Meet Thanatotheristes degrootorum. A large 26 foot long tyrannosaur living 80 million years ago in what is now Alberta Canada. It’s name comes from the Greek god of death “Thanatos” and the Greek word for “reap”. So loosely translated the name means “Reaper of Death” Degrootorum is a tribute to the fossil hunters who found the animal in 2010. At first the animal was thought to be a Daspletosaurus but Subtle details of the fossils, such as the shape of the cheek bone and vertical ridges along where the teeth socketed into the upper jaw, indicated that the bones represented an animal never seen before. The bones are about 2.5 million years older than other tyrannosaurids found in Alberta, and
The Dracula Parrot!!!! One of the most bad ass modern dinosaurs I have seen yet! Also known as Pesquet's parrot or the vulturine parrot, The Dracula parrot is found only in the cloud forests in the foothills and lower mountains of New Guinea. The Dracula parrot is a large, heavy bird, stretching to almost half a metre from beak to tail and weighing in at almost a kilogram. This avian terror normally carries in groups of around 20, but don’t worry, this intimidating looking bird isn’t out for your blood. It’s normal diet consists of a variety of indigenous fig fruits. It’s plumage is quite beautiful and impressive. Could you imagine a dromaeosaur or tyrannosaurid sporting a color combo like
Modern birds can trace their origins to theropods, a branch of mostly meat-eaters on the dinosaur family tree. What do sparrows, geese and owls have in common with a velociraptor or the mighty Tyrannosaurus rex? All can trace their origins to a bipedal, mostly meat-eating group of dinosaurs called theropods ("beast-footed") that first appeared around 231 million years ago, during the late Triassic Period. The earliest birds shared much in common with their theropod relatives, including feathers and egg-laying. However, certain traits – such as sustained, powered flight – distinguished ancient birds from other theropods, and eventually came to define modern-bird lineage (even though not all m
