous 87 to 82 million years ago. Its fossils were found in the Smoky Hill Chalk Member of the Niobrara Formation, in western Kansas, which would have been near the middle of Western Interior Sea during the Late Cretaceous. It was a nodosaurid, an ankylosaur without a clubbed tail.
The only species of this genus, "Hierosaurus sternbergii", was described by George Wieland on the basis of cranial and postcranial osteoderms collected by Charles Hazelius Sternberg in the Niobrara Formation of western Kansas. Nowadays, "Hierosaurus" is considered a "nomen dubium", and a second species, "H. coleii", was re-assigned to the new genus "Niobrarasaurus" in 1995.
Plateosaurus
Discovered in 1834 by Johann Friedrich Engelhardt and described three years later by Hermann von Meyer, "Plateosaurus" was the fifth named dinosaur genus that is still considered valid. Although it had been described before Richard Owen formally named Dinosauria in 1842, it was not one of the three genera used by Owen to define the group, because at the time, it was poorly known and difficult to identify as a dinosaur. It is now among the dinosaurs best known to science: over 100 skeletons have been found, some of them nearly complete. The abundance of its fossils in Swabia, Germany, has led to the nickname "Schwäbischer Lindwurm" (Swabian lindworm).
Tyrannosaurus
Sue Hendrickson, an amateur paleontologist, discovered the most complete (approximately 85%) and largest "Tyrannosaurus" skeleton in the Hell Creek Formation on August 12, 1990. The specimen Sue, named after the discoverer, was the object of a legal battle over its ownership. In 1997, the litigation was settled in favor of Maurice Williams, the original land owner. The fossil collection was purchased by the Field Museum of Natural History at auction for $7.6 million, making it the most expensive dinosaur skeleton to date. From 1998 to 1999, Field Museum of Natural History staff spent over 25,000 hours taking the rock off the bones. The bones were then shipped to New Jersey where the mount was constructed, then shipped with the bones back to Chicago for the final assembly. The mounted skeleton opened to the public on May 17, 2000 in the Field Museum of Natural History. A study of this specimen's fossilized bones showed that Sue reached full size at age 19 and died at age 28 years, the longest estimated life of any tyrannosaur known.
Dinosaur Walk Museum
Parasaurolophus: The Parasaurolophus, like the T-Rex, lived during the Cretaceous Period 76-66 million years ago. It grew to be long, high, and weighed almost 7,700 pounds. The Parasauolophus was an herbivore. The large crest was thought to be used for communication amongst males and females.
Siroccopteryx
This pterosaur is known only from the front part of the jaw with teeth. The holotype fossil, LINHM 016 (Long Island Natural History Museum), was found near Ksar es Souk, in the province of Errachidia in the region of Meknes-Tafilalet at 30.4 ° N, 4.9 ° longitude (17.6 ° N, 4.2 ° W longitude) in Beg'aa, west of Hamada du Guiren in southeastern Morocco, in a layer of red sandstone, a fine-grained alluvium from the Albian-Cenomanian. It consists of front teeth and a snout that not compressed. The muzzle was long and narrow, with a large elongated terminal part, with a sort of shaped crest anterior keel highest that of "Anhanguera" but not as high as that of "Coloborhynchus" or "Tropeognathus". The teeth were sharp but short and more robust than in "Anhanguera". The bone is rough and leathery, with strange marks of wrinkles and depressions, this may be a consequence of the conditions of preservation, but the descriptors suggest that indicate a disease, possibly caused by dental abscesses. According to André Veldmeijer, is probably that this damage was post-mortem and indicate the presence of a horn cover in the ridge.
Ankylosaurus
Ankylosauria and Stegosauria are now grouped together within the clade Thyreophora. This group first appeared in the Sinemurian age, and survived for 135 million years until disappearing in the Maastrichtian. They were widespread and inhabited a broad range of environments. As more complete specimens and new genera have been discovered, theories about ankylosaurian interrelatedness have become more complex, and hypotheses have often changed between studies. In addition to Ankylosauridae, Ankylosauria has been divided into the families Nodosauridae, and sometimes Polacanthidae (these families lacked tail clubs). "Ankylosaurus" is considered part of the subfamily Ankylosaurinae (members of which are called ankylosaurines) within Ankylosauridae. "Ankylosaurus" appears to be most closely related to "Anodontosaurus" and "Euoplocephalus". The following cladogram is based on a 2015 phylogenetic analysis of the Ankylosaurinae conducted by Arbour and Currie:
Asylosaurus
Asylosaurus (meaning "unharmed or sanctuary lizard") is a genus of basal sauropodomorph dinosaur from the Late Triassic of England. It is based on partial remains, described in 1836 by Henry Riley and Samuel Stutchbury as pertaining to "Thecodontosaurus", that Othniel Charles Marsh brought to Yale University between 1888 and 1890. These remains thus escaped destruction by a bombardment in 1940 during World War II, unlike the original holotype of "Thecodontosaurus". "Asylosaurus" was described in 2007 by Peter Galton. The type species is "A. yalensis", referring to Yale. The bones originally came from a Rhaetian-age cave fill at Durdham Down, Clifton, Bristol.
Dinosaur
Dinosaurs diverged from their archosaur ancestors during the middle to late Triassic period, roughly 20 million years after the Permian–Triassic extinction event wiped out an estimated 95% of all life on Earth. Radiometric dating of the rock formation that contained fossils from the early dinosaur genus "Eoraptor" at 231.4 million years old establishes its presence in the fossil record at this time. Paleontologists think that "Eoraptor" resembles the common ancestor of all dinosaurs; if this is true, its traits suggest that the first dinosaurs were small, bipedal predators. The discovery of primitive, dinosaur-like ornithodirans such as "Marasuchus" and "Lagerpeton" in Argentinian Middle Triassic strata supports this view; analysis of recovered fossils suggests that these animals were indeed small, bipedal predators. Dinosaurs may have appeared as early as 243 million years ago, as evidenced by remains of the genus "Nyasasaurus" from that period, though known fossils of these animals are too fragmentary to tell if they are dinosaurs or very close dinosaurian relatives. Recently, it has been determined that "Staurikosaurus" from the Santa Maria Formation dates to 233.23 Ma, making it older in geologic age than "Eoraptor".
Metriacanthosauridae
Metriacanthosauridae fossils have only been found in modern Europe and Asia, parts of the prehistoric landmass Laurasia. From those found in Asia, most are from China, with a few discoveries in Thailand and other Asian countries. The group is thought to have originated in Asia and spread westward to Europe. "Yangchuanosaurus" has only been found in Yangchuan, Sichuan, China. "Metriacanthosaurus" has been found in Northern Europe. Similar to "Yangchuanosaurus", "Sinraptor" has been found in Sichuan, but also in Xinjiang. In 2008, Xu and Clarke described a large tooth found in the Junggard Basin in Xinjian, China, belonging to a large sinraptorid. "Siamotyrannus" has been found exclusively in Thailand. "Shidaisaurus" has been found in Yunnan,China.
Torosaurus
Torosaurus ("perforated lizard", in reference to the large openings in its frill) is a genus of herbivorous ceratopsid dinosaur that lived during the late Maastrichtian stage of the Cretaceous period, between 68 and 66 million years ago, though it is possible that the species range might extend to as far as 69 million years ago. Fossils have been discovered across the Western Interior of North America, from Saskatchewan to southern Texas.
