Dinosaurs are looking for prey. Dinosaurs that lived in Russia

Surprisingly, even 120 years ago, paleontologists believed that there were simply no dinosaurs in Russia. American paleontologist Othniel Charles Marsh stated: "Russian dinosaurs, like the snakes of Ireland, are remarkable only in that they do not exist." However, further excavations did not confirm the statement of Charles Marsh, and by now Russian dinosaurs found quite a large number.

The main reason that far fewer dinosaur bones have been found in our country than in some other countries is the peculiarity of the landscape. Most of Russia is covered with dense and impenetrable forests. Archaeologists simply do not have the opportunity to cut down part of the forest to unearth the bones of prehistoric animals. Those areas that are free from forests and cultivated fields provide extremely scarce material. A hundred years ago, in Asia and America, where there are vast desert areas where there are no forests or cultivated fields, thousands of dinosaur bones and even entire dinosaur cemeteries were found. Compared to this, finds even in modern Russia more than scarce.

Another reason why Russian archaeologists have no luck with dinosaurs is the fact that in the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods, which were rich in dinosaur diversity, half of the territory of present-day Russia was covered by seas. According to scientists, there were no less dinosaurs on land than in what is now Canada, the United States or China, but their remains ended up in the zone of sedimentation from sand and clay, which dragged the bones into the seas and literally ground them into dust. Unlike the arid regions of the world, where most of the prehistoric pangolins were found, dinosaur bones in Russia suffered a rather deplorable fate. Even those bones that were well preserved in the ground were literally erased and destroyed from the glaciers that passed through the territory of Russia, and then they entered into action. melt water formed from melting glaciers. As a result, the bones were broken, and subsequently blurred. This explains the paucity of finds on the territory of the largest country, which, it would seem, should have given a real "harvest" of a variety of dinosaurs.

However, not everything is so bad. All the negative factors that influenced the fossilized remains of dinosaurs could not completely destroy their traces and now we know several types of dinosaurs that lived in certain regions of our country.

Often the remains of dinosaurs are found by chance: during the development rock, in mining, unexpected finds ordinary people, erosion of bones by rivers and lakes, and so on. Unfortunately, few people pay attention to the bones that come across on the way, and often people just pass by. For example, paleontologist and writer Ivan Yefremov described his expedition to the Kazakh steppes in the 1920s as follows: "The whole day the horse walked over countless dinosaur bones." The bones covered territories of tens of kilometers. However, in those days, no one needed these skeletons; there were much more pressing issues in the country than the collection of bones of extinct animals. Fifty years later, the researchers went to the Kazakh steppes, but the cemetery was lost and a negligible amount of what Efremov described was found.

For a long time, archaeologists found only individual bones, vertebrae, parts of skulls. A complete dinosaur skeleton was only found in the 1990s. Dinosaur was found on Far East in the hills near Kundur. turned out to be a hadrozvr, which was given the name Olorotitan Arharin (Olorotitan arharensis). This discovery was followed by others. The scientists finally got lucky. The Hadrosvars of these places are considered to be among the very last that existed on earth before the prehistoric lizards became extinct.

Several large dinosaur cemeteries have been found in the last twenty years. The main locations are beyond the Urals - in Kundur, Blagoveshchensk, Shestakov. Also, dinosaurs were found in Buryatia, Krasnoyarsk Territory, Yakutia, the Republic of Tyva, Kemerovo region, Moscow region. Finds in the Krasnoyarsk Territory are considered truly unique. Turtle shells, crocodile teeth, claws of dinosaurs that lived in the middle of the Jurassic period were found here. This bone deposit is unique in that the middle of the Jurassic period is considered a white spot all over the world. Very few traces of him have survived. Not surprisingly, new species of dinosaurs have been found here, including Stegosaurus and the dinosaur Kileskus (Kileskus aristotocus), which is considered the ancestor of tyrannosaurs.

What dinosaurs lived in Russia:

Ivantosaurus

Compsognathus

Kulindadromeus zabaikalsky

Olorotitan Arkharinsky

Let's go back in time and talk about some of the most dangerous animals that have roamed our planet. It is a real happiness for us that these guys ceased to exist, otherwise human existence would be impossible. This particular list discusses ten of the most dangerous dinosaurs. Good news is that they will never come to life again, although it would be dangerous to see them now, but it is really interesting! This experience for some would be the first and last. We hope this list will impress you.

