 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Petrified Forest | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National Park National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Triassic Dinosaurs and Reptiles | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| This metoposaur, a giant amphibian (not a reptile) could get as large as 1 ton! | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Petrified Forest National Park is an area rich in fossil remains of animals that lived 225 million years ago during the Triassic Period. This was the beginning of the age of dinosaurs, but the most common bones found here belong to reptiles that were dominant before the dinosaurs. This was a time of transition. Dinosaurs were small while many of their reptile neighbors looked huge and ferocious. By the end of this period the dinosaurs began their rise to dominance while many of the Triassic reptiles started dying out. The park has two free-standing casts of the reptiles and one display of a dinosaur. The Rainbow Forest Museum two miles north of the south entrance has these exhibits. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Upon entering the Rainbow Forest Museum you will see a reptile that resembles a small rhinoceros. Placerias gigas was the largest plant-eater of the time with a length of about 10 feet and weight of almost one ton. Placerias had a pair of upper tusks in the front jaw, these being especially large in males. The hooked beak was probably used for tearing up tough plants and digging through the soil for roots. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Another Triassic animal was a huge crocodile-like reptile that weighed about five tons and was 28 to 30 feet long. This individual (scientific name of Nicrosaurus gregorii) belonged to a group known as phytosaurs which were meat-eaters and the largest fresh-water reptiles of the time. These comprise the most common fossils found in the Petrified Forest. The swamps here must have been very dangerous for the smaller animals. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Around the corner, to the right, in the museum, is a strange looking animal. This is Desmatosuchus haplocerus, a heavily armored, plant-eating reptile. He is soldily encased with armor plates and sporting two foot-long spikes from each shoulder. He was about 15 feet long and weighted about 1 ton. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| A more ferocious looking animal was Postosuchus kirkpatricki, the largest land dwelling predator of the time. He was dinosaur-like in appearance, about 13 feet long and weighed almost one ton. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In 1984, a very early dinosaur was discovered by paleontologist Bryan Small in the painted desert section of Petrified Forest. What you see in the display case are castings of all the bones that were found. This dinosaur has been nicknamed "Gertie" after a silent film cartoon dinosaur but her scientific name is Chindesaurus bryansmalli. Gertie was lightly built with a slender neck, short body, and long hind limbs. A pointed tooth shows that she was a meat-eater. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The dinosaur standing behind Gertie's exhibit is a Coelophysis. This model is made of bronze. Coelophysis was also lightly built with hollow limb bones and a delicately constructed skull. This carnivorous dinosaur was made for fast running which helped in catching its prey. So just what color is a dinosaur? The colors on this model are only a guess. There are many variations of color and pattern for today's creatures but so far we can only imagine how these creatures looked. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Paleontologists are slowly reconstructing what the Triassic world was like by piecing together bits of fossilized bones and teeth. They also are looking at plants, insects, and other life forms to better understand the strange environment of 225 million years ago. Many of the pieces never fossilized and of those that did many have eroded away and are lost forever. Please help the paleontologists and park rangers by not disturbing any fossils you may find during your visit. Please help us also by reporting any observed theft or damage to a park employee. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| This text is from an original national park site bulletin from Petrified Forest National Park. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||