Sinopterus
Sinopterus (meaning "Chinese wing") was a genus of tapejarid pterodactyloid pterosaur from the Aptian-age Lower Cretaceous Jiufotang Formation of Chaoyang, Liaoning, China. It was first described and named by Wang Xiaolin and Zhou Zhonghe. Three species have been classified in this genus, though only two are generally considered to be valid. "Sinopterus" is known for its proportionally large skull, which has a birdlike pointed beak, a long bony crest that starts with a tall premaxilla and goes back along the middle of the skull to form a point overhanging the rear of the skull, and its lack of teeth.
Dilophosauridae
While dilophosaurids flourished during the Early Jurassic, they were mostly extinct by the end of the Early Jurassic period (201.3-174.1 Ma). Dilophosaurid fossils have been found on two continents: "Dilophosaurus wetherilli" was discovered in North America and "Dracovenator regenti" was discovered in South Africa. The taxa previously considered Dilophosaurids, "Sinosaurus" and "Cryolophosaurus", have been found in China (Dong 2003; Xing et al. 2013a, 2014) and Antarctica, respectively.
Xiaosaurus
Xiaosaurus ("dawn lizard", ), is a genus of small herbivorous dinosaur from the middle Jurassic, approximately 169 to 163 mya. "Xiaosaurus" lived in what is now the Sichuan Basin of China.
Nigersaurus
Nigersaurus is a genus of rebbachisaurid sauropod dinosaur that lived during the middle Cretaceous period, about 115 to 105 million years ago. It was discovered in the Elrhaz Formation in an area called Gadoufaoua, in the Republic of Niger. Fossils of this dinosaur were first described in 1976, but it was only named Nigersaurus taqueti in 1999, after further and more complete remains were found and described. The genus name means "Niger reptile", and the specific name honours the French palaeontologist Philippe Taquet, who discovered the first remains.
Minotaurasaurus
Minotaurasaurus is a genus of ankylosaurine ankylosaurid dinosaur that lived during the Late Cretaceous. It was named in 2009 by Clifford A. Miles and Clark J. Miles and the type species is "Minotaurasaurus ramachandrani". The generic name is explained by the describers as meaning "man-bull lizard"; the specific epithet honours Vilayanur S. Ramachandran who purchased the fossil for $10,000 from the trader Hollis Butts, based in Japan, and made it available to science. It is known only from a complete skull of unknown provenance, but probably recovered from the Gobi Desert. While it had a distinctive armored bull-like head and a more primitive braincase, it shares the typical features of an ankylosaurid.
Sinocalliopteryx
Like many other theropods of the Yixian Formation, "Sinocalliopteryx" was preserved with "protofeathers," simple filamentous integument (hairlike structures covering the skin), very similar to that found in "Sinosauropteryx". The integument of "Sinocalliopteryx" differ in length across the body, with the longest protofeathers covering the hips, base of the tail, and back of the thighs. These longest protofeathers measured up to ten centimeters (4 in) in length. Protofeathers were also found on the metatarsus (upper part of the foot). While these were not nearly as long or modern as the corresponding feathers of "four-winged" dinosaurs such as "Microraptor" and "Pedopenna", they do indicate that foot-feathers or similar structures first arose in dinosaurs much more basal or "primitive" than previously known.
Pentaceratops
"Pentaceratops" lived around 76–73 million years ago, its remains having been mostly found in the Kirtland Formation in the San Juan Basin in New Mexico. Other dinosaurs which shared its habitat include "Parasaurolophus cyrtocristatus", the pachycephalosaur "Sphaerotholus", the armored dinosaur "Nodocephalosaurus" and the tyrannosauroid "Bistahieversor".
Daliansaurus
The Liaoning region of northeastern China has been one of the most productive fossil sites for understanding the evolution of feathered dinosaurs, including birds. All of the sinovenatorines - "Sinovenator", "Sinusonasus", "Mei", and "Daliansaurus" - lived in the Lujiatun Beds of the Yixian Formation. Rather than strict coexistence, it is possible that they replaced each other over time, or were geographically and ecologically segregated. Shen and colleagues identified the sinovenatorines as a localized radiation of troodontids confined to Liaoning during the Early Cretaceous; a similar radiation occurred with the many microraptorine dromaeosaurids which lived at roughly the same place and time. Sinovenatorines also paralleled dromaeosaurids in the minute but taxonomically informative anatomical differences between different members of the group. However, it is possible that some of these differences may arise from individual or ontogenetic variation.
Yi (dinosaur)
The only known "Yi qi" fossil was found in rocks assigned to the Tiaojishan Formation, dating to the Callovian-Oxfordian age of the Middle-Late Jurassic, dated to between 165 and 153 million years ago. This is the same formation (and around the same age) as the other known scansoriopterygids "Epidexipteryx" and "Scansoriopteryx". The ecosystem preserved in the Tiaojishan Formation is a forest dominated by bennettitales, ginkgo trees, conifers, and leptosporangiate ferns. These forests surrounded large lakes in the shadow of active volcanoes, ash from which was responsible for the remarkable preservation of many of the fossils. Based on the Tiajishan's plant life, its climate would have been subtropical to temperate, warm and humid. Other vertebrate fossils found in the same rock quarry as "Yi qi", which would have been close contemporaries, included salamanders like "Chunerpeton tianyiensis", the flying pterosaurs "Changchengopterus pani", "Dendrorhynchoides mutoudengensis", and "Qinglongopterus guoi", as well as the early gliding mammaliaform species "Arboroharamiya jenkinsi".
Pisanosaurus
The exact classification of "Pisanosaurus" has been the topic of debate by scientists for over 40 years; until 2017, the consensus was that "Pisanosaurus" is the oldest known ornithischian, part of a diverse group of dinosaurs which lived during nearly the entire span of the Mesozoic Era, but recently, some have begun to consider it a non-dinosaurian silesaurid.
Scelidosaurus
"Scelidosaurus" lived during the Early Jurassic Period, during the Sinemurian to Pliensbachian stages around 191 million years ago. This genus and related genera at the time lived on the supercontinent Laurasia. Its fossils have been found near Charmouth in Dorset, England, and are known for their excellent preservation. "Scelidosaurus" has been called the earliest complete dinosaur. It is the most completely known dinosaur of the British Isles. "Scelidosaurus" is currently the only classified dinosaur found in Ireland. Despite this, a modern description is still lacking. After initial finds in the 1850s, comparative anatomist Richard Owen named and described "Scelidosaurus" in 1859. Only one species, "Scelidosaurus harrisonii" named by Owen in 1861, is considered valid today, although one other species was proposed in 1996.
Caudipteryx
All "Caudipteryx" fossils were recovered from the Yixian Formation in Liaoning, China. Specifically, they come from a small area of the Jianshangou bed, near the town of Zhangjiakou. They appear to have been fairly common, though isolated to this small region. The specific region in which "Caudipteryx" lived was home to the other feathered dinosaurs "Dilong" and "Sinornithosaurus".
Shonisaurus
"Shonisaurus" lived during the Norian stage of the late Triassic period. "S. popularis" measured around long. A second species from British Columbia was named "Shonisaurus sikanniensis" in 2004. "S. sikkanniensis" was one of the largest marine reptiles of all time, measuring . However, phylogenetic studies later showed "S. sikanniensis" to be a species of "Shastasaurus" rather than "Shonisaurus".
