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Polocanthus: Polacanthus was a nodosaur, a type of 'bird-hipped' dinosaur. It sported a thick coat of bony armour plates that covered its rump. Evenly spaced rows of fierce spikes ran along its sides
and shoulders. It relied on armour or spines rather than fleetness of foot as defense against predators. Fossil remains show that it was a squat, four-legged herbivore that ate ground vegetation.
Protoceratops: Protoceratops walked on four legs,
had a large head, a bulky body, a parrot-like beak, cheek teeth, and a small frill on its head. Males may have had larger
frills than females, indicating that the frill may have been used in courtship and mating.
Protoceratops was probably a herding animal, like some other ceratopsians. This hypothesis is supported by the finding of bone beds, large deposits of
bones of the same species in an area, and large groups of nests. Each nest had 12 or more eggs, laid in a spiral fashion. Sexual dimorphism (the physical differences between the sexes) in frill size has also
been noted, and the males may have had larger frills than females, indicating that the frill may have been used in courtship
and mating. Protoceratops was a ceratopsian, whose intelligence (as measured by its relative brain to body weight, or EQ)
was intermediate among the dinosaurs. Protoceratops was an herbivore,
a plant eater. It probably ate cycads and other plants with its tough, hook-like beak. Protoceratops walked on four short
legs; it was a relatively slow dinosaur. Dinosaur speeds are estimated using their morphology (characteristics like leg length and estimated
body mass) and fossilized trackways. Protoceratops was first discovered in the Gobi Desert in Mongolia in the 1920's. It was named by Walter Granger and
W. K. Gregory. Numerous fossils have been found, from eggs in nests to juvenile to mature specimens. A fossil of Protoceratops
has been found with one of a Velociraptor; the Velociraptor had been attacking the Protoceratops, which had butted in
the chest of the Velociraptor.
Riojasaurus: Riojasaurus isnt
well known; when I first got interested into dinosaurs, its name didnt even register in my mind. But the picture in one Dinosaur
Encyclopedia stirred an interest; it was poised over a rock, standing next to a bristling cactus, surveying the horizon. It
was an odd-looking prosaurapod, and maybe thats why I stared at it for so long; I dont know why, but while I dont particularly
find an interest in this dinosaur, as it isnt very well-known and kind of well, simply put, unattractive I find it necessary
to put it into this encyclopedia. Riojasaurus was a giant prosaurapod in many respects, mostly due to
size. Hollow spaces in the vertebrae helped make the spine lighter, and therefore more efficient and easy to move around.
As in all sauropods and prosaurapods, the leg bones were heavy, dense and big. Riojasaurus was a quadruped, and unlike the similar
Plateosaurus, it could not stand up on its back legs to eat; its structure simply did not enable it to. The entire
body needed to be supported by each limb. The front limbs were nearly as long as those in the back, andstrangelyfour vertebrae
connected the pelvis to the trunk; most prosaurapods only had three vertebrae connecting their pelvis to the trunk.
Saltasaurus: When it was first described in 1980, Saltasaurus was quite a surprise. Why?
Because it was the first sauropod with dermal (skin) armor! The armor found in the area was originally thought to belong to
a currently unknown ankylosaur. The armor on Saltasaurus was bony studs interconnected to form a shield over the animals
back; they ranged from pea-sized to adult-human-fist-sized studs. Larger lumps of armor ran in jagged rows over the ski n
of Saltasaurus, with no real formal pattern. The fact that it has armor makes it a very cool and much-loved dinosaur,
and holds people in surprise; but there is yet another thing about Saltasaurus that makes evolutionists think twice:
According to evolution, sauropods were dominant in the Jurassic period
and scarce in the Cretaceous period. There are three periods of time evolutionists claim dinosaurs lived; in other words,
three different windows of time in which dinosaurs existed in living, breathing form. The first is the Triassic, the second
is Jurassic, and the third is the Cretaceous period. But Saltasaurus wasnt found in rocks labeled as Jurassic, nor
in the early to middle Cretaceous where dinosaurs supposedly existed. But, surprise, Saltasaurus was found in late
Cretaceous rock! Evolutionists were very surprised!Saltasaurus
was small compared to most other sauropods. Its build was stocky with stumpy legs, and it had a long tail which was whip-like,
like that of Diplodocus, possibly used for defense against attackers as a searing, skin-slashing whip. The bones of
Saltasaurus are interlocked, possibly as support for the animal when it reared up on its hind legs.
Saurolophus: Two species of Saurolophus have been named, but they appear so similar that
it has led many to believe it is only one kind, but separated based on the sex of the original owners of the bones. Saurolophus is known by the sharp, pointed ridge of bone projected from
the top of its head. This crest may have been covered by fleshy nostrils or nostril flaps. The function of the crest might
have been to send out vocal calls to warn of danger, attract mates, or even to scold disobedient offspring. They also might
have been inflated with air, bloating, as a tool for sexual attraction. Large numbers of closely-packed chewing teeth dotted Saurolophus mouth. We know it ate ferns and conifers, because
fossil remains have shown the contents of Hadrosaur dinosaurs. Saurolophus probably walked on all fours most of the
time, but when threatened by a predator, would probably have leapt onto its back legs to make for a speedier getaway.
