New Dinosaur a "Cretaceous weed whacker"

This isn't your everyday duckbilled dinosaur, it's mouth packed with 800 teeth this newly discovered species struck legendary fear in plant life.

OK, so plants don't have feelings but this is interesting, the archaeologists were also able to uncover some fossils and impressions of the scaly skin of this new dino.

LINK

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Scientists have found in southern Utah a nicely preserved skull with jaws containing 800 teeth, scaly skin impressions and other fossil remains of a new species of duck-billed dinosaur from 75 million years ago.

The bipedal herbivorous dinosaur, named Gryposaurus monumentensis, was about 30 feet long and pigged out on plenty of plants.

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[edit on 2007/10/4 by JacKatMtn]

Interesting. Heres a pic



And an artist rendering:




Pretty cool!

Where are the feathers?!

Wow that's a lot of teeth! Still amazes me how many new Dino species we find. Makes me wonder what else is out there that we haven't seen yet that is still alive.

Originally posted by C.C.Benjamin
Where are the feathers?!

Not all dinosaurs had feathers.

reply to post by C.C.Benjamin


Feathers would be unnecessary. This animal is a large herbivore, presumably from a warm / temperate climate. The larger the animal, the less insulation it needs, as all that flesh and thick skin retains warm really well. On herbivores, particularly grass eaters, such insulation could even be unhealthy, as the body is producing copious heat from digestion.

Smaller plant eaters may have had feathers, at least while young, but it's just as likely they were restricted to the therapods - unlike herbivores, carnivores do need insulation, in order to retain the body warmth they give off. it helps retain energy. every little bit helps when your life depends on catching, killing, and eating mobile animals rather than stationary plants.