dino-files:

Name: Bambiraptor
Pronounced: Bam-Bee-Rap-Tore
Classification: Theropod
Temporal Range: Late Cretaceous (72 Mya)
Length: 1.3 metres
Height: 0.5 metres
Weight: 5kg
Movement: Bipedal
Feeding Type: Carnivore

Information:
            Bambiraptor is a small dromaeosaurid dinosaur that lived during the Late Cretaceous period in what is now modern-day North America. Bambiraptor is only known from one skeleton that was approximately 95% complete, and its small size and similarities to other dromaeosaurids initially led to the suggestion that the skeleton in fact represented a juvenile Saurornitholestes. Bambiraptor had extremely long hind limbs in proportion to the rest of its body, suggesting it could have been a very fast, efficient runner. It also had very long arms, with a manoeuvrability that would allow the hand to reach its mouth. This would have given Bambiraptor the ability to hold food in its front limbs and place it in its mouth, in a similar manner to that of modern-day small mammals.
            Bambiraptor had one of the largest brains, in relation to its body size, of all the dinosaurs, and this large brain indicates higher agility and higher intelligence levels than other dromaeosaurids. Experts have suggested that this large brain size was required because Bambiraptor primarily hunted small reptiles and mammals, animals with high levels of agility. Despite no feathers being discovered on the fossil of Bambiraptor, dinosaur reconstruction experts have regularly portrayed Bambiraptor as being covered in feathers. This is due to the fact that recent discoveries have confirmed almost all small dromaeosaurid dinosaurs were fully covered in feathers; however the exact colour of the plumage that covered Bambiraptor is still unknown.  

bublog:

And now begins a painfully cute series of photos featuring BUB and her new BFF, a stuffed ankylosaurus.

Also, this BUB interview is the featured cover story on CATSTER.

(via fuckyeahdinoart)

(Source: illustrateduniverse, via fuckyeahdinoart)

paleoillustration:

Herrerasaurus by John Gurche

(via scientificillustration)

dailyfossil:

Statement from the President of Mongolia

As some of you might have seen in the media, there is going to be an auction in New York City tomorrow, May 20th 2012. Heritage Auctions is the auction house running the event. The biggest ticket item, and the one that is getting this auction a lot of coverage in the press, is an almost complete skeleton of Tarbosaurus bataar, which is being referred to as a T-rex in some stories. The two dinosaurs are very simular to one another.  The problem is that this specimen assuredly comes from Mongolia. Thus, it is stolen. 

Here is a letter from Dr. Mark Norell, the dinosaur curator at the American Museum of Natural History, explaining the situation:

It is with great concern that I see Mongolian dinosaur materials listed in the upcoming (May 20) Heritage Auctions Natural History catalogue. For the last 22 years I have excavated specimens Mongolia in conjunction with the Mongolian Academy of Sciences. I have been an author on over 75 scientific papers describing these important specimens. Unfortunately, in my years in the desert I have witnessed ever increasing illegal looting of dinosaur sites, including some of my own excavations. These extremely important fossils are now appearing on the international market. In the current catalogue Lot 49317 (a skull of Saichania) and Lot 49315 (a mounted Tarbosaurus skeleton) clearly were excavated in Mongolia as this is the only locality in the world where these dinosaurs are known. The copy listed in the catalogue, while not mentioning Mongolia specifically (the locality is listed as Central Asia) repeatedly makes reference to the Gobi Desert and to the fact that other specimens of dinosaurs were collected in Mongolia. As someone who is intimately familiar with these faunas, these specimens were undoubtedly looted from Mongolia. There is no legal mechanism (nor has there been for over 50 years) to remove vertebrate fossil material from Mongolia. These specimens are the patrimony of the Mongolian people and should be in a museum in Mongolia. As a professional paleontologist, am appalled that these illegally collected specimens (with no associated documents regarding provenance) are being are being sold at auction.

 Sincerely,

 Dr. Mark A. Norell

Chairman and Curator

Division of Paleontology

So far the only response from the auction house has been ‘we didn’t break any US laws, why didn’t the Mongolian government contact us before?’ and my favorite, and I will quote here: Mongolia won its independence in 1921 and this specimen is obviously quite a bit older than that.

What can be done? Probably not much, sadly. But it is important that people realize it is /NOT/ okay to take these materials out of their countries of origin with out working with the local governments. That is true for both for profit enterprises such as this auction but also for purely scientific studies. Most of the mongolian material at the AMNH currently is on long term loans, and many amazing specimens have already been returned to Mongolia.  

It is very upsetting that the vast majority of articles in the media about this specimen and the auction make NO mention of the illegal source of the material.  Spread the word! And please, never buy vertebrate fossils from private collectors.

fuckyeahdinoart:

Deinonychus Sculpture by pheaston

fuckyeahdinoart:

Birds of a feather by =Culpeo-Fox

paleogirlcrafts:

Treveropyge Trilobite keychain. This was a request I was working on for an Etsy customer. Treveropyge Trilobites are known for their very large convex eyes. This is the first time I’ve used wire and beads on a plush, but I think it conveys the general compoundy-ness I was going for. :) And they look angry. Not quite the usual ‘adorable’ end result for me, but maybe that’s because I went a little bit more realistic (probably not color-wise, though hehe).

dailyfossil:

Mei 

When: Early Cretaceous (~125 million years) 

Where: Liaoning, China

What: Mei is a paravian dinosaur. Paraves is the clade comprised of birds and two families of non-avian dinsaurs; Troodontidae and Dromaeosauridae. As Mei is a fairly basal member of the troodontids, it is not very far removed from the common ancestor of all paravians. Its bird-like heritage can be easily seen in this extraordinary articulated fossil shown above. This specimen was found in a sleeping pose, which is very much like the resting posture of many modern birds, with the legs folded underneath the body and the head folded back and resting on the shoulder.  It is this pose that gives the taxon its full name:  Mei long, which translates to ‘sleeping dragon’. This animal is a sub-adult, determined via the ends of its bones not yet being fused, and would be roughly 21 inches (~53 cm) long, if it was not curled up as it is.  

 The find of a basal troodontid in this pose gives us far more information than just when the sleeping posture was adapted by this clade. It has been determined that modern birds commonly sleep like this to preserve their body heat, covering up the areas that are most prone to radiating heat. If Mei long  and its kin were not ‘warm blooded’ than there would be no benefit to sleeping in this pose. Thus, this provides another compelling bit of evidence that the ‘warm bloodedness’ of modern birds was present in their mesozoic non-avian relatives. 

(via scientificillustration)

fuckyeahdinoart:

T. Rex the Printmaker - by Geoff Silvis

fuckyeahdinoart:

This is the first session of my Parasaurolophus walkeri tattoo by Nick Baxter.

I wanted to do a “dissection”-style effect, as well as show a few cheek teeth. This is only the first session, the Parasaurolophus will eventually be in color when the piece is complete.

fuckyeahdinoart:

Desperate: Baryonyx by *SaraRichard

lindentea:

Hesperonychus elizabethae by ~WanderingAlbatross

(via scientificillustration)

fuckyeahdinoart:

asleep
by Richard Morden

asleep poster art on redbubble

http://pixbyrichard.tumblr.com