Glossary DIN - DON
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DAC - DEI - DIC - DIN - DOR - DRY
DINOHYUS
Dinohyus (meaning: "terrible pig") was a large, warthog-like
hoofed mammal that lived during the early Miocene, roughly 24 million
years ago. This herbivore (it ate plants, including roots) had a long
skull (over 1 m = 3 feet long), a small braincase, a pair of knob-like
protrusions on the back of the lower jaw (in the cheek area), blunt incisors,
and wide, strong canine teeth. Its long legs probably made it a fast runner.
The neck was short and stout and there was a hump on the shoulders formed
by spines along the backbone. It was about 6 feet (2 m) tall at the shoulders
and was the biggest and among the last of the Entelodonts. Fossils have
been found in western North America (including Battle Creek, South Dakota,
USA). Classification: Class Mammalia (mammals), Order Artiodactyla (even-toed
ungulates), Family Entelodontidae (large, pig-like mammals from the Oligocene
to early Miocene, including Archaeotherium, Megachoerus, Dinohyus, Entelodon
and Eoentelodon), Genus Dinohyus.
DINORNIS
Dinornis maximus (meaning: "huge, terrible bird") was the tallest
bird that ever lived. This 11 1/2 ft (3.5 m) tall bird lived in New Zealand.
A flightless moa, it had long, heavily-built legs, a long neck, and a
bulky body. This slow-moving bird ate seeds and fruit. Dinornis appeared
during the Pleistocene and went extinct in around 1800, due to pressures
from humans. Dinornis was named by Richard Owen in 1843; Owen had been
sent a box of bones from a missionary in New Zealand. (Order Dinornithiformes)
Dinosaur
The word literally means "terrible lizard". The term was coined
by British anatomist Sir Richard Owen (1804-1892) to describe fossil remains
which did not correspond to any living creatures.
Dinosaur Cove
An important fossil site in the south east of Australia. The fossils date
from the Early Cretaceous period and were laid down in a polar forest
environment. The fossils are of many dinosaurs including Leaellynasaura.
DINOTYRANNUS
(pronounced DIEN-oh-ty-RAN-us ) Dinotyrannus (meaning: "terrifying
tyrant") was a large, meat-eating Tyrannosaurid dinosaur (closely
related to Tyrannosaurus rex). This Coelurosaurid theropod lived during
the late Cretaceous Period in what is now North America. Dinotyrannus
was named by Olshevsky, Ford, and Yamamoto in 1995.
DIPLOCAULUS
(pronounced DIP-low-cawl-us) Diplocaulus (meaning: "souble stalk")
was not a dinosaur but an early amphibian, long extinct. It had a boomerang-shaped
head (formed by two elongated bones at the back of the head), four short
legs, and a short tail. It was 3 feet (1 m) long and lived from the late
Carboniferous to the late Permian period (about 270 million years ago).
Its fossils have been found in Texas, USA, North America.
DIPLODOCIDS
The Diplodocids (or Diplodocidae) were a group (family) of huge, quadrupedal,
long-necked, whip-tailed, plant-eating dinosaurs (sauropods). Diplodocids
had a small head with had peg-like teeth and a squarish snout - the two
nostrils opened at the top of the head (with one opening). Some Diplodocids
included Apatosaurus, Diplodocus, Seismosaurus, Supersaurus, Barosaurus,
and others.
Diplodocus
This massive four legged herbivore lived in the Late Jurassic period.
It is thought that it inhabited the plains, grazing in large herds grazing
on a variety of plants. It could grow up to 30 metres long and could weigh
up to 20 tonnes.
DIPLOTOMODON
Diplotomodon (meaning: "double cutting tooth") was a meat-eating
dinosaur that lived during the Late Cretaceous Period. This coelurosaur
(an advanced theropod dinosaur) is only known from a single fossilized
tooth that was found in Glouchester County, New Jersey, USA, in 1865 -
the tooth has since been lost. The type species is D. horrificus (named
by Leidy in 1865) - it is a nomen dubium (a duboius species because too
little infromation is known about it). It was originally called "Tomodon"
(which means ""horrific double cutting tooth").
