Prehistoric Life/Dinosaurs/Other Small Theropods: Difference between revisions

{{tropeUseful Notes}}

Bird thieves, or what? ''[http://en.[wikipedia.org/wiki/:Ornitholestes |Ornitholestes]]'' and ''[http://en.[wikipedia.org/wiki/:Coelurus |Coelurus]]''

* After ''[[Stock Dinosaurs|Coelophysis]] '' and ''[[Stock Dinosaurs|Compsognathus]]'', the couple ''Coelurus'' - ''Ornitholestes'' makes the third most portrayed Jurassic/Triassic theropods, despite their scanty remains. This because both lived in Late Jurassic North America alongside many stock dinosaurs like ''Allosaurus'', ''Stegosaurus'', and ''Apatosaurus'', and thus are often depicted interacting with them. Both were slender animals the same length/size of the [[Real Life]] ''Velociraptor'', and with a rather incospicuous appearance. Within their habitat, ''Coelurus'' and ''Ornitholestes'' arguably played the role of the “small cunning predators” (while ''Allosaurus'' and ''Ceratosaurus'' were the top-predators). Although there are no evidences, their preys were possibly lizards, mammals, frogs and insects, and sometimes, also ate the eggs and hatchlings of bigger dinosaurs. In the “Time of the Titans” episode of ''[[Walking Withwith Dinosaurs]]'' we can see some ''Ornitholestes'' behaving in such a way. In many paleo-artistic works ''Ornitholestes'' has been shown behaving like a jackal, tearing chunks of flesh from the kills of ''Allosaurus'' or ''Ceratosaurus'' and fleeing safely from these larger predators. Whatever the case, it is usually shown as a solitary hunter – justified, as the only known ''Ornitholestes'' skeleton [[Captain Obvious|was found alone]]. ''Coelurus'' was often confused with ''Ornitholestes'' in the past, and arguably behaved in a similar way above. First found during the Bone Wars, ''Coelurus'' was the first small theropod discovered in USA, and has had a great historical relevance. As soon as the XIX century, '''Coelur'''us was chosen as the prototype of the '''Coelur'''osaurs, aka all small/slender theropods - the well-known modern meaning was created only few decades ago. ''Ornitholestes'' was found a bit later, at the beginning of the 20th century. Its name, “bird thief”, was given because it was though a specialist predator well-adapted to grasp “first bird” ''[[Stock Dinosaurs|Archaeopteryx]]'' with its prehensile hands. Such a thing would be not technically impossible, being the two animal contemporary as well… only, the “proto-bird” [[Misplaced Wildlife|lived in Europe]]. In many modern portraits, ''Ornitholestes'' used to be shown with a horn-like crest on its nose, seen even in [[Walking Withwith Dinosaurs]]; however, we know now that it [[Science Marches On|didn’t have this feature]]. ''Walking With'' also added some speculative erectile quills on its neck: though not demonstrated, these might be possible, especially as ''Ornitholestes'' has recently been classified as a bird-like ''maniraptoran'' in some analyses (albeit still of uncertain placement within the clade). The link with maniraptors is furtherly renforced by one usually-skipped detail: ''Ornitholestes'' had a retractable toe similar to that of deinonychosaurs and early birds. About ''Coelurus'', a recent analysis seems to indicate it may have been a ''basal tyrannosauroid'', along with a recently discovered larger-sized relative from the same habitat, ''Tanycolagreus''.

False relationships: ''[http://en.[wikipedia.org/wiki/:Elaphrosaurus |Elaphrosaurus]]'' and ''[http://en.[wikipedia.org/wiki/:Noasaurus |Noasaurus]]''

Tyrannosaurs went a [[Incredibly Lame Pun|long]] way: ''[http://en.[wikipedia.org/wiki/:Guanlong |Guanlong]]''

* Well, it’s true. The undisputable charm of ''[[Tyrannosaurus Rex|T. rex]]'' is also due to the [[Incredibly Lame Pun|long]] travel it made to become the Ultimate-King. Tyrannosaurs were already around in the Jurassic, but were still small, uncospicuous animals similar to an ''Ornitholestes'' or an ''Elaphrosaurus'' in shape. But this is an extremely recent knowledge, confirmed as recently as in 2006. The merit belongs to a very undinosaur-sounding dinosaur: ''[[Running Gag|Guanlong]]''. Today, ''Guanlong'' may be the most famed dinosaur with “long” (in Chinese means [[Dinosaurs Are Dragons|dragon]]). The trend to call Chinese dinosaurs with this suffix has started only in the early 2000s; since then “dino-long”s have become more and more common, with at least one new-entry for every year. Easily recognizable thanks to its bizarre helmet-like crest, the 10-ft-[[Overly Long Gag|long]] Guanlong lived in Late Jurassic; despite its vaguely ''Coelophysis''-like look, ''Guanlong'' was the most ancient tyrannosaur known in 2006. In the last years has lost the record in favor of ''Proceratosaurus'' (a Middle Jurassic European theropod known for a century from a partial skull with a horn on the nose); however, the sensationalism which surrounded the fact “the first [[Tyrannosaurus Rex|The First Tyrannosaur]]!” soon gave it a great attention in media. ''Guanlong'' appeared as the protagonist of one documentary appositely dedicated to it (a very rare honor for such a recently-discovered dinosaur); and was also portrayed in the third movie within the ''[[Ice Age]]'' series in place of the stock dromaeosaurids. Could it become a [[Stock Dinosaurs|stock dinosaur]] in the next future?

