Glossary EMB - EPA
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EMBASAURUS
(pronounced EM-bah-SAWR-us) Embasaurus (meaning: "Emba lizard,"
named for the Emba River in Kazakhstan) was a meat-eating dinosaur from
the late Cretaceous Period. It is known from 2 partial vertebrae found
in Kazakhstan. Embasaurus was named by Riabinin in 1931. The type species
is E. minax. This is a dubious genus because of the sparse fossils.
EMBRYO
An embryo is a very young, unborn organism. Some fossilized dinosaur embryos
have been found.
ENANTIORNITHES
Enantiornithes (meaning: "opposite birds") were a group of toothless
birds that evolved during the Cretaceous period. They ranged in size from
a few inches to the size of a vulture. They evolved alongside modern-day
birds, but were an evolutionary dead-end. Their name, meaning: "opposite
birds," refers to the fact that their shoulder blade (scapula) and
coracoid (a small bone connected to the scapula) are oriented opposite
to that of modern birds. Some Enantiornithes genera include Eoalulavis,
Gurilynia, Lingyuanornis, Alexornis, Kizylkumavis, Lenesornis, Sazavis,
Iberomesornis, and others.
ENDOCAST
An endocast is the cast of a brain, taken from the cranial cavity of a
skull.
ENDOCRANIAL CAVITY
The endocranial cavity is the area within the skull where the brain and
other tissue are located.
ENDOTHERMIC
Endotherms maintain a relatively constant internal temperature. Endothermic
animals generate their own body heat to maintain their body temperature,
which is usually higher than that of the surroundings. Heat from the bloodstream
circulates through the body in order to maintain the animal's temperature.
Birds and mammals are endothermic.
ENIGMOSAURUS
(pronounced ee-NIG-moh-SAWR-us ) Enigmosaurus (meaning: "mystery
lizard") was a huge meat-eating dinosaur from the late Cretaceous
Period. This bipedal predator was about 21-23 ft (6.5-7 m) long; it was
an advanced theropod, a Therizinosaur. Only a partial pelvis of Enigmosaurus
was found in Mongolia. The type species is E. mongoliensis. Enigmosaurus
was named by Barsbold and Perle in 1983.
ENTELODONT
(pronounced en-TELL-oh-dons) Entelodonts (meaning: "perfect teeth")
were huge, ancient mammals that lived in Mongolia, Asia, and in North
America. These four-legged, cloven-hooved, omnivores (eating both plants
and meat) may have been scavengers. These artiodactyls (relatives of modern-day
pigs and hippos) were about 7 feet tall at the shoulder. They had protective
bony lumps on the face, relatively short legs, a big skull, a long snout,
and large, thickly-enameled teeth in large jaws. Entelodonts lived from
45 until 25 million years ago.
EOALULAVIS
Eoalulavis was the earliest bird that had good maneuverability while flying,
even at low speeds (this extra flight control is obtained from a tuft
of feathers on the thumb called the alula - it also helps in takeoffs
and landings). Fossils of this extinct bird have been found in Spain.
(Class Aves)
EOBRONTOSAURUS
(pronounced EE-oh-BRON-toh-SAWR-us) Eobrontosaurus (meaning: "dawn
thunder lizard") was a huge plant-eating dinosaur from the late Jurassic
Period.. This long-necked, whip-tailed, small-headed quadruped was very
similar to Apatosaurus (the original Brontosaurus), but slightly more
primitive. It was a diplodocid sauropod. A partial fossil was found in
Wyoming, USA. The type species is E. yahnahpin (Filla, James and Redman,
1994). Eobrontosaurus was named by American paleontologist Robert Bakker
in 1998.
EOCERATOPS
(pronounced EE-oh-SER-ah-tops) Eoceratops (meaning: "dawn horn face")
was an early ceratopsian dinosaur. This ceratopsid had a short frill and
three short horns on its face. It had a large skull, four sturdy legs
with hoof-like claws, a bulky body and a short, pointed tail. It lived
during the late Cretaceous Period. This dubious genus may have been an
ancestor of Triceratops or it may be a juvenile Chasmosaurus. Fossils
have been found in North America. Eoceratops was named by Canadian paleontologist
L. Lambe in 1915. The type species is Eoceratops canadensis. For more
information, see Chasmosaurus.
EOHIPPUS
Eohippus (meaning: "dawn horse") is the genus of the earliest-known
horse. Another name for this genus is Hyracotherium. It dates from the
early Eocene Epoch and lived in the Northern hemisphere (Asia, Europe,
and N. America). It was 2 feet (60 cm) long and 8 inches (20 cm) high
at the shoulder (the size of a small dog!). It had a long skull with 44
long-crowned teeth (it could only eat soft leaves). It had 4 hoofed toes
on the front feet and 3 hoofed toes on each hind foot. Family Equidae.
