Amy Atwater, co-host of Weird & Dead joins to discuss some of her favorite fossils and her new book The Fossil Keeper's Treasure. Plus a new ornithomimosaur with big hands, Mexidracon, and monstersaurs

For links to every news story, all of the details we shared about Mochlodon, links from Amy Atwater, and our fun fact check out https://iknowdino.com/Mochlodon-Episode-551/

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Dinosaur of the day Mochlodon, a stocky island dinosaur that was first found way back in 1859.

Interview with Amy Atwater, a paleontologist and science communicator, the Director of Paleontology at Friends of Dinosaur Ridge in Morrison, Colorado, co-host of the podcast Weird & Dead, and author of the book “The Fossil Keeper’s Treasure”. Follow her @Mary_Annings_Revenge

In dinosaur news this week:

• There’s a new ornithomimosaur with very large hands named Mexidracon longimanus

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Herrerasaurs are some of the earliest known dinosaurs and these Triassic carnivores have been found all over the world. They're a confusing group, but thanks to pathologies and fossilized poop we know a bit about how they behaved.

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Dinosaur of the day Sanjuansaurus, a herrerasaur dinosaur whose existence helps show dinosaurs’ dominance.

In dinosaur news this week:

• There’s a new herrerasaur dinosaur, Maleriraptor kuttyi
• Herrerasaurs probably bit each other on the face
• Herrerasaurs were a successful, complicated group

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A new Spicomellus find reveals just how crazy its armor was. Plus Six brand new sauropods!

For links to every news story, all of the details we shared about Liaoningosaurus, and our fun fact check out https://iknowdino.com/Liaoningosaurus-Episode-549/

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Dinosaur of the day Liaoningosaurus, a small ankylosaur that may or may not have been semi-aquatic and carnivorous.

In dinosaur news this week:

• A much more complete Spicomellus skeleton was found with some of the strangest and most elaborate armor ever seen
• There’s a new sauropodomorph species, Xingxiulong yueorum, which is quite a bit bigger than the previous species from the genus
• The oldest known sauropodomorph from East Asia, Wudingloong wui, was just described
• There’s a new eusauropod, Huashanosaurus qini, named for famous mountain with impressive rock art
• There’s a new mamenchisaurid sauropod, Tongnanlong zhimingi, which is estimated to be over 80ft long
• There’s a new rebbachisaurid (vacuum cleaner head) sauropod, Cienciargentina sanchezi, from Patagonia
• There’s another new rebbachisaurid, Astigmasaura genuflexa, measuring in at about 59ft (18m) long and weighing over 10 tons

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Dr. Dean Lomax and Bob Nicholls join to tell us about their upcoming book The Secret Lives of Dinosaurs (which includes some really cool fossils like an extremely rare two-headed fossil)

For links to every news story, all of the details we shared about Calamospondylus, links from Dean Lomax and Bob Nicholls, and our fun fact check out https://iknowdino.com/Calamospondylus-Episode-548/

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Dinosaur of the day Calamospondylus, an Early Cretaceous oviraptorosaur that was probably under 2.5m (~8ft) long.

Interview with Dean Lomax and Bob Nicholls. Dean Lomax is an award-winning paleontologist, author, and presenter, as well as Honorary Research Fellow at The University of Manchester & 1851 fellow at the University of Bristol. He’s the leading authority on ichthyosaurs, and he also excavates and researches dinosaurs. Bob Nicholls is a world-renowned natural history artist who specializes in prehistoric animals, plants, and environments. His work has been published in more than 40 books and exhibited in museums, universities, and attractions around the world. There new book is The Secret Lives of Dinosaurs: Unearthing the Real Behaviors of Prehistoric Animals

In dinosaur news this week:

• There’s a new iguanodontian dinosaur that had a large sail on its back, Istiorachis macarthurae

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The discovery of a new Psittacosaurus species from a braincase, how spinosaur brains adapted for eating fish, revisiting T. rex intelligence, and many more dinosaur brain updates

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Dinosaur of the day Tatankacephalus, the "bison-headed" armored dinosaur.

