Dinosaurs, Pterosaurs & Marine Reptiles

[Morose]

Name: Tyrannosaurus Rex

Pronunciation: Ty-ran-no-sore-us
Meaning of name: "Tyrant lizard". The species name, rex, means "king" in Latin.
Species: T. rex
Size: Between 12 and 14 metres long, between 4 and 6 metres tall and weighing up to 10 metric tonnes.
Family: Tyrannosauridae.
Diet: Carnivore.
First fossils found: Known from at least 50 individuals, including some almost-complete skeletons. First discovered by Arthur Lakes in Colorado in 1874. First partial skeleton discovered by American palaeontologist, Barnum Brown, in eastern Wyoming in 1900. Mr. Brown discovered a second partial skeleton in Montana in 1902. Named by American palaeontologist, Henry Fairfield Osborne, in 1905. "Sue", one of the largest and most complete specimens ever found, was discovered in South Dakota in August 1990 and currently stands in Chicago's Field Museum of Natural History. Whilst we don't know for certain if "Sue" is female, it's believed she died around the age of 28 and may have been killed by a parasitic infection from eating rotten meat.
Lived: 67 to 66 million years ago during the Maastrichtian stage of the Late Cretaceous in what is now the western, northwestern and midwestern United States.

[Morose]

The maximum running speed for a human is around 45km/h. It's estimated that T-Rex could run at speeds of between 16 and 40km/h. If it ran any faster, it may have ended up with a broken leg. How fast a dino could move would obviously depend a lot on the size of the individual animal. One of the largest, Argentinosaurus, is estimated to have had a top speed of no more than 7km/h. Gallimimus, on the other hand, may have been able to sprint at speeds of more than 50km/h.

[Morose]

Name: Stegosaurus
Pronunciation: Steg-oh-sore-us
Meaning of name: "Roofed lizard", because palaeontologists once thought that the plates on its back lay flat like tiles on a roof. We now know the plates stood upright in two alternating rows.
Species: S. stenops, S. ungulatus, S. sulcatus
Size: Depending on the species, measured between 7 and 9 metres long, 4.5 metres high and weighed between 5 and 7 metric tonnes.
Family: Stegosauridae.
Diet: Herbivore. Fed on low-growing vegetation.
First fossils found: Known from at least 80 individuals. First discovered by Arthur Lakes and H. C. Beckwith in the Morrison Formation of Colorado in 1877. S. stenops and S. sulcatus named in the same year by American palaeontologist, Othniel Charles Marsh. S. ungulatus named by Mr. Marsh in 1879. Palaeontologists are still unsure about the function of the plates, but it's been suggested they may have been used for protection, display or to regulate the animal's body temperature. The 1-metre-long spikes on the end of the tail were likely used for defense.
Lived: 155 to 150 million years ago during the Kimmeridgian and Tithonian stages of the Late Jurassic in what is now Portugal and the western United States.

[Morose]

Name: Camarasaurus
Pronunciation: Cam-ah-rah-sore-us.
Meaning of name: "Chambered lizard", due to the hollow chambers in its vertebrae.
Species: C. supremus, C. grandis, C. lentus
Size: Depending on the species, measured between 15 and 23 metres long, between 7 and 9 metres tall and weighing between 20 and 47 metric tonnes.
Family: Camarasauridae.
Diet: Herbivore. Fed on both high and low-growing vegetation.
First fossils found: Known from many specimens, the first of which was discovered by Oramel W. Lucas in the Morrison Formation of Colorado in 1877. C. supremus named in the same year by American palaeontologist, Edward Drinker Cope. C. grandis also named in 1877 by Othniel Charles Marsh. C. lentus named by Mr. Marsh in 1889.
Lived: 155 to 145 million years ago during the Kimmeridgian and Tithonian stages of the Late Jurassic in what is now the western United States.