A photo. Suggested coloration of Sinosauropteryx

Its name in Chinese means "wing of the Chinese dragon". It was the first non-Avialae dinosaur to have wings. They had fluffy feathers, long tails and short forelimbs and were close relatives of the Compsognathians. Both belong to the Compsognathus family. However, the feathers of Sinosauropteryx are not suitable for flight. These were short downy feathers visible on the head, back and tail of this life-giving animal.

They lived in the northeastern part of China for Cretaceous and were the first dinosaurs to be discovered in the Isian Formation. Many aspects and their biology are illustrated through well-preserved fossils.

A photo. Liopleurodon in the deep sea

The name means "smooth teeth" and they were marine carnivorous reptiles. They belong to the suborder Pilosauroidea. They lived in the middle of the Jurassic period and could grow up to a whopping 25 meters in length. Their remains have mostly been found in England and France, and one species is known to have existed somewhere in Russia. They had four strong limbs which indicate that they were indeed strong swimmers. Research shows that this body structure provides excellent acceleration, if not top speed.

8 Ankylosaurus

A photo. Ankylosaurus

Ankylosaurus means "bent lizard". It belonged to the ankylosaurid family (lat. Ankylosauridae) and was classified as a reptile. They could grow up to about nine meters in length and weigh over 6,000 kilograms. Fossils report that they lived during the Cretaceous period in the western part North America. A complete skeleton of these species has not yet been discovered, so the illustrations may not be accurate, but at least give an idea of ​​them. This dinosaur was heavily armored, which helped him both in defense and attack.

In ankylosaurs and some other ankylosaur species, the bones at the end of the tail have evolved into a rigid baseball bat-like structure. Some of the bony plates on the skin became huge and completely wrapped around the tip of the tail. Ankylosaurs also had wide hips, which meant that the muscles that move the tail from side to side were large and powerful.

The armored dinosaur ankylosaurus was a close relative of the stegosaurus and these dinosaurs fought off their enemies in the same way. Whereas Stegosaurus had a row of spines at the end of its tail, Ankylosaurus was equipped with a massive hundred-pound tail club. A well-directed strike from this projectile could easily break a hungry T-Rex's hind leg or even knock out a few teeth, although it appears to have also been used in intraspecific combat during the mating season.

A photo. Sarcosuchus on the hunt

Sarcosuchus means "crocodile flesh". It appears that they were very distant relatives of crocodiles that lived about 112 million years ago. These are perhaps the largest crocodiles that have ever lived on Earth, judging by the fossils found in Africa. They are classified as a reptile and belong to the Pholidosauridae family. It is generally accepted that they were as long as a city bus, over 12 meters, and they weighed over 8 tons. One skull was the size of a grown man, one bite and you were gone.

Unlike their closest relatives who lived in marine environment, sarcosuchus fell in love with rivers. He spent most time under water, leaving only his eyes on the surface, he waited for the animals that came to drink.

6. Allosaurus

A photo. Allosaurus

These guys lived at the end of the Jurassic period about 155 million years ago. The name means "strange lizard". It is classified as a reptile and belongs to the family of allosaurids (lat. Allosauridae). It reportedly had a large skull with several very sharp teeth and was about 9 meters long and 4 meters high overall. Some studies show that they could reach 12 meters. They had a heavy tail providing good balance. It is estimated that they weighed about 2.3 tons. Imagine if these creatures were alive or came to life.

It is difficult to assess the mortal danger of dinosaurs only from the fossils that have survived to us. But if you're willing to do some sort of time jump, then the Allosaurus was way deadlier. dangerous predator than a tyrannosaurus. Be that as it may, the Allosaurus was not very smart. For example, a group of adult dinosaurs was found that died in a quarry in Utah, mired in deep slush as they chased prey.

A photo. three troodon

This was little dinosaur, similar to a bird and reportedly lived at the end of the Cretaceous period. Their fossils were first discovered in 1855 in North America. Other species have been found in Texas, New Mexico, and Wyoming. The name means "wounding tooth". It is classified as a reptile and belongs to the Troodontidae family (lat. Troodontidae). They were said to have averaged about 2.5 meters in length and could weigh over 50 kilograms. As we said, they were small. But less is more deadly, at least in most cases.

He didn't have particularly sharp and scary teeth. But it was found that this theropod had a relatively large brain, at least compared to other carnivorous dinosaurs of the late Cretaceous period, and presumably was able to hunt in packs at night.

