Episode 127 is all about Masiakasaurus, a small noasaurid theropod that lived in the Cretaceous in what is now Madagascar.

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In this episode, we discuss:

News:

The dinosaur of the day: Masiakasaurus

Name means “vicious lizard”

Small noasaurid theropod that lived in the Cretaceous in what is now Madagascar

Named in 2001 by Scott Sampson, Matthew Carrano, and Catherine Forster

Type species is Masiakasaurus knopfleri

Named after Mark Knopfler, lead singer of Dire Straits, whose music was considered to be the expedition team’s lucky charm (they were listening to his songs when they made important discoveries)

About 40% of the skeleton was found, and included parts of the skull and the teeth, humerus, pubis, hindlimbs, and several vertebrae

More specimens were found in 2011, and included the braincase, premxilla, facial bones, ribcage, and more, and helped scientists learn more about noasaurids (Masiakasaurus is now one of the best known noasaurids), Now 65% of the skeleton is known

Multiple specimens from thirty localities were found in Madagascar

Part of the superfamiliy Abelisauroidea and the clade noasaurid, a group of small theropods

Bipedal, with forelimbs that were shorter than hindlimbs

About 6.6 ft (2 m) long

Weighed about 80 lb (35 kg)

A 2013 study of Masiakasaurus found that it took 8-10 years to grow, and became the size of a large dog (growth rate is 40% slower than similar sized non-avian theropods). But the slow growth meant it didn’t have to consume as much food, which helped in a semiarid environment with dry seasons and short supplies of food

Long, long skull

Had a narrow neck

Had four fingers on each hand, though the four digit was reduced, and had stout, not very sharp, claws

Originally, the hand bones were thought to be foot bones (so scientists originally thought it had a sickle claw on its second toe), but now it’s considered to be a finger

Front teeth projected forward instead of straight down, (different from other theropods)

Had heterodont teeth (different shapes along the jaw)

It’s lower front teeth are nearly horizontal, and the angle of its teeth increase until its fourth tooth (the rest of the teeth are vertical)

These front horizontal teeth haven’t been seen in other predatory dinosaurs

Posterior teeth have serrations and are recurved

Front teeth were good for grasping small prey, but not good for tearing large food apart (back teeth were better for cutting and slicing)

Probably had a specialized diet (fish and small prey)

Other animals that lived in the same time and place include Majungasaurus, Rapetosaurus, Rahonavis

Majungasaurus may have preyed upon Masiakasaurus (based on one specimen found with holes that look like puncture marks from being hunted or scavenged, though it could also have been an infection)

Fun fact:

The name “fossil fuel” is really a misnomer. The formation of oil & coal is completely different than fossilization.

The prevailing theory for how crude oil formed goes:

Huge numbers of dead plankton, algae, and the occasional other plant or animal fall to the bottom of the ocean

Some of them get buried before they decompose (kind of like fossilization)

High pressure and heat convert them into oil (not at all like fossilization)

If you’re wondering how many dinosaurs got mixed in; As William Thomas, a geologist from the University of Kentucky put it:

“Some of the dinosaurs may have gotten involved in some of this…” but he thinks “it would be quite rare and a very small and insignificant contribution.”

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