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Paleontology (Dinosaurs)/Questions
| Subject | Date Asked | Expert |
| Smilodon Fatalis | 2/4/2012 | David Prus |
| Q: I just have a simple question in regards to Smilodon Fatalis- amazingly I cannot find a single ... A: Good question. You see, Smilodon is a machairodont of the felid family, basically all true cats. ... | ||
| dinosaure bones | 11/27/2011 | David Prus |
| Q: if a dinosaur bone is found on a person's home property, can the government force the residence off ... A: Very good question. I don't think paleontology supersedes property rights in most countries. I know ... | ||
| dinosaurmovies | 10/28/2011 | David Prus |
| Q: hy- as a viewer of such flims and documentaries over the years-it became noticable that after ... A: I would certainly say other dinosaurs deserve more time. While Tyrannosaurus is certainly a ... | ||
| Question | 10/26/2011 | David Prus |
| Q: I have always wanted to be a paleontologist. I have been interested in the topic since third grade; ... A: That's a very good question. I've asked it myself. Paleontology maps patterns of evolution, and ... | ||
| dinosaur fight | 10/15/2011 | David Prus |
| Q: first one this is a simirlar qestion to the giganotosaurus vs spinosaurus. who would win in a fight ... A: 1. Each dinosaur's jaws are large and powerful enough to kill or mortally wound in a single bite, ... | ||
| deinosuchus | 9/25/2011 | David Prus |
| Q: hy-i was checking many sources about deinosuchus and even though its size was revised about 10yrs ... A: Very good question. There's no information I can find on it. I looked for it when I went to the AMNH ... | ||
| Whales blowholes | 8/15/2011 | David Prus |
| Q: Whale blowholes compared to the nasal orifices in their skulls: No one in the world has even tried ... A: This isn't quite my area, but that's a very good question. There is no particular nostril opening ... | ||
| identify my fossil | 7/3/2011 | David Prus |
| Q: Is there someone I can contact to help me to identify a fossil I found? It appears to be a bird head ... A: With no photos, I'm afraid I can't identify it myself. However, I'm sure there is someone in the ... | ||
| hipo vs tyrannosaurus | 6/19/2011 | David Prus |
| Q: oh and witch dinosaur wood win spinosaurus or giganotosaurs in a fight ? A: Hippos are very dangerous, but they don't have the size and reach of a Tyrannosaurus. Furthermore, ... | ||
| Interpreting Smilodon populator's weight. | 6/9/2011 | David Prus |
| Q: I would like to present my understanding of current scientific data and estimates on the subject and ... A: I'm truly impressed with your calculations. I'm afraid I've found no data on whether S. populator ... | ||
| dinosaurskulls | 6/6/2011 | David Prus |
| Q: hy-i want to ask what tyrannosaurus specimen has the 2nd and 3rd largest skull after mor008-which is ... A: Most of these skulls have not been rigorously studied, and while it's possible that these mysterious ... | ||
| Fossil skeleton | 6/6/2011 | David Prus |
| Q: This is the 2nd photo... of the head A: My best guess is that it is a specimen of Teleosaurus. While I'm not very good with judging the ... | ||
| dinos | 6/1/2011 | David Prus |
| Q: I have heard of the R Rex and the Velociraptor, but what is the difference between these two meat ... A: Okay, in that case I will repeat what I said in my last post. The Tyrannosaurus rex was a very ... | ||
| dinos | 5/26/2011 | David Prus |
| Q: I have heard of the R Rex and the Velociraptor, but what is the difference between these two meat ... A: R rex? I'm afraid I haven't heard of that dinosaur before. The Tyrannosaurus rex was a very ... | ||
| Size | 5/20/2011 | David Prus |
| Q: I was just wondering, why is there such a huge size different between dinosaurs and today's animals? ... A: I have answered this question before, and it's a good question with no single answer. " Well, part ... | ||
| hadrosaurs | 5/17/2011 | David Prus |
| Q: hy-is thespesius really edmontosaurus ? it is a old name only seen in older dinosaur books and seems ... A: Yep. Thespesius, like Trachodon, has been subsumed into Edmontosaurus. Shantungosaurus is a ... | ||
| britishmuseumlondon | 5/3/2011 | David Prus |
| Q: hy-in the former british museum of natural history-the triceratops display there is quite ... A: Excellent question. Believe it or not, Marsh and Cope thought dinosaurs were rather sprightly ... | ||
| extinciton | 5/3/2011 | David Prus |
| Q: What is your opinion on extinction? Where do you work and what do you do? How much money is being ... A: Extinction is a necessary event in evolution, but humans have tipped the balance to an unnatural ... | ||
| dinosaurskulls | 4/27/2011 | David Prus |
| Q: hy- 1 of the most interesting topics of dinosaurs is the recent triceratops skull study-are the ... A: The study of Triceratops skulls is still done by various paleontologists today. I'm afraid I don't ... | ||
| cat dinosaur | 4/25/2011 | David Prus |
| Q: I was wondering if you know of any dinosaur that looked like a cat and acted cat like. A: Well, that's an interesting questions. The smallest dinosaurs were theropods, which were feathered ... | ||
| peteinosaurus | 3/27/2011 | David Prus |
| Q: hi i was just wondering how big the peteinosaurus was not just its wing span but like its body size ... A: It's hard to tell. The specimens are fragmentary. So far it's been estimated to have a 20cm tail, 60 ... | ||
| dinosaurbooks | 3/22/2011 | David Prus |
