E. Carboniferous (359-300 mya)

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E. Carboniferous (359-300 mya) - inverts
Arthropleura -largest terrestrial arthropod - 2m
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E. Carboniferous (359-300 mya) - inverts
- radiation of insects - evolution of flight
Meganeura monyi - largest insect ever wingspan of
70 cm
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E. Carboniferous (359-300 mya) - inverts -
plants
The early Carboniferous saw a reduction in the
Devonian forests and a dominance of small plants
- lycopods and their kin. Lepidodendron Psaronius
- fern Lebachia - progymnosperm Cordaites -
progymnosperm
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E. Carboniferous (359-300 mya) - inverts -
plants
The early Carboniferous saw a reduction in the
Devonian forests and a dominance of small plants
- lycopods and their kin. As the period
proceeds, the giant lycopsid swamp forests evolve
across the tropical continent of Euramerica.
There was lots of photosynthesis, but this was
not balanced by decomposition (because much of
the biomass was preserved in sediment, not broken
down by decay). So, oxygen production by
photosynthesis exceeded oxygen consumption by
decomposition... and oxygen levels were probably
very high...this may have allowed the enormous
size of invertebrates.
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E. Carboniferous (359-300 mya) - inverts -
plants
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E. Carboniferous (359-300 mya) - inverts -
plants
Coal deposits in shallow tropical swamps
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E. Carboniferous (359-300 mya) - inverts -
plants - vertebrates sharks replace
placoderms as dominant in oceans

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The golden age of sharks - 45 Families (currently
21)
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E. Carboniferous (359-300 mya) - inverts -
plants - vertebrates sharks replace
placoderms as dominant in oceans ray finned
fishes dominate in fresh water

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- vertebrates radiation of stem tetrapods!!

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- vertebrates radiation of stem tetrapods!!

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- vertebrates radiation of stem tetrapods!!

"Anthracosaurs"
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E. Carboniferous (359-300 mya) - inverts -
plants - vertebrates sharks replace
placoderms as dominant in oceans ray finned
fishes dominate in fresh water stem tetrapods
radiate!

"crown" tetrapods
Seymouriamorpha
Temnospondyls
Ichthyostegans
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E. Carboniferous (359-300 mya) - inverts -
plants - vertebrates stem tetrapods

Temnospondyls a very diverse radiation of
tetrapods, from alligator-like salamanders to
large, scaled, frog-like creatures. Cowens
places these ancestral to Amphibia only, but
recent analyses put them as a sister clade to all
crown tetrapods.
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Temnospondyls a very diverse radiation of
tetrapods, from alligator-like salamanders to
large, scaled, frog-like creatures. Cowens
places these ancestral to Amphibia only, but
recent analyses put them as a sister clade to all
crown tetrapods.


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Seymouriamorpha


Radiate in Permian but earliest fossils from the
Carboniferous... larvae have external gills,
which pulls them out of the amniota...
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- vertebrates radiation of stem tetrapods!!

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The Amniote Divide


The amniotic egg was a big advance - amnion
protects the embryo - yolk sac provides
nourishment - allantoic sac holds waste produced
by embryo
Resist desiccation Provision embryo allows for
colonization of dry habitats
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Primitive Amniotes Hylonomus lyelli an early
reptile Carboniferous of Nova Scotia


