For Immediate Release Contact: Pat Kremer/Nancy O’Shea (312) 665-7100 (For Media Use Only) Meet the Dinosaurs Getting to Know the Stars of Dinosaur Dynasty In any encounter with an unfamiliar beast, it’s a good idea to go armed with the facts. Here’s some background information to help you get to know Sue’s Chinese friends—some appearing in fossil form, others as casts of the original fossils. The Chinese dinosaurs belong (like other dinos) to two orders: Ornithischia (bird-hipped), which were four-legged plant-eaters; and Saurischia (lizard-hipped), which included two-legged meat-eaters (theropods) and four-legged plant-eaters (sauropods). Triassic Period: 245 to 200 million years ago Keichousaurus (KI-chow-SAWR-us: Keicho-area lizard) 235 million years ago Fossil. Height: 4 inches or less; length: 3 feet or less This creature is not a dinosaur but a reptile that returned from the land to the sea. It paddled around like a miniature seal with a long neck, eating small fish and maybe coming out of the water occasionally to sun itself. Dinosaur egg nests Fossils. The two original fossil egg nests in the exhibition show very different egg-laying patterns. The breadloaf-shaped eggs in the theropod (meat-eater) nest form a neat spiral, while the other nest—possibly from a large, plant-eating hadrosaur—is a more random hodge-podge of roughly spherical eggs. But there’s one important similarity: the hard shell that characterizes all reptile eggs and allowed reptiles to spread across the land. Jurassic Period: 200 million to 144 million years ago Lufengosaurus (LOO-fung-oh-SAWR-us: Lufeng-region lizard) 205-200 million years ago Fossil. Height: 9 feet when standing upright; length 15 feet An early ancestor of Mamenchisaurus, this sauropod from southern China was a plant-eater that could stand on its strong hind legs and tail to feed on branches of coniferous trees, high above the reach of its competitors. The claws on its front and back feet were useful for defense as well as for gripping tree trunks and branches. Dilophosaurus (dye-LO-fuh-SAWR-us: two-crested lizard) 200 million years ago Cast. Height: 8 feet; length: 16 feet This fierce-looking theropod was much larger than the one you may have seen in Jurassic Park—and it didn’t spit poison! But it did have two crests, and sharp teeth that indicate it was a meat-eater. Toujiangosaurus (too-HWANG-o-SAWR-us: Tuo River lizard) 175-154 million years ago Cast. Height: 7 feet; length: 20 feet One of the fighting dinosaurs on display, this early stegosaur was the first plated dinosaur discovered in China. It was a plant-eater of the order Ornithischia. The two rows of plates helped control its body temperature, but were probably useless for defense. Fortunately, the creature had a double-spiked tail it could whip against an attacker’s belly. Monolophosaurus (MOH-noh-loh-foh-SAWR-us: single-crest lizard) 170 million years ago Cast. Height: 7.5 feet; length 16.5 feet An early theropod, this creature was nevertheless quite large and would have been a fearsome opponent for the Tuojiangosaurus it’s fighting. The crest on its skull might have been useful in attracting a mate or warning off other dinosaurs. Bellusaurus (BELL-uh-SAWR-us: beautiful lizard) 170 million years ago Cast. Height: 5 feet; length: 14 feet Little is known about this sauropod, a diminutive and more primitive cousin of Mamenchisaurus. We’re not even sure how large it grew, since the only fossils found may be from a juvenile. But we do know that its neck was longer than its trunk, and its spoon-shaped teeth would have been perfect for biting off tough leaves. Szechuanosaurus (SECH-ooh-ahn-oh-SAWR-us: Szechuan lizard) 160-144 million years ago Cast. Height: 6 feet standing upright; length: 15 feet Only a few fossils have been found of this mid-sized theropod from central China. It had a muscular head and sharp teeth, and was probably related to the much larger North American Allosaurus. Mamenchisaurus (mah-MEN-chih-SAWR-us: China lizard) 156 million years ago Cast of teenager. Height: 7 feet; length: 27 feet The longest-necked animal that ever lived, this sauropod’s neck was nearly half the length of the entire animal. Adults could grow up to 70 feet long. It was so long that in addition to its brain, this animal had an extra nerve center near its hips to control its legs and tail. It also needed a huge heart to pump blood through the giant body, estimated to weigh 30 tons. It must have spent most of its days eating plants to keep that huge body going! Continue