Paleontologists – fossil scientists – have found that dinosaurs have died from respiratory infections, such as coughing, sneezing, and fever.
In February 2022, palaeontologists documented their evidence that a respiratory infection killed a 15-year-old diplodocid dinosaur.
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The Stegosaurus (Stegosaurus stenops) is a large, four-legged, herbivorous armoured dinosaur in the Stegosauridae family. Its name means roof lizard.
It lived about 155-150 million years ago in the Late Jurassic period.
The Stegosaurus is easily recognizable. It had a small head, short neck, and rounded back. It had large knife-shaped, upright plaques along its back and spikes on its tail. It walked on four legs, with its front legs shorter than its hind (back) legs. It had small, triangular, flat teeth.
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The Rhamphorhynchus (Rhamphorhynchus muensteri) is a pterosaur in the Rhamphorhynchidae family of long-tailed pterosaurs in the Jurassic period. Rhamphorhynchus means beak snout. It is a cousin of the dinosaurs, and it is believed to be among the first flying vertebrates.
It had a long tail that ended with a soft tail vane. It had needle-like teeth that were angled forward. It also had a curved, sharp, beak-like tip that lacked teeth. From a study of its teeth and stomach contents, palaeontologists think that its diet was mainly fish and cuttlefish.
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The Giraffatitan (Giraffatitan brancai) is a large, four-legged sauropod dinosaur in the Brachiosauridae family. Its name means titanic giraffe. It was found in the country that is now Tanzania in Africa.
It lived about 150 million years ago in the Late Jurassic period.
The Giraffatitan walked on four legs, with its front legs longer than its hind (back) legs. The first toe on its front feet, and the first three toes on its hind feet, were clawed. It had a long neck, like a giraffe’s neck. Its tail was also long. It had spatulate, or chisel-shaped, teeth.
It was a herbivore, because it ate plants.
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The Epidexipteryx (Epidexipteryx hui) is a small pterosaur, a cousin of the dinosaur, in the Scansorioptergidae family.
Palaeontologists found a partial skeleton, which was from the Middle Jurassic or Upper Jurassic period.
It had four long tail feathers with central, unbranched rachis (spines) and vanes. Modern birds have branched vanes. It also had simpler body feathers than modern-day birds. It had teeth, but only in the front of the jaw, with long front teeth angled forward.
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The Compsognathus (Compsognathus longipes) is a small, bipedal, carnivorous, theropod dinosaur in the Compsognathidae family. Compsognathus means dainty jaw. Bipedal means that it walks on two legs.
A skeleton was discovered in 1859 in Germany, and also in the south of France.
It lived about 150 million years ago in the Tithonian age of the Late Jurassic period.
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The Archaeopteryx (Archaeopteryx lithographica) is a small pterosaur, a cousin of the dinosaur, in the Archaeopterygidae family. Archaeopteryx means ancient wings.
Palaeontologists think it was the oldest known bird that was on the Earth. It lived in the Late Jurassic period around 150 million years ago in the land that it now called Europe.
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