4. Kronosaurus

A photo. Kronosaurus

The name means "lizard of Kronos". They were named after the Greek titan named Cronus. These dinosaurs had a short neck. They are classified as sauropsids and belong to the pliosaurid family (lat. Pliosauridae). They reached 13 meters in length, but were usually around 9 or 10 meters. They were equipped with large teeth exceeding a length of seven centimeters. The largest of his teeth was 30 centimeters long. Its fossils have been discovered in Australia.

Kronosaurus had teeth up to 30 cm long and used them to tear their prey to pieces, such as huge fish, squid, ammonites and even others. marine reptiles including ichthyosaurs and turtles. Possible bite marks from this animal have been found on one known Elasmosaurus skull.

3. Amphicelium

A photo. Amphicelia in Polish park Dinosaur JuraPark

The name literally means "duality". These dinosaurs were the longest known vertebrates, averaging 40 to 60 meters in length. They weighed 122 tons, and reached a height of a 7-storey building. They were classified as reptiles and belonged to the Diplodocidae family. Their remains were lost at some point, so these guys could not be explored in detail, although the movie Jurassic Park gives a pretty good idea of ​​what they looked like.

2 Velociraptor

A photo. Velociraptor

We're sure you remember these guys from the famous movie called Jurassic Park and this movie gives you an idea of ​​what a problem they might have been for other dinosaurs. The name means "fast hunter" and is said to have lived 75-71 million years ago. They lived in the late Cretaceous period. Their fossils have been found in China and Mongolia. They are classified as reptiles and belong to the family of dromaeosaurids (lat. Dromaeosauridae). They could weigh up to 15 kilograms and grow up to 2 meters in length. Although they may appear potentially harmless given their size and weight, they usually attack in herds and therein lies the problem. In addition, they moved very quickly.

1. Tyrannosaurus

A photo. Apocalyptic scene with tyrannosaurs

We're sure you'd expect the Tysarosaurus to be at the top of the list. The name means "tyrant lizard". Fossils report that these guys lived in western North America about 67 million years ago. They are classified as reptiles and belong to the tyrannosaurid family (lat. Tyrannosauridae). They could grow over 12 meters in length and usually weighed over 6 tons. They were armed with claws and long powerful tails. We are just sure that you can imagine these guys very well if you saw them in the Jurassic Park movie.

Tyrannosaurus rex was first reported to have scaly skin, followed by reports that the lizard king may have been covered in "fluffy feathers," but a new study on tyrannosaurus rex skin reports that these dinosaurs were not covered in feathers.

We will never know if Tyrannosaurus was especially fierce or scarier than other, lesser-known tyrannosaurs like Albertosaurus or Alioramus, whether it hunted live prey or feasted on most of its time. already dead carcasses. In any case, there is no doubt that Tyrannosaurus Rex was the ultimate killing machine when circumstances called for, given its weight of 5 to 8 tons, sharp eyesight, and huge head studded with numerous sharp teeth.

Well, if you have not satisfied your interest in dinosaurs, then we advise you to look documentary"Planet Dinosaur" (Planet Dinosaur), consisting of several series.

Recently, researchers discovered a fossil of a huge flying reptile that could eat all the prey it caught whole and, as they say, not choke. And we are talking about "food" the size of a modern horse.

The remains of an ancient creature were discovered in Transylvania - the famous historical area on the territory of Romania. Experts suggest that the find is about 66-70 million years old.

Researchers say they have found a fossilized cervical vertebra of Hatzegopteryx, a genus of pterosaurs from the azhdarchid family that lived during the Upper Cretaceous era (70.6 - 66 million years ago) in what is now Romania.

Experts describe them as creatures with a short but massive neck and large jaws. That is, the animal was able to swallow a small person or child.

The size of the found fossilized vertebra is approximately 240 millimeters in length and six millimeters in thickness. And it was the study of the characteristics of the find that allowed scientists to assume that hatzegopteryx could eat not only dinosaurs the size of rats, but also larger individuals. So the diet of pterosaurs clearly needs to be reconsidered.

Paleontologists clarify that Hatzegopteryx was a pterosaur that existed during the time of the dinosaurs. Initially, scientists believed that pterosaurs fed on rather small prey, such as baby dinosaurs the size of rats. But the new fossils show that individual large pterosaurs did not disdain even larger prey - horse-sized dinosaurs, for example.