[Morose]

Name: Parasaurolophus
Pronunciation: Pah-rah-sore-o-loe-fus.
Meaning of name: "Near lizard crest".
Species: P. walkeri, P. tubicen, P. cyrtocristatus.
Size: Estimated to have measured around 10 metres long, 3 metres tall (up to 5 metres when standing upright) and weighing between 2 and 3 metric tonnes.
Family: Lambeosaurinae (a sub-family of Hadrosauridae).
Diet: Herbivore. Fed on both high and low-growing vegetation.
First fossils found: Known from several skulls and partial skeletons. First discovered in Alberta, Canada, in 1920. P. walkeri named by Canadian palaeontologist, William Parks, in 1922. P. tubicen named by Swedish palaeontologist, Carl Wiman, in 1931. P. cyrtocristatus named by American palaeontologist, John Harold Ostrom, in 1961. This dino's most striking feature is the curved crest on the head. Skulls with different sized crests have been found and it's been suggested that the skulls with large crests belong to adult males and those with smaller crests belong either to adult females or juveniles. Currently, we don't know the function of the crest, but it may have been used to amplify the animal's calls or for a sexual display. The nasal passages run through the crest and this may have helped improve the sense of smell.
Lived: 76.5 to 73 million years ago during the Campanian stage of the Late Cretaceous in what is now western Canada and the western and southwestern United States.

[Morose]

Name: Triceratops
Pronunciation: Tri-seh-rah-tops.
Meaning of name: "Three horned face", in reference to the horns on its head (a 1-metre-long horn above each eye and a shorter horn on the snout).
Species: T. horridus, T. prorsus.
Size: 9 metres long, 3.5 metres high and weighing between 6 and 12 metric tonnes.
Family: Centrosaurinae (a sub-family of Ceratopsidae).
Diet: Herbivore. Fed on low-growing vegetation.
First fossils found: Known from several specimens, some of which are almost complete. The first specimen, a pair of brow horns attached to a skull roof, was discovered by George Lyman Cannon in Colorado in 1887. Was originally thought to be a prehistoric bison until a much more complete skull was discovered by American palaeontologist, John Bell Hatcher, in the Lance Formation of Wyoming, in 1888. T. horridus named by American palaeontologist, Othniel Charles Marsh, in 1889. T. prorsus named by Mr. Marsh in 1890. It's been suggested that Torosaurus may be a growth stage of Triceratops. There's also evidence that Triceratops was prey for T-Rex.
Lived: 68 to 66 million years ago during the Maastrichtian stage of the Late Cretaceous in what is now western Canada and the western, northwestern and mid-western United States.

[Morose]

Name: Oviraptor
Meaning of name: "Egg thief", because palaeontologists originally believed that it fed on the eggs of other dinosaurs.
Species: O. philoceratops
Size: 1.5 metres long, between 1 and 1.5 metres tall and weighing up to 34kgs.
Family: Oviraptoridae.
Diet: Unknown. Possible carnivore. May also have fed on nuts or shellfish.
First fossils found: Known only from a single, partial skeleton and 15 eggs. First discovered by George Olsen in the Djadochta Formation during a 1923 expedition to Mongolia's Gobi Desert led by American naturalist, Roy Chapman Andrews. Named by American palaeontologist, Henry Fairfield Osborn, in 1924. This dino's name refers to the fact that the very first specimen was found lying on a pile of what were though to be Protoceratops eggs. During the 90s, the discovery of nesting Oviraptorids has shown that the original eggs probably belonged to Oviraptor.
Lived: 75 million years ago during the Campanian stage of the Late Cretaceous in what is now southern Mongolia.

[Morose]

Name: Struthiomimus
Pronunciation: Stru-thee-oh-my-mus.
Meaning of name: "Ostrich mimic", due to its resemblance to an ostrich.
Species: S. altus, S. sedens
Size: Depending on species, measured between 4 and 6 metres long, 2 metres tall and weighing between 150kg and 420kg.
Family: Ornithomimidae.
Diet: Unknown. Possible omnivore.
First fossils found: Known from several individuals. First discovered by Canadian palaeontologist, Lawrence Lambe, in 1901. Named as a species of Ornithomimus by Mr. Lambe in 1902. Almost-complete skeleton discovered by American palaeontologist, Barnum Brown, in Alberta, Canada, in 1914. Re-named Struthiomimus by American palaeontologist, Henry Fairfield Osborne, in 1917. S. sedens named in 2015. It's believed Struthiomimus could sprint at speeds of between 50 and 80km/h, around the same speed as a modern ostrich.
Lived: Depending on species, lived between 78 to 67 million years ago during the Campanian and Maastrichtian stages of the Late Cretaceous in what is now western Canada and the western United States.