DIPROTODONTIDAE
The Diprotodontidae (named by Gill in 1872, meaning: "two early teeth")
are a family of Australian wombat-like marsupial mammals that have three
or fewer upper incisors. Diprotodonts evolved during the middle Miocene
period. Diprotodon was a 10 ft (3 m) long Diprotodont from the Pleistocene
(about 2 million years ago until about 10,000 years ago); this big plant-eater
weighed about 2000 kg.
DIRACODON
(pronounced dye-RAK-oh-don ) Diracodon (meaning: "neck-point tooth")
was a plated ornithopod, a plant-eating dinosaur that lived during the
late Jurassic Period in what is now North America. Diracodon was named
by Marsh in 1880. This ornithischian may be a stegosaur.
DISCOSAURISCUS
Discosauriscus was an ancient amphibian (a seymouriamorph, NOT a dinosaur).
This extinct, well-adapted land-dweller had sharp teeth in wide jaws,
it walked on four short, sprawling legs, and had a long tail. It lived
during the early Permian period (almost 300 million years ago). Discosauriscus
was named by Makowsky in 1876. Hundreds of fossils of this tetrapod have
been found in Central and Western Europe. Classification: Class Amphibia,
Order Seymouriamorpha, Family Seymouridae, Genus Discosauriscus.
DISPERSAL
Dispersal is the process in which an organism spreads out geographically.
Many dinosaurs dispersed over a large area.
DISTAL
Distal means farthest from the point of attachment to the body (compare
with proximal, its opposite).
DODO
The dodo is an extinct, flightless bird that lived on an island in the
Indian Ocean near Africa.
DOEDICURUS
Doedicurus (family glyptodontidae) was an ancient armadillo that lived
during the Pleistocene. This extinct, armored mammal had four short legs,
powerful jaws, with no teeth in the front and grinding teeth farther back
in the jaws. This glyptodont had a long tail with a mace at the end. Doedicurus
was 13 feet (4 m) long and 5 feet (1.5 m) tall. Fossils have been found
in Patagonia, South America. These herbivores (plant-eaters) may have
been preyed upon by saber-toothed cats and borhyaenids.
DOGGER EPOCH
The Dogger epoch was the middle part of the Jurassic Period, about 180
to 159 million years ago.
DOLICHORHYNCHOPS
Dolichorhynchops was a plesiosaur, an aquatic reptile - it was not a dinosaur.
It had four flipper-like limbs, a long, pointed, narrow snout filled with
teeth, and a shot neck. It lived during the , Dolichorhynchops was named
by Williston in 1903. Fossils have been found in Kansas and Wyoming, USA.
DONG ZHIMING
Dong Zhiming is a Chinese paleontologist who named the following Chinese
dinosaurs: Alxasaurus (with Russell, 1993), Archaeoceratops (with Azuma,
1998), Bellusaurus (1987), Chungkingosaurus (1983), Datousaurus (1984),
Gasosaurus (1985), Gongbusaurus (1983), the family Homalocephalidae (1978),
Huayangosaurus (1982), Hudiesaurus (1998), Kelmayisaurus (1973), Microhadrosaurus
(1979), Micropachycephalosaurus (1978), Nanshiungosaurus (1979), Shanshanosaurus
(1977), Shunosaurus (1983), Siluosaurus (1998), Sinornithoides (with Russell,
1994), Tianchiasaurus (1993), Tugulusaurus (1973), Tuojiangosaurus (1977),
Wuerhosaurus (1973), Xiaosaurus (1983), Xuanhanosaurus (1984), Yangchuanosaurus
(1978), and Zizhongosaurus (1983). He worked extensively with Dong Zhiming,
and also worked with Li, Tang Zilu, Zhang, and Zhou Shiwu, who were co-namers
of many of the above-listed dinosaurs.