NEW dinosaur found in Alberta!!!

[Kurt_eh]

I used to work at the RTMP (http://www.tyrrellmuseum.com) for a few summers. Best. Summer-student job. Ever!

Sorry this is all I could google on short notice...

Atrociraptor marshalii

http://www.dinodata.net/Dd/Namelist/TABA/A255.htm

DESCRIBER Currie, Varricchio, 2004
TIME Cretaceous Late
Campanian Maastrichtian
CLASSIFICATION Saurischia Theropoda Tetanurae Coelurosauria Dromaeosauridae
DIET Carnivore
FOSSIL SITE Horseshoe Canyon Formation, Alberta, Canada
INFO
Currie, P.J. and Varricchio, D.J. (2004)A New Dromaeosaurid from the Horseshoe Canyon Formation (Upper Cretaceous) of Alberta, Canada In: Feathered Dragons: Studies on the Transition from Dinosaurs to Birds, (eds. by Currie, P.J., Koppelhus, E.B., Shugar, M.A. and Wright, J.L. pp. 112-132

Abstract: The discovery of a new dromaeosaurid in the Horseshoe Canyon Formation (uppermost Campanian-lowermost Maastrichtian, Upper Cretaceous) increases the known diversity of this interesting group of theropods, considered by many as the closest non-avian theropod relatives of Archaeopteryx and other derived birds. The new animal, known from a partial skull, is relatively small. It differs from the contemporary Bambiraptor, Saurornitholestes, and Velociraptor in having a short, deep face. The teeth are more strongly inclined toward the throat than they are in most other dromaeosaurids, and are all almost the same size. Phylogenetic analysis suggests that the new dromaeosaurid may represent an independent lineage having origins back in the early Cretaceous."

Etymology: "Atroci" is a Latin word meaning savage, whereas "raptor" is Latin for robber. The species is named after Wayne Marshall of East Coulee, Alberta, who discovered the type specimen.Holotype: TMP 95.166.1, a partial skull that includes premaxillae, the right maxilla, the right dentary, portions of the left dentary, teeth, and numerous bone fragments.Locality and age: The holotype was recovered from strata about 5 m above the Daly Coal Seam #7 (Gibson 1977) in the Horseshoe Canyon Formation (upper Campanian or lower Maastrichtian, Upper Cretaceous) at UTM 12U 372,125E,5,708,055 N, which is about 5 km west of the Royal Tyrell Museum of Paleontology in Drumheller, Alberta.

Diagnosis: Small velociraptorine, dromaeosaurid theropod that differs from Saurornitholestes and Velociraptor in having a shorter, deeper face. Subnarial body of premaxilla is taller than its anteroposterior length as in Deinonychus and possibly Dromaeosaurus. Internarial and maxillary processes of premaxilla subparallel and oriented more dorsally than posteriorly. Larger maxillary fenestra than in any other velociraptorines. Maxillary fenestra is directly above the promaxillary fenestra, rather than well behind it as in all other dromaeosaurids. Maxillary teeth more strongly inclined toward the throat than in all other dromaeosaurids except Bambiraptor and Deinonychus. Maxillary dentition is essentially isodont."

[talyn3]

Wow, I don't think I understood half those words.

[AgentSun]

i did. i understood "it" "and" and "is"

[Kurt_eh]

I appologise for the technical aspect of the quote. It was the best I could google at the time. I'll try to do a glossary here for some of the technical words (and a joke or two, cause, hey, I'm a smart-ass! ;) )

Abstract: A form of art, usually involving lines, or splattering paint on a canvas by some unconventional means.

dromaeosaurid: A family name for Velociraptor style of dinosaur.

Formation: A grouping of rocks.
Uppermost Campanian-lowermost Maastrichtian, Upper Cretaceous: 67-70 million years ago

theropods: Carnivorous dinosaurs that ran on two legs, everything from Allosaurus to T. rex to Velociraptor.

Bambiraptor, Saurornitholestes, and Velociraptor other small theropods in the 'hood at the time. From rival gangs.

Phylogenetic analysis: The Atrociraptor's genealogy

Holotype: The first specimin of a brand new fossil species ever described in scientific literature.

TMP 95.166.1 The Tyrrell Museum's catalogue number. Year 1995, site #166, specimin #1.

premaxillae, the right maxilla: Parts of the upper jaw
right dentary, portions of the left dentary, teeth: Parts of the lower jaw

Strata: layers

Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology: http://www.tyrrellmuseum.com

(And it's pronounced tear'ill like the guy on Andromeda ;) )

[talyn3]

Formation: A grouping of rocks.



I now feel enlightened. :)

[Kurt_eh]

You're welcome. Geologists use formations like addresses in the rock record.

Speak of a certain "formation" and you're talking about a fairly specific region and a very specific slice of geological history...For example if I were to refer to the Morrison Formation, I'd be speaking about a group of rocks ~150 million years old that ranges from New Mexico to Utah to Montana to Nebraska made famous by Dinosaur National Monument ( http://www.nps.gov/dino/dinos.htm )

[mgraylorn]

Cool story Kurt_eh! I love dinosaurs! One day I want to go on a summer dig.

And a personal oddity - one of my brothers is named Wayne Marshall. He lives in Washington state though.

[Kurt_eh]

http://www.tyrrellmuseum.com/events/#newdino

Currie Identifies New Dinosaur



Atrociraptor marshalli skull reconstruction

http://www.tyrrellmuseum.com/images/atrociraptor7.jpg

A new type of dromaeosaurid, (a small raptor found in Alberta ) has been identified by Philip Currie, Head of Dinosaur Research at the Royal Tyrrell Museum.

