Phoenix, Arizona, Zoo, Dinosaurs in the Desert, Pachyrhinosaurus, Stegosaurus, Carnotaurus, ground squirrel, Edmontonia, Coelophysis, Desert Bighorn Sheep, Dilophosaurus |
Hello Friends and Family, |
Link to this year's index by clicking here. |
Phoenix Zoo, Part 4 |
Today, you'll see the real reason that I came to the zoo at this time. They had a special exhibit of animatronic dinosaurs on display. The creature in this photo is not one of them but welcomed us to the area where they were on exhibit. In fact, I think I've seen this Velociraptor before — but it was at night at ZooLights! At the time, he was lit up with thousands of lights — which, sadly don't look as impressive in bright sunlight. |
The largest animals of this species were 26 feet long and weighed some 4.4 tons. They were herbivores and ate tough, fibrous plants. |
It was a herbivore and grew to a length of 29.5 feet and weighed in at up to 7.7 tons — although this individual appears to be from a smaller individual or species of Stegosaurus. It possessed a small brain (relative to its size) — approximately the size of a dog's brain. |
The animal was very muscular and a fast runner. The largest individuals were some 30 feet in length and weighed about 1.5 tons. Curiously, it had tiny forelimbs — but, I'd guess with that powerful jaw and its speed, the forelimbs were not really needed. |
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We all know that the dinosaurs became extinct at the end of the Cretaceous period but some species of mammals survived — somewhat similar to this humble little ground squirrel. Oh, and don't forget that one line of dinosaurs did survive that mass extinction but today we call them "birds". |
These animals were 20 feet long and weighed three tons. They were plant-eaters. According to ThoughtCo.com, "Some paleontologists also believe Edmontonia was capable of producing honking sounds, which would truly have made it the SUV of nodosaurs." |
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They are right at home here since they are native to the deserts of the USA's inter-mountain west and southwestern regions, as well as northwestern Mexico. They have adapted to desert ecosystems and can go long periods without water. They are herbivores which primarily eat grasses but when grass is scarce, they will also eat flowering plants and cactus. |
This nasty looking brute is a Dilophosaurus — the first fossils of which were found and collected in northern Arizona in the early 1940s. In real life, they were some 23 feet long and weighed about 880 pounds. They were carnivores with long curved teeth with serrations on the front and back. They seem to have preyed on larger animals but also may have been a fish eater. It was a fast runner which could reach speeds of 20 miles an hour or more. Dilophosaurus was featured in the novel Jurassic Park and its movie adaptation, wherein it was given the fictional abilities to spit venom and expand a cowl on its neck, as well as being smaller than the real animal. |
To be continued... |
Life is good. |
Aloha, B. David |
P. S., All photos and text © B. David Cathell Photography, Inc. — www.bdavidcathell.com |