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E. Carboniferous
- The Amniote Radiations
SYNAPSID
Anapsid ancestor Hylonomus Casineria
ANAPSID (turtles?)
DIAPSID
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I. The Precambrian - Vendian II. Paleozoic
A. Cambrian (544-490 mya) B. Ordovician
(490-443 mya) C. Silurian (443-417 mya)
D. Devonian (417-354 mya) E. Carboniferous
(359-300 mya) F. Permian (300-251 mya)
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F. Permian (300-251 mya)
Pangaea forms
The fusion of land masses reduced the amount of
humid coastline and increased the extent of dry
inland areas. This favored the amniote
radiations over "amphibian" clades.
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F. Permian
- The Amniote Radiations Diversify
SYNAPSID
Anapsid ancestor Hylonomus
ANAPSID (turtles)
DIAPSID
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F. Permian (300-251 mya)
Synapsids dominate through the early Permian
Pelycosaurs
Dicynodonts
Gorgonopsids
Therapsids
Cynodonts
Mammals
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F. Permian (300-251 mya)
Pelycosaurs dominate early
include the great sail-finned animals like
Dimetrodon
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F. Permian (300-251 mya)
Early Therapsids, like Gorgonopsids, dominate in
the mid-late Permian
Moschops
Dinocephalians
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F. Permian (300-251 mya)
Dicynodonts come to numerical dominance in the
late Permian
abundant herbivores
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F. Permian (300-251 mya)
and the first Cynodonts appear
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F. Permian (300-251 mya)
large herbivorous anapsids were also present
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F. Permian (300-251 mya)
Diapsids were small and lizard-like the
Synapsids ruled terrestrial communities
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F. Permian (300-251 mya)
- Plants!!
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F. Permian (300-251 mya)
- Plants!! - the dry climate reduced the
great Carboniferous swamp forests lycopods
shrink... - Ferns, and gymnosperms ("seed
ferns", Ginkos, Cycads, and Conifers) gain
prominence... - In particular Glossopteris - a
seed fern - that produces seeds on its leaves
like sori of ferns...
The evolution of gymnosperms introduced two
important adaptive features - pollen (male
gametophyte) - no more swimming sperm reduced
reliance on open water habitats - seed -
protective seed coat reduced desiccation of
embryo, and nutritious endosperm provisioned the
embryo with energy. (Like the amniote egg).
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F. Permian (300-251 mya)
The great Permian extinction!!!!
A huge mantle plume rises towards the surface...
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F. Permian (300-251 mya)
The great Permian extinction!!!!
then it pops like a zit!!
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F. Permian (300-251 mya)
The great Permian extinction!!!!
A huge mantle plume rises towards the
surface... resulting in a great bubble of flowing
lava... the Siberian flats (200,000 squ. mi)
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F. Permian (300-251 mya)
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F. Permian (300-251 mya) -
results 90-95 of marine species go
extinct... trilobites placoderms acanthodian
s
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F. Permian (300-251 mya) -
results 90-95 of marine species go
extinct... trilobites placoderms acanthodian
s 70 of all land families pelycosaurs
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III. Mesozoic Era A. Triassic Period (250 - 205
mya)
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III. Mesozoic Era A. Triassic Period (250 - 205
mya) - climate Dry low sea levels one
large supercontinent beginning to break up
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III. Mesozoic Era A. Triassic Period (250 - 205
mya) - inverts - marine communities -
gastropods and molluscs begin to dominate in
these initially depauperate faunas... the 'modern
marine fauna', including modern reef-builders
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III. Mesozoic Era A. Triassic Period (250 - 205
mya) - Plants - recovery from the mass
extinction is slow lycopsids dominate
early, but soil formation is very slow... -
dry climate selects for seed plants with
pollen the Gymnosperms...
Petrified Forest N. P.
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III. Mesozoic Era A. Triassic Period (250 - 205
mya) - Verts - Medium sized therapsids
dominate early... like Lystrosaurus
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Triassic survivors
Pelycosaurs
Dicynodonts
Gorgonopsids
Therapsids
Cynodonts
Mammals
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III. Mesozoic Era A. Triassic Period (250 - 205
mya) - Verts - Medium sized therapsids
dominate early... like Lystrosaurus -
Temnospondyls resurgent (Mastodonosaurus - 6m)
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III. Mesozoic Era A. Triassic Period (250 - 205
mya) - Verts - radiation of the diapsids,
but only Ichthyosaurs abundant early
Archosaurs Dinosaurs, Pterosaurs, Crocodilians,
Birds
Lepidosaurs Lizards, Snakes, Sphenodonts,
Plesiosaurs)
Diapsida
Ichthyosaurs
Younginiformes