EOLAMBIA
(pronounced EE-oh-LAMB-ee-ah) Eolambia (meaning: "dawn lambeosaurine";
lambeosaur were crested duckbill dinosaurs) was a plant-eating dinosaur
from the middle Cretaceous Period. This is the earliest-known hadrosaur
(duckbill) but not the most primitive (which is Protohadros). Fossils
were found in Utah, USA. Eolambia was named by paleontologist Kirkland
in 1998. The type species is E. caroljonesa.
EOMAIA
(pronounced EE-oh-MY-ah) Eomaia (meaning: "dawn mother") is
the earliest-known primitive placental mammal (or an ancestor of placental
mammals). This tiny, shrew-like mammal lived 125 million years ago, during
the early Cretaceous Period. Its total length was 6 inches ( a 3-inch
tail plus a 3-inch body). Eomania walked on four legs and had clawed feet
-- it could probably climb trees. Although its teeth were like those of
placental mammals, itt had an epipubic bone (a characteristic of marsupials)
Eomania was an insectivore. A fossil was found in China's Liaoning province.
The type species is E. scansoria.
Eoraptor
Eoraptor, a bipedal flesh-eater from the Late Triassic period is the oldest
known dinosaur.
EOSUCHIAN
Eosuchians (meaning: "early crocodile") were reptiles that evolved
during the late Triassic Period, about 220 million years ago. These lizard-like
diapsids probably gave rise to lizards and snakes. They walked on four
sprawling legs and had a very long tail - some lived in the water (like
Hovasaurus). Fossils of Eosuchians have been found in Southern and south-eastern
Africa and Madagascar. The newly-found bipedal Eudibamus was an Eosuchian.
Other Eosuchians include Thadeosaurus and Hovasaurus. Classification:Class
Reptilia, Subclass Diapsida, Order Eosuchia.
EOTITANOSUCHID
Eotitanosuchids (meaning: "giant dawn crocodiles") were enormous
primitive therapsids that lived during the middle Permian period (about
267 to 265 million years ago, long before the dinosaurs evolved). These
land-dwelling meat-eaters (carnivores) were up to about 20 ft (6 meters)
long, weighing up to 500 kg. The skull was up to 1 m long. Eotitanosuchids
were top predators of their time (they had no natural enemies). Eotitanosuchids
had long, massive canine teeth and a short snout. They probably preyed
upon large plant-eaters like Estemmenosuchus and perhaps some large marine
animals. Some Eotitanosuchids include Eotitanosuchus (Chudinov, 1960),
Ivantosaurus (Chudinov, 1983), and Kamagorgon (Tatarinov, 1999). Fossils
have been found in eastern European Russia. The family Eotitanosuchidae
was named by Chudinov in 1960.
EOTYRANNUS
Eotyrannus (meaning: "dawn tyrant" or "early tyrant")
was a dinosaur that was about 15 ft (4.5 m) long. This theropod (bipedal
meat-eating dinosaur) lived during the middle Cretaceous period, about
120 to 125 million years ago; it was a relative of Tyrannosaurus rex.
A 40 perent complete fossil was found in 1997 on the Isle of Wight, off
the coast of Great Britain. The type species is Eotyrannus lengi (named
to honor Gavin Leng, who found the first fossil on the Isle of Wight).
Eotyrannus was found by a team headed by Darren Naish (Univ. of Portsmouth).
EOZOSTRONDON
Eozostrodon was one of the first true mammals; it lived during the late
Triassic Period and early Jurassic period, about 210 million years ago.
This small, primitive, egg-laying mammal fed the young with mother's milk.
Eozostrodon was a quadruped with short legs, a long, pointed snout, five-toed
feet with claws, and a long, hairy tail (it looked like a modern-day shrew).
Eozostrodon was about 42 inches (107 cm) long. It was a triconodont that
belonged to the family Morganucodontidae, which had true mammalian teeth
(the cheek teeth were differentiated into simple premolars plus more complex
molars, and the teeth were replaced only once, and the molars had triangular
cusps).
EPACHTHOSAURUS
(pronounced ee-PAK-tho-SAWR-us) Epachthosaurus (meaning: "ponderous
lizard") was a huge plant-eating dinosaur from the late Cretaceous
Period, about 87.5 million years ago. This titanosaurid (armored sauropod)
had a long neck, long tail, small head, and heavy body. It was about 50-65
ft (15-20 m) long. A partial fossil was found in Argentina. Epachthosaurus
was named by J. Powell in 1990. The type species is E. .
EPANTERIAS
(pronounced ee-pan-TEER-ee-as ) Epanterias (meaning: "buttressed,"
referring to the vertebrae) was a huge meat-eating dinosaur from the late
Jurassic Period. It was rounghly 35 ft (11 m) long and may have weighed
3-5 tonnes. Fragmentary fossils were found in western North America. Epanterias
was named by paleontologist Cope in 1878. Epanterias may be the same as
Allosaurus amplexus . It was originally thought to be a giant plant-eater,
a sauropod.