| Q: hy-i will ask which dinosaur books have large illustrations of old vintage style dinosaurs- you can ... A: Well, my favorite of the vintage books is the Album of Dinosaurs by Tim McGowen and Rod Ruth. ... | ||
| Question | 3/1/2011 | David Prus |
| Q: I found out from the guy who named Brontomerus that you do not need to go out on digs to make ... A: Become an employee, of course. I personally plan to join my local museum. I suggest taking classes ... | ||
| smilodon populator | 2/28/2011 | David Prus |
| Q: I was wondering if you could answer a few questions about my favorite animal smilodon populator. 1) ... A: 1) Hmmm, possibly a brown bear, a therapsid, or a gracile, 15-20 foot dinosaur like Dilophosaurus. ... | ||
| REALLY BIG Dinosaur Egg??? | 2/21/2011 | David Prus |
| Q: I have this large egg shaped rock...By my photos i sent you is there anyway you could tell if it's a ... A: I'm not sure if it's an egg or even a fossil, but it's certainly interesting. I'm not a geologist, ... | ||
| Ecosystems to recreate extinct Pleistoncene Fauna | 2/5/2011 | David Prus |
| Q: Should we consider reestablishing ecosystems--and attempt to recreate extinct Pleistocene fauna such ... A: While it's a great scientific experiment, I think it would be better if scientists tried to preserve ... | ||
| megalodon | 1/30/2011 | David Prus |
| Q: hy-as its known most megalodon teeth are 5-7 inches but more recenlty i have heard of estimates that ... A: The largest are reported to be just over 7 inches. That suggests an individual about 20m in length. ... | ||
| dinosaurspecies | 1/16/2011 | David Prus |
| Q: hy-if you read the new dinosaur book by gregory s paul called dinosaurs a field guide is a new book ... A: All these taxonomic judgments, with the possible exception of Hadrosaurus and the great Iguanodon ... | ||
| What Killed the Dinosaurs? | 1/3/2011 | David Prus |
| Q: What are some of the theories about the extinction of the dinosaurs? Which appear to be the most ... A: There a many theories, but here are the most popular 1. Climate change. The most specific mechanism ... | ||
| Ankylosaurus armor | 1/1/2011 | David Prus |
| Q: How thick was the armor of the Ankylosaurus? Would it be fair to say that most bullets would not ... A: That's a very good question. One clue on the structure is here ... | ||
| dinosaurs2 | 12/12/2010 | David Prus |
| Q: already known are the top 3 large meat eaters-tyrannosaurus-giganotosaurus -spinosaurus- but which ... A: Well, Spinosaurus is the largest of the three, followed by Giganotosaurus, followed by ... | ||
| Question about T.rex | 12/11/2010 | David Prus |
| Q: can T-rex skulls surpassing 7 feet and beyond because I don't believe the largest T-rex skulls are ... A: I'm sure 5 feet isn't an absolute limit, but the largest skulls (at the Museum of the Rockies and ... | ||
| dinosaurfinds | 12/7/2010 | David Prus |
| Q: hy-having read that atlantosaurus is apatosaurus -i site stated a large femur about 8ft that isnt ... A: CM 33994 is definitely Apatosaurus, and it's about the same size as the giant "Atlantosaurus" femur. ... | ||
| largerdinosaurs | 11/22/2010 | David Prus |
| Q: hy-as a follow up question about apatosaurus specimens - some online and libary sources state that ... A: I'm afraid I don't know the dimensions of all the Apatosaurus specimens, but the size ranges from ... | ||
| apatosaurus | 11/14/2010 | David Prus |
| Q: hy-since you appeared to have visited many american museum with dinosaur displays can you state ... A: Sorry I'm late. According to some sources, the Carnegie specimen at 72 feet is larger than either ... | ||
| Social Studies | 10/25/2010 | David Prus |
| Q: Describe how the australopithecine adapted to its environment A: Good question The Australopithecus had several good adaptations -stereoscopic vision and depth ... | ||
| Carnivorous Dinasaur eating habits. | 10/25/2010 | Zack Martin |
| Q: Are there any known examples of carnivorous dinosaur fossils that also have the remains of ... A: I am sorry but I am not sure. Although isotope testing can help prove what they ate, also in some ... | ||
| apatosaurus | 10/16/2010 | David Prus |
| Q: then wat about the AMMNH apatosaurus and field musuem -are these sub adults as well? this is very ... A: The Apatosaurus at the Peabody Museum appears to be either a mature adult or just close enough to ... | ||
| dinosaurbones | 9/29/2010 | Eugene Tan |
| Q: is the peabody musuem apatosaurus subadult? what size is the largest edmontosaurus? A: Sorry for the late reply. I had examinations on for the past week or so and had to give time to ... | ||
| musuems | 9/13/2010 | Eugene Tan |
| Q: who wood win a hypothical fight brontherium or triceratops? what musuems do have the largest and ... A: The first question...sorry, DVDs and museums aren't my area of expertise. I cannot answer this ... | ||
David Prus
Top Expert on this page
Expertise
I can answer any general questions about dinosaurs and on prehistoric mammals in the Cenozoic. I also know a bit about the media's various depictions of dinosaurs and their inaccuracies. I don't know much about "microfauna"-small animals, or about Paleozoic besides some knowledge about Permian animals. Plants are right out, I'm afraid. Please do not ask me to identify fossils.
Experience
I have been interested in dinosaurs for most of my life, own a large collection of scientific papers and books on the subject, and am a member of the Field Museum in Chicago.
Education/Credentials
I am in college, but studied biology and geology both in high school and as a personal effort.
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