[Morose]

Name: Irritator

Pronunciation: Ih-re-tay-tor
Meaning of name: "Irritating", in reference to the frustration felt by palaeontologists having to repair the damage illegal collectors had done to the only known fossils.
Species: I. challengeri
Size: Estimated to have measured around 8 metres long, 2.5 metres tall and weighing between 1 and 4 metric tonnes.
Family: Spinosauridae.
Diet: Carnivore.
First fossils found: Known only from a skull and some vertebrae discovered by commercial fossil poachers in the Romualdo Formation of northeastern Brazil in 1996. In hopes of making the skull look more complete and, therefore, more valuable, the collectors tried to reconstruct it by grafting parts of the upper jaw to the snout before illegally selling it to a museum in Germany. When palaeontologists finally got the skull, they had to work for hours to repair the damage the collectors had done before they could identify what type of dinosaur they had. Named in the same year by D. M. Martill, A. R. I. Cruikshank, E. Frey, P. G. Small and M. Clarke.
Lived: 110 million years ago during the Albian stage of the Early Cretaceous in what is now northeastern Brazil.

[Morose]

Name: Velociraptor
Pronunciation: Veh-loss-ah-rap-tor.
Meaning of name: "Fast thief".
Species: V. mongoliensis, V. osmolskae.
Size: 2 metres long, 1 metre tall and weighing around 15kgs.
Family: Dromaeosauridae.
Diet: Carnivore.
First fossils found: Known from several specimens, the first of which was discovered by Peter Kaisen in Mongolia's Gobi Desert in 1923. V. mongoliensis named by American palaeontologist, Henry Fairfield Osborne, in 1924. V. osmolskae named by Belgian palaeontologist, Pascal Godefroit, in 2008. In 1971, a remarkable fossil was discovered. It's known as the "Fighting Dinosaurs" and preserves a Velociraptor in battle with a Protoceratops.
Lived: 75 to 71 million years ago during the Campanian and Maastrichtian stages of the Late Cretaceous in what is now southern Mongolia.

[Morose]

Name: Ceratosaurus
Pronunciation: See-rat-oh-sore-us
Meaning of name: "Horned lizard", in reference to the stumpy horn on its snout.
Species: C. nasicornis, C. dentisulcatus, C. magnicornis. It's possible there may be other species.
Size: Estimated to have measured between 6 and 7 metres long, between 2 and 3 metres tall and weighing up to 700kgs.
Family: Ceratosauridae.
Diet: Carnivore.
First fossils found: Known from several specimens, the first of which was discovered in the Morrison Formation of Colorado by farmer Marshall Parker Felch. C. nasicornis named by American palaeontologist, Othniel Charles Marsh, in 1884. C. dentisulcatus and C. magnicornis named in 2000.
Lived: Depending on species, from 157.3 to 145 million years ago during the Kimmeridgian and Tithonian stages of the Late Jurassic in what is now Portugal and the western United States. May also have lived in what is now Switzerland, Tanzania and Uruguay.

[Morose]

Name: Brachiosaurus
Pronunciation: Brak-he-o-sore-us.
Meaning of name: "Arm lizard", because the front legs are longer than the hind legs to provide support for the 9-metre-long neck.
Species: B. altithorax
Size: Estimated to have Measured between 18 and 22 metres long, between 10 and 15 metres tall and weighing between 28 and 60 metric tonnes.
Family: Brachiosauridae.
Diet: Herbivore. Fed on high-growing vegetation.
First fossils found: Known from several specimens, the first of which was discovered by American palaeontologist, Elmer Samuel Riggs, in the Morrison Formation of Colorado in 1900. Named by Mr. Riggs in 1903.
Lived: 154 to 153 million years ago during the Kimmeridgian stage of the Late Jurassic in what is now the western United States.

