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FOSSIL FARM MUSEUM OF THE FINGER LAKES
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FOSSIL FARM MUSEUM OF THE FINGER LAKES
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Millions of Years Ago (MYA) The Cretaceous Heyday of Dinosaurs 146 to 65 Million Years Ago |
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RAPTOR
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RAPTOR A
group of nasty predators, thriving in the late Cretaceous.
"Raptor" is a pop culture term, referring to dinosaurs, most notably
the Velociraptor, Deinonychus, Utahraptor and other theropods such as
Oviraptor. Dromaeosauridae is the more acceptable (but less
colorful) name for these bird-like structured theropod dinosaurs. They
were small to medium-sized, possibly feathered carnivores. The informal
term "raptor" (after Velociraptor), popularized by the film Jurassic Park
will probably remain in popular usage. Technically, the name
Dromaeosauridae means 'running lizards', from Greek dromeus meaning
'runner' and sauros meaning 'lizard'. |
Saurornitholestes/Dromaeosaur Raptor Claw with all Foot Bones Hell Creek Formation, Northern MT Raptor Dromaeosaur Radius Arm Bone Hell Creek Formation, North East Montana Tibia of Chirostenotes or Dromaeosaur Channel Deposit (sub-surface) Garfield County, Montana Hell Creek Formation Lance Creek, Wyoming Hell Creek Channel Deposit, SE Montana Hell Creek, Montana Crystallized Limb End Small Raptor Hell Creek, Montana Theropod Claws Unidentified Species Channel Deposit, Eastern MT |
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EINIOSAURUS
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EINIOSAURUS
Very rare, with partial fossil remains found only in the Two Medicine Formation North of Dupyer, Montana. Probably the rarest example of the Ceratopsians. In the same Ceratopsian family of dinosaurs as Triceratops, it was smaller, much odder in appearance and placement of horns. Like most herbivores, it probably displayed herd behavior. Displayed by few. Owned by fewer. Besides bone shape, it is also recognizable by the grey tint of bones due to the somewhat unique mineralization of Dupyer Montana area. |
Sacrum Vertebra, Upper Jaw Piece All from Two Medicine Formation North of Dupuyer, Montana. Never found anywhere else. |
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TRICERATOPS
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TRICERATOPS A herbivore that could hold its own against the feared T-Rex and one of the two most popular dinosaurs of all time. The function of their frills and three distinctive facial horns has long inspired debate. Although traditionally viewed as defensive weapons against predators, a new theory hypothesizes that these features were primarily used in courtship and dominance displays, much like the antlers. You can decide for yourself. Triceratops was about 30 feet long. It's head, including the frill shield was up to ten feet in length. Undoubtedly, it would have put up an excellent fight against any of the larger predators, including Tyrannosaurus Rex. Somewhat resembling the modern Rhinoceros, the reptile/mammal similarity is an excellent example of what Paleontologists call "Convergent Evolution." i.e.. If faced with similar environmental challenges, similar characteristics can develop over millions of years in the fight for species survival. According to the existing fossil record, Triceratops was last of the giant dinosaurs to disappear in the great extinction.