Scutellosaurus: In evolutionary terms, Scutellosaurus
is the missing link between Ornithischians and Thyreophorans. However, no real hard evidence has linked the two; Scutellosaurus
was merely a bipedal Ornithischian with slight body armor, the way God had decided to design it. Small and lightly armored, this docile little herbivore was well designed for great speed and agility. It would be
able to escape predators by swiftly fleeing, or by weaving through tangled undergrowth. The teeth were leaf-shaped with serrated
edges; lack of wear on the teeth shows that it did not chew food before swallowing.Along its back to the base of the tail, rows of bony shields were embedded
into the skin. Some of these shields were flat, others pitched like roofs. The largest shields formed double rows running
down the middle of the back. The shields formed a protective armored layer over the back to protect against the sinking teeth
of a cruel bloodthirsty predator.
Seismosaurus: Seismosaurus was an enormous
dinosaur; its length alone crossed half a football field! Seismosaurus sets the record length for any dinosaur, however
some scientists believe it is merely a large Diplodocus; this holds well in the Creationist view of variation (see
the chapter on dinosaur variation). Seismosaurus had a long, slender neck, a large bulky body, short front legs, tall front legs, and a long, heavy
tail. One skeleton was found
with gastroliths in its stomach, showing that Seismosaurus
used stones to help grind up foot in its stomach. This find with gastroliths was one of only a few skeletons found with gastroliths
at the actual sight of the stomach.
Spinosaurus: In many ways, Spinosaurus resembled
other theropods, such as the mighty, ferocious and all-time horror Allosaurus. Unlike other spinosaurids, Spinosaurus
had neural spines on its vertebrae. These spines rose up to more than 5 feet, and with varying sizes all along the back, andwith
skin over the spinesformed a sail over the back. This sail resembled that of Dimetrodon, the much-publicized mammal
associated with dinosaurs (although they are not dinosaurs). The spines were probably connected by skin. Possible purposes
of the sail were to radiate or absorb heat, therefore regulating body temperature; a social signaling device; or perhaps as
a sexual attraction mechanism. The long, slender snout is a trademark
for spinosaurids. The teeth looked like those of alligators or crocodiles, not alike to regular theropod teeth. Spinosaurus
teeth were conical and straight, rather than curved, and the serrations on the teeth were very, very fine. Spinosaurus
also had three-clawed hands.
Stegosaurus: The Stegosaurus is one of the most famous dinosaurs of them all, ranking high along with Tyrannosaurus rex
and Triceratops. Tyrannosaurus has captivated the imaginations of billions by the banana-sized dagger teeth
in its mouth; Triceratops by the three nasty horns and wild frill atop its head; and Stegosaurus by the armored
plates running along its arched back. Stegosaurus weighed
more than 2 tons, feeding on food along the ground; because it ate foliage along the ground, it wouldnt have to compete against
sauropods for food from the trees and therefore would have a rather abundance of food. Because of its weight, the dinosaur
wasnt very agile, probably rather clumsy. Some speculate that because it was so low to the ground, it would be able to hide
from predators amongst the towering foliagebut this is solely speculation. At the hips, it was tallest, at 10 feet. Its profile steeped sharply downwards to the head, with the tail raised high.
Because of this, a predator hunting the Stegosaurus might have a hard time deciding which end was the tail and which
end was the head; if it gauged wrong, itd be a dire mistake! Its head was small with weak jaws; a beak at the front of the
mouth was used to chop vegetation, and inside at the sides of the mouth, dozens of leaf-shaped teeth for grinding the food
prior to digestion. Endocasts of Stegosaurus show a very small
brain. However, this does not rule out intelligencebut it certainly doesnt assure it! In the past, scientists believed that
there was a 2nd brain in the hips, but what they thought was the brain was really a bundle of fleshy nerves (called
the sacral plexus) that helped with the functions of the spinal cord; other animals that people all over the world see everyday
also have these sacral plexuses. The front legs were only half as long
as the back ones, but were stout and able to carry the huge weight of the front part of the body. The back legs were more
muscular; the tall back legs and short front ones resulted in a steep arch down towards the head; the hips were the tallest
part of the body. The feet were short and stubby, with 4 blunt toes on the front feet and three in the rear. The most startling asset of Stegosaurus are the two rows of staggered bony plates
running along the back, growing in size from the tail, reaching biggest size at the hips, then
decreasing towards the head, ending at the neck. These plates were several inches thick at the base, but thin and narrow
at the tips. Knobs and plates in the skin helped strengthen and protect the flanks and hips of Stegosaurus. Also, some
reconstructions show the plates pointing downward from the back, covering the sides as a sort of roofed protection over the
flesh of the animal (it is believed by some that the plates were disarranged during burial to appear to be pointing up and
away from the body). Four ghastly spikes are held at the tail of the dinosaur, probably used as weapons against attackers.
Stygimoloch: Just to look at its skull would bring revelation to ones mind; the meaning of its name
makes anyone think twice, and perhaps reveals the startling fright of the creature. Is it any wonder its nickname River of
Hell Devil is derived from the skull of its long-dead skull? Most have never heard of it, and its name may bring to mind fantasy
card games or Hobbits in classic books. Stygimoloch is a genuine handprint of Gods awesome creativity! Stygimolochs skull was vastly decorated with horny bumps, piercing horns
and spikes, and was also domed, a signature of the pachycephalosaurs. The horns ran from the base of the bony dome to the
snout, with such numbers that it is more ornamented than most other pachycephalosaurs. The skull horns might have been for
butting enemies or fighting in contests for mates, but because they are seemingly relatively weak, they were probably used
solely for courtship displays. The fenestrae in the skull are closed up, indicating that this dinosaur had an unusually robust
skull.
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