[Morose]

Name: Dilophosaurus
Pronunciation: Di-lo-fo-sore-us.
Meaning of name: "Two-crested lizard", in reference to the v-shaped crest on its head.
Species: D. wetherilli
Size: 6 metres long, 2 metres tall and weighing around 400kgs.
Family: Dilophosauridae.
Diet: Carnivore.
First fossils found: First discovered by a field party from the University of California Museum of Paleontology in the Kayenta Formation of northern Arizona in 1942. Named by American palaeontologist, Samuel Paul Welles, in 1970. Was originally thought to be a species of Megalosaurus. Contrary to popular belief, there's no evidence to suggest that Dilophosaurus had an extendable neck frill or used venom to kill its prey.
Lived: 193 million years ago during the Sinemurian stage of the Early Jurassic in what is now the southwestern United States.

[Morose]

Name: Iguanodon
Pronunciation: Ig-wah-no-don.
Meaning of name: "Iguana tooth", because its teeth are similar in appearance to those of a modern Iguana.
Species: I. bernissartensis, I. galvensis.
Size: Between 10 and 13 metres long, 3 metres tall (up to 6 metres when standing upright) and weighing between 4 and 5 metric tonnes.
Family: Iguanodontidae.
Diet: Herbivore. Fed on both high and low-growing vegetation.
First fossils found: Known from several specimens. The first specimen, a handful of teeth, was discovered by English doctor and palaeontologist, Gideon Mantell, in southeast England in 1822. Named by Mr. Mantell in 1825. First skeleton discovered in 1834. The largest-known discovery of Iguanodon fossils occurred in February 1878, when miners in the Bernissart coal mine came across the skeletons of 38 individuals. These skeletons are now on display at the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences.
Lived: 126 to 122 million years ago during the Barremian and Aptian stages of the Early Cretaceous in what is now Belgium, Portugal, Germany, Spain and England.

[Morose]

Name: Pentaceratops
Pronunciation: Pen-tah-seh-rah-tops
Meaning of name: "Five horned face" (palaeontologists mistook its pointed cheek bones for an extra pair of horns).
Species: P. sternbergii
Size: Between 6 and 7 metres long, 3 metres high and weighing between 4 and 5 metric tonnes.
Family: Chasmosaurinae (a sub-family of Ceratopsidae).
Diet: Herbivore. Fed on low-growing vegetation.
First fossils found: Known from several specimens, the first of which were discovered by American palaeontologist, Charles Hazelius Sternberg in the Fruitland Formation of New Mexico, in 1921. Named by American palaeontologist, Henry Fairfield Osborn, in 1923.
Lived: 76 to 73 million years ago during the Campanian stage of the Late Cretaceous in what is now the southwestern United States.

[Morose]

Name: Pteranodon
Pronunciation: Teh-ran-oh-don.
Meaning of name: "Winged and toothless".
Species: P. longiceps, though it's possible there may be a second species.
Wingspan: Males had an estimated wingspan of between 5 and 7 metres. The wingspan for females is estimated to have measured between 3 and 4 metres. Weight estimated between 20 and 90kgs.
Family: Pteranodontidae.
Diet: Piscivore.
First fossils found: Known from dozens of specimens, most of which are partial skeletons. First discovered by American palaeontologist, Othniel Charles Marsh, in the Niobrara Chalk Formation of western Kansas, in 1870. Named by Mr. Marsh in 1876. A distinguishing feature of this Pterosaur was the crest on its head, which was probably used for display.
Lived: 89.8 to 72.1 million years ago from the Coniacian stage through to the Campanian stage of the Late Cretaceous in what is now the midwestern, southeastern and western United States.