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III. Mesozoic Era A. Triassic Period (250 - 205
mya) - Verts - the opening of the shallow
Tethys Sea between Laurasia and Gondwanaland
created a very productive marine environment,
which was exploited by a diverse group of
evolving marine reptiles
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Archeosaurs Tanystropheus
III. Mesozoic Era A. Triassic Period (250 - 205
mya) - Verts - marine reptiles
Ichthyosaurs
Lepidosaurs Nothosaurus
Placodonts
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III. Mesozoic Era A. Triassic Period (250 - 205
mya) - Verts - marine reptiles
Shonisaurus - 45m largest reptile
(Blue Whale 33m, 110 ft)
Lepidosaurs Nothosaurus
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III. Mesozoic Era A. Triassic Period (250 - 205
mya) - Verts - As the Triassic proceeds,
the Archosaurs displace the Therapsids.
crucrotarsi
Crocodylomorphs (Ornithosuchans and Phytosaurs)
Pterosaurs
Ornithodira (Marasuchas)
Dinosaurs
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III. Mesozoic Era A. Triassic Period (250 - 205
mya) - Verts - As the Triassic proceeds,
the Archosaurs displace the Therapsids. -
Crocodylomorphs
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III. Mesozoic Era A. Triassic Period (250 - 205
mya) - Verts - As the Triassic proceeds,
the Archosaurs displace the Therapsids. - In
the late Triassic, the first Dinosaur radiations
occur.
Ornithichians
Prosauropods
Saurichians
Sauropods
Theropods
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III. Mesozoic Era A. Triassic Period (250 - 205
mya) - Verts - As the Triassic proceeds,
the Archosaurs displace the Therapsids. - In
the late Triassic, the first Dinosaur radiations
occur.
Ornithischians
Ornithichians
Prosauropods
Sauropods
Theropods
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III. Mesozoic Era A. Triassic Period (250 - 205
mya) - Verts - As the Triassic proceeds,
the Archosaurs displace the Therapsids. - In
the late Triassic, the first Dinosaur radiations
occur.
Saurischians
Ornithichians
Prosauropods
Sauropods
Theropods
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III. Mesozoic Era A. Triassic Period (250 - 205
mya) - Verts - As the Triassic proceeds,
the Archosaurs displace the Therapsids. - In
the late Triassic, the first Dinosaur radiations
occur. Oldest Dinosaurs are the Theropod-like
Eoraptor
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III. Mesozoic Era A. Triassic Period (250 - 205
mya) - Verts - As the Triassic proceeds,
the Archosaurs displace the Therapsids. - In
the late Triassic, the first Dinosaur radiations
occur. The first radiation of large dinosaurs
were the herbivorous Prosauropods
By the late Triassic, all large herbivores were
Sauropodomorphs.
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III. Mesozoic Era A. Triassic Period (250 - 205
mya) - Verts - the first mammaliforms...
Morganucodontids
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III. Mesozoic Era B. Jurassic (200-146 mya) -
Climate A global greenhouse - lush tropical
habitats and rich shallow seas lead to the period
of maximum Dinosaur domination.
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III. Mesozoic Era B. Jurassic (200-146 mya) -
Marine Reptiles Ichthyosaurs still present...
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III. Mesozoic Era B. Jurassic (200-146 mya) -
Marine Reptiles but now joined by Plesiosaurs
and Pliosaurs (both Lepidosaurs)
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III. Mesozoic Era B. Jurassic (200-146 mya) -
Marine Reptiles and marine crocodylians....
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III. Mesozoic Era B. Jurassic (200-146 mya) -
Herbivores Ornithichian Stegosaurs
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III. Mesozoic Era B. Jurassic (200-146 mya) -
Herbivores Sauropods - the first of the real
giants
1, small head and peg-like teeth (and elongated
cervical vertebrae) 2, addition of extra
cervical vertebrae to the neck 3, apron-like
pubis 4, fore limbs as long as or longer than
hind limbs, making the back slope posteriorly 5,
teeth restricted to front of mouth 6,
armor.
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III. Mesozoic Era B. Jurassic (200-146 mya) -
Herbivores Sauropods - the first of the real
giants Ultrasaurus (maybe a Brachiosaurus) stood
98 ft long, 140 tons
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III. Mesozoic Era B. Jurassic (200-146 mya) -
Herbivores Sauropods - the first of the real
giants Diplodocus - 90 ft long 11 tons
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III. Mesozoic Era B. Jurassic (200-146 mya) -
Carnivores
1. three-toed foot2. digits IV and V lost on
hand3. long arms4. semilunate carpal5. fused
pelvis6. large hole in lacrimal bone in skull7.
?no unique derived characters?8. giant,
hook-like claw on digit II of pes9. flight
feathers
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III. Mesozoic Era B. Jurassic (200-146 mya) -
Carnivores - Ceratosaurs
Ceratosaurus
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III. Mesozoic Era B. Jurassic (200-146 mya) -
Carnivores - Carnosaurs
Allosaurus
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III. Mesozoic Era B. Jurassic (200-146 mya) -
Carnivores - Avialae
Archaeopteryx
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III. Mesozoic Era B. Jurassic (200-146 mya) -
Carnivores - Avialae