A new study published in 2013 reasserted the original classification, finding it more closely related to "Shonisaurus" than to "Shastasaurus". Specimens belonging to "S. sikanniensis" have been found in the Pardonet Formation British Columbia, dating to the middle Norian age (about 210 million years ago).
Sinosaurosphargis
"Sinosaurosphargis" was first described and named by Chun Li, Olivier Rieppel, Xiao-Chun Wu, Li-Jun Zhao and Li-Ting Wang in 2011 and the type species is "Sinosaurosphargis yunguiensis". The generic name is derived from Greek "sino", meaning "China", "sauros", meaning "lizard", and "sphargis", the old genus name for the leatherback turtle, (in reference to the many similarities "Sinosaurosphargis" shares with "Saurosphargis", a taxon whose holotype was lost and was thus considered a mystery), following the pattern of "Sinosauropteryx". Like the name of "Saurosphargis" itself, it also refers to "Sinosaurosphargis"' dorsal osteoderm "body armor" and broadened ribs forming a closed chest rib basket - traits which are seemingly transitional between turtles and other reptiles. The specific name "yunguiensis" is derived from the names of the neighboring Yunnan and Guizhou Provinces, where the fossils were found.
Sinosaurus
The skull of "Sinosaurus" has a deep notch between the premaxilla and maxilla. Dong (2003) proposed that the notch was used to house jaw muscles, giving "Sinosaurus" a powerful bite. Based on the estimated power of its jaws, "Sinosaurus" might have either been a carnivore or a scavenger. Dong suspected that the premaxilla was covered in a narrow, hooked beak, that was used to rip open skin and abdominal flesh. He also thought that the crest would have been used to hold open the abdominal cavity while feeding. Dong studied the feet of "Sinosaurus" as well, finding a resemblance with the feet of modern vultures. The feet of "Sinosaurus" were probably adapted to help it feed on large-bodied animals, such as prosauropods.
Segisaurus
"Segisaurus" lived about 183 million years ago during the Jurassic period. "Segisaurus" was roughly the size of a goose and was a primitive bipedal theropod. "Segisaurus" was roughly 1 meter (3.3 feet) long, half a meter (1.65 feet) tall and weighed about 4-7 kilograms. It was nimble and insectivorous, although it may have scavenged meat also. It was bird-like in structure, with a flexible, elongated neck and stout body. "Segisaurus" was three-toed and had powerful legs that were long compared to its body length. Like its legs, "Segisaurus" had a long tail and long forearms. Its collar bone was not unlike a bird's, thus strengthening scientists' arguments that dinosaurs were related to avians. "Segisaurus" is described from the only specimen ever found, the holotype UCMP 32101, which was a sub-adult. The full size of "Segisaurus" as an adult may never be known. Strangely, clavicles were found on the "Segisaurus" specimen, which were unknown in other dinosaurs from that era. A speculative interpretation by Charles Lewis Camp was that the "splint-like" neck ribs supported a "Draco"-like patagium along the neck, to improve the animal's ability to move quickly. "Segisaurus" is significant because it demonstrates that the clavicle was primitively present in early theropods.
Nyasasaurus
"Nyasasaurus" is likely either a basal dinosaur or close to Dinosauria. Other phylogenetic analyses have indicated that the sister group to Dinosauria is a family of herbivorous dinosauriforms called Silesauridae. The fossil record of silesaurids dates back to the late Anisian (the silesaurid "Asilisaurus" is also known from the Manda Formation), suggesting that the first dinosaurs also appeared around this time. Before "Nyasasaurus" was recognized as a possible dinosaur, a long ghost lineage of approximately 16 million years existed between the earliest dinosaurs and earliest silesaurids.
Corythosaurus
Fossils have been found in the upper Oldman Formation and lower Dinosaur Park Formation of Canada. The Oldman Formation dates to the Campanian, about 77.5 to 76.5 million years ago, and the Dinosaur Park Formation dates from 76.6 to 74.8 million years ago. "Corythosaurus" lived from ~77–75.7 million years ago. In the Dinosaur Park Formation "C. casuarius" lived from 76.6 to 75.9 mya, with "C. intermedius" living from 75.8 to 75.7 mya. In the Oldman Formation "C. casuarius", the only species of "Corythosaurus" from the deposits, lived about 77 to 76.5 mya. The holotype specimen was clearly a carcass that had floated up on a beach, as "Unio" shells, water-worn bones, and a baenid turtle were preserved all around. "Corythosaurus" probably lived in a woodland forest, and might have occasionally wandered into swampy areas.
Coelophysis kayentakatae
Coelophysis kayentakatae is an extinct species of coelophysid dinosaur that lived approximately 196 million years ago during the early part of the Jurassic Period in what is now the southwestern United States. Originally included in the genus "Syntarsus", a name which was later found to have already been in use for a species of insect. It has been reclassified as either "Coelophysis" or "Megapnosaurus", along with the African species, "Coelophysis rhodesiensis".
Rayososaurus
Rayososaurus is a genus of plant-eating sauropod dinosaur of the superfamily Diplodocoidea. It was found in the Rayoso Formation, in Patagonia, Argentina and lived about 99 million years ago (during the Early Cretaceous). The type species is "R. agrionensis", named by Argentinian paleontologist José Bonaparte in 1996.
Sonorasaurus
Sonorasaurus is a genus of brachiosaurid dinosaur from the Early to Late Cretaceous (Albian to Cenomanian stages, around 112 to 93 million years ago). It was a herbivorous sauropod whose fossils have been found in southern Arizona in the United States. Its name, which means "Sonora lizard", comes from the Sonoran Desert where its fossils were first found. The type species is "S. thompsoni", described by Ratkevich in 1998.
Zinnosaurus
Zinnosaurus is an extinct genus of therocephalian therapsids from the Early Triassic of Brazil. A single partial skeleton was named from the Sanga do Cabral Formation in Rio Grande do Sul by paleontologist Lieuwe Dirk Boonstra in 1968.
Dinosaur
The earliest remains of a syrinx, which has enough mineral content for fossilization, was found in a specimen of the duck-like "Vegavis iaai" dated 69-66 million year ago, and this organ is unlikely to have existed in non-avian dinosaurs. However, in contrast to Senter, the researchers have suggested that dinosaurs could vocalize and that the syrinx-based vocal system of birds evolved from a larynx-based one, rather than the two systems evolving independently. A 2016 study suggests that dinosaurs produced closed mouth vocalizations like cooing, which occur in both crocodilians and birds as well as other reptiles. Such vocalizations evolved independently in extant archosaurs numerous times, following increases in body size. The crests of the Lambeosaurini and nasal chambers of ankylosaurids have been suggested to function in vocal resonance, though Senter states that the presence of resonance chambers in some dinosaurs is not necessarily evidence of vocalization as modern snakes have such chambers which intensify their hisses.
Diabloceratops
Diabloceratops [dee-ab-lo-ser-a-tops] is an extinct genus of centrosaurine ceratopsian dinosaur that lived approximately 79.9 million years ago during the latter part of the Cretaceous Period in what is now Utah, in the United States. "Diabloceratops" was a medium-sized, moderately-built, ground-dwelling, quadrupedal herbivore, that could grow up to an estimated long. At the time of its discovery, it was the oldest known ceratopsid, and first centrosaurine known from latitudes south of the US state of Montana.
