January 2025 Daily Dino Digest Newsletter

Hi Dino Gang,

January has been nothing short of overwhelming. From unexpected challenges to the sheer pace of the new year, it’s been a whirlwind for so many of us. My heart especially goes out to everyone in LA who has been impacted by the fires.

That’s why I’m so honored to announce that Daily Dino Guy has partnered with Revell With A Cause this month to give back in a meaningful way. Revell With A Cause has created an Amazon Wishlist where anyone around the world can contribute by purchasing essential items for their partner, The LA Dream Center, to distribute to those who've lost everything in LA county. Even one small item makes a difference in supporting those who need it most.

SEND ITEMS VIA AMAZON TO LA

💥 Daily Dino Guy is making a difference! This month, we’re donating 100% of all new Daily Dino Direct membership fees to Revell With A Cause to help clear their Amazon wishlist for the LA Dream Center. By joining for just $3, you'll get early video access, exclusive content, live Q&As, and more—all while directly supporting a powerful cause.

SUPPORT LA: 30 DAYS OF DINO DIRECT FOR $3

Now, let’s shift gears and dive into something that brings a bit of wonder during this heavy time—dinosaurs ⤵️

A new dinosaur was discovered and it was one of the earliest long-necked dinosaurs! Lishulong was an early sauropod (Sauropodomorph) that lived in China roughly 201 million years ago. This huge dinosaur was estimated to reach 43 ft (13 meters) in length. The reason this dinosaur is so interesting is that it reveals how long-necked dinosaurs spread across the world. Sauropods were very rare in China during the early Jurassic, thus Lishulong was the earliest species in the area at this time. It was thought that Sauropods migrated from southern Pangea to the rest of the world in one long migration. However, by looking at the family tree of Lishulong and where its relatives came from, the authors realized sauropods had several migration events before they spread across the world.

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A new dinosaur was discovered and this one was one of the earliest bird-hipped dinosaurs! Archeocursor was an early ornithischian that lived in China 199 million years ago. It was quite small, reaching only 3.3 feet (1 meter) in length, and had long legs to help it run quickly. Archeocursor is so cool because, like Lishulong, it reveals how dinosaurs migrated across Pangea. Ornithischian dinosaurs originated in Southern Pangea (roughly South Africa) during the Triassic period. But they couldn’t migrate across the globe because the equator was way too hot to cross. However, because ornithischians like Archaeocursor are found in Northern Pangea (China) by the Early Jurassic period, this shows that global temperatures cooled enough for them to cross the equator.

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Paleontologists just realized a huge mistake about one dinosaur! Paleontologists looked at the bones of the giant predator Saurophaganax and realized that it was actually made up of two separate dinosaur bones. They found that the back bones actually belonged to a long-necked dinosaur, while the skull and legs still belonged to a meat eating dinosaur. In order to clear up this mess, they split the fossil into two separate dinosaurs: The first is a new species called Allosaurus anax, which is now the biggest species of Allosaurus to exist. The second is another mysterious species of long-necked dinosaur that still needs to be studied but will likely keep the name Saurophaganax. Talk about confusing!

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Paleontologists have always wondered how the mysterious Megaraptors would hunt and now they know! Paleontologists measured how much force the jaws and claws of these predators could generate compared to other predatory dinosaurs. They found that they had a pretty low bite force compared to other dinosaurs, but they likely didn’t need a powerful bite. Instead, the authors suggested that they would deliver quick slashing bites that would tear rather than crush. They also found that their massive claws functioned like hooks that would snatch up prey as it tried to run away. This is different from nearly all other predatory dinosaurs who had small and sometimes useless arms!

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England is the birth place of paleontology and dinosaurs, with over 200 years of research having taken place in this country. But we still don’t know what kinds of dinosaurs lived in places like Bexhill in Southern England. However, scientists looked at tons of different teeth from this area and found that it was an extremely diverse area. Bexhill was home to Spinosaurs, Dromaeosaurs, early Tyrannosaurs, and other types of feathered dinosaurs. And these teeth were unique from English dinosaurs that have already been described, suggesting that many new species will soon be discovered in this area!

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MONTHLY FAQ's
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Q: Which modern bird is most similar to a dinosaur in appearance and genetics?
A: Because birds and dinosaurs are separated by millions of years, they're all just about equally related to dinosaurs. Although its controversial based on which study is referenced, but it seems that there's a three way tie for the closest type of bird. It's either Gamefowl (chickens, turkeys, and pheasants), Waterfowl (ducks and geese) or Ratites (ostriches, emus, and cassowaries).

Q: How did the dinosaurs go extinct?
A: When we look at the rock layers where we see the last dinosaur bones, the top layer always contains a dark ash layer roughly 2 inches thick. Scientists have tested the ash from this layer and found two other strange things in it. The first is really high amounts of Iridium, which are only found in meteors. And the second is shocked quartz, which you only find at nuclear test sites. Putting these together, scientists realized that a giant meteor crashed into Earth. The resulting explosion was bigger than any nuclear bomb and likely caused massive earthquakes, tsunamis, and wildfires. But even worse than that, all of the debris blocked out the sun and plunged Earth into darkness and caused a cold snap. This meant plants couldn’t grow, which resulted in herbivores dying, which then resulted in carnivores dying off. The only things that could survive were small animals that could hide and didn’t need much food, like mammals, birds, small reptiles, and amphibians. But all non-bird dinosaurs went extinct.

Q: Did dinosaurs fart?
A: Probably not! Like birds, many dinosaurs probably had a shorter digestive track than mammals. Because of this, there is usually less time for gas to accumulate and then get farted out. But some dinosaurs, like sauropods probably had long digestive tracks simply because they were so huge. So if any dinosaur could, maybe long-necked dinosaurs could!

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Could You Survive a Velociraptor Attack? | Dinosaur Survival Guide 🦖

Velociraptor is one of the most iconic dinosaurs, known for its sharp claws, serrated teeth, and incredible speed. But how would you fare against this feathered predator if it were alive today?

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THANKS FOR BEING A PART OF THE DINO GANG,

January 2025

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