Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. In 1989 several skeletons of a herbivorous dinosaur of a previously unknown genus were discovered at Dinosaur Cove in southwestern Victoria. The genus was called Leaellynausaura, a name meaning 'Leaellyn's lizard'. Who or what was Leaellyn?
2. Another discovery made at Dinosaur Cove, in 1984, was the Atlascopcosaurus loadsi, of which a reconstruction is shown here. Because there is actually very little fossil evidence (a piece of the upper jaw with some teeth), some doubt whether it does in fact belong to a species, or even a genus, of its own. What is the term used by archaeologists for this kind of uncertain classification?
3. In 1980, Ralph Molnar found the skeleton of an ankylosaur near Minmi Crossing in Queensland, and named the species Minmi paravertebra, following the common practice of naming a new specimen for the site of its discovery. What does it mean to say that this dinosaur was an ankylosaur?
4. Once again we have the Rich team to thank for finding NMV P186303, which was decreed to be the left femur of a specimen of Timimus hermani. An interesting feature of this bone is that growth appears to have been cyclical rather than continuous. What does this suggest may have been T. hermani's way of coping with the long dark Arctic winters?
5. QMF7292 is the designation of a collection of fossil bones collected in the same site that consisted of a left shoulder blade, two mostly-complete forelimbs, a handful of vertebrae, part of a hip, some ribs, and some smaller unidentifiable pieces, for which the diagram shows a probable reconstruction. The bones have been used to define the genus Wintontitan, a titanosaur. At which of these well-known Australian fossil sites were they unearthed?
6. AODL 603 was another collection of bones found near Elderslie Station. Its bones are thicker and stronger than those of the Wintonotitan, so they can be distinguished even when they are found close together. The genus name is Diamantinasaurus, a reference to the nearby Diamintina River. The species name, however, bears a reference to an iconic Australian poem (later turned into a song), written by Banjo Paterson. Which of these is the correct name for the species and the song?
7. In 2009 Scott Hucknull identified a set of bones belonging to a bipedal carnivore of a genus he dubbed Australovenator. What is the translation of this genus name into English?
8. Some footprints found at Lark Quarry in Queensland are the only traces we have of a dinosaur that gets its name from the fact, as is suggested by its name, that its foot resembles that of the Tyrannosaurus rex shown here. Which of these is it?
9. There are several terms used to describe the dinosaur that made this footprint. The one in the picture is referred to as a Grallator (stilt walker) footprint because of the track's resemblance to that of some species of birds. The Australian ones found in Lark Quarry, Queensland are usually referred to as Skartopus prints. These terms do not define a particular species, just the kind of tracks they made. Nevertheless, it is possible to make some deductions about the animal that made the print. In the case of Skartopus, paleontologists think that the original animal was about the size of the modern Gallus gallus domesticus, although they believe it was a carnivore, not a soil-scratching omnivore. Which of these modern animals is about the size of the Skartopus?
10. We arrive at Australia's most famous dinosaur, if only because spelling its name is so tricky. The species Muttaburrasaurus langdoni gets its genus name from the Queensland town of Muttaburra, near which it was originally found. Where does the species name originate?
Source: Author
looney_tunes
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CellarDoor before going online.
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