Evolution of dinosaurs
The Cretaceous sauropods form two groups. The Diplodocoidea lived from 121 to 66 Ma. The Titanosauriformes lived from 132 to 66 Ma. The latter clade consists of series of nested subgroups, the Titanosauria, the Titanosauridae and Saltasauridae. Both the Diplodocoidea and Titanosauriformes are descended from the Neosauropoda, the earliest of which lived in about 169 Ma.
Sinosauropteryx
Feduccia's frill argument was followed up in several other publications, in which researchers interpreted the filamentous impressions around "Sinosauropteryx" fossils as remains of collagen fibres rather than primitive feathers. Since the structures are clearly external to the body, these researchers have proposed that the fibres formed a frill on the back of the animal and underside of its tail, similar to some modern aquatic lizards. The absence of feathers would refute the proposal that "Sinosauropteryx" is the most basal known theropod genus with feathers, and also raise questions about the current theory of feather origins itself. It calls into question the idea that the first feathers evolved not for flight but for insulation, and that they made their first appearance in relatively basal dinosaur lineages that later evolved into modern birds.
Paleontology in New Mexico
In 1979, two hikers discovered a series of gigantic articulated vertebrae fossils near San Ysidro. They reported the remains to David Gilette of the New Mexico Museum of Natural History. Gillette led an expedition into the region and used cutting edge technology to locate the remains while they were still entombed in sandstone. The team excavated a massive quarry and gradually recovered a significant portion of the rear half of a diplodocid sauropod dinosaur. In 1991 this dinosaur was formally described as the new genus "Seismosaurus" and estimated to be the longest dinosaur known to science at long. In 1989, excavation began at the fossils site Rodney Peterson discovered near Albuquerque. Fossils recovered included a huge allosaurid that may be referrable to the genus "Saurophaganax", "Camarasaurus", and the skull and teeth of a diplodocid. This was the first major quarry in New Mexico to preserve a significant number of bones from a variety of dinosaur species. During the early 80s, another partial sauropod skeleton was discovered near San Ysidro. The remains were thought to belong to the species "Camarasaurus supremus". Prior to these discoveries most dinosaur fossils discovered in New Mexico were scrappy remains uncovered serenipitously by mining operations and surveys for uranium. More recently, in the 2000s, "Seismosaurus" was found to be the same as "Diplodocus", a previously known dinosaur of similar age from the western United States.
Phanerozoic
The Late Jurassic Epoch spans from 163 million to 145 million years ago. The Late Jurassic featured a massive extinction of sauropods and ichthyosaurs due to the separation of Pangaea into Laurasia and Gondwana in an extinction known as the Jurassic-Cretaceous extinction. Sea levels rose, destroying fern prairies and creating shallows. Ichthyosaurs became extinct whereas sauropods, as a whole, did not; in fact, some species, like "Titanosaurus", lived until the K-T extinction. The increase in sea-levels opened up the Atlantic sea way which would continue to get larger over time. The divided world would give opportunity for the diversification of new dinosaurs.
Dinosaur
Dinosaurs are a diverse group of reptiles of the clade Dinosauria. They first appeared during the Triassic period, between 243 and 233.23 million years ago, although the exact origin and timing of the evolution of dinosaurs is the subject of active research. They became the dominant terrestrial vertebrates after the Triassic–Jurassic extinction event 201 million years ago; their dominance continued through the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods. Reverse genetic engineering and the fossil record both demonstrate that birds are modern feathered dinosaurs, having evolved from earlier theropods during the late Jurassic Period. As such, birds were the only dinosaur lineage to survive the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event 66 million years ago. Dinosaurs can therefore be divided into "avian dinosaurs", or birds; and "non-avian dinosaurs", which are all dinosaurs other than birds. This article deals primarily with non-avian dinosaurs.
Sinosauropteryx
Chinese authorities initially barred photographs of the specimen from publication. However, Currie brought a photograph to the 1996 meeting of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, causing crowds of palaeontologists to gather and discuss the new discovery. The news reportedly left palaeontologist John Ostrom, who in the 1970s had pioneered the theory that birds evolved from dinosaurs, "in a state of shock." Ostrom later joined an international team of researchers who gathered in Beijing to examine the fossils; other team members included feather expert Alan Brush, fossil bird expert Larry Martin, and Peter Wellnhofer, an expert on the early bird "Archaeopteryx".
Baryonyx
Several theories have been proposed about the biogeography of the spinosaurids. Since "Suchomimus" was more closely related to "Baryonyx" (from Europe) than to "Spinosaurus"—although that genus also lived in Africa—the distribution of spinosaurids cannot be explained as vicariance resulting from continental rifting. Sereno and colleagues proposed that spinosaurids were initially distributed across the supercontinent Pangea, but split with the opening of the Tethys Sea. Spinosaurines would then have evolved in the south (Africa and South America: in Gondwana) and baryonychines in the north (Europe: in Laurasia), with "Suchomimus" the result of a single north-to-south dispersal event. Buffetaut and the Tunisian palaeontologist Mohamed Ouaja also suggested in 2002 that baryonychines could be the ancestors of spinosaurines, which appear to have replaced the former in Africa. Milner suggested in 2003 that spinosaurids originated in Laurasia during the Jurassic, and dispersed via the Iberian land bridge into Gondwana, where they radiated. In 2007, Buffetaut pointed out that palaeogeographical studies had demonstrated that Iberia was near northern Africa during the Early Cretaceous, which he found to confirm Milner's idea that the Iberian region was a stepping stone between Europe and Africa, which is supported by the presence of baryonychines in Iberia. The direction of the dispersal between Europe and Africa is still unknown, and subsequent discoveries of spinosaurid remains in Asia and Australia indicate that it may have been complex.
Aniksosaurus
Aniksosaurus (meaning "spring lizard", from Modern Greek Άνοιξη, "Spring", referring to the fact it was found on 21 September 1995, the onset of Spring on the Southern Hemisphere) is a genus of dinosaur from what is now Chubut Province, Argentina. It was a theropod, specifically a coelurosaur, which lived in the middle Cretaceous period, between 96-91 million years ago. The type species, "Aniksosaurus darwini", was formally described by Rubén Dario Martínez and Fernando Emilio Novas in 2006; the name was first coined in 1995 and reported in the literature in 1997. The specific epithet honors Charles Darwin who visited Patagonia in 1832/1833 during the Voyage of the Beagle.
Sinosauropteryx
Longrich's conclusions were supported in a paper first published online in the journal "Nature" in January 2010. Fucheng Zhang and colleagues examined the fossilized feathers of several dinosaurs and early birds, and found evidence that they preserved melanosomes, the cells that give the feathers of modern birds their colour. Among the specimens studied was a previously undescribed specimen of "Sinosauropteryx", IVPP V14202. By examining melanosome structure and distribution, Zhang and colleagues were able to confirm the presence of light and dark bands of colour in the tail feathers of "Sinosauropteryx". Furthermore, the team was able to compare melanosome types to those of modern birds to determine a general range of colour. From the presence of phaeomelanosomes, spherical melanosomes that make and store red pigment, they concluded that the darker feathers of "Sinosauropteryx" were chestnut or reddish brown in colour. More research on the coloration of "Sinosauropteryx" reveals that it had a raccoon-like bandit mask and countershading patterns most likely associated with an open habitat, indicating that the Jehol likely had a range of habitat types.