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Rib & Vert Process on reverse of Matrix Lance Creek, WY Lance Creek, WY Channel Deposit (sub-surface) Garfield Cty, MT Hell Creek. Harding County SD Lance Creek, WY Occipital (Rear) Skull Brain Case Hell Creek. West Central SD West Central, SD Lance Creek, WY Lance Creek, WY Lance Creek, WY Hell Creek, N.W. SD Hell Creek, N.W. SD Harding County, SD |
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TYRANNOSAURUS REX
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TYRANNOSAURUS REX Largest and most well known of the North American carnivores, it was probably both a predator and scavenger, although Paleontologists devoted to T-Rex lore will argue. The skull alone could be as much as five feet in length, with a total length of about 40 feet. Weight is approximated at six tons. As an aside, Paleontologists can judge carnivore vs. herbivore bone derivation with about 90% accuracy. The internal structure of carnivore bones are usually "honeycombed" or granular in look, possibly caused by their diet. |
Hell Creek, N.W. SD Centrum (Back) Vertebra Processes Hell Creek, N.W. SD Baker, MT Lance Creek, WY Buffalo SD & N. Baker Montana Nano Tyrannosaurus Premaxillary Tooth Hell Creek Formation, MT |
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SPINOSAURUS
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SPINOSAURUS
This genus was first known from Egyptian remains discovered in 1910. The original remains were destroyed in World War II, but additional skull material has come to light in recent years in North Africa. Somewhat larger than Tyrannosaurus Rex, it's non-serrated teeth lead experts to believe that it might have lived on a diet of large fish. The large back "sail" has been hypothesized to have been used for either intimidation or courting, but we really don't know. |
Baharija Formation, Kem Kem Morocco |
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CARCHARODONTASAURUS
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CARCHARODONTASAURUS
A carnivore, with enormous jaws and long, serrated teeth up to eight inches long. Very similar to T-Rex and a bit larger, it is found in North Africa. During the Cretaceous period, North West Africa possessed a lush, swampy environment, rather than the stark, dry, desert of today. As with Spinosaurus (above), the original discovered remains were destroyed in World War II, but new finds were made in 1996. |
(Top) Tegana Formation, Taouz, Morocco (Bottom) Bahariji Formation, Kem Kem Morocco |
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HYDROSAUR
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HADROSAUR
A large
herbivore nicknamed the "Duck Bill Dinosaur," it could walk on two or four
extremities. The most well known sub-species is Edmontosaurus.
Most common, varied, and well-adapted of the ornithopod (bird-hipped)
dinosaurs. This unique group of dinosaurs grew in sizes over 40 feet
and probably weighed over 5 tons! In-depth studies of a variety of
duckbill remains indicate that they walked predominantly on all fours but
had the ability to stand on their hind legs. |
Edmontosaurus Skin and Shoulder Blade from same animal Skull Stripe, Vertebra, Foot Bones Edmontosaurus Rib Head & End Tip All from Hell Creek, N. Baker Montana Hell Creek, MT Edmontosauaurus Humerus Distal End Hell Creek, MT Lance Creek, WY Channel Deposit, Hell Creek MT Hadrosaur Egg 02 (Natural Preparation) Kaugo Formation, Xixia basin, Hunan China |
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ALBERTOSAURUS
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ALBERTOSAURUS Named after the western Alberta State of Canada where it is most frequently found. A predator, smaller than T-Rex. Finding a large amount of remains together leads some to believe it might have displayed pack behavior. |
Foremost Beds, S.E. Alberta Canada |
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RICHARDOESTESIA |
RICHARDOESTESIA
Richardoestesia is a medium sized theropod dinosaur from the late Cretaceous Period of North America. Little is known of this creature. Physiology is reconstructed from a single pair of lower jaw bones and a large number of isolated teeth. The jaws are slender and rather long but the teeth are small and finely serrated. It has been suggested that Richardoestesia was a fish eater, but most likely, it was a hunter of opportunity. Because so little is known of the animal, its relationships are unclear. However, the jaws resemble Archaeopteryx, Troodontidae and some Dromaeosauridae, in having a strong groove on the lateral surface. It is estimated to have weighed approximately 220 pounds.
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Hell Creek, Powder River County MT
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OVIRAPTOR
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OVIRAPTOR Late Cretaceous A small dinosaur originally found in Mongolia, its name means "Egg Seizer." Originally discovered lying on a group of eggs, it was hypothesized this dinosaur was an egg thief. This theory has been subsequently disproven to some extent although eggs of other species might have been a portion of its diet. Birdlike in physiology, it is probably not an early avian. On the other hand, it is felt to have been a meat eater. A member of the suborder Theropoda, Oviraptor grew to a length of up to 2.7 m (9 ft). It walked upright, balancing itself with its heavy tail, and had long, powerful forelimbs. This dinosaur had a short head and a strong, curved, toothless beak. Bony prongs inside its mouth appear similar to the throat tooth of egg-eating snakes but we can only speculate. Oviraptor probably lived near lakes where it may have fed on freshwater mussels, crushing the shells with its powerful beak. This dinosaur had a hornlike crest on its nose.
