Theropoda

Theropoda (/θɪərˈɒpədə/ or /ˌθɪərəˈpdə/, from Greek θηρίον wild beast and πούς,πόδις foot) or Theropods (/ˈθɪərəˌpɒdz/) are a group of saurischian dinosaurs. Theropods were ancestrally carnivorous, although a number of theropod groups evolved herbivory, omnivory, piscivory, and insectivory. Theropods first appeared during the Carnian age of the late Triassic period 231.4 million years ago (Ma) and included the sole large terrestrial carnivores from the Early Jurassic until at least the close of the Cretaceous, about 66 Ma. In the Jurassic, birds evolved from small specialized coelurosaurian theropods, and are today represented by 10,000 living species.

On July 31, 2014, scientists reported details of the evolution of birds from other theropod dinosaurs. Among the features linking theropod dinosaurs to birds are a furcula (wishbone), air-filled bones, brooding of the eggs, and (in coelurosaurs, at least) feathers.

Biology

Diet and teeth

Theropods exhibit a wide range of diets, from insectivores to herbivores and carnivores. Strict carnivory has always been considered the ancestral diet for theropods as a group, and a wider variety of diets was historically considered a characteristic exclusive to the avian theropods (birds). However, discoveries in the late 20th and early 21st centuries showed that a variety of diets existed even in more basal lineages. All early finds of theropod fossils showed them to be primarily carnivorous. Fossilized specimens of early theropods known to scientists in the 19th and early 20th centuries all possessed sharp teeth with serrated edges for cutting flesh, and some specimens even showed direct evidence of predatory behavior. For example, a Compsognathus longipes fossil was found with a lizard in its stomach, and a Velociraptor mongoliensis specimen was found locked in combat with a Protoceratops andrewsi (a type of ornithischian dinosaur).

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PLAYLIST TIME:

The Rabbit

by: Jimmy Wayne

The kids were in the living room
Watching cartoons
She could hear 'em laughing from the kitchen
At that big ol' hunter runnin' round
Trying to chase that rabbit down
She just stood there washin' thinkin'
What goes around comes around
There's no doubt
We'll have to answer for the things we've done
When the tables turn and they will turn
Mark my words
It ain't gonna be fun when the rabbit gets the gun
The coffee's still sittin' in the pot
His temper's hot
And she knows he's just lookin' for a reason
As he comes stormin' down the hall
She's wishin' there was a hole to crawl
Into, but there isn't
What goes around comes around
There's no doubt
We'll have to answer for the things we've done
When the tables turn and they will turn
Mark my words
It ain't gonna be fun when the rabbit gets the gun
She stood there without a word
Thinkin' maybe i deserve
All that i've got comin' from him
But when he handed down that verdict
And the whole courtroom heard it
Even the judge himself was smiling
What goes around comes around
There's no doubt
We'll have to answer for the things we've done
When the tables turn and they will turn
Mark my words
It ain't gonna be fun when the rabbit gets the gun
When the tables turn and they will turn
Mark my words
It ain't gonna be fun when the rabbit gets the gun




Latest News for: theropoda

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Smarter Than Monkeys? Scientists Challenge Claim of T. Rex Intelligence

Gizmodo 29 Apr 2024
Tyrannosaurus rex was just about as smart as modern crocodiles and other reptiles, according to a team of researchers that investigated recent claims that the Cretaceous predators may have been as smart as monkeys. Read more... .
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Ancient Humans Left Drawings Next to Dinosaur Footprints in Brazil

Gizmodo 26 Mar 2024
Ancient South Americans were apparently inspired by fossilized dinosaur tracks in what is now eastern Brazil, where they cut figures into the rock, imprinted tens of millions of years earlier by the movements of giants. Read more... .
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The Dinosaurs, Ranked

Gizmodo 30 Jan 2024
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New 'Chicken from Hell' Discovered

Scientific American 26 Jan 2024
A newly identified “chicken from hell” species suggests dinosaurs weren’t sliding toward extinction before the fateful asteroid hit ... .
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Tyrannosaur Ate Baby Dino Drumsticks Before It Died, Stunning Fossil Reveals

Gizmodo 08 Dec 2023
A team of paleontologists revealed a remarkable fossil. a young tyrannosaurid with the hindlimbs of two year-old dinosaurs in its stomach. In other words, this theropod was chowing down on baby legs. Read more... .
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8 Wild Examples of Evolution Copying Itself

Gizmodo 23 May 2023
Sometimes, Darwinian natural selection stumbles upon the same solution more than once, in a process known as convergent evolution. Here are our favorite examples of evolution making the same creature, or same physical trait, twice. Read more... .
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Sorry, Jurassic Park: T. Rex Had Lips

Gizmodo 30 Mar 2023
Theropods like T. rex and Velociraptor had sheaths of scaly skin covering their long, pointy teeth, according to a team of paleontologists who recently studied the ancient predators. Read more... .
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Dinosaur Tracks Uncovered in Texas

Gizmodo 22 Aug 2022
The proof is in the dinosaur footprints that have been and… ... .
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