A dinosaur with plenty of guts: ''[http://en.[wikipedia.org/wiki/:Scipionyx |Scipionyx]]''

* When talking about dinosaur fossils, our mind immediately thinks “bones”. Sometimes, also skin prints, footprints, and petrified eggs. And then, the rare “mummies” with hardened muscles like the famous hadrosaurian ones. But things such as hearts, guts, livers, lungs, kidneys, are not usually heard about; this because the preservation of soft tissues and internal organs in vertebrates in an extremely rare event. So, the Early Cretaceous ''Scipionyx'' from Italy made sensation when was discovered in 1995, and with reason. This tiny theropod (still a juvenile when it died), now known to be a compsognathid, was the ''very first'' dinosaur ever found with fossilized internal organs. The windpipe, intestines, liver, and muscles, all these were preserved in the fine limestone which has preserved the usual bones as well. Since the relative positions of dinosaurian organs could only be guessed before ''Scipionyx'', this has been celebrated as one of the most important discoveries within the whole paleontological science. As for now, no other prehistoric dinosaur has left such complete remains of internal organs. Like many other compsognathid specimens, it also preserves evidence of its last meals: in this case several smaller reptiles and some fish.

Big dead lizard: ''[http://en.[wikipedia.org/wiki/:Megapnosaurus |Megapnosaurus]]'' (once called "Syntarsus")

The other compies: ''[http://en.[wikipedia.org/wiki/:Procompsognathus |Procompsognathus]]'' and ''[http://en.[wikipedia.org/wiki/:Saltopus |Saltopus]]''

* ''Procompsognathus'' lived in the Triassic Period in Europe together with ''Plateosaurus''. It shared with ''Compsognathus'' the same overall shape, the same size (about 4 ft long), the same country (Germany) and a very similar name (“before ''Compsognathus''”). Despite all this, ''Procompsognathus'' was not related to its Late Jurassic namesake, nor was it its direct ancestor at all: it is usually thought to be a small coelophysoid, but could also have been a non-dinosaurian archosaur. In 1990, ''Procompsognathus'' has gained notoriety thanks to its apparition in the first ''[[Jurassic Park]]'' novel, depicted as a scavenger which paralyzed its victims with a [[Rule of Cool|totally speculative venomous bite]]. This is indeed the original "Compy" in the ''Jurassic Park'' world. Before, ''Procompsognathus'' was an obscure animal, as is [[Lampshade Hanging|lampshaded]] in the novel itself – with Alan Grant thinking the drawing made by the child who saw the “compy” alive was not fake, just because “even dino-lovers don’t know ''Procompsognathus''”. However, seven years later, Spielberg decided to play straight [[Stock Dinosaurs]] and chose the more familiar ''Compsognathus'' in the same role in [[Jurassic Park]] 2. Considering that the “procompy” is known from much scantier remains than the usual 'Compy', this might be [[Your Mileage May Vary|partially justified]]. Another alleged theropod from Triassic Europe is ''Saltopus''. A rare Scottish speciality (almost all British dinosaurs have been found in southern England), being merely 2 ft long, ''Saltopus'' was sometimes referred as “the smallest dinosaur” in old books (when ''Compsognathus'' wasn't already), but now it seems to be only a non-dinosaurian dinosauromorph. Not to be confounded with ''[[Useful Notes/Prehistoric Life /Non Dinosaurian Reptiles|Saltoposuchus]]'', a tiny crocodilomorph from Triassic Europe also common in old books because was once thought the common ancestor of dinos, birds and crocs.

The other first-bird: ''[http://en.[wikipedia.org/wiki/:Protoavis |Protoavis]]''

* Yes, ''[[Stock Dinosaurs|Archaeopteryx]]'' was not alone. There was also "Protoavis". Discovered in 1990, this very incomplete Triassic fossil from Texas has originated much discussion among paleontologists: Its describer thought that it, and not ''Archaeopteryx'', was the ''true'' "first bird", basing this upon some skeletal features. He chose to name its “sensational” find Protoavis, which just means [[Exactly What It Says Onon the Tin|“first bird”]]. Not surprisingly, our animal has often been mentioned in books and documentaries in those years, even portrayed with small imaginary “wings” on its forearms. However, its legacy with birds is now heavily contested if not totally discredited. This alleged “protobird” is more probably a primitive theropod, a basal saurischian, or a non-dino archosaur, and it was likely described from a mixup of dinosaurian and non-dinosaurian bones, thus not even a real animal. But others still think "Protoavis" really contains the bones of an early bird-relative, perhaps the most ancient coelurosaur known. (Nonetheless, it almost certainly wasn't an actual bird.) There is also a [[Hilarious in Hindsight]] detail about the “first-bird” argument. Many decades before the discovery of "Protoavis", in a time when birds were still thought to have directly descended from a bipedal archosaur (the aforementioned ''Saltoposuchus''), the similar name “Proavis” (“before birds”) was invented for an imaginative missing-link between ''Saltoposuchus'' and ''Archaeopteryx''. This critter was depicted as a tree-climbing animal with small wings and capable to glide from a tree to another, but still not capable to fly actively. Then, in year 2000, somewhere in the Chinese province of Liaoning…

[[Category:Prehistoric Life Other Small Theropods]]