Dinosaurs and Mosasaurs

We would expect to find dinosaur remains in the Mid-South area. West Tennessee has the same type of late cretaceous deposits as those that have been discovered in Missouri, Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia. Fossilized leaves and petrified wood identify this area as having had the semi-tropical climate the dinosaurs liked. However, only fragments of dinosaur remains have been found in West Tennessee and North Mississippi. Surprisingly, these fossils were discovered in sands and clays deposited by the sea. Sometimes dinosaur carcasses were washed out to sea where they sank to the bottom. A few duckbill dinosaur bones from Tennessee and some duckbill and Albertosaurus teeth from Mississippi have been preserved this way. They remind us that dinosaurs roamed the Mid-South area 70 million years ago.

Dilophosaurus
Found in northern Arizona, Dilophosaurus is the earliest big theropod dinosaur in the fossil record. Like other meat-eating dinosaurs, it has a strong tail and back legs, small front legs, a large head and sharp teeth. The double crest on its head is supported by thin ridges of bone. Scientists are unsure if Dilophosaurus was a scavenger or an active predator. 

Our staff recommends the following link on the Dilophosaur.

http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/dilophosaur/intro.html

Tour of dilophosaur narrated by its discoverer.

Mastodon
Both mastodons and mammoths were wide spread during the Pleistocene Epoch. Their bones and teeth are frequently found in the Mid-South. Mastodons lived in open woodlands, often near springs and bogs. Mastodons, mammoths and other large mammals became extinct between 9,500 and 11,500 years ago. Possible explanations include hunting by early humans, disease and changes in climate.

Our staff recommends the following links related to dinosaurs and mosasaurs. 

Mastodons

http://www.museum.state.il.us/exhibits/larson/mammut.html

http://www.sdnhm.org/exhibits/mystery/fg_mastodon.html

Mastodons and Mammoths

http://skywalker.cochise.edu/wellerr/students/mammoth-mastodon/mastodon.htm

Paleontology

http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/

http://www.paleoportal.org/

http://www.fossils-facts-and-finds.com/

The Pink Palace Family of Museums occasionally places links to other websites on its own.  This is done as part of our mission to "inspire learning."  It is not an endorsement of the information or viewpoints you will find on the linked websites.