In dinosaur news this week:

• A skull, including a braincase, is enough to tell us there’s a new Psittacosaurus species, Psittacosaurus houi
• Studying dinosaur brains is an evolving field
• Brain size varied in dinosaurs
• Ceratopsians became less intelligent and had worse hearing and a worse sense of smell as they evolved to larger sizes
• Ornithopods, and especially hadrosaurs, had bigger brains than we thought
• Thescelosaurus had a powerful sense of smell, a sensitive vestibular system, but terrible hearing—all which may mean it was a burrower
• A study of spinosaur brains and skulls helps show how they adapted to eat fish
• Living birds have high EQs which they evolved from non-avian dinosaurs (although we don't really use EQs much anymore)
• Shuvuuia may not have had specialized hearing
• The enantiornithe Navaornis hestiae tells us a lot about bird brains
• Unique brain shape in birds may be why birds survived non-avian dinosaurs after the mass extinction event
• Parrots and humans may use similar brain mechanisms to produce complex sounds
• Bird brains (and our brains) are wired for taking turns when communicating
• T. rex had the intelligence of a baboon paper
• Rebuttal to T. rex baboon intelligence paper

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New support for Troodon as a valid dinosaur genus. Plus Dr. Kenneth Lacovara joins us to discuss the Edelman Fossil Park & Museum, Colossal Biosciences, Dreadnoughtus, Jurassic Park, and more.

For links to every news story, all of the details we shared about Veterupristisaurus, links from Kenneth Lacovara, and our fun fact check out https://iknowdino.com/Veterupristisaurus-Episode-546/

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Dinosaur of the day Veterupristisaurus, a carcharodontosaurid theropod that lived in the Jurassic in what is now Tanzania.

Interview with Dr. Kenneth Lacovara, a paleontologist, professor, explorer, science communicator (a TED speaker and author), Explorer’s Club medalist, and he is the founding dean of the School of Earth & Environment at Rowan University, executive director of the Edelman Fossil Park & Museum, and he serves on the Board of Scientific Advisors for Colossal Biosciences

In dinosaur news this week:

• Is Troodon a legit dinosaur? (these authors say yes)
• Based on their jaw mechanics, troodontids may have been omnivores

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Silesaurs are definitely dinosauromorphs (close relatives of dinosaurs) but were they true dinosaurs?

For links to every news story, all of the details we shared about Planicoxa, and our fun fact check out https://iknowdino.com/Planicoxa-Episode-545/

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Dinosaur of the day Planicoxa, an iguanodont known from its flat hips with a species name that means "poison".

In dinosaur news this week:

• There’s a new silesaurid, Itaguyra occulta, whose name means "Stone Bird" in Tupi—a language from Southern Brazil where it was found
• A new large femur found in Zambia may have been from a 10ft (3m) long silesaur—quite large for the
• Probable silesaur arm and leg bones from the Late Triassic were described from what is now Texas

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Two new species, Zhongyuansaurus junchangi and Tianzhenosaurus chengi. How paleontologists use details in the ankylosaur armor to identify the species. Plus, the first ever ankylosaurid (tail club-wielding ankylosaur) footprint.

For links to every news story, all of the details we shared about Mojoceratops, and our fun fact check out https://iknowdino.com/Mojoceratops-Episode-544/

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Dinosaur of the day Mojoceratops, a ceratopsian that got its mojo from its frill.

In dinosaur news this week:

• A new ankylosaur, Zhongyuansaurus junchangi, with "swallowtail" shaped tail armor
• A good overview of how osteoderm patterns vary between different ankylosaur species
• The best way to distinguish ankylosaur species is probably by comparing skulls
• A new ankylosaur skull led to another new ankylosaur species being named: Tianzhenosaurus chengi
• New ankylosaur fossils were excavated in Argentina, a rare find for South America
• Osteoderms may have helped dinosaurs live in arctic conditions

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