Juliasaurus
Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons
I wondered is this was an April Fool’s joke, but apparently Juliasaurus Paleo was discovered in the Morrison Formation, Wyoming, North America in 2020. The Morrison Formation, an area covering 1-3 million square kilometres, has been a rich source of dinosaur fossils since the late nineteenth century.
It prowled the earth around ninety million years before its infamous, much larger cousin, Tyrannosaurus Rex. Its skull formation and dentition suggest that it slashed its prey rather than crushing it. Juliasaurus is a specimen that is almost three-quarters complete, which is unusual, as most dinosaur discoveries are highly fragmented.
Research continues to determine whether Juliasaurus is an entirely new species.
Meanwhile, on loan from a private collector, it goes on public display at Hollytrees Museum in Colchester on April 3rd.
It doesn't look terrifying - but who knows what a dinosaur really looked like. I read somewhere recently that there is a rethink going on over skin and scales to 'maybe' they were covered in feathers. Big Chook....
ReplyDeleteThe thinking has swung all over the place, from warm-blooded to reptilian. It's fascinating to consider the evidence thus far and to wonder what is still to be discovered.
DeleteIt amazes me how new species can be discovered after all this time.
ReplyDeleteIt is amazing, and more will be discovered, I'm sure, with new methods of determination.
DeleteI find all dinosaur findings vey interesting, though I do feel sorry for the T-Rex with his shorter upper limbs. Life must have been harder with those.
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean, but T Rex managed rather well for 2 to 3 million years.
DeleteI guess but needed a better publicist to get on Jurassic park
ReplyDelete😷
DeleteWyoming is my original homeland- dinosaur bones and poop were a common thing to find while strolling through sage and dirt. There is a house not far from my home made entirely out of dinosaur bones called "the oldest house on the planet".
ReplyDeleteA dinosaur bone home - that must have taken a lot of imagination and construction.
DeleteMy favourite dinosaur is the "doyouthinkhesaurus"!
ReplyDelete. . . not if we saw him first . . .
DeleteIt looks very much like a brontosaurus to me. I wonder where it got its name from; was it after the woman who found the skeleton, or funded the excavation?
ReplyDeleteApparently, it was named after a relative of the original owner of the skeleton.
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ReplyDeleteThe best April fool I saw was an article about the new inflatable boats commissioned by the Royal Navy with a view to doubling the size of the fleet. They would be tested on the Serpentine lake in London...
ReplyDeleteI like it.
DeleteLocally we had another giant leek in a newly repaired road.
ReplyDeleteIs it going in the local produce show??
DeleteMmmm ;) That wonderful tracking source called my co-pilot can't find it but I am sure Juliasaurus exists.
ReplyDelete🤣😂
DeleteAmazing that it took this long to discover a new species of dinosaur
ReplyDeleteIt must be very exciting to discover something new.
DeleteThere is a malevolent dinosaur in Washington, DC. It’s called a Trumposaurus, accompanied by Bondisauraus, Patelosaurus etc. they roam freely right now but come November may be seriously restrained.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure all thinking people agree, but the damage already done to the USA's reputation will take generations to repair.
DeleteSounds like a nasty piece of work. I'm glad it's only bones that we come across nowadays. Amazing what they can find out from those bones though
ReplyDeleteThe thought of regenerating dinosaurs from DNA is fascinating, but I hope it never happens.
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