Yutyrannus: I Know Dino Podcast Episode 128

Yutyrannus: I Know Dino Podcast Episode 128 I Know Dino: The big dinosaur podcast. News, interviews, and discussions about dinosaurs. Are you a dinosaur enthusiast? Learn more at https://www.patreon.com/iknowdino. You can also visit http://www.IknowDino.com for more information including a link to dinosaur sites near you. This episode was originally published on May 10, 2017. In our 128th episode, we got a chance to talk to Thea Boodhoo, a Director at the Institute for the Study of Mongolian Dinosaurs (ISMD). You can help support the preservation of Mongolian dinosaurs and their new museum by visiting mongoliandinosaurs.org/ Episode 128 is also about Yutyrannus, a tyrannosauroid that lived in the Cretaceous in what is now northeastern China. In this episode, we discuss: The dinosaur of the day: Yutyrannus Name means feathered tyrant Tyrannosauroid that lived in the Cretaceous in what is now northeastern China Largest known dinosaur with direct evidence of feathers Only one species: Yutyrannus huali Species name means “beautiful” in Mandarin and refers to the beauty of the feathers Described in 2012 by Xu Xing and others Three nearly complete specimens (adult, subadult, juvenile) found, all came from one quarry in Liaoning Province, China The largest specimen is the holotype, and consists of a nearly complete skeleton with a skull The juvenile is estimated to be 8 years younger than the adult holotype Holotype was 30 ft (9 m) long and weighed about 3,100 lb (1,400 kg) As Yutyrannus grew, it’s skull got deeper and more robust, and it’s lower legs, feet, ilia, and forelimbs became relatively smaller Bipedal predator Adult and subadult had “wavy” crests on their snouts, which were probably for display The fact that an adult was found with a sub adult and juvenile makes some people wonder if Yutyrannus hunted in packs, but it’s hard to know for sure Preserved feathers on Yutyrannus were about 8 in (20 cm) long and filamentous, and the feathers covered multiple parts of the body (on the pelvis and foot of the holotype, another specimen had feathers on the tail, and the juvenile had filaments on the neck and upper arm) Possible that feathers covered the whole body Feathers may have helped regulate body temperature, or feathers may only have been where they were found, and used for display Yutyrannus lived in a climate that was about 50 degrees F (10 degrees C) so the feathers may have kept it warm First known feathered tyrannosaur was Dilong, named in 2004 Yutyrannus is 40 times heavier than the previous largest known feathered dinosaur, Beipiaosaurs (a therizinosaur) Yutyrannus is considered to be a basal tyrannosauroid, and because it had feathers, that means it’s possible that later tyrannosaurids, even as large adults, had feathers. But, late Cretaceous tyrannosaurids, like Gorgosaurus, Tarbosaurus, Tyrannosaurus, had scales on parts of the body where Yutyrannus had feathers, so it’s possible that scales evolved secondarily Most T. rex skeletons were found in sandstone or siltstone, which are too coarse to preserve feathers, so it’s possible T. rex had feathers and the right specimen just hasn’t been found yet (Yutyrannus was found in fine sediments) Yutyrannus had three fingers on its hand (unlike the two-fingered Tyrannosaurus and Tarbosaurus), and was missing a specially adapted middle toe that helped support its weight, which makes it a basal tyrannosauroid Part of the family Proceratosauridae, because a 2016 study found Yutyrannus to be more basal than Dilong Can see Yutyrannus in The Land Before Time XIV: Journey of the Brave (two of them are Sharptooth opponents) To learn more about dinosaurs and I Know Dino, connect with us on the following sites: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/iknowdino Twitter: https://twitter.com/iknowdino Tumblr: http://iknowdino.tumblr.com/ Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/100785970585647966999 Pinterest: https://cz.pinterest.com/sabsky/dinosauria/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/i-know-dino Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/6761950?shelf=dinosaurs iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/i-know-dino-big-dinosaur-podcast/id960976813?mt=2&ign-mpt=uo%3D4 Sound Cloud: https://soundcloud.com/iknowdino Stitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/i-know-dino For more I Know Dino videos, subscribe to our YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvhUJdvCkSBofvVBgHUrmLg