In our 145th episode, we got to chat with Matthew Baron, about Ornithoscelida and classifying dinosaurs. You can follow him on Twitter @MattExtinctions!

Episode 145 is also about Piatnitzkysaurus, a megalosaurid theropod that lived in the Jurassic in what is now Argentina.

We keep meeting more and more amazing dinosaur enthusiasts! Join our growing group on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/iknowdino

You can listen to our free podcast, with all our episodes, on iTunes at:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/i-know-dino/id960976813?mt=2

In this episode, we discuss:

News:

The dinosaur of the day: Piatnitzkysaurus

Megalosaurid theropod that lived in the Jurassic in what is now Argentina

Two partial skeletons have been found (including a fractured skull)

Fossils collected in 1977, 1982, 1983

Described in 1979 by Jose Bonapart

Type species is Piatnitzkysaurus floresi

Name means Piatnitzky’s lizard

Named in honor of Alejandro Matveievich Piatnitzky, a Russian Argentine geologist

Medium-sized, with a light build

Bipedal carnivore

Could be up to 14.1 ft (4.3 m) long and weigh 990 lb (440 kg)

Holotype found is a subadult, so may have grown larger

Had strong arms and legs (four toes on each foot)

Probably hunted small dinosaurs, and probably also scavenged

Similar braincase to Piveteausaurus, a theropod found in northern France

Other dinosaurs that lived in the same time and place include Eoabelisaurus (abelisaurid), Patagosaurus (eusauropodon), Volkheimeria (eusauropodon), Tehuelchesaurus

Fun Fact:

The bone wars continued past the two main participants’ deaths. Before Edward Drinker Cope died, he arranged to have his brain removed from his brain and weighed. At the time brain weight was thought to be indicative of one’s intelligence, and he wanted his brain to be compared to Othniel Charles Marsh’s brain. However, when Marsh died, he had no interest in the competition and didn’t consent to an autopsy.

And if you’re interested in our Brontosaurus children’s book check out http://iknowdino.com/books/what-happened-to-brontosaurus/