Episode 397: How to find fossils

This episode was originally published on July 6, 2022. Subscribe to "I Know Dino" in your podcast app to get every new episode right when it's published.

In dinosaur news this week: FOSSILS: A Guide to Prehistoric Life, a book with many helpful photos and descriptions, plus links to more resources.; myFOSSIL, a website that's "building a community of amateur and professional paleontologists."; The Fossil Forum can help you ID fossils.; A PBS webpage listing where you can find fossils in each US state.; Fossil Explorer, an app that covers fossil localities in England, Scotland, and Wales.

This week's dinosaur of the day is Saurornitholestes
Dromaeosaurid that lived in the Late Cretaceous in what is now Alberta, Canada and the U.S. (Montana, New Mexico, Alabama, North Carolina, South Carolina)
Looked similar to Velociraptor, walked on two legs, had sickle claws, a long tail, and lots of feathers
Had a shorter, taller, wider, skull than Velociraptor, and had pneumatic nasals
Velociraptor also had a longer, lower, more narrow skull
Velociraptor legs were about 15% shorter than Saurornitholestes
Considered to be a mid-sized dromaeosaurid
Estimated to be 5.9 ft (1.8 m) long
Weighed about 22 lb (10 kg)
Had longer legs and was more lightly built than other dromaeosaurids
Had a relatively large brain
Had a large olfactory bulb, so probably had a good sense of smell
Agile and fast
Probably had feathers
Had curved, blade-like teeth
Had large teeth in the front of its jaws
…

[iknowdino]

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