Sinosaurus
Shaojin Hu (1993) assigned specimen KMV 8701 to "Dilophosaurus sinensis". In 2013, a study by Currie et al., confirmed that "D. sinensis" was the same animal as "Sinosaurus triassicus" On the other hand, Wang "et al." (2017) stated that it needs to be further investigated whether "D. sinensis" is indeed a junior synonym of "S. triassicus", and noted that the two species are different at least in the anatomy of the premaxilla. The authors tentatively assigned "D. sinensis" to the genus "Sinosaurus", but retained it as a species distinct from "Sinosaurus triassicus". Specimen KMV 8701 consists of a skull (measuring 525 mm), and is nearly complete. The specimen KMV 8701 is about long, meaning "Sinosaurus" was about that length. KMV 8701 has been assigned now to "Sinosaurus", but the specimen still lacks sufficient description and preparation. In 2012, a new specimen of "Sinosaurus" was described, and was found to represent a new species.
Sinosauropteryx
"Sinosauropteryx" lived in what is now northeastern China during the early Cretaceous period. It was among the first dinosaurs discovered from the Yixian Formation in Liaoning Province, and was a member of the Jehol Biota. Well-preserved fossils of this species illustrate many aspects of its biology, such as its diet and reproduction.
Sarcosaurus
Sarcosaurus (meaning "flesh lizard") is a genus of theropod dinosaur, roughly long. It lived during the Sinemurian stage of the Early Jurassic, about 194 million years ago. "Sarcosaurus" is one of the earliest known Jurassic theropods, and one of only a handful of theropod genera from this time period.
Baryonyx
In 2016, the Spanish palaeontologist Alejandro Serrano-Martínez and colleagues reported the oldest known spinosaurid fossil, a tooth from the Middle Jurassic of Niger, which they found to suggest that spinosaurids originated in Gondwana, since other known Jurassic spinosaurid teeth are also from Africa, but they found the subsequent dispersal routes unclear. Candeiro and colleagues suggested in 2017 that spinosaurids of northern Gondwana were replaced by other predators, such as abelisauroids, since no definite spinosaurid fossils are known from after the Cenomanian anywhere in the world. They attributed the disappearance of spinosaurids and other shifts in the fauna of Gondwana to changes in the environment, perhaps caused by transgressions in sea level.
Sanchiaosaurus
"Sanchiaosaurus" is known solely from the holotype IVPP V3228, a partial skeleton housed at the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology. This skeleton is exposed in ventral view, i.e. from below, and preserves the skull and lower jaw, 1 isolated tooth and a partially preserved postcranial skeleton. IVPP V.3228 was collected near the Jinzhong Bridge, in the suburbs of Guiyang City, Chinchungchiao, Sanchiao in the vicinity of Guiyang, Guizhou Province, from the first member of the Guanling Formation, dating to the Anisian stage of the early Middle Triassic, about 245 million years ago.
Protarchaeopteryx
Protarchaeopteryx (meaning "before "Archaeopteryx"") is a genus of turkey-sized feathered theropod dinosaur from China. Known from the Jianshangou bed of the Yixian Formation, it lived during the early Aptian age of the Early Cretaceous, approximately 124.6 million years ago. It was probably an herbivore or omnivore, although its hands were very similar to those of small carnivorous dinosaurs. It appears to be one of the most basal members of the Oviraptorosauria, closely related to or synonymous with "Incisivosaurus".
Sigilmassasaurus
Sigilmassasaurus ( ; "Sijilmassa lizard") is a genus of tetanuran theropod dinosaur that lived approximately 100 to 94 million years ago during the middle of the Cretaceous Period in what is now northern Africa. "Sigilmassasaurus" was a moderately-built, ground-dwelling, bipedal carnivore, like most other theropods.
Titanosaur
The titanosaurs were the last great group of sauropods, which existed from about 136 to 66 million years ago, before the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event, and were the dominant herbivores of their time. The fossil evidence suggests they replaced the other sauropods, like the diplodocids and the brachiosaurids, which died out between the late Jurassic and the mid-Cretaceous Periods.
Dracohors
Dracohors is a clade of dinosauriform archosaurs that includes dinosaurs and silesaurids. The oldest known dracohorsian is "Asilisaurus", dating to about 245 million years ago in the Anisian age of the middle Triassic period. According to Andrea Cau (2018), the synapomorphies of dracohorsians are: The anterior tympanic recess, the axial epipophyses, the centrodiapophyseal laminae in the presacral vertebrae, the relative size enlargement of the postacetabular process of ilium, the elongation of the pubis, the proximal sulcus and the reduction of the ligament tuber in the femoral head, and the further reduction in length of the fourth metatarsal and toe compared to the third.
Cetiosauriscus
Cetiosauriscus ( ) is a genus of sauropod dinosaur that lived between 166 and 164 million years ago during the Callovian (Middle Jurassic Period) in what is now England. A herbivore, "Cetiosauriscus" had—for sauropod standards—a moderately long tail, and longer forelimbs, making them as long as its hindlimbs. It has been estimated as about long and between in weight.
Xixiasaurus
"Xixiasaurus" is known from the mid-lower part of the Majiacun Formation of China, which dates to the Late Cretaceous period, but there has been disagreement about the exact geological age of the formation. Lü and colleagues suggested the formation dated to the Campanian age, based on the similarity between "Xixiasaurus" and the Campanian genus "Byronosaurus". A Cenomanian to Turonian age for the formation had earlier been suggested based on spores, pollen, and dinosaur eggs; a Coniacian to Santonian age has been suggested as well, and Coniacian to Campanian or Santonian to Maastrichtian ages have been suggested based on bivalve fossils. Some studies have also suggested that the formation is as old as Early Cretaceous. The Majiacun Formation is represented by an thick layer of brown and red sandstones, with muddier intervals of purple to green, or brown to red. The lower and middle units of the formation are composed of sandstone, siltstone, and mudstone. Eggs and eggshells are often found in the muddy siltstones. 
The formations of the Xixia Basin are thought to be of continental origin (due to the absence of marine fossils), probably deposited by rivers and within lakes. The Majiacun Formation itself is interpreted as representing deposits of braided streams and meandering streams. The formation was part of the Yunmeng Lake drainage system during the Late Cretaceous. The palaeoclimate of the Xixia basin is inferred to have been subtropical, sub-humid to sub-arid, based on the preponderance of C3 plants identified in the diet of the dinosaurs there (determined through isotopic study of egg shells). Other dinosaurs from the formation include the alvarezsaurid "Xixianykus", the hadrosauroid "Zhanghenglong", an unnamed spinosaurid, ankylosaurid, and sauropods. The discovery of abundant and diverse dinosaur eggs in Henan Province has been considered "one of the significant scientific events" in China. Dinosaur ootaxa (taxa based on eggs) from the Formation include "Ovaloolithus", "Paraspheroolithus", "Placoolithus", "Dendroolithus", "Prismatoolithus", "Youngoolithus", and "Nanhiungoolithus". Reptiles include turtles and crocodilians. Invertebrates include the bivalves "Plicatounio" and "Sphaerium" and the clam shrimp "Tylestheria" (invertebrate trace fossils are also known). Spores of plants such as "Schizaeoisporites", "Cicatruicosisporites", "Lygodiumsporites", "Cyathidites", "Osmundacidites", and "Pagiophyllumpollenites" have also been identified.