Archaeopteryx
First fossil - 1860 - a flight feather
(asymmetrical)
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The 'London' Specimen - 1861
The 'Berlin' Specimen - 1877
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10th specimen described in 2005 - shows
intermediately rotated halux
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10th specimen described in 2005 - shows
intermediately rotated halux and hyperextended
2nd digit (like Deinonychosaurs - their sister
clade)
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10th specimen described in 2005 - shows
intermediately rotated halux and hyperextended
2nd digit (like Deinonychosaurs - their sister
clade)
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Hand Morphology
A. Herrerasaurus- five digits are present, Digit
V shaded yellow and hidden on other side of hand.
B. Coelophysis. Note that digit V is gone.
C. Deinonychus. Note loss of both digits V and
IV D. Archaeopteryx. Note very close
correspondence in proportions and relative
lengths of bones to Deinonychus. E. Hoatzin
embryo. Number of bones reduced in digit III. F.
Hoatzin adult. Most of the bones of the hand
fused
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Another Set of Examples
Ornitholestes (theropod dinosaur)
Archaeopteryx
Archaeopteryx
Sinornis (a Cretaceous bird)
Modern chicken
Chicken
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III. Mesozoic Era B. Jurassic (200-146 mya) -
Pterosaurs They were present in the Triassic,
but reached their greatest diversity in the
Jurassic, with over 80 species recorded.
However, they would attain their greatest size in
the Cretaceous.
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III. Mesozoic Era B. Jurassic (200-146 mya) -
Pterosaurs They were present in the Triassic,
but reached their greatest diversity in the
Jurassic, with over 80 species recorded.
However, they would attain their greatest size in
the Cretaceous.
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III. Mesozoic Era B. Jurassic (200-146 mya) -
Mammals Docodonts.... a group of beaver-like
animals... the most impressive fossil of the
group was found in Feb 2006 - oldest animal
with fur - demonstrates that mammals were
radiating into a variety of habitats
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III. Mesozoic Era A. Triassic Period (250 - 205
mya) B. Jurassic (205 - 146 mya) C. Cretaceous
(145 - 65 mya)
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III. Mesozoic Era A. Triassic Period (250 - 205
mya) B. Jurassic (205 - 146 mya) C. Cretaceous
(146 - 65 mya) - the warming trend of the
Jurassic continues, and results in very high sea
levels and the expanse of shallow seas over
significant portions of continents
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III. Mesozoic Era A. Triassic Period (250 - 205
mya) B. Jurassic (205 - 146 mya) C. Cretaceous
(146 - 65 mya) - Plants Evolution of
Angiosperms Initially in low
abundance Come to dominate by end of
Cretaceous
Gymnosperms
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III. Mesozoic Era A. Triassic Period (250 - 205
mya) B. Jurassic (205 - 146 mya) C. Cretaceous
(146 - 65 mya) - Plants Evolution of
Angiosperms Initially in low
abundance Come to dominate by end of
Cretaceous
Gymnosperms
Angiosperms
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Archaefructus sinensis Science 2002
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III. Mesozoic Era A. Triassic Period (250 - 205
mya) B. Jurassic (205 - 146 mya) C. Cretaceous
(146 - 65 mya) - Plants Evolution of
Angiosperms Initially in low
abundance Come to dominate by end of
Cretaceous
Gymnosperms
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III. Mesozoic Era A. Triassic Period (250 - 205
mya) B. Jurassic (205 - 146 mya) C. Cretaceous
(146 - 65 mya) - Plants Evolution of
Angiosperms Initially in low
abundance Come to dominate by end of
Cretaceous
Gymnosperms
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III. Mesozoic Era A. Triassic Period (250 - 205
mya) B. Jurassic (205 - 146 mya) C. Cretaceous
(146 - 65 mya) - Inverts radiation of
pollinators radiation of pollinators and
herbivores ground beetles do not
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C. Cretaceous - Verts -Crocodylians
Sarcosuchus 11m
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C. Cretaceous (146 - 65 mya) - Inverts -
Verts Ornithischians Stegosaurs give
way to a variety of new Ornithischian
groups
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Ornithischians Ankylosaurs
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Ornithischians Ceratopsians
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Ornithischians Iguanodonts
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Ornithischians Hadrosaurs
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Ornithischians Pachycephalosaurs
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C. Cretaceous (146 - 65 mya) - Inverts -
Verts Ornithischians Saurischians
- Sauropods The Titanosaurs (and they were
still big)
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The Titanosaurs Andesaurus 40m (?) 80 tons
(?) incomplete skeleton
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The Titanosaurs Argentinasaurus Largest one
known with confidence, but there are bigger
single bones.... 35m 80-100 tons incomplete
skeleton but a hip girdle, vertebrae, and tibia

