2016/05/24 • 2

Dinosaur Roar – Part 2 of 3

Picking up where we left off in the previous post, the trek through McKee Botanical Garden to see the dinosaurs continues.

The imposing Daspletosaur (Frightful Lizard) lives up to its name. As a crafty carnivore this truly frightful lizard would most likely hide in the bushes to pounce on unsuspecting Garden-folk who paused to relax on the bench along the trail. Now that is something I would have liked to have seen.

People travel far and wide to come to McKee to view the flowering waterlilies so the resulting peer pressure moved me to get this obelisking Dragonfly. On hot days a Dragonfly will point its abdomen toward the Sun to reduce the exposed surface area of its body as a way to keep cool. This behavior is called obelisking.

Not obelisking.

Because of the way its jaws and teeth are constructed, this plant-eating Placerias (Two Dog Tooth) is considered to be a mammal-like lizard. It certainly looks a bit like a dog.

The Sordes (Devil or Hairy Devil) was a small flying reptile that you probably would not want to get in your hair. Interestingly, from the fossils found, it appears the Sordes was covered in hair except for its wings.

The sad-eyed herbivore Hypsibema Missouriense (High and Step) protecting its eggs.

Another carnivorous flying reptile, Quetzalcoatlus (named after the Aztec feathered god Quetzalcoatl). This one has a large wingspan, up to 39 feet wide, which most have pleased ancient birders who put this one on their life list.

The cute herbivore Heterodontosaurus (Different Toothed Lizard), which had three different kinds of teeth and a beak. Plus it had opposable fingers meaning it could pick things up with one hand like people do.

An architectural detail from the Hall of Giants.

An architectural detail from the Hall of Giants.

The Citipati (Funeral Pyre Lord) was Emu-sized in real life but for some reason the specimens on display at McKee were chicken-sized. Maybe these were young ones? Plus they lacked the high crest the exhibit booklet frequently mentions as being a defining field mark.

Here is another waterlily for the flower-conscious.