Glossary EPI - EUO
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Epicontinental Sea
A shallow sea that has a continental plate under it. This can form when
land is flooded by high global sea levels. A modern day example is Hudson
Bay.
EPOCCIPITAL
The epoccipital is a bone edging the frill of certatopian dinosaurs.
EPOCH
An epoch is a division of a geologic period; it is the smallest division
of geologic time, lasting several million years.
EQ
The EQ (encephalization quotient) is the ratio of the brain weight of
the animal to the brain weight of a "typical" animal of the
same body weight. This measure was developed by the Harry J. Jerison in
the 1970's. This helps determine the relative intelligence of extinct
animals. Dromaeosaurid dinosaurs had the highest EQ among the dinosaurs.
EQUISETUM
Equisetum (a modern genus of horsetail) is a primitive, spore-bearing
plant (a sphenopsid) with rhizomes. Its side branches are arranged in
rings along the hollow stem. Other genera of horsetail were common during
the Mesozoic Era, like Neocalamites, Calamites etc. Horsetails date from
the Devonian period 408-360 million years ago, but are still around today
and are invasive weeds.
EQUUS
(pronounced EK-wiss) The modern horse (genus Equus, which also includes
zebras, asses, etc.) evolved about 4 million years ago in North America.
It spread to Asia, Europe and Africa. The North American horses went extinct
about 8,000 years ago, probably because of disease.
ERA
Two or more geological periods comprise an Era, which is hundreds of millions
of years in duration.
ERECTOPUS
(pronounced ee-REK-toh-pus) Erectopus (meaning: "upright foot")
was a meat-eating dinosaur. A theropod, it weighed about 450 pounds (200
kg). This therizinosaur had long hands with short claws (perhaps with
five fingers). It lived during the early Cretaceous Period, about 113-97.5
million years ago in what is now northern France, Egypt, and Portugal.
Only a partial skeleton has been found. Erectopus was named by von Huene
in 1922. The type species is E. sauvagei.
ERIC
"Eric" is a 85 percent complete opalized leptocleidine pliosaur
(a marine reptile) from the early Cretaceous in Australia (it was named
to honor Eric Idle of Monty Python, the television comedy show). Eric
the pliosaur was a marine carnivore (meat-eater) that was about 6.5 ft
(2 m) long. Fish back bones (and gastroliths) were found in the stomach
area of this fossil, so it likely ate small fish, catching them in its
crocodile-like jaws.
ERLIKOSAURUS
(pronounced ER-lik-oh-SAWR-us) Erlikosaurus (meaning: "Erlik's lizard";
Erlik is the king of the dead in Mongolian myths) was a meat-eating dinosaur.
This theropod was about 16-20 ft (5-6 m) long and lived during the late
Cretaceous Period. Fossils of this . therizinosaur have been found in
Mongolia. Only a partial skeleton (including a skull) has been found.
Erlikosaurus was named by Barsbold and Perle in 1980. The type species
is E. andrewsi.
ERYOPS
(pronounced EAR-ee-ops) Eryops (meaning: "long eye" or "drawn-out
eye" in Greek) was a common, primitive labyrinthodontid amphibian
that lived in Permian period swamps. This meat-eater had a stout body
with very wide ribs, a strong spine, four short, strong legs, a short
tail, and a wide, elongated skull with many sharp teeth. Its teeth had
enamel with a folded pattern. Eryops was about 5 feet (1.5 m) long, one
of the largest land animals of its time. Eryops was a fierce predator
on land and in the water; it may have eaten mostly fish, small reptiles
and amphibians. It may have been preyed upon by Dimetrodon, which was
a faster moving animal. Eryops may have been slow moving on land. Fossils
have been found in Texas, USA. Eryops was named by E. D. Cope in 1887.
ERYTHROSUCHUS
(pronounced ee-RITH-row-SOOK-us) Erythrosuchus (meaning: "red crocodile")
was a large, meat-eating thecodont (a socket-toothed reptile). It was
not a dinosaur, but was closely related to them. Erythrosuchus had long,
stong jaws and ate plant-eaters, like dicynodonts. It lived during the
late Triassic Period, about 220 million years ago. Fossils were found
in South Africa. Erythrosuchus was named by R. Broom in 1905.
ESOPHAGUS
The esophagus is the tube from the mouth to the stomach.
ESTEMMENOSUCHUS
(pronounced es-TEM-en-oh-SOOK-us) Estemmenosuchus (meaning: "crowned
crocodile") was a large, quadrupedal animal about 13 feet (4 m) long
and over 6.5 feet (2 m) tall. It was not a dinosaur. This plant-eater
had long, sharp, forward-pointing teeth in the front of the mouth and
smaller cheek teeth at the sides; these teeth let Estemmenosuchus eat
a wide variety of tough plant material (like cycads, horsetails, and conifers).