Pterosaurs grew quite massive and large during the late Cretaceous period - the last geological era when dinosaurs existed on Earth. One of the best-known pterosaur fossils is the Quetzalcoatlus, found in Texas, USA. Its wingspan reached 10-12 meters, but the creature itself, as scientists have established, fed on mollusks.

Quetzalcoatl also belonged to the azhdarchid family. And in general, scientists believed that the animals of this family had approximately the same body structure - long legs, neck and wings. But the recently discovered fossil of Chacegopteryx made them rethink their views.

Hatzegopteryx had a fairly short but large neck, which was nevertheless much more powerful than the rest of the azhdarchids. An ancient creature with powerful wings (the span of which was up to 12 meters) weighed almost a quarter of a ton. The researchers say that Hatzegopteryx could even be called a dangerous pterosaur because of its huge jaw.

A study on an ancient creature with huge jaws is published in the scientific publication Peer J.

Jurassic Park taught us that the most feared prehistoric lizard that roamed the Earth was the aggressive predator Tyrannosaurus Rex. But the movie, as is often the case, did not tell us the whole truth. Millions of years ago, there were much more terrible predators on the planet, in comparison with which the tyrannosaurus will seem like a child's toy! Let's meet these monsters!

This dinosaur was a contemporary of Tyrannosaurus rex and was very reminiscent of it. However, judging by the remains found, it was much, much larger. Their metabolism, according to scientists, was something between the metabolism of mammals and reptiles, which allowed them to reach such impressive sizes. They were predators, running at 14 meters per second and preying on smaller dinosaurs, primarily long-necked sauropods and their young, grabbing them with their huge jaws. And, according to paleontologists, they ate everything in their path.

Living in the Cretaceous, Utaraptors looked like miniature T-rexes, but they were distinguished by their strength and aggressiveness, which was outstanding even by the standards of dinosaurs. In addition, they were distinguished by extraordinary dexterity - they could immediately jump a dozen meters in length and more than four meters in height. With forty-centimeter claws on their hind legs, they clung to the back of their prey. Scientists suspect that they hunted in groups; if so, it would have been easy for them to take down a much larger dinosaur.

Larger than tyrannosaurs (at least nine meters, not counting the three-meter tail!), These predators of the late Cretaceous period were almost completely invulnerable. Reinforced bones of the skull, crowned with powerful horns, did not leave the slightest chance to attack him from the front. What is most surprising is that, while really huge, Carnotaurs were also one of the fastest dinosaurs of their era. From such a lizard no one will hide!

Formally, these predatory marine reptiles were not dinosaurs, but, as contemporaries and competitors of ancient dinosaurs, they cannot but be mentioned in the general row. These sea giants grew up to 17 meters, and 10% of their size was occupied by the head - more precisely, elongated jaws full of sharp teeth. Previously, scientists believed that they moved slowly enough, wriggling their whole body, like sea ​​snakes. But detailed studies of the tails of mosasaurus allowed them to come to the conclusion: in fact, these marine predators moved dexterously and quickly, like sharks, and grabbed prey with one lightning movement. Well, anyone could be the prey.

One of the largest and most aggressive predators, Spinosaurus had a sail-like appearance on its back, which made it look twice as big and terrifying. But the main horror he caused in the victims was not this, but his ability to move quickly both on land and on water. There was no escape from Spinosaurus anywhere! It ran at about 25 km/h and weighed more than a Tyrannosaurus Rex and Giganotosaurus combined. Truly creepy creature!

In addition to a magnificent set of teeth, this dinosaur, according to scientists, had good social skills. Paleontologists suggest that these dinosaurs lived in groups and did not show aggression towards their own species. All the rest, these strong and fast predators, who could run at a speed of 30 km / h, ate with pleasure. Both herbivorous and carnivorous dinosaurs, not only small, but also quite large, became their prey. They themselves did not differ much in size from tyrannosaurs, but their ability to hunt in a group made them even more dangerous.

Tyranotitan was a relative of the Gigantosaurus, and differed from it in only a few features. It had more powerful teeth, longer forelimbs, and a stockier build. This burly man ran faster than a tyrannosaurus rex, and, according to paleontologists, he knew how to swim. Yes, there is something to be afraid of!

These monsters were markedly different from their relatives. For starters, instead of three fingers like the vast majority of dinosaurs, they boasted four. But the main thing was the claws on the front paws. They reached almost a meter in length! Therezinosaurus itself grew, on average, up to 10 meters. Judging by the dimensions, it is unlikely that many living creatures of their time would like to meet them on a narrow path!