Named Atrociraptor marshalli by Currie, this meat-eating dinosaur adds to the diversity of dromaeosaurids, considered to be the closest non-avian relatives of the Archaeopteryx. Atrociraptor, whose name means savage robber, is similar to Velociraptor, Dromaeosaurus and Deinonychus, but smaller in size with several distinguishing features including a shorter, deeper snout.

Currie’s description of the 70 million year old specimen is based on a partial skull found not far from the Royal Tyrrell Museum near Drumheller in 1995 and is published in Feathered Dragons – Studies on the Transition from Dinosaurs to Birds. The book combines the scientific studies of 20 palaeontologists on the evolution of dinosaurs to birds. It contains two chapters by Currie who edited the scientific volume along with associates Eva Koppelhus, Martin Shugar and Joanna Wright.

Feathered Dragons – Studies on the Transition from Dinosaurs to Birds includes 15 new pieces of scientific research on the transition of dinosaurs to birds, including the first detailed description of Bambiraptor, a dinosaur discovered in Montana that offers some of the most convincing evidence found to date to link dinosaurs and birds. Published by Indiana University Press, this collaboration of research took more than four years to compile. Currie and colleagues from North America and Argentina fostered the original idea of a compilation of studies on the connection between dinosaurs and birds following a symposium in the United States in 2000 on dinosaur-bird evolution.

Since the discovery of Archaeopteryx and Compsognathus in the late 1800s, some palaeontologists believe that certain types of small meat-eating dinosaurs were the ancestors of birds. With the discovery of feathered dinosaurs in China in the late 1990s, most palaeontologists have shifted their focus from the commonly accepted question of whether or not birds evolved from dinosaurs to how feathers and avian flight evolved.

:headbang: That's what I get for googling insted of hitting the rtmp website first :headbang:

[mgraylorn]

Bambiraptor!?! This brings up some pretty strange mental imagery. Sweet little Bambi with big sharp teeth, huge claws, and protofeathers.

[Kurt_eh]

For anyone who's ever dreamed of going on a Dinosaur Dig, you can do it (for a day at least) at the Royal Tyrrell Museum in the beautiful badlands around Drumheller, Alberta.

This is the program I spent my 3 favourite summers ever working on...

http://www.tyrrellmuseum.com/programs/index2.php?adults=1

Day Digs
May 22 - June 20: Weekends only from 8:30am-4:00pm
June 21 - August 29: Daily from 8:30am-4:00pm
September 2 - 26: Thursday, Saturday and Sunday from 8:30am-4:00pm

Adult: $90.00 cdn (16 and over, including taxes)
Society Members: $81.00 cdn
Youth: $60.00 cdn (12*-15 accompanied by an adult, including taxes)
Society Members: $54.00 cdn


Roll up your sleeves and join us for an unforgettable day, digging up dinosaur bones.

You’ll work with Museum staff and assist in on-going research in an actual quarry, excavating real dinosaur bones, and discovering different aspects of dinosaur palaeontology. The Royal Tyrrell Museum initiated Day Digs in 1993 as a multifaceted palaeontological project to identify the number and kinds of dinosaurs represented in the Drumheller valley, their distribution, and the conditions under which these dinosaurs lived and died. The Day Digs program depends on the effort, enthusiasm and involvement of Day Digs participants like you.


http://www.tyrrellmuseum.com/images/daydig-2.jpg

Thousands of significant specimens have been excavated from the Day Digs quarries, including a 1.3 metre-long femur from a duck billed dinosaur. The femur is much larger than average and it’s believed this dinosaur would have measured more than four metres high at the hip. It took almost a month to completely uncover the fossil, thought to belong to Edmontosaurus, one of the largest and most common hadrosaurs found in the Drumheller valley. While this has been one of the largest bones discovered, there are hundreds of fossils excavated each the summer. Participants have found fragments of turtle shell, crocodile and fish teeth, ceratopsian and champsosaur remains, and nearly 100 tyrannosaur teeth! In 2004, we will return to this bone bed located only minutes from the Royal Tyrrell Museum.

Click here for highlights from Day Digs 2003.

Here’s what you can expect on your Day Dig:

8:30am You’ll be met at the main entrance to the Museum by our Day Digs crew who’ll take you on a Behind the Scenes Tour to see some of the fossils already collected.
9:15am Travel by bus or van to the dig site, followed by a 15-minute hike to the quarry. Our Day Digs crew will show you how to use small hand tools to carefully uncover the fossils, how to map the position of the fossils, and then wrap them in plaster.
12:00pm Lunch and refreshments are provided. Snacks, water and refreshments are also available throughout the day.
4:00pm Return to the Museum. Your Day Digs fee includes Museum admission so you’re welcome to spend the rest of the day exploring our fascinating displays. Remember, every fossil you see in our gallery was mapped and collected just the way you did on your dig.
*Youths must be at least 12 years of age and accompanied by an adult.

There is a limit of 12 people per day, so don’t be disappointed – request your reservation now by contacting our Day Digs Bookings Office If you’re a member of the Royal Tyrrell Museum Cooperating Society or registering a group of 10 or more individuals, you’ll receive a 10% discount.

[DentArthurDent]

hehehehe... so nice of you to mention the Morrison Formation, Kurt... cause it's where I work... :D I'm about 10 miles south of morrison, colorado, in the same rock formation...

http://town.morrison.co.us/geology/morrform.html

[abbadon]

...NEW dinosaur found in Alberta!!! .......Wasn't one of these was it ? :D

[Third EYe]

stop living in the past....

I'm waiting for someone to catch one of these things alive.

[SabaceanBabe]

...NEW dinosaur found in Alberta!!! .......Wasn't one of these was it ? :D

:roflmao: