Massospondylus

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Massospondylus

Zoo Tek Phoenix

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Author: Moondawg

Keywords: extinct animal

Release Date: Nov 10 2009

Current Massospondylus_MD2009.ztd dated 8 November 2009

File Size: 3.87mb

Compatibility: DD and CC

Description: Massospondylus (Greek 'elongated vertebra'), formerly known as Aristosaurus, was an Early Jurassic Period prosauropod, although, if Aetonyx is the same as Massospondylus, it lived from the Late Triassic as well.
It was probably a plant eater (herbivore), although it is speculated that the prosauropods may have been omnivorous. This dinosaur was named by Sir Richard Owen in 1854, from remains found in South Africa. It is thus one of the first dinosaurs to be named.

Massospondylus (pronounced,(masson, "longer") and (spondylos, "vertebra") is a genus of prosauropod dinosaur from the early Jurassic Period (Hettangian to Pliensbachian ages, ca. 200-183 million years ago). It was described by Sir Richard Owen in 1854 from remains found in South Africa, and is thus one of the first dinosaurs to have been named. Fossils have since been found at other locations in South Africa, Lesotho, and Zimbabwe. Further material from Arizona's Kayenta Formation, India, and Argentina has been assigned to this genus, but may not belong to Massospondylus.

The type, and only universally recognized, species, is M. carinatus, although six other species have been named during the past 150 years. Prosauropod systematics have undergone numerous revisions during the last several years, and many scientists disagree where exactly Massospondylus lies on the dinosaur evolutionary tree. The family name Massospondylidae was once coined for the genus, but because knowledge of prosauropod relationships is in a state of flux, it is unclear which other dinosaurs - if any - belong in a natural grouping of massospondylids; several 2007 papers support the family's validity.

Although Massospondylus was long depicted as quadrupedal, a 2007 study found it to be bipedal. It was probably a plant eater (herbivore), although it is speculated that the prosauropods may have been omnivorous. This animal, 4-6 meters (13-20 feet) long, had a long neck and tail, with a small head and slender body. On each of its forefeet, it bore a sharp thumb claw that was used in defense or feeding. Recent studies indicate Massospondylus grew steadily throughout its lifespan, possessed air sacs similar to those of birds, and may have cared for its young.

Massospondylus was a mid-sized prosauropod that was around 4 meters (13 ft) in length and weighed approximately 135 kilograms (300 lb), although a few sources have estimated its length at up to 6 meters (20 ft). Although long assumed to have been quadrupedal, a 2007 anatomical study of the forelimbs has questioned this, arguing that their range of motion precluded effective habitual quadrupedal gait. The study also ruled out the possibility of "knuckle-walking" and other forms of locomotion that would avoid the issue of the limited ability of Massospondylus to pronate its hands. Although its mass suggests a quadrupedal nature, it would have been restricted to its hind legs for locomotion.

Massospondylus was a typical prosauropod in most other respects. It possessed a slender body and long neck, with around nine long cervical (neck) vertebrae, 13 dorsal (back) vertebrae, three sacral (hip) vertebrae, and at least 40 caudal (tail) vertebrae. The pubis faced forward, as with most saurischians. It had a slighter build than that of Plateosaurus, an otherwise similar prosauropod dinosaur. A recent discovery shows that Massospondylus possessed well-developed clavicles, joined in a furcula-like arrangement, suggesting both that it had immobile shoulder blades and that clavicles were not rudimentary and nonfunctional in those dinosaurs that did not have true furculae. This discovery also indicates that the furcula of birds is derived from clavicles.

Like Plateosaurus, it had five digits on each foot, with a large thumb claw used for feeding or defense against predators. The fourth and fifth digits of the forepaws were tiny, giving the forepaws a lopsided look. The 2007 study indicated that Massospondylus held its manus (hands) in a semi-supinated ("prayer-like") orientation, with the palmar surfaces facing one another; the wrist was never found rotated in articulated (still-connected) fossil specimens.

The small head of Massospondylus was approximately half the length of the femur. Numerous openings, or fenestrae, in the skull reduced its weight and provided space for muscle attachment and sensory organs. These fenestrae were present in pairs, one on each side of the skull. At the front of the skull were two large, elliptical nares. The orbits were proportionally larger in Massospondylus than in related genera such as Plateosaurus. The antorbital fenestrae, smaller than those seen in Plateosaurus, were situated between the eyes and the nose. At the rear of the skull were two more pairs of temporal fenestrae: the lateral temporal fenestrae immediately behind the eye sockets and the supratemporal fenestrae on top of the skull. Small fenestrae also penetrated each mandible. The shape of the skull is traditionally restored as wider and shorter than that of Plateosaurus, but this appearance may be due just to differential crushing experienced by the various specimens.Some features of the skull are variable between individuals; for example, the thickness of the upper border of the orbit and the height of the posterior maxilla. These differences may be due to sexual dimorphism or individual variation.

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Additional info:

Massospondylus_MD2009.ztd              uca: 50998E24 dated 8 November 2009

Results From Configuration Checking:

50998e24.uca date: Sun Nov 08 11:25:28 2009
No Errors or Warnings to show.
Animal Type: 50998E24

Massospondylus

It was described by Sir Richard Owen in 1854 from remains
    (plus 14 other paragraphs)

Animal Characteristics:

Habitat: Savannah; Location: Africa; Era: Triassic
Minimum happiness needed for chance of breeding: 97.
Animal can jump.
Animal can climb cliffs.
Cannot be used in original Zoo Tycoon: cKeeperFoodType (8) is not 0 to 5.

Exhibit Preferences:

Foliage:
Acacia Caffra Tree, Thorn Acacia Tree, Eucalyptus Tree, Hard Quandong Tree
Red Gum Tree, Thorn Bush, Yellow Fever Tree, Baobab Tree, Umbrella Thorn Tree
Tall Grass, Grass Tree, Broadleaf Bush, Khejri Tree, Monkey Puzzle Tree (DD)
Sigillaria Tree (DD), Senegal Date Palm (ES)

Rocks:
Large Rock, Large Rock - 1, Large Rock - 2, Large Rock - 3, Large Rock - 4
Small Rock - Medium, Small Rock - Small, Small Rock - 7, Small Rock - 8
Small Rock - 9, Medium Savannah Rock (DD), Termite Mound (ES)

Exhibit Construction:

Number of animals allowed per exhibit: 1-3 with 100 squares for each adult.

Exhibit size (for 2 adults): 200 grid squares

Terrain (for exhibit with 200 grid squares):
150 Savannah Grass, 10 Grass, 20 Sand, 10 Dirt, 10 Fresh Water

Foliage (for exhibit with 200 grid squares):
12 grid squares should contain foliage.
Foliage that would give the most happiness: Grass Tree
Since this is a small plant, greatest happiness will occur
if each of the 12 grid squares contains 4 of this plant.

Rocks (for exhibit with 200 grid squares):
4 Medium Savannah Rock (DD), which is its most liked rock.

Elevation: Of the 200 squares, 3 nonadjacent squares should be elevated.