Re: Wyoming Raptor & herbivoir necks - kinda long reply :-)

["Allan Edels" <edels@email.msn.com>]

Jessica:

    Welcome back.  Sounds like you managed to have some fun on your trip.
:-)   Concerning a "Wyoming Raptor" - I don't know of anything that matches
that - could just be someones's way of marketing a tooth of something else.
It may be an Allosaur tooth - it depends on the size, and specific shape of
the tooth (does the cross-section look like a "D" or "()" or "O" - are there
serrations [you know, like on some steak knives] and if so, where are they
located - things like that will help you figure it out).  (Of course, I
could be wrong - there could be something called "Wyoming Raptor", after
all, there is a _Utahraptor_).

    Since I apparently started the latest thread on hadrosaur necks, I'll
try to describe the questions I had.  While reading the DinoFest
International Symposium Proceedings (of 1996 - published by DinoFest !998 -
and the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia), I read Greg Paul's
paper on herbivorous dinosaur reconstructions.  He shows the silhouettes of
various dinosaurs, including several hadrosaurs.  The hadrosaurs had what I
think are extremely large, thick necks.  Imagine a one-hump camel. Next
image that its back had muscle and skin that stretched from the top of the
hump across to the back of the head.  That's what these pictures seemed to
be showing.  I think that some of the animals look OK with this structure,
and that some of them look silly.  I wanted to know what Greg was trying to
convey - what I've described above - or a neck flap - And if either, where
did the idea come from.  I've gotten quite a few answers - basically, it
comes down to - we have some evidence for some sort of extra skin and muscle
on a few hadrosaurs - but how much exactly is not known, and which
hadrosaurs had it - is unknown.  For pictures, see the article in the
DinoFest symposium proceedings (probably still available from ANSP - I think
it was $20).  There are reproductions of several of those silhouettes in
"The Complete Dinosaur" (edited by James O. Farlow and M. K. Brett-Surman) [
see the article beginning on page 330).  BTW, both books ("The Complete
Dinosaur" and the "DinoFest International Symposium Proceedings") have
discussion of Mesozoic plants - but no pictures.  I don't know of any
reproductions on the Web of these reconstructions.

    In your first post today, you mentioned that your mom bought you a book
"The Dinosauria" - the editors of the book are : Dave Weishampel, Peter
Dodson, and H. Osmolska.  It was published in 1990, but still is a valuable
reference book.  You can learn a lot about cladistics from it, and you can
learn a lot about dinosaurs from it. Obviously, it won't have all the latest
information, but, there are other places to find the newest stuff (like
here!).  You might know Dave Weishampel's name - he built a device to find
out what the sound of a _Parasaurolophus_ might be, and learned how to
'play' it (He has ocassionally appeared on TV because of it).  Dr. Peter
Dodson, is possibly known from several appearances on TV, including taking
part in the Madagascar dig that found _Majoungotholus_ and _Rohanavis_.  He
is also the namer (and discoverer) of_Avaceratops_ - a small ceratopsian -
found in the Judith River Formation in Montana.  (Peter is also a friend of
mine - from long association here in Philadelphia).

    Hope this info helps -

            Allan Edels


-----Original Message-----
From: GOBI 2010 <gobi2010@hotmail.com>
To: dinosaur@usc.edu <dinosaur@usc.edu>
Date: Sunday, September 06, 1998 4:19 PM
Subject: Wyoming Raptor & herbivoir necks


>While at the Tate Museum (did I say I really liked that
>place?*snicker*)...I bought a cast of a 'Wyoming Raptor' tooth, but was
>later told it was the cast of an Allosaur tooth.
>So here's my question was it....
>A type of Allosaur known as Wyoming Raptor?
>A type of Dromaeosaurid known as Wyoming Raptor?
>Or a plain old Allosaur they called 'Wyoming Raptor' just for fun?
>basicly,
>WHAT IS WYOMING RAPTOR?
>
>Also, it seems to be that everyone's been talking about
>hadrosaurid/duckbill dinosaur necks. I don't know what the big thing
>is....I think they had muscular necks, like a horse's (some people say
>bison have necks like duckbills but I dont know-haven't looked at a
>bison neck or skeleton in great detail) because their necks look like
>horse's necks-with the curve in it, ya know???? I was wondering if there
>are any paintings showing duckbills with the 'thick necks' on the 'net,
>or sketches??? I think the thing with them having the muscular neck
>makes sense, at least it has to me since I took biology 2 years ago in
>6th grade...
>(this year'll be fun-I take Advanced Placement Biology)
>
>And another thing...
>(Geeze. Im rambling. Someone stop my fingers from typing!)
>Anyone know of any books that would tell about the plants that lived in
>the mesozoic era in north america? Something that would tell of the
>plants, perhaps by state they were in and the time period, with pictures
>of what they would look like and modern day equivalents??
>-----------------------------
>PS-
>Glad to be back, and glad several people here are glad to see me
>back,too. U R GREAT people out there ;-)
>
>
>Jessica Wagar
>Amateur Paleontologist
>Michigan,USA
>http://server1.hypermart.net/gobi2010/index.htm
>
>Good friends are like good books;
>Hard to find and worth keeping-JNW'98
>
>
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