[Morose]

Name: Elasmosaurus
Pronunciation: Ee-lazz-mo-sore-us.
Meaning of name: "Thin plate lizard".
Species: E. platyurus
Size: Estimated to have measured around 14 metres long and weighed 2.5 metric tonnes.
Family: Elasmosauridae.
Diet: Piscivore.
First fossils found: Known only from a single, partial skeleton discovered by American army surgeon, Theophilus Hunt Turner, in the Pierre Shale Formation of Kansas in 1867. Named by American palaeontologist, Edward Drinker Cope, in 1868. The most striking feature of this Plesiosaur is its neck, which measured half of the animal's total body length, and contained 72 vertebrae.
Lived: 80 million years ago during the Campanian stage of the Late Cretaceous in the Western Interior Seaway, which once covered what is now the western and midwestern United States.

[Morose]

Name: Heterodontosaurus
Pronunciation: Het-er-o-dont-o-sore-us.
Meaning of name: "Different-toothed lizard", because it had three different kinds of teeth.
Species: H. tucki
Size: 90cm long, 50cm tall and weighed between 2 and 10kgs
Family: Heterodontosauridae.
Diet: Herbivore. Fed on low-growing vegetation.
First fossils found: Known from several specimens, the first of which was discovered by a British-South African expedition to South Africa during the early 1960's. Named by English palaeontologist, Alan Jack Charig and South African palaeontologist, Alfred Walter Crompton, in 1962. Most dinosaurs only have one type of tooth, but Heterodontosaurus had three: incisor-like teeth at the front of the jaws, a pair of tusks in the middle and grinding cheek-teeth at the back.
Lived: 200 to 190 million years ago from the Hettangian stage through to the Pliensbachian stage of the Early Jurassic in what is now South Africa.

[Morose]

Name: Kentrosaurus
Pronunciation: Ken-tro-saw-rus
Meaning of name: "Spiked lizard"
Species: K. aethiopicus
Size: Between 4.5 and 5.5 metres long, 2 metres high and weighing 1 metric tonne.
Family: Stegosauridae.
Diet: Herbivore. Fed on low-growing vegetation.
First fossils found: Known from at least 50 individuals, the first of which were discovered by the German Tendaguru Expedition in the Tendaguru Formation of Tanzania, East Africa in 1909. Named by German palaeontologist, Edwin Hennig, in 1915, soon after which there was a naming controversy, as the name is very similar to the ceratopisian Centrosaurus.
Lived: 152.1 million years ago during the Kimmeridgian stage of the Late Jurassic in what is now Tanzania, East Africa.

[Morose]

Name: Daspletosaurus
Pronunciation: Das-plee-toe-sore-us.
Meaning of name: "Frightful lizard".
Species: D. torosus, D. horneri, possible there may be a third species.
Size: Between 8 and 9 metres long, 3 metres tall and weighing between 2 and 4 metric tonnes.
Family: Tyrannosauridae.
Diet: Carnivore.
First fossils found: Known from six well-preserved specimens, the first of which was discovered by American-Canadian palaeontologist, Charles Mortram Sternberg, in the Oldman Formation of southern Alberta, Canada, in 1921. D. torosus named by American-Canadian palaeontologist, Dale Alan Russell, in 1970. D. horneri named by Thomas Carr in 2017. Was originally thought to be a species of Gorgosaurus.
Lived: 77 to 74 million years ago during the Campanian stage of the Late Cretaceous in what is now western Canada and the northwestern United States.

[Morose]

Name: Protoceratops
Pronunciation: Pro-toe-seh-rah-tops
Meaning of name: "First horned face".
Species: P. andrewsi, P. hellenikorhinus
Size: 1.8 metres long, 0.7 metres high and weighing around 83kgs.
Family: Protoceratopsidae.
Diet: Herbivore. Fed on low-growing vegetation.
First fossils found: Known from several individuals, the first of which was discovered by photographer, James Blaine Shackelford, during an American expedition to Mongolia's Gobi Desert in 1922. P. andrewsi named by American palaeontologists, William King Gregory and Walter Willis Granger, in 1923. P. hellenikorhinus named in 2001. A remarkable fossil discovered in 1971 shows a Protoceratops locked in battle with a Velociraptor. It's believed they were either buried by a collapsing sand dune or surprised by a sand storm. Unlike later Ceratopsians, Protoceratops didn't have horns.
Lived: 75 to 71 million years ago during the Campanian and Maastrichtian stages of the Late Cretaceous in what is now northern China and southern Mongolia.

