Theropod Dinosaur Research Paper

Adaptive radiation of different organisms have occurred throughout geological time through the filling of ecological niches. Organisms different from one another are capable of radiating greatly, as they evolve traits that allow them to thrive better in their environment. The Anolis lizards of the Caribbean islands are a great example of a single genus to have radiated not once, but multiple times through very similar mechanisms. Different populations of the Anolis phenotypically vary in their morphological traits to facilitate adaptation to particular niches. These phenotypic variations have evolved in convergence in more than one occasion, as recently discovered fossil specimens show similar patterns in morphology to modern Anolis.

Such an era came to a staggering end from the grand celestial meteoroid which assaulted life into

The Tyrannosaurus rex has a bone-crushing force skull, massive and long legs, and a brain that has a strong sense of smell. These characteristics were beneficial to the T-rex. First, the jaw of the T-rex was able to crush their prey's bones and drag the meat further which is also known as puncture and pull strategy. Next, the T-rex legs were massive and long especially in the juvenile stage because it had the strength of an adult legs which they were able to fast walk. Lastly, the T-rex had a strong sense of smell and binocular vision which can easily capture their prey. On the other hand, their arms were shortened relative to the size of T-rex body. There was no evidence that the T-rex used their arms for predation or scavenging.

He narrowed his hunt down to a location in Denmark, where he had sent a colleague to perform an iridium analysis test at ("Asteroids and Dinosaurs: Unexpected Twists and an Unfinished Story," n.d.). When the results came back, Alvarez knew that whatever happened had not been a small-scale disaster. Once again, Alvarez was back to asking questions. What caused the increased iridium levels at the KT boundary? Except this time, he realized that his observations supported the ten year old hypothesis that had been proposed by paleontologist Dale Russell and physicist Wallace Tucker ("Asteroids and Dinosaurs: Unexpected Twists and an Unfinished Story," n.d.). They brought up the possibility of a supernova being the cause of dinosaur extinction. Supernovas are known to release high amounts of iridium, so such a hypothesis fit perfectly with Alvarez’s team’s discovery. However, the hope of having found a conclusion was short-lived. Luis Alvarez had mentioned that if said supernova had occurred that it would have released amounts of plutonium which would have been found alongside the iridium; no plutonium was found at either site. After more digging, the team came up with a new hypothesis ("Asteroids and Dinosaurs: Unexpected Twists and an Unfinished Story," n.d.). Perhaps an asteroid had struck Earth towards the end of the Cretaceous period, blowing enough dust into the atmosphere to

pag). This seems to be the case because from the beginning, one creature has emerged into a more-developed one. It would be logical for humans, being the most evolved, to emerge into a greater creature with something of "superhero" qualities, one who would be invincible, and a species that would never perish. In comparison to this theory, anthropologist, John Hawks, states, "If in the far distant future, habitable planets beyond our solar system were colonized by Earth migrants, that could provide the necessary isolation for new human species to evolve" (Owen; n. pag). Although this seems highly likely to many, human evolution will cease to exist after this meteor hits Earth. Humans are a very vulnerable and fragile species, a species that can only handle so much. David Christian of Big History says that "humans would drown if we were left in water for too long and would freeze or asphyxiate if we were shot ten kilometers into the atmosphere" (Christian; n. pag). This is exactly why the theory of the destructive meteor is, in fact, accurate. If, or when, this meteor strikes, humans will face the same struggle in which the dinosaurs faced and they too will be classified extinct. The magnitude of this meteor will act like a self destruct button, destroying everything in its path, leaving no sign of further evolution

Dinosaurs ruled the earth for over 65 million years and thankfully for the human race, they became extinct. Ultimately, only a major catastrophe could completely wipe out an entire species, let alone an entity of dinosaurs and the debacle on the causes of dinosaur extinction have flooded the minds of paleontologists for centuries. Geologist and zoologist Stephen Jay Gould published “Sex, Drugs, Disasters, and the Extinction of Dinosaurs,” to compare scientific and speculative causes of dinosaur decimation. Personally, I found this passage very informational and enjoyed reading it. Gould provides three theories that capture the reader’s curiosity, allowing room for pondering in one’s mind.