Dinosaurs (TV series)
"Dinosaurs" is initially set in 60,000,003 BC in Pangaea. The show centers on the Sinclair family: Earl Sinclair (the father), Fran Sinclair (née Phillips - the mother and Earl's wife), their three children (son Robbie, daughter Charlene, and Baby Sinclair) and Fran's mother, Ethyl.
Qianzhousaurus
Qianzhousaurus is a genus of tyrannosaurid dinosaur. There is currently only one species named, the type species "Qianzhousaurus sinensis". Nicknamed "Pinocchio rex" for its long snout in comparison with other known tyrannosaurs. It was discovered in southern China and first published in the journal "Nature Communications" in May 2014.
Liaoning
Liaoning contains some of the foremost paleontological sites in the world. Known collectively as the Jehol Group, they include the Yixian Formation, Jiufotang Formation and Tiaojishan Formation. The name "Jehol" derives from a now defunct provincial division of that name, which covered an area that is now Western Liaoning, Eastern Hebei, and a small part of Inner Mongolia. Fossils were first found there during the 1920s. During the Japanese occupation of the area through the 1930s and early 1940s, more fossils were found, but records of them were lost after World War II ended. The area remained relatively unexplored until the 1990s. It was in 1996 that Liaoning made the headlines with the announcement of the discovery of "Sinosauropteryx prima", the first example of a filamented "feathered" dinosaur. "Sinosauropteryx prima" was a small feathered meat-eating dinosaur, from the Lower Cretaceous Yixian Formation. This discovery pushed the evolution of feathers back in time and showed that dinosaurs, not only birds, had feathers. It also showed a direct evolutionary link between theropod dinosaurs and modern birds.
When Dinosaurs Roamed America
The program moves on to the Early Jurassic of Pennsylvania, showing a pack of "Syntarsus". These dinosaurs, closely related to "Coelophysis," are hunting the primitive herbivorous dinosaur "Anchisaurus"; one of the Syntarsus is killed when the initial attack fails, and they are chased away by a "Dilophosaurus", which kills the "Anchisaurus" to feed her young. A second Dilophosaurus arrives as well, and after a short but vicious fight it is driven away, allowing the first Dilophosaurus and her young to feed in peace. The narrator then explains "Syntarsus" and "Dilophosaurus" will become the gigantic carnivores such as "Allosaurus" and "Tyrannosaurus", while "Anchisaurus" will become the sauropods.
Sinobaatar
Sinobaatar is a genus of extinct mammal from the Lower Cretaceous of China. It is categorized within the also extinct order Multituberculata and among these it belongs to the plagiaulacid lineage (a possible infraorder). "Sinobaatar" was a small herbivore during the Mesozoic era, commonly called "the age of the dinosaurs". The genus was named by Hu Y. and Wang Y. in 2002. Three species have been described.
List of creatures in Primeval
"Edaphosaurus" is a Synapsid reptile from the Permian period, about 280 million years ago and has a sail like "Dimetrodon" and "Spinosaurus". It was included in Connor's Database.
The "Edaphosaurus" resembled much of what people would believe today to be a "dinosaur", however it lived during the Permian period (about 280 million years ago) which is before most dinosaurs. It was very similar to the "Dimetrodon" in its appearance, except there were generally smaller. They were about a foot shorter than their cousin the "Dimetrodon"; about 8 feet long. Like most lizards in order to walk, its body moved from side to side. This is a characteristic of animals with legs on its side rather than under it. The "Edaphosaurus" also had a sail on its back, but it was smaller and shaped differently from that of the "Dimetrodon".
"Edaphosaurus" were most active during the day. They were cold blooded animals which meant that their temperature was regulated by external factors (the sun, wind, rain). To get warm during the day these animals would tilt their "sails" towards the sun, and the blood going through this sail would heat up. "Edaphosaurus" were herbivores, meaning they only ate plants. This is evident in the teeth of the animal. "Edaphosaurus" teeth were much flatter than that of the "Dimetrodon", and its skull was much shorter overall which indicates they had smaller jaw muscles. The "Dimetrodon" skull was larger because of its big jaw muscles, and its sharp teeth that were used for shearing meat.
Sinornithosaurus
The NGMC 91 specimen is in the collection of the National Geological Museum of China. It was collected in Fanzhangzi quarry, near Lingyuan City, Liaoning Province. This location is part of the Dawangzhangzi fossil beds, which have been dated to about 122 million years ago, during the early Aptian age. A specimen of the fish "Lycoptera" is also preserved near the foot.
Spinosauridae
The subfamily Spinosaurinae was named by Sereno in 1998, and defined by Holtz and colleagues in 2004 as all taxa closer to "Spinosaurus aegyptiacus" than to "Baryonyx walkeri". And the subfamily Baryonychinae was named by Charig & Milner in 1986. They erected both the subfamily and the family Baryonychinae for the newly discovered "Baryonyx", before it was referred to the Spinosauridae. Their subfamily was defined by Holtz and colleagues in 2004, as the complementary clade of all taxa closer to "Baryonyx walkeri" than to "Spinosaurus aegyptiacus". Examinations in 2017 by Marcos Sales and Cesar Schultz indicate that the South American spinosaurids "Angaturama" and "Irritator" were intermediate between Baronychinae and Spinosaurinae based on their craniodental features and cladistic analysis. This indicates that Baryonychinae may in fact be non-monophyletic. Their cladogram can be seen below.
History of paleontology in the United States
The next year, 1979, two hikers found a series of gigantic articulated vertebrae fossils near San Ysidro. They reported the remains to David Gilette of the New Mexico Museum of Natural History. Gillette led an expedition into the region and used cutting edge technology to locate the remains while they were still entombed in sandstone. The team excavated a massive quarry and gradually recovered a significant portion of the rear half of a diplodocid sauropod dinosaur. In 1991 this dinosaur was formally described as the new genus "Seismosaurus" and estimated to be the longest dinosaur known to science at long.
Sinosauropteryx
"Sinosauropteryx" was a small theropod with an unusually long tail and short arms. The longest known specimen reaches up to in length, with an estimated weight of It was a close relative of the similar but older genus "Compsognathus", both genera belonging to the family Compsognathidae. Only one species of "Sinosauropteryx" has been named: "S. prima", meaning "first" in reference to its status as the first feathered non-avialian dinosaur species discovered. Three specimens have been described. The third specimen previously assigned to this genus represents either a second, as-yet unnamed species or a distinct, related genus.
Sinosauropteryx
Despite its feathers, most palaeontologists do not consider "Sinosauropteryx" to be a bird. Phylogenetically, the genus is only distantly related to the clade Aves, usually defined as "Archaeopteryx lithographica" plus modern birds. The scientists who described "Sinosauropteryx", however, used a character-based, or apomorphic, definition of the Class Aves, in which any animal with feathers is considered to be a bird. They argued that the filamentous plumes of "Sinosauropteryx" represent true feathers with a rachis and barbs, and thus that "Sinosauropteryx" should be considered a true bird. They classified the genus as belonging to a new biological order, Sinosauropterygiformes, family Sinosauropterygidae, within the subclass Sauriurae. These proposals have not been accepted, and "Sinosauropteryx" is generally classified in the family Compsognathidae, a group of small-bodied long-tailed coelurosaurian theropods known from the Late Jurassic and Early Cretaceous of Asia, Europe, and South America.
