Early T. Rex ancestor found in South America

[Ghost in the Machine]

Early T. Rex ancestor found in South America
Posted: Jan 13, 2011 5:26 PM EST
Updated: Jan 13, 2011 7:07 PM EST

By RANDOLPH E. SCHMID
AP Science Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) - Back at the dawn of the dinosaur era, a quick-moving predator set the stage for the famous and fearsome giants that followed in its footsteps, according to new research. "It was a little dinosaur, but it carried a big evolutionary stick," said Paul C. Sereno of the University of Chicago, a leader of the team that discovered Eodromaeus.

The 4-foot-long hunter lived 230 million years ago in what is now South America and appears to be the ancestor of such creatures as Tyrannosaurus rex.

"It is stunning," Sereno said of the find, reported in Friday's edition of the journal Science.

Its features, such as a balancing tail and air pockets in the skull, show it was closely related to T. rex, he said.

But while it stood on two feet like T. rex, Eodromaeus (pronounced eyo-DRO-may-us) was a lightweight at just 10- to 15-pounds.

http://www.wrcbtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=13840139

[BrklynLiberal]

1. ...but...but..isn't earth ony 5000 years old????

Were the remains of Fred Flintstone nearby?

[kwolf68]

3. God put the fossils there

To test our faith.

[Ghost in the Machine]

7. The ol' god does have a twisted sense of humor, doesn't he? n/t

[FLPanhandle]

12. I heard it was the devil

To lead as astray.

[derby378]

18. I think God put you here to test MY faith, dude

J/K. You know you're alright in my book! :hi:

[Ghost in the Machine]

6. Yeah, I wonder how those types are gonna try to spin this?

I can't divulge much about Fred... all I can say is that it wasn't Wilma's remains found with him... there's a reason that "Betty's not a vitamin".... :hide:

[aquart]

2. Pet size!

Can we grow some?

[Ghost in the Machine]

8. I want one!!

I've already had a pet timberwolf, a couple of bobcats, a 6 foot python and an alligator.. I want me a dinosaur!

[InvisibleTouch]

15. Heh ... I've had a couple of those myself. :) n/t

[aquart]

26. How often did you have to feed the python?

[Ghost in the Machine]

27. Every 2 to 3 weeks...

It would eat a baby rabbit or 2 to 3 mice.

[InvisibleTouch]

4. Wonderful name!

Eodromaeus - the dawn runner! Dinosaur paleontologists have usually shown good creativity in their name selections - when they could stop squabbling among themselves about who found what first.

[Ghost in the Machine]

9. I didn't know they changed the brontosaurus to Apatosaurus until I read this

I don't keep up with this subject much, but thought others might find it interesting...

[InvisibleTouch]

13. Yeah ... that one's kinda stupid, IMO.

Brontosaurus means "thunder lizard." Apatosaurus means "deceptive lizard." It just doesn't have the same ring.

But the specimen that was named Apatosaurus was actually found before the specimen that was named Brontosaurus. Later it was realized that both fossils were individuals of the same species. Apatosaurus having been found first, it negated the other name. (Brontosaurus also had the wrong head mounted, at first, which led to the many artists' renditions showing the animal with a short, boxy skull - when the actual skull is elongated like Diplodocus.)

Now, no less a paleontologist than Robert Bakker has suggested that when a name is so entrenched in public consciousness and imagination, it shouldn't be changed, and scientific precedent be damned. I agree with him.

Another victim of this silly technicality was Eohippus, the "dawn horse" - the earliest known ancestor of horses. It's been changed to Hyracotherium - "hyrax beast." Just doesn't quite grab the imagination the same way, does it?

[AsahinaKimi]

5. Dick Cheney wants one!!

And maybe it will eat him, if it doesn't spit him out for the bad taste.

[Ghost in the Machine]

10. I don't think it could handle Cheney's flavor...

Honestly, I think a dung beetle would spit Cheney out :-)

[ncteechur]

11. Did they find the saddle?

[Ghost in the Machine]

21. Lol! No, *real* cavemen rode bareback :-)

[johnnie]

14. .

[Ghost in the Machine]

22. ...

Great band! :hi:

[derby378]

16. Awwww, what a cute little guy!

He's just a little bitty chickenhead!



And his great-great-great-granddino turned out to be the feared T. Rex. Simply amazing.

[snooper2]

19. I wonder if he tasted like chicken

:P

What ya cooking tonight?

Oh, some baby T-Rex on the grill

[derby378]

20. That wouldn't be a bad guess

I've had fried alligator before, and although the texture is a bit different, the taste isn't that far removed from chicken. Not bad! :hi:

[Ghost in the Machine]

23. Those look like gator teeth..

I bet he had a hell of a bite!

[HuckleB]

17. K & R!!!!!

[Ghost in the Machine]

24. Thank you n/t

[xchrom]

25. Awesome. nt

[Motown_Johnny]

28. I'll bet it tastes just like chicken