The Big Dinosaur Podcast

Episode 216 is all about Megaraptor, A large theropod with claws over one foot long (originally thought to be foot claws, now known to be hand claws).

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In this episode, we discuss:

News:

• Stegosaurus and Plateosaurus had much stronger bites than their close ancestors, while T. rex had a bite similar to its relatives source
• A new model shows how the mega-tsunami at the end-cretaceous spread around the world source
• The Planetario Alfa museum has an exhibit Dinosaurs Made in Mexico source
• An Indian geologist stirred up controversy claiming that Hindu god Lord Brahma discovered dinosaurs source
• In London at Greenwich Theatre there are two one act dinosaur-related plays running January 16 to 19 source
• Turok the Dinosaur Hunter is getting a comic book reboot source

The dinosaur of the day: Megaraptor

• Megaraptor (request from Andrew Batist, Andre Santos, Jake Posey, youtube, FB, email)
• Phonetic: Meg-ah-rap-tor.
• Theropod that lived in the Late Cretaceous in what is now Patagonia
• Type species is Megaraptor namunhuaiquii
• Name means “giant thief”
• Named in 1998 by Novas, based on a claw about 13 in (34 cm) long (possibly ~16 in or 40 cm long with a sheath) that looked like the sickle-claw of a dromaeosaurid
• Later a complete front limb was found, and showed the claw was actually on the first finger of a hand (not a foot claw)
• Hands were elongated
• Species name means “foot lance” (Mapuche Indian names)
• Carnivorous
• Originally thought to be a large dromaeosaur-like coelurosaur
• Now considered to be either a basal tyrannosauroid or a basal coelurosaur
• Gregory S. Paul estimated in 2010 that Megaraptor was about 26 ft (8 m ) long and weighed 2,200 lb (1 tonne)
• Can see Megaraptor in the game Warpath: Jurassic Park (made before the claw was known to be from the hand, so it’s displayed as a large dromaeosaur, and its codename is M-Raptor or Raptor)

Fun Fact: According to the latest model The initial wave created by the Chicxulub impactor and it’s 1.5km crest. The tube created under the wave would have been ~1/2km (~1800ft) in diameter. That’s large enough to fit even the largest supertanker ever made.

Sponsors:

This episode is brought to you in part by Indiana University Press. Their Life of the Past series is lavishly illustrated and meticulously documented to showcase the latest findings and most compelling interpretations in the ever-changing field of paleontology. Find their books at iupress.indiana.edu