Episode 193 is all about Fruitadens, the smallest known ornithischian at under 2 pounds and 3 feet in length.

We also interview Sean Rubin, the author & illustrator of Bolivar. The graphic novel where Bolivar the T. rex roams New York City and nobody notices because they are all so busy. Sean is also the co-founder and Chief Creative Officer of MNY Group. He can be found on Instagram and twitter @SeanCRubin & online at seanrubin.com

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In this episode, we discuss:

News:

• A new experiment of Jurassic plant growth and sauropod digestion shows that the ecosystem could hold more dinosaurs than previously thought. source
• A new study on fossilized melanosomes calls into question previous studies on dinosaur coloration. source
• A team from the University of Kansas is working on excavating a juvenile T. rex in the Hell Creek Formation. source
• Late Jurassic footprints are being investigated in paving stones near hotsprings in China. source
• Sauropod footprints from the early Cretaceous have been documented with photogrammetry in the UK. source
• A father and son team opened a dinosaur center in Springerville, Arizona. source
• A temporary inflatable green sauropod is in the Bayville dinosaur’s place while it’s being repaired. source
• Myles Garrett from the Cleveland Browns recently traded his signed No. 95 jersey for a dinosaur toy. source
• A new South Korean film came out this summer, called Along with the Gods: The Last 49 Days, which featured some dinosaurs. source
• YouTube video “The Most Disturbing Death Scene in Jurassic Park History – Michael Crichton’s Jurassic Park.” highlights the scene where compys kill a baby. source
• College Humor created a video showing Jurassic Park scenes with other prehistoric creatures. source
• The New Zealand Mint has a colored, official, Jurassic Park 25th Anniversary 1oz silver coin for sale for $85 USD. source
• The board game “Jurassic Park: Danger” was released by Ravensburger where one person plays as the dinosaurs trying to eat the human players. source

The dinosaur of the day: Fruitadens

• Heterodontosaurid that lived in the Jurassic in what is now Colorado
• Name means “Fruita tooth”
• Refers to Fruita, Colorado, where it was found
• Found in the 1970s and 1980s by George Callison and a team, from the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
• Found in the Morrison Formation’s Brushy Basin Member
• Formally described in 2010 by Richard Butler and others
• Type species is Fruitadens haagarorum
• Species name in honor of Paul Haaga Jr., Heather Haaga, Blythe Haaga, Paul Haaga III, and Catalina Haaga for the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, who provided support
• Found incomplete jaws, vertebrae, partial hind limbs, and a nearly fully grown individual, as well as at least three other individuals (individuals ranged in age from two to five years)
• Smallest known ornithischian
• Young adults estimated to be 26-30 in (65-75 cm) long and weigh 1.1-1.7 lb (0.5-0.75 kg)
• Similar to Echinodon (small bipedal dinosaur from the Cretaceous in what is now England)
• Similar body proportions to Heterodontosaurus
• Had short arms and long legs
• Hind limb bones were hollow, similar to small theropods
• Lightweight, so probably agile
• May have had bristly filaments along its back (speculation, based on relative Tianyulong)
• Most ornithischians are herbivores, but since Fruitadens was so small, it may have been hard to digest just plant vegetation (big guts help digest plant material)
• Probably bipedal and omnivorous (jaws were not really specialized), may have eaten plants, insects, and other invertebrates
• Could open jaws wide and bite quickly (but had a weak bite)
• Lower jaws had an enlarged canine-like tooth, with a gap for it in the upper jaw
• A small peg-like tooth was in front of the canine-like tooth
• Had replacement teeth, which is different from other heterodontosaurids
• Other animals that lived in the same time and place include snails, clams, crayfish, insects, fish, turtiles, lizards, crocodylomorphs, and mammals

Fun Fact:

Our skin (and dinosaur feathers) have melanin for coloration and protection from UV radiation. The liver produces even more melanin as a hormone which never sees the light of day.

Sponsors:

This episode is brought to you in part by TRX Dinosaurs, which makes beautiful and realistic dinosaur sculptures, puppets, and animatronics. You can see some amazing examples and works in progress on Instagram @trxdinosaurs