New species of dinosaur found in eastern Utah rock

[Ghost in the Machine]

New species of dinosaur found in eastern Utah rock
Posted: Feb 23, 2010 4:49 PM EST
Updated: Feb 23, 2010 7:09 PM EST
By MIKE STARK
Associated Press Writer

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - Fossils of a previously undiscovered species of dinosaur have been found in slabs of Utah sandstone that were so hard that explosives had to be used to free some of the remains, scientists said Tuesday. The bones found at Dinosaur National Monument belonged to a type of sauropod - long-necked plant-eaters that were said to be the largest animal ever to roam land.

The discovery included two complete skulls from other types of sauropods - an extremely rare find, scientists said.

The fossils offer fresh insight into lives of dinosaurs some 105 million years ago, including the evolution of sauropod teeth, which reveal eating habits and other information, said Dan Chure, a paleontologist at the monument that straddles the Utah-Colorado border.

"You can hardly overstate the significance of these fossils," he said.

Of the 120 or so known species of sauropods, complete skulls have been found for just eight. That's mostly because their skulls were made of thin, fragile bones bound by soft tissue that were easily destroyed after death.

http://www.wrcbtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=12032278

[Chipper Chat]

1. I wonder if those Utah dinosaurs were all republicans?

Maybe the ones roaming near the Colorado border were bipedisan.

[WHEN CRABS ROAR]

2. How many posting here have heard of gem-bone?

It's dinosaur bone that is no longer fossil it has turned to agate or in other words quartz and can be cut and polished just like gemstones for jewelry, very beautiful with black spiderweb and comes in all colors. Google it or look for it at gem shows.

[foxfeet]

3. Upon closer examination, the "dinosaur" turned out to be Phyllis Schafly.

And she was still alive.

[Synicus Maximus]

6. Not everything is political

[foxfeet]

9. Nor is everything deadly serious.

:hi:

[lunatica]

7. pshaw! She's been dead since the 60s

Have you ever looked into her eyes? Trust me. She's dead

[OnyxCollie]

4. I thought the title read:

"New species of dinosaur found under Utah rock."

Immediately, Orrin Hatch came to mind.

[Chipper Chat]

5. Cha-CHING.

We have a winner.

[blaze]

8. Did you know

that the Sonorasaurus, found in 1995 and named for the Sonoran Desert where it was found.... was actually found in the Chihuahua Desert region of the Sonoran Desert.

Really should have been named Chihuahuasaurus. :)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonorasaurus