Indoor v. Outdoor Cats

No 3 - - Hadrosaurus of New Jersey

[3] Hadrosaurus – New Jersey (1991)

A classic choice. 
 
It was discovered in the Woodbury Formation in New Jersey, which is now an American national historic landmark. The nearly complete skeleton provided limbs, dozens of vertebrae, teeth, a pelvis and bits of the feet and some of the jaw.

That’s a remarkable find – and well worth honouring your state by making it the official fossil. Excellent choice, just not the “coolest” dinosaur you could possibly name, though the “high quality” factor is definitely there.

In 1868 it was the first dinosaur skeleton ever mounted (even though it was missing a skull – and to this day is STILL missing a skull).

As I understand it, this is the first and only discovery of its kind, and though there have been other relative species discovered throughout North America, the high quality and early identification of hadrosaurus has made it a famous and historic addition to the fossil record.

Excellent choice for a state fossil.

References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hadrosaurus

Tomb of the Undead: Aide Demandee - Pages 148 - 149

A new scene for Tomb of the Undead is up and ready to go when you are. Check it out!

Dustin Mugabe recalls when he was need in help in Aide Demandee.

No. 4 - - Astrodon of Maryland

[4] Astrodon – Maryland (1998)
 

Named after its star-shaped teeth, you probably wouldn’t even see those chompers when you came across an astrodon because they’d be 9 metres up in the frickin’ air! This behemoth brachiosaurid is presumed to have rocked upwards of 20 tons, though considered medium-sized in terms of sauropods.

The specimens were discovered in the Arundel Formation in Maryland back in the 1859 making it one of the earliest discovered dinosaurs in North America ever and the first discovered in Maryland.

That’s pretty cool – plus, Maryland sort of “snagged” the state fossil away from Texas, in a round-about unintentionally sort of way.
 
References:
http://cooldinofacts.wikia.com/wiki/Astrodon

No. 5 - - Pleurocoelus of Texas ... or is it Paluxysaurus?

[5]Pleurocoelus – Texas (1997)/maybe Paluxysaurus?

So … this is an awkward situation. It sounds like Texas adopted the Pleurocoelus (a brachiosaurid) back in ’97, but paleontologists “screwed up Texas’s plans” by suggesting that Pleurocoelus is actually an already identified species called Astrodon, which Maryland adopted as their own state fossil in ’98.

This means, for a few years, Texans were happy to have the 15-ton obscurity representing their state, until they learned that they’d adopted a species that might actually be a different species that someone else had already staked a claim to.

“Well, shit,” thought Texas. *
 
 *I’m speculating and paraphrasing

So since 2009 Texas has been mulling over the idea of replacing Pleurocoelus/Astrodon with Paluxysaurus, which is kind of neat, in terms of its placement in sauropod evolution (if Texans believe in that sort of thing).

Paluxysaurus is believed to represent the evolutionary turning point between brachiosaurids and titanosaurs, which were the lineage of sauropods that would survive until the extinction event that ceased the existence of all dinosaurs shortly thereafter.


References:
http://dinosaurs.about.com/od/herbivorousdinosaurs/p/Paluxysaurus.htm 

http://dinosaurs.about.com/od/herbivorousdinosaurs/p/pleurocoelus.htm

Cyber crimes

Tomb of the Undead: I'm All Ears - Page 147

There's a new scene posted up on the Tomb of the Undead ready when you are. I hope you're enjoying the latest act and some of the stylistic changes I've incorporated.

Dustin Mugabe implores Dr. Miller to provide some answers in I'm All Ears.