We all know about dinosaurs like T. Rex and Stegosaurus that met their doom 65 million years ago, during the K/T Extinction. But what about the lesser-known dinos that appeared briefly during the Mesozoic Era, only to quickly disperse into the mists of history? Here's a list of the top 10.
1. Megalomorphomusometrodon
Habitat: Plains of central Asia
Historical Period: Late Jurassic
Size and Weight: About 10 feet long and 700 pounds
Diet: Ferns
Megalomorphomusometrodon--whose name translates roughly as "giant mouse-shaped lizard with two kinds of teeth"--was one of the loneliest dinosaurs of the Jurassic period. At cocktail parties, other reptiles would come up to introduce themselves, only to wander away as this gentle herbivore slowly recited its name (which wouldn't fit on a name tag). Unable to meet any female dinosaurs and procreate, Megalomorphomusometrodon is now a (very long) footnote in paleontological history.
2. Tini
Habitat: Creeklets of New Zealand
Historical Period: Middle Cretaceous
Size and Weight: About one inch long and 1/20th of an ounce
Diet: Bacteria
We only know of the existence of Tini from the impressions it made on the feet of giant sauropods, which have been preserved in extensive trackmarks. Due to the absence of intact specimens, very little has been gleaned about Tini's lifestyle and behavior, though it seems to have spent a considerable part of its day simply getting out of the way of larger dinosaurs.
3. Hypergigantosaurus
Habitat: Plains of North America
Historical Period: Late Jurassic
Size and Weight: About 500 feet long and 20,000 tons
Diet: Tree trunks
The logical culmination of millions of years of sauropod evolution, Hypergigantosaurus was so huge and heavy that adults of the species collapsed into black holes, leaving the 10,000-ton juveniles to fend for themselves.
4. Ornith-iPod
Habitat: 47 Elm Street, Peoria, IL
Historical Period: Late Cretaceous
Size and Weight: About 6 feet tall and 150 pounds
Diet: Twinkies and Fanta
In a stunning example of convergent evolution, this bipedal, birdlike dinosaur evolved tiny ear buds, wires, and a digital storage system millions of years before the earliest primates learned to walk on two feet. Unfortunately, entire herds of oblivious Ornith-iPods were quickly mown down by rampaging Seismosauruses, which they didn't hear coming.
5. Ichthyotetra
Habitat: Shores of South America
Historical Period: Early Triassic
Size and Weight: About one foot long and 10 pounds
Diet: Mudbugs
250 million years ago, at the dawn of the Mesozoic Era, the very first Ichthyotetra ("four-footed fish") slowly, agonizingly crawled out of the Panthalassic Sea, triumphant in the face of evolutionary adversity as it painstakingly sprouted primitive lungs and the mobile stubs of small, yet plucky, arms and legs. It was then immediately eaten by a Staurikosaurus, whose ancestors had accomplished this feat 100 million years before.
6. Kumquat
Habitat: Seedy bars of western Europe
Historical Period: A really, really long time ago
Size and Weight: About two feet long and 25 pounds
Diet: Eh, I’ll nibble
In response to ecological pressure from larger meat-eaters, this oddly named dinosaur evolved a unique strategy: its almost spherical body and stubby, vestigial arms and legs made it look like a gigantic fruit. Unfortunately, it didn't take into account that the larger herbivores of the Mesozoic Era enjoyed something citrusy every now and then.
7. Dodecaceratops
Habitat: Trailer parks of western North America
Historical Period: Pre-War
Size and Weight: About 15 feet long and 2 tons
Diet: Salad, dressing on the side, please
We hear a lot about three- or five-horned dinosaurs