Webosaurs Blog

Hatzegotpteryx like WHOA

-Rex

Settle down, old timer

Q: Who is older – Horns, Stretch, Rexxy or Pterry? -Rahuu

A: That’s a great question Rahuu! Keep in mind that the Webosaurs characters are based off dinosaurs, and exactly what species each one is isn’t entirely clear. For example, Horns is closest to being a Triceratops but could be any number of Ceratopsians. Stretch, likewise, could be any number of Sauropod species. So, to answer this question we’ll have to consider each character a part of a group. Horns represents the Ceratopsians, Stretch represents the Sauropods, Pterry reps the Pterosaurs and Rexxy reps the Theropods.

Let’s take a look at when each group first showed up on the Earth. Remember that dinosaurs existed during the Mesozoic era (defined as the time of the dinosaurs). The Mesozoic era had three periods – first was the Triassic, then the Jurassic and finally the Cretaceous. Dinosaurs showed up at the beginning of the Triassic and died at the end of the Cretaceous.

Horns/Ceratopsians – Existed during the Cretaceous period

Stretch/Sauropods – Late Triassic through the Cretaceous

Pterry/Pterosaurs – Late Triassic through the Cretaceous

Rexxy/Theropods – Early Triassic through the Cretaceous

Rexxy and the Theropods are the longest living group of dinosaurs in the Mesozoic. Theropod dinosaurs are, by fact, the only meat-eating dinosaurs (Pterosaurs aren’t technically dinosaurs). In any food chain, you have the plant eaters and the meat eaters. It would make sense that the meat-eaters would have been around the longest.

So there you have it! Rexxy is the oldest. Maybe that’s why he’s the leader?

-Rex

Smile!

Q: Are there any dinosaurs or animals from the age of the dinosaurs not extinct? -DIALGAPALKIA

A: Yes! In fact, the extinction event at the end of the Cretaceous was not even the worst the Earth had seen at that point. Dinosaurs came to prominence after the Permian extinction event (the period before the Triassic) which killed 90-95% of all life on earth!! In comparison, the extinction event the dinosaurs suffered killed about 85% of all life on earth.

It’s hard for a creature to stave off the forces of evolution over millions of years but some, like the “whip scorpion” in the Nigel Marven webosode, managed to stay relatively unchanged over that time. The ancient fish coelacanth was thought to have been extinct at the end of the Cretaceous until one was found in South Africa in 1938.

Crocodiles were also widespread during the Mesozoic and it is safe to say that they fed off dinosaurs. The Mesozoic crocodiles were very similar in size and appearance to modern crocodiles although the biggest one, Sarcosuchus, could grow up to 39ft (12m) long.

-Rex

Q: How did Raptors eggs looked like? – Cos

A: Well Cos, something like this…

These are a set of raptor eggs from the Cretaceous time period, found in China. What do you think?

Contrary to the image of raptors as cruel and merciless, young raptor fossils show that they were proportionally smaller and had bigger eyes than adults. This suggests to paleontologists that they were fed and cared for by their parents for at least a short time after their birth.

-Rex