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Hell Creek Formation, Montana Nanxiong Formation, Guangdong Provice China
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TROODON |
TROODON Troodon is a genus of relatively small, bird-like dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous, 75-65 mya. Discovered in 1855, it was among the first dinosaurs found in North America. Its name is Greek for "wounding tooth", referring to the dinosaur's teeth, which bore prominent serrations. At the very least, it was omnivorous. Troodon was a small dinosaur, around 6.5 feet in length, 3 feet tall, and weighed about 130 pounds. It had very long, slender limbs, suggesting that the animal was able to move quickly. It had large, retractable sickle-shaped claws on its second toes, which were raised off the ground when running. |
Dinosaur Park Formation S.E. Alberta Canada |
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CAMPTOSAURUS
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CAMPTOSAURUS A herbivore of the late Jurasic, early Cretaceous. The name means "bent lizard," because, when standing on all fours, its body must have been arched. Smaller than the Hydrosaur that appear later, they have many physical similarities.
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Morrison Formation, Big Horn Basin WY |
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THESCELOSAURUS |
THESCELOSAURUS
Thescelosaurus meaning marvelous Lizard in
Greek, was a genus of small ornithopod dinosaur that appeared at the very
end of the Late Cretaceous period in North America. |
Hell Creek, Montana Premaxilla +7 Maxilla back. Same animal Powder River County, MT
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ANKYLOSAURUS |
ANKYLOSAURUS
Although a complete skeleton has not been discovered, Ankylosaurus is often considered the archetypal armored dinosaur. The largest was Euoplocedphalus. This herbivore's defense was an armored body and massive bony tail club. Although a reptile, this creature shared physical qualities with the giant mammalian Glyptodonts and Armadillos of the Pleistocene, some 65 million years later. This "convergent evolution" may be due to similar environmental conditions and defense needs, or just coincidence. |
1 Pre-Molar - Lance Creek Wyoming 2 Molars - Judith River Form. N. Lewistown MT Scute Section - Harding County, SD Judith River Formation, Alberta Canada Hell Creek, Montana
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AUBLYSODON |
AUBLYSODON
Very little information exists, other than the many similar teeth found in several areas of the United states and Asia in late Cretaceous period strata. It may be that this is not a distinct species at all and the teeth come from a juvenile tyrannosaurid. Recently, a partial skull was found in Montana that some feel may partially unravel the Aublysodon mystery. The teeth are similar and as an interesting point, the skull shows a long, low snout with a species specific uncommon step in the lower jaw. Length is estimated to be about fifteen feet. But the story is rather incomplete although teeth have been found in several states. Where are the fossil bones? Your guess is as good as anyone else's.
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Hell Creek, Montana Hell Creek, Powder River County MT |
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PACHYCEPHALOSAURUS |
PACHYCEPHALOSAURUS Pachycephalosaurus means "thick headed lizard." It lived during the Late Cretaceous Period of what is now North America. Remains have been excavated in Montana, South Dakota, and Wyoming. It was a herbivorous or omnivorous creature which is only known from a single mostly complete skeleton, almost complete skulls, a few extremely thick skull roofs and assorted, incomplete fossil remains. It is estimated to have been 16 feet in length and to have weighed some fifteen hundred pounds. Large bone segments are rare. Some Paleontologists have hypothesized that Pachycephalosaurus is the same species as the similar and equally rare Stygimoloch spinifer. Nobody really knows for sure. |
Lance Creek Wyoming Lance Creek, Wyoming Butte County, South Dakota |
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PLESIOSAUR |
PLESIOSAUR (Jurassic-Cretaceous) Plesiosaurs means "near lizard." It was a carnivorous, aquatic, non-dinosaur reptile. Many have been found in England, some of them virtually complete, and new discoveries are made frequently. Some grew to sixty feet in length. Paleontologists have joked about this strange reptile, calling it a large snake, strung through the shell of a giant turtle. Naturally, this deadly predator was neither. |