“Sex, Drugs, Disasters, and the Extinction of Dinosaurs” is written by Stephen Jay Gould, professor of geology and zoology at Harvard. This essay is one of more than a hundred articles on evolution, zoology, and paleontology published by Gould in national magazines and journals. It tells about scientific proposals for the extinction of dinosaurs – a confusing but an exciting problem that humanity tries to solve. By analyzing and describing each of the claims for the reptiles’ demise – sex, drugs, and disasters – Gould differentiates bad science from good science and explains what makes some theories silly speculations, while the other, a testable hypothesis.

The impact hypothesis, believes that an asteroid hit the earth that killed all the dinosaurs. This not only killed non avian dinosaurs, but flying reptiles, marine reptiles, reef and plankton. By an asteroid hitting the earth, it changed the atmospheric levels. Evidence shows, high levels of iridium that’s a rare metal to earth covered layers of rocks. This support the theory that a large mountain sized rock hit earths’ surface. The results of the asteroid hitting the earth caused a crater on the earth’s surface because of the force of the rock causing the surface to move and create a wave like structures. The impact and the different levels of iridium killed off the dinosaurs because they were able to live with the different atmospheric levels.

It is difficult to envision that one of the greatest impact craters on Earth that measures up to 180km wide and 900m deep could just vanish just from sight. There have been many different dinosaur extinction theories offered in the recent decades. These range from poisonous plants to mass suicide by dinosaur herds. Although one concept as to how the dinosaurs became extinct has gained a wide acceptance since the 1980’s, involving a major earth impact by a meteor or comet (Icr.org, 2014). This horrific catastrophic event is thought to have extinguished up to two thirds of all animal and plant species, leaving behind a large crater found in Chicxulub, Mexico (LiveScience.com, 2014).

The Diplodocus emerged, 155.7 to 150.8 million years ago, during the Late Jurassic period and primarily roamed Western North America (Gee et al., 2003). First discovered in Cañon City, Colorado in 1877 by Samuel Wendell Williston, the partial Diplodocus fossils, hind limb and tail vertebras, indicated an unusual body construction with two rows of chevron bones on the underside of its tail. Due to this unique skeleton, in 1878, paleontologist Othniel C. Marsh coined its name – Diplodocus: “diplos” meaning “double” and “dokos” meaning “beam” (Norman et al., 1985).

In Stephen Jay Gould’s “Sex, Drugs, Disasters, and the Extinction of Dinosaurs”, Gould investigates three possible theories hypothesizing the reason behind the extinction of dinosaurs. The first theory suggests that dinosaurs became extinct due to a rise in temperature, which caused sperm to die, leading to the sterilization of male dinosaurs. The second hypothesis offer that many dinosaurs consumed bitter plants that contained psychoactive agents which their lives could not detoxify out of their systems. The last speculation about the dinosaur’s extinction is that a large cloud of dust formed in the atmosphere after an asteroid hit Earth’s surface. This dust cloud blocked out the sunlight, causing temperatures to drop and made photosynthesis impossible. Gould uses these three theories to lead to his central claim that science isn’t just about making fascinating claims, but should have a well developed hypothesis.

This researcher proposes that the dinosaurs did not die of heat, in fact she thinks the opposite, that they froze to death instead. Both articles have the same idea about a meteorite hitting the earth yet there is no concrete evidence as to what caused the meteorite to strike and what it did when it got here.

: Fossils are the remains or traces of ancient organisms which have been preserved. For example, a fossil can exist as skeletal remains or even as a footprint. Such organisms are subjected to a slow rate of decaying since they have been rapidly buried under conditions that facilitate this. It is common for fossils to occur as hard-bodied organisms as these are more resistant to environmental influences. Fossils are usually found embedded in rock. The layers of rock are of different age and makeup. Hence fossils found in one layer would vary in characteristics from those found in another layer. They can be observed and analyzed through visual as well as radiometric means so that the age and morphology can be determined. These features indicate

Dinosaur extinction: An analysis of events and theories that possibly led to the dinosaurs' demise.

There were over 1,000 different species of dinosaurs (“Dinosaurs”) that lived and evolved for almost 185 million years (“Dinosaur Facts”). Dinosaurs were some of the largest and most mysterious creatures to walk the Earth. Dinosaurs have helped scientists to understand the Earth and it 's past by studying different types, how they lived, their characteristics and what caused their mass extinction.