Estemmenosuchus had a massive skull, a short tail, and a bulky body. The
thick skull had many bony knobs: two by the nostrils, two in the middle
of the snout, and two moose-like "horns" over the eyes. Fossilized
skin shows a smooth, scaleless texture. Estemmenosuchus' predators may
have included Eotitanosuchids and Brithopodids.This dicynodont therapsid
(sometimes called mammal-like reptiles) lived during the late Permian
period (roughly 255 million years ago, before the dinosaurs evolved).
Fossils have been found in eastern Russia. Estemmenosuchus was named by
P.K.Chudinov in 1913.
EUBRONTES
(pronounced you-BRONT-tees) Eubrontes giganteus is a dinosaur known only
from its fossilized, three-toed footprints, an ichnogenus. Eubrontes means
"true thunder." The sandstone tracks range from 10-16 inches
(25.5-41 cm) long and they are spaced 3.5-4.5 feet (1-1.4 m) apart. These
sizes indicate that the dinosaur who made the prints was about 5 feet
(1.5 m) tall at the hip (about the size of Dilophosaurus). The shape and
pattern of the prints indicate that it was a theropod, a bipedal meat-eater.
The tracks date from about 200 million years ago, during the early Jurassic
Period. Eubrontes trackways were found in Connecticut, USA. Geologist
Edward Hitchcock named them in 1845. No fossilized bones have been found
in the vicinity, but over 2,000 tracks have been uncovered in what is
now Dinosaur State Park. Eubrontes is the state fossil of Connecticut.
EUCOELPOHYSIS
(pronounced you-SEE-loh-FIE-sis) Eucoelophysis (meaning: "true hollow
form") was a meat-eating dinosaur. It was about 8-10 ft (2.5-3 m)
long and weighed about 33-66 pounds (15-30 kg). This coelophysoid theropod
lived during the late Triassic Period in what is now New Mexico, USA.
Only partial skeletons have been found. Eucoelophysis was named by Sullivan
and Lucas in 1999. The type species is E. baldwini.
EUDIBAMUS
Eudibamus cursoris was a small, fast-moving lizard that lived during the
Permian period, roughly 290 million years ago. It is the earliest-known
animal that walked on two legs (it was facultatively bipedal; it ran on
two legs when it needed to). Eudibamus' hind legs were long, and its front
legs were short and weak (the hind legs were 64% longer than the front
legs and 34% longer than its trunk). It also had a long tail. This plant-eater
used its speed to avoid its predators. It was 10.3 inches (26.1 cm) long.
David Berman (of the Carnegie Museum of Natural History) estimated that
Eudibamus could run about 15 miles per hour (24 kph). Fossils of this
synapsid were found in a quarry near Gotha, Germany, in 1993. Eudibamus
was named by Robert Reisz, et al. Eudibamus was not a dinosaur, but another,
much earlier type of reptile. Dimetrodon was a contemporary of Eudibamus.
Classification: class Reptilia (reptiles), order Eosuchia, suborder Bolosaurida,
family Bolosauridae, Genus Eudibamus, species E. cursoris.
EUDIMORPHODON
Eudimorphodon (meaning: "true two-form tooth") was a pterosaur
with a 2.5 feet (0.75 m) long wingspan, with large eyes, a short neck,
many sharp teeth in pointed jaws (for eating fish and insects), and a
diamond-shaped flap of skin at the end of the long, pointed tail. From
what is now Italy during the late Triassic Period. It was not a dinosaur,
but type of extinct, flying reptile. It was named by Zambelli in 1973
EUHELOPUS
(pronounced you-HEL-oh-pus or YOU-hel-OH-pus) Euhelopus (meaning: "good
marsh foot") was a camarasaurid sauropod from the late Jurassic Period,
about 156 to 150 million years ago. This plant eater had a very longneck,
a bulky body, a long tail and a small, boxy head with spoon-shaped teeth.
Its front legs and hind legs were almost the same size. It was about 34
ft (10 m) long; the neck alone was about 16 ft (5 m) long. Euhelopus weighed
about 20 to 24 tons. Euhelopus was found in Shandong, China. It was named
by Romer in 1956. The type species is E. zdanskyi.
EUNOTOSAURUS
(pronounced you-NOTE-oh-SAWR-us) Eunotosaurus africanus Seeley was a tortoise-like
reptile (not a dinosaur). This amniote dates from 250 million years ago.
Its poorly-preserved fossils show that it had 8 ribs and the beginning
of a shell (the lower shell was not found and the damaged skull yielded
few details). Eunotosaurus may be an ancestor of the mdern-day turtle.
It was a parareptilian descended from Cotylosaur. Its fossil has been
found in South Africa.
Euoplocephalus
(pronounced YOU-oh-plo-SEF-ah-lus) Euoplocephalus was a heavily armored,
plant-eating dinosaur from the late Cretaceous Period, about 76-70 million
years ago. It was about 20-23 feet (6-7 m) long and about 5.8 feet (1.7
m) wide. This solitary animal had a bony tail-club and armor covering
most of its body. Fossils were found in Alberta, Canada. Euoplocephalus
was named by paleontologist Lambe in 1910.