Vertebra with Process & Pectoral Bone North Yorkshire Coast, UK Main Paddle Bone with Vertebra Found by Michelle Keating Portland Dorset UK, Aug 2008 Khouribgha, Morocco |
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REBBACHISAURUS |
REBBACHISAURUS Rebbachisaurus is a genus of sauropod dinosaurs, up to sixty-eight feet long. It lived in the Early Cretaceous period, about 99 million years ago. This massive four-legged plant-eating animal had a small head, a long, graceful neck and a whip-like tail. Rebbachisaurus is distinguished from other sauropods by its unusually tall, ridged back. It has the typical "chisel" tip teeth of large herbivores, for stripping leaves off branches. |
Kem-Kem Morocco |
 OMITHOPSIS humerocristatus |
SAUROPODS of the KIMMERIDGE CLAY DEPOSITS, PORTLAND HARBOR UK (Late Jurassic through Cretaceous)
Popularly and somewhat incorrectly called "The Jurassic Coast," this area is rather rich in four legged giant Sauropods. Sauropoda or the Sauropods are notable for the enormous sizes attained by some species. The group includes many of the largest animals to have ever lived on land. Well-known genera include Apatosaurus (formerly known as Brontosaurus), Brachiosaurus and Diplodocus. One of the rarest is Omithopsis humerocristatus, nicknamed "The Portland Dinosaur," of which barely more than vertebra have been found. Based on analysis, it is fair to assume that it was rather like Diplodocus or Brachiosaurus, possibly smaller at 50 feet in length. Like the other large Sauropods, it was vegetarian, but sufficiently large for adults to keep Theropod predators at bay. |
Omithopsis humerocristatus Tail Vertebra Kimmeridge Clay Deposits, Portland Harbor, UK |
 TITANOSAUR |
TITANOSAUR
A diverse group of herbivore sauropod dinosaurs, which included Saltasaurus and Isisaurus. It includes some of the heaviest creatures ever to walk the earth, some of which might have weighed up to 100 tons. Others were significantly smaller. Because of their immense size, they were named after the mythological Titans. Titanosaurs had small heads and a crest formed by nasal bones. Legs were somewhat short for their size, with broad sided bodies. They were widespread in Southern Continents. The Rio Colorado Formation (now called a Sub Group) in North West Argentina has proven rich in Cretaceous dinosaur fossils between 83-75 million years old. |
Rio Colorado Formation North West Patagonia, Argentina |
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MOSASAUR |
MOSASAUR
Some paleontologists consider this vicious, reptilian marine predator to be a
relative of sea-snakes, but nobody really knows. Mosasaurs breathed
air and were powerful swimmers, well-adapted to living in the warm,
shallow seas, prevalent during the Late Cretaceous Period. Mosasaurs were
so well adapted to this environment that they gave birth to live young,
rather than return to the shore to lay eggs, as sea turtles do. Some
were as much as thirty five-feet long. |
Vertebras+Squalicorax shark tooth Matrix Niobrara Formation, Western Kansas Atlas Mountains, Morocco Ozan Formation, Taylor Shale Deposits N.E. TX Pierre Shale Deposits, W. Kansas Alberta, Canada |
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CROCODILUS cf. SPENCERI a.k.a. KENTISUCHUS |
CROCODILES OF THE CRETACEOUS
Crocodiles are among the most successful of reptiles, surviving several mass extinctions. This is probably due to their living in an aquatic environment, more immune to the climatic change and pollution that doomed the land reptiles.
Phobosuchus riograndensis was the hugest discovered to date, living
about 70 million years ago in the late Cretaceous. It was about 50 feet
long, with a head extending some 6 feet in length.
Other Cretaceous crocodiles were also large. One was Crocodilus cf. spenceri, now renamed to Kentisuchus. Discovered in the Tegana Formation of the Kem Kem phosphate mine region, K’Sar-es-Souk Province, Khouribga, Morocco. They weighed 5-10 tons and attained a length of 25-40 feet with a four to five foot skull. Land vertebrates including young or small dinosaurs may have been additional victims. Primarily found in the late Cretaceous (75-65 MYA), examples have been found in the early Eocene (54-45 MYA) Many early Crocodiles can be recognized by the large bulbous front snout and relatively narrow jaw. The last remaining descendant of these Cretaceous Crocodilia is the endangered to near extinct Indian Gharial.
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Top skull in matrix of Crocodilus cf. spenceri a.k.a. Kentisuchus Tegana Formation of the Kem Kem phosphate mine region, K’Sar-es-Souk Province, Khouribga, Morocco
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