Secernosaurus
Secernosaurus (meaning "severed lizard") is a genus of herbivorous dinosaur. "Secernosaurus" was a hadrosaur, a "duck-billed" dinosaur which lived during the Late Cretaceous. Its fossils have been found in Argentina.
Its name comes from the fact that it lived in South America, which during the Mesozoic Era was part of the southern supercontinent of Gondwana. Most other hadrosaurs lived in the northern supercontinent of Laurasia, so it was separated from its relatives. It was believed to be the only hadrosaur from Gondwana until the discovery of "Willinakaqe salitralensis " in 2011.
The type species is "Secernosaurus koerneri", described in 1979. A species named in 1984, "Kritosaurus australis", is thought to be synonymous.
Gorgosaurus
Most specimens of "Gorgosaurus libratus" have been recovered from the Dinosaur Park Formation in Alberta. This formation dates to the middle of the Campanian, between 76.5 and 74.8 million years ago, and "Gorgosaurus libratus" fossils are known specifically from the lower to middle section of the formation, between 76.6 and 75.1 million years ago. The Two Medicine Formation and Judith River Formation of Montana have also yielded possible "Gorgosaurus" remains. At this time, the area was a coastal plain along the western edge of the Western Interior Seaway, which divided North America in half. The Laramide Orogeny had begun uplifting the Rocky Mountains to the west, from which flowed great rivers that deposited eroded sediment in vast floodplains along the coast. The climate was subtropical with marked seasonality, and periodic droughts sometimes resulted in massive mortality among the great herds of dinosaurs, as represented in the numerous bonebed deposits preserved in the Dinosaur Park Formation. Conifers formed the forest canopy, while the understory plants consisted of ferns, tree ferns and angiosperms. Around 73 million years ago, the seaway began to expand, transgressing into areas formerly above sea level and drowning the Dinosaur Park ecosystem. This transgression, called the Bearpaw Sea, is recorded by the marine sediments of the massive Bearpaw Shale.
The Dinosaur Park Formation preserves a great wealth of vertebrate fossils. A wide variety of fish swam the rivers and estuaries, including gars, sturgeons, sharks and rays, among others. Frogs, salamanders, turtles, crocodilians and champsosaurs also dwelled in the aquatic habitats. Azhdarchid pterosaurs and ornithuran birds like "Apatornis" flew overhead, while the enantiornithine bird "Avisaurus" lived on the ground alongside multituberculate, metatherian and eutherian mammals. A number of species of terrestrial lizards were also present, including whiptails, skinks, monitors and alligator lizards. Dinosaur fossils in particular are found with unrivaled abundance and diversity. Huge herds of ceratopsids roamed the floodplains alongside equally large groups of saurolophine and lambeosaurine hadrosaurs. Other herbivorous groups like ornithomimids, therizinosaurs, pachycephalosaurs, small ornithopods, nodosaurids and ankylosaurids were also represented. Small predatory dinosaurs like oviraptorosaurs, troodonts and dromaeosaurs hunted smaller prey than the huge tyrannosaurids; "Daspletosaurus" and "Gorgosaurus", which were two orders of magnitude larger in mass. Intervening predatory niches may have been filled by young tyrannosaurids. A "Saurornitholestes" dentary has been discovered in the Dinosaur Park Formation that bore tooth marks left by the bite of a young tyrannosaur, possibly "Gorgosaurus".
Parasaurolophus
Parasaurolophus (; meaning "near crested lizard" in reference to "Saurolophus") is a genus of herbivorous ornithopod dinosaur that lived in what is now North America and possibly Asia during the Late Cretaceous Period, about 76.5–73 million years ago. It was a herbivore that walked both as a biped and as a quadruped. Three species are universally recognized: "P. walkeri" (the type species), "P. tubicen", and the short-crested "P. cyrtocristatus". Additionally, a fourth species, "P. jiayensis", has been proposed, although it is more commonly placed in the separate genus "Charonosaurus". Remains are known from Alberta (Canada), New Mexico and Utah (United States), and possibly Heilongjiang, (China). The genus was first described in 1922 by William Parks from a skull and partial skeleton found in Alberta.
Phanerozoic
The Late Cretaceous Epoch spans from 100 million to 66 million years ago. The Late Cretaceous featured a cooling trend that would continue into the Cenozoic Era. Eventually, tropical ecology was restricted to the equator and areas beyond the tropic lines featured extreme seasonal changes of weather. Dinosaurs still thrived as new species such as "Tyrannosaurus", "Ankylosaurus", "Triceratops" and Hadrosaurs dominated the food web. Whether or not Pterosaurs went into a decline as birds radiated is debated, however many families survived until the end of the Cretaceous, alongside new species such as the gigantic "Quetzalcoatlus". Marsupials evolved within the large conifer forests as scavengers. In the oceans, Mosasaurs ruled the seas to fill the role of the ichthyosaurs, and huge plesiosaurs, such as "Elasmosaurus", evolved. Also, the first flowering plants evolved. At the end of the Cretaceous, the Deccan Traps and other volcanic eruptions were poisoning the atmosphere. As this was continued, it is thought that a large meteor smashed into Earth, creating the Chicxulub Crater creating the event known as the K-T Extinction, the fifth and most recent mass extinction event, during which 75% of life on Earth became extinct, including all non-avian dinosaurs. Every living thing with a body mass over 10 kilograms became extinct, and the age of the dinosaurs came to an end.
Dinosaurs Alive!
Dinosaurs Alive! is a 2007 IMAX documentary produced by Giant Screen Films about various dinosaurs that inhabited the Earth between 251 and 65 Ma. The documentary features animals from the Triassic period of New Mexico to the Cretaceous period of Mongolia.
Deinonychus
Deinonychus ( ; from , 'terrible' and , genitive 'claw') is a genus of carnivorous dromaeosaurid coelurosaurian theropod dinosaur with one described species, Deinonychus antirrhopus. This species, which could grow up to long, lived during the early Cretaceous Period, about 115–108 million years ago (from the mid-Aptian to early Albian stages). Fossils have been recovered from the U.S. states of Montana, Utah, Wyoming, and Oklahoma, in rocks of the Cloverly Formation, Cedar Mountain Formation and Antlers Formation, though teeth that may belong to "Deinonychus" have been found much farther east in Maryland.
Pinacosaurus
Pinacosaurus ("plank lizard") is a genus of medium-sized ankylosaur dinosaurs that lived from the late Santonian to the late Campanian stages of the late Cretaceous Period (roughly 80–75 million years ago), in Mongolia and China.