[Morose]

Name: Edmontosaurus
Pronunciation: Ed-mon-toe-sore-us
Meaning of name: "Edmonton lizard", named after the capital city of Alberta, Canada.
Species: E. regalis, E. annectens
Size: Between 12 and 15 metres long, 3 metres tall (up to 6 metres tall when standing upright) and weighing between 4 and 9 metric tonnes.
Family: Saurolophinae (a sub-family of Hadrosauridae).
Diet: Herbivore. Fed on both high and low-growing vegetation.
First fossils found: Known from several specimens. First discovered by American palaeontologist, John Bell Hatcher, in the Lance Formation of eastern Wyoming in 1891. Named by Canadian palaeontologist, Lawrence Lambe, in 1917. Over the years, Edmontosaurus has been known by many other names including Agathaumas, Anatosaurus, Anatotitan, Claosaurus, Hadrosaurus, Thespesius and Trachodon.
Lived: 73 to 66 million years ago during the Campanian and Maastrichtian stages of the Late Cretaceous in what is now western Canada and the western United States.

[Morose]

Name: Diplodocus
Pronunciation: Di-plod-oh-cus.
Meaning of name: "Double beam", in reference to the double-beamed chevron bones located in the underside of the tail.
Species: D. hallorum, D. carnegie
Size: Depending on species, measured between 24 and 33 metres long, 6 metres tall and weighing between 11 and 15 metric tonnes.
Family: Diplodocidae.
Diet: Herbivore. Fed on both high and low-growing vegetation.
First fossils found: Known from several specimens, the first of which was discovered by Benjamin Franklin Mudge and Samuel Wendell Williston in the Morrison Formation of Colorado in 1877. D. carnegie named by American palaeontologist, John Bell Hatcher, in 1901. D. hallorum named by David Gillette in 1991. Footprints have also been discovered.
Lived: 154 to 152 million years ago during the Kimmeridgian stage of the Late Jurassic in what is now the mid-western United States.

[Morose]

Name: Allosaurus
Pronunciation: Al-low-sore-us.
Meaning of name: "Different lizard"
Species: A. fragilis, A. europaeus, A. jimmadseni
Size: Between 8 and 12 metres long, 3 metres tall and weighing around 2.5 metric tonnes.
Family: Allosauridae.
Diet: Carnivore.
First fossils found: Known from several specimens, the first of which was a fragmentary specimen discovered in Colorado in 1869. First named Antrodemus ("Chamber-bodied") by American palaeontologist, Joseph Leidy, in 1870. A second fragmentary specimen named Allosaurus by American palaeontologist, Othniel Charles Marsh, in 1877. In 1920, it was suggested by another palaeontologist, Charles Whitney Gilmore, that Allosaurus and Antrodemus may be the same animal. During the early 1960's, thousands of fossils were discovered at the Cleveland-Lloyd Quarry in Utah and, after studying the bones, it was decided that Allosaurus would be the official name because Antrodemus was based on poor material.
Lived: 155 to 145 million years ago during the Kimmeridgian and Tithonian stages of the Late Jurassic in what is now the western, south-central, midwestern and south-western United States.

[Morose]

Name: Compsognathus
Pronunciation: Komp-sog-nath-us
Meaning of name: "Elegant jaw"
Species: C. longipes
Size: Measured between 70cm and 1.4 metres long, 30cm tall and weighing around 3kgs.
Family: Compsognathidae.
Diet: Carnivore
First fossils found: Known from two specimens, the first of which was discovered by fossil collector, Joseph Oberndorfer, in limestone deposits in Bavaria, southeast Germany, during the late 1850s. Named by German palaeontologist, Johann Andreas Wagner, in 1859.
Lived: 150 million years ago during the Tithonian stage of the Late Jurassic in what is now France and Germany.