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C. Cretaceous - Theropods carnivores get
big!! Carnosaurs - Giant Allosaur cousins
like Giganotosaurus
Longer than the largest Tyrannosaurus rex by
2m 40-45 ft... from Argentina (1995)
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C. Cretaceous Carnosaurs - Giant Allosaur
cousins like Carcharodontosaurus
40 ft - slightly smaller than T. rex from Niger
(1927)
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C. Cretaceous Carnosaurs - Tyrannosaurs -
Albertosaurus
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C. Cretaceous Carnosaurs - Tyrannosaurs -
Gorgosaurus
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C. Cretaceous Carnosaurs - Tyrannosaurs -
Tyrannosaurus (3 sp.)
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C. Cretaceous Carnosaurs - Tyrannosaurs -
Tyrannosaurus (3 sp.)
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C. Cretaceous Carnosaurs - Tyrannosaurs -
Tyrannosaurus (3 sp.)
Soft tissue from a femur?. 2005
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C. Cretaceous Carnosaurs - Tyrannosaurs -
Dilong paradoxicus Feathered
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C. Cretaceous - Deinonychians Deinonychus V
elaciraptor
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III. Mesozoic C. Cretaceous - theropods
(still) - Deinonychians Velociraptor
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C. Cretaceous - non-bird feathered
dinosaurs Sinosauropteryx prima (1996) first
non-bird dinosaur with feathers... a Cretaceous
contemporary of birds
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- Protobirds
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- Protobirds Sinornithosaurus (Jurassic)
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- Protobirds Microraptor (Cretaceous)
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Protobirds - Deinonychians Velociraptor
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- Protobirds Unenlagia (Cretaceous)
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- Protobirds Caudipterxy (Cretaceous)
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- Protobirds Protarchaeopteryx (Cretaceous)
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- Protobirds Eoalulavis (Cretaceous)
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- Pterosaurs
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- Pterosaurs Pteranodon - wingspan 7.5 m
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- Pterosaurs
Quetzalcoatlus - largest ptersaur 40 ft
wingspan....
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- Quetzalcoatlus - largest flying animal
Quetzalcoatlus - largest ptersaur 40 ft
wingspan....
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- Mammals...
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- Mammals... - Multituberculates Dominate in
Cretaceous - over 200 species
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The K-T Boundary
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The K-T Boundary
hmm... a new star in the constellation of
Orion... THAT'S weird...
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The K-T Boundary
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The K-T Boundary
WHAT THE HELL!!!
It's the Ceratopsians... they're attacking...!!!
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The K-T Boundary
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The K-T Boundary
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The K-T Boundary
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The K-T Boundary