One look at e
that creature is enough to flinch in horror. A giant bat 10 meters tall, equipped with a long neck and a powerful beak - this can only be dreamed of in nightmares. But Quetzalcoatl also flew no worse bat! With a wingspan of up to 50 meters, it is considered the largest of the known to science flying creatures. They hunted fish and small land creatures, paleontologists believe, and did not measure their strength with large land predators, but this does not make their appearance less nightmarish.

This giant marine predator- a real monster! Its length reached 30 meters, and when it opened its mouth, it opened up no less than three meters! He could easily eat anyone in his path, and no wonder: the largest prey was about half his size. none of marine life couldn't feel safe. Anthropologists suspect that megalodons were the kings of the ocean: their remains are found all over the Earth, from North America to India.

Albertosaurus is one of the ancestors of Tyrannosaurus Rex, and in many ways it is less perfect than its descendant. Its skull bones are thinner and its bite is weaker. But he also had advantages, and very frightening ones. First, thanks to bacteria specific to this species of dinosaur, its bite was poisonous to any victim, except for its fellow tribesmen. And secondly, he could race for prey at a speed of 60 km / h - no worse than a car!

This dinosaur, originally from India, is not yet well known to scientists: its remains have only been found in fragments. However, it is known that the size and general view he resembled a T-rex, but was most likely heavier and more heavily built. If so, his steps must have made the earth tremble, and his roar must have made the leaves fall from the trees. At the mere thought of such a creature, one becomes somehow uneasy.

One of the few dinosaurs that scientists know for certain was that they were covered in dense feathers or fur. Otherwise, the Yutyrannus resembled a T-Rex: nine meters long, full of teeth, and ready to devour anyone in its path. That's just a shaggy skin ... Brrr!

Another relative of the tyrannosaurus, who managed to surpass him in strength and fury. The Acrocanthosaurus was in many ways reminiscent of the Ti-rex, only in that frail front handles were only suitable for picking their teeth, while in the Acrocanthosaurus they were a full-fledged hunting tool, with which he grabbed and tore his prey. This allowed him to hunt dinosaurs no less large than himself - and emerge victorious from the fight.

Do you want to know what kinds of dinosaurs learned to swim underwater?

Most of the huge swimming monsters we know about are called marine reptiles, not dinosaurs. These huge creatures lived in the seas and oceans at the same time that dinosaurs roamed the Earth.

The most famous marine predator is the Spinosaurus.

It was the largest predatory marine dinosaur we know of. Scientists think that he could live both on land and in water. He could dive underwater and swim, as his limbs were webbed in the shape of the flippers of modern drivers. He probably hunted sharks and big fish.

Spinosaurus is the only dinosaur we know of that spent most of its life in the water. Another marine dinosaur Ceratosaurus (Ceratosaurus) probably could swim and hunt crocodiles and large fish underwater.

swimming reptiles

Spinosaurus was not the only large dinosaur living in the water!

The sea abounded with large and ferocious reptiles of all shapes and sizes. Here are a few of them:

Nothosaurus Nobu Tamura

The first major oceanic reptiles were the Nechosaurs, which means "false reptile". They lived in the Triassic period, probably led a lifestyle similar to the life of modern seals. There are about a dozen different species, but Nothosaurus is the best known. This animal was about 4 meters (13 feet), with long, webbed toes and may have had a tail.

These reptiles were replaced by plesiosaurs, which appeared in the early jurassic. Most of them had long necks and small heads - their size ranged from 2.5 meters (8 feet) to 14 meters (46 feet) in length.

Pliosaurus

The largest of these was the Pliosaurus. This animal had teeth over 30 centimeters (12 inches) long, and the pressure of its jaws was four times more powerful than that of Tyrannosaurus Rex. It is 15 meters (49 ft) long.

Another underwater plesiosaur is the long-eyed Elamosaurus.

Elamosaurus

It had four fins and grew to a length of about 14 meters (46 feet). He was a very slow swimmer and probably hunted down large schools of fish while hunting.

Their necks were so long that they could not lift their heads above the water.

Why didn't all dinosaurs swim?

The word "dinosaur" has a very specific meaning.

Science uses the term "dinosaur" to describe a specific type of creature (such as the Spinosaurus), but this name does not include marine reptiles or the so-called "flying dinosaurs".

One of the reasons different classification is different kind their limbs. Dinosaurs had limbs that were located on the ventral part of their bodies, and marine reptiles had limbs that grew on the sides.