Cetiosaurus
The first fossils, vertebrae and limb elements, were discovered near Chipping Norton in the early nineteenth century and were reported upon by collector John Kingdon in a letter read on 3 June 1825 to the Geological Society; they were seen as possibly belonging to a whale or crocodile. In 1841 biologist, comparative anatomist and palaeontologist Sir Richard Owen, named these as the genus "Cetiosaurus", the year before he coined the term Dinosauria. Owen initially did not recognise "Cetiosaurus" for a dinosaur but considered it a gigantic sea-dwelling reptile. This was reflected by the name, derived from Greek κήτειος, "kèteios", "sea-monster". In 1842 Owen named two species in the genus: "Cetiosaurus hypoolithicus" and "Cetiosaurus epioolithicus". The specific names reflected whether the finds had been made below (hypo) or above (epi) the so-called oolithic layers. The first species was based on the material of Kingdon; the latter on vertebrae and metacarpals found at White Nab in Yorkshire. The publication did not contain a sufficient description and the species are often considered "nomina nuda". The same year in a subsequent publication Owen named four additional "Cetiosaurus" species: "Cetiosaurus brevis", "the short one"; "Cetiosaurus brachyurus", "the short-tailed"; "Cetiosaurus medius", "the medium-sized", and "Cetiosaurus longus", "the long one". Owen had abandoned the two earlier names, as shown by the fact that their fossils were referred to several of the new species. These again were each mostly based on disparate material, from often geographically widely separated sites. As became apparent in 1849, some of these bones were not sauropod in nature at all but of Iguanodontidae. That year Alexander Melville, in a misguided attempt to clear matters up, named the authentic sauropod material of "C. brevis" as "Cetiosaurus conybeari" but thereby merely created a junior objective synonym of the former name.
Sinobaatar
"Sinobaatar" was eaten, at least on occasion, by the feathered dinosaur "Sinosauropteryx prima" (Hurum "et al." 2006).
Sinosauropteryx
"Sinosauropteryx" was anatomically similar to "Compsognathus", differing from its European relatives in its proportions. The skull of "Sinosauropteryx" was 15% longer than its thigh bones, unlike in "Compsognathus", where the skull and thigh bones are approximately equivalent in length. The arms of "Sinosauropteryx" (humerus and radius) were only 30% the length of its legs (thigh bone and shin), compared to 40% in "Compsognathus". Additionally, "Sinosauropteryx" had several features unique among all other theropods. It had 64 vertebrae in its tail. This high number made its tail the longest relative to body length of any theropod. Its hands were long compared to its arms, about 84% to 91% of the length of the rest of the arm (humerus and radius), and half the length of the foot. The first and second digits were about the same length, with a large claw on the first digit. The first fingers were large, being both longer and thicker than either of the bones of the forearm. The teeth differed slightly (they were heterodont) based on position: those near the tips of the upper jaws (on the premaxillae) were slender and lacked serrations, while those behind them (on the maxillae) were serrated and laterally compressed. The teeth of the lower jaws were similarly differentiated.
Xinminosaurus
Xinminosaurus is an extinct genus of cymbospondylid ichthyosaur known from the Middle Triassic (mid-late Anisian stage) of Guizhou Province, China. It was first named by Dayong Jiang, Ryosuke Motani, Weicheng Hao, Lars Schmitz, Olivier Rieppel, Yuanlin Sun and Zuoyu Sun in 2008 and the type species is Xinminosaurus catactes. The generic name is derived from "Xinmin", the district where the fossil was found, and Greek "sauros", "lizard". The specific name is derived from Greek "kataktes", "crusher", in reference to one of the taxon's autapomorphies - the presence of bulbous and laterally compressed crushing teeth in maxilla and posterior dentary. "Xinminosaurus" is known only from the holotype GMPKU-P-1071, a nearly complete skeleton deposited in Geological Museum, Peking University. It was collected from the conodont "Nicoraella kockeli" biozone (Pelsonian of the Anisian stage), from the upper member of the Guanling Formation. It was found near Yangjuan Village of the Xinmin District, Panxian County.
Sarcosuchus
The remains of "S. imperator" were found in a region of the Ténéré Desert named Gadoufaoua, more specifically in the Elrhaz Formation of the Tegama Group, dating from the late Aptian to the early Albian of the Early Cretaceous, approximately 112 million years ago. The stratigraphy of the region and the aquatic fauna that was found therein indicates that it was an inland fluvial environment, entirely freshwater in nature with a humid tropical climate. "S. imperator" shared the waters with the holostean fish "Lepidotus" and the coelacanth "Mawsonia". The dinosaur fauna was represented by the iguanodontian "Lurdusaurus", which was the most common dinosaur in the region, and its relative "Ouranosaurus"; there were also two sauropods, "Nigersaurus" and a currently unnamed sauropod while the theropod fauna included the spinosaurid "Suchomimus," the carcharodontosaurid "Eocarcharia" and the abelisaurid "Kryptops".
Sineleutherus
Sineleutherus is an extinct genus of euharamiyids which existed in Asia during the Jurassic period. The type species is "Sineleutherus uyguricus", which was described by Thomas Martin, Alexander O. Averianov and Hans-Ulrich Pfretzschner in 2010; it lived in what is now China during the late Jurassic (Oxfordian age). A second species, "Sineleutherus issedonicus", was described by A. O. Averianov, A. V. Lopatin and S. A. Krasnolutskii in 2011. It lived in what is now Sharypovsky District (Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia) during the middle Jurassic (Bathonian age); its fossils were collected from the upper part of the Itat Formation.
Sinosaurus
"Sinosaurus" is the only "dilophosaurid" known from a complete braincase. "Cryolophosaurus", "Dilophosaurus", "Zupaysaurus" and "Coelophysis kayentakatae" are all known from partial braincases. Two partial braincases were found before 2012, and are probably mostly complete, except that large sections are obscured by sediments. In 2011, an exceptionally well-preserved braincase was found, only missing the frontal bones and orbitosphenoid.
Sinocalliopteryx
The well-preserved skeleton of the "Sinocalliopteryx" holotype contained the partial leg of a dromaeosaurid within the abdominal cavity, comprising a complete lower leg and foot with toes and claws in their natural, articulated position. While the leg part, about one foot long, is very large in relation to the abdominal cavity, it is clearly situated within it, lying between the ribs. Ji and colleagues in 2007 suggested that this could indicate it preyed upon the smaller, bird-like dinosaur. This discovery indicated that "Sinocalliopteryx" may have been an agile, active, "fierce" predator, especially since other compsognathids have been found with (presumably fast-moving) lizards and small mammals in their abdominal cavities. In 2012 the dromaeosaurid was tentatively identified as an individual of "Sinornithosaurus" with a length of 1.2 metres (3.9 ft). The 2012 study also reported newly discovered remains of prey animals. Above the dromaeosaurid leg, feathers are visible. Below it two clusters of digested food can be seen. It was suggested that the feathers had belonged to a bird and were with the leg still present in the stomach. The digested food would, using the preserved digestive tract of "Scipionyx" as a reference, have been positioned in the duodenum. The C-shaped abdominal contents of this specimen appear to reflect of the original contour of the digestive tract.
Jiangshanosaurus
Jiangshanosaurus was a titanosaurian sauropod that lived approximately 105 million years ago, during the Albian stage of the Early Cretaceous. Its remains were discovered in the Jinhua Formation of Lixian Village, Jiangshan county, in the eastern Chinese province of Zhejiang. The type and only known species, "Jiangshanosaurus lixianensis", was formally described by Tang Feng and others in 2001. Known material of "J. lixianensis" includes elements of the shoulder, back, pelvis, femur and tail. Although "Jiangshanosaurus" initially defied precise placement within Titanosaura, a recent paper considers it to be outside Lithostrotia.