1. Contrast the new and old views of dinosaurs with respect to the top 10 "dinomyths" covered in lecture.
2. Characterize the main groups of theropod dinosaurs. When did they arise and what well-known dinosaurs does this group include? (Careful, you might be missing some that Cowen excludes.)
3. Characterize ornithischian dinosaurs as a group. What did they feed on? When did they arise and what well-known dinosaurs does this group include?
4. Study the phylogram in Fig. 12. 1. The unlabeled clade that is sister taxon of the ornithischian dinosaurs (i.e., all other dinosaurs) is called Saurischia, and it includes theropods as well as the prosauropods + sauropods clade. How do herbivorous members of Saurischia, e.g., Brachiosaurus, differ from the exclusively herbivorous ornithischians in how they take in and digest plant food?
5. How large did sauropods get? What are some constraints associated with such large body size? Why is it that sauropods could not have used their long necks as snorkels in an aquatic environment? Why is it thought that the largest dinosaurs had to maintain certain postures?
6. Describe some of the evidence that Mesozoic Era dinosaurs had elaborate courting behaviors.
7. (From p. 201): What is the evidence that some dinosaurs had parental care well after the young had hatched?
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