[Morose]

Name: Avimimus
Pronunciation: A-vee-my-mus
Meaning of name: "Bird mimic".
Species: A. portentosus, A. nemegtensis
Size: 1.5 metres long, 1 metre tall and weighing around 15kgs.
Family: Avimimidae.
Diet: Uncertain. Possibly either a herbivore, omnivore or insectivore.
First fossils found: Known from at least seven specimens, the first of which was discovered by Russian palaeontologist, Sergei Mikhailovich Kurzanov, in Mongolia's Gobi Desert in 1981. A. portentosus named by Mr. Kurzanov in the same year. A. nemegtensis named by G. F. Funston in 2017.
Lived: 85 to 70 million years ago during the Campanian and Maastrichtian stages of the Late Cretaceous in what is now southern Mongolia.

[Morose]

Name: Camptosaurus
Pronunciation: Camp-toe-sore-us.
Meaning of name: "Bent lizard", in reference to the presumed flexibility of the sacral vertebrae.
Species: C. dispar, though there may be at least two other species.
Size: Estimated to have measured between 6 and 8 metres long, between 2 and 3 metres tall when standing upright and weighing around 2.5 metric tonnes
Family: Camptosauridae.
Diet: Herbivore. Fed on both high and low-growing vegetation.
First fossils found: Known from several specimens, the first of which was discovered by William Harlow Reed in Wyoming in September 1879. Was originally named Camptonotus by American palaeontologist, Othniel Charles Marsh, in the same year, but was re-named Camptosaurus because the original name had already been given to an insect.
Lived: 166.1 to 157.3 million years ago during the Callovian stage of the Middle Jurassic through to the Oxfordian stage of the Late Jurassic in what is now the western and midwestern United States.

[Morose]

Name: Pinacosaurus
Pronunciation: Pin-ah-coe-sore-us.
Meaning of name: "Plank lizard"
Species: P. grangeri, P. mephistocephalus
Size: 5 metres long, 1 metre high and weighing up to 2 metric tonnes.
Family: Ankylosauridae.
Diet: Herbivore. Fed on low-growing vegetation.
First fossils found: Known from several individuals, including juveniles. First discovered by Walter Wallis Granger in Mongolia's Gobi Desert in 1923. P. grangeri named by American palaeontologist, Charles Whitney Gilmore, in 1933. P. mephistocephalus named by Belgian palaeontologist, Pascal Godefroit, in 1999.
Lived: 80 to 75 million years ago during the Campanian stage of the Late Cretaceous in what is now southern Mongolia and northern China.

[Morose]

Name: Parapuzosia
Pronunciation: Pah-rah-pu-zo-se-ah
Meaning of name: "Near Puzosia".
Species: P. seppenradensis, P. bradyi, P. daubreei
Size: Varies depending on species. P. seppenradensis, the largest species, is estimated to have had a shell diameter of between 2.5 and 3.5 metres, making it the largest-known Ammonite species.
Family: Desmoceratidae.
Diet: Carnivore.
First fossils found: Known from many specimens discovered across Africa, Europe and the United States. P. daubreei named in 1894. P. seppenradensis named in 1895. P. bradyi named in 1946.
Lived: 100.5 to 72.1 million years ago from the Cenomanian stage through to the Campanian stage of the Late Cretaceous in the warm oceans that once covered parts of what is now Africa, Europe and the United States.

[Morose]

Name: Segnosaurus
Pronunciation: Seg-no-sore-us.
Meaning of name: "Slow lizard".
Species: S. galbinensis
Size: Estimated to have measured around 6 metres long, between 2 and 3 metres tall and weighing 1.3 metric tonnes
Family: Therizinosauridae.
Diet: Unknown. Probably herbivorous.
First fossils found: Known only from partial specimens, the first of which was discovered by a joint Soviet-Mongolian expedition in the Bayan Shireh Formation of Mongolia's Gobi Desert in 1973. Named by Mongolian palaeontologist, Altangerel Perle, in 1979.
Lived: 102 to 86 million years ago from the Albian stage of the Early Cretaceous through to the Turonian stage of the Late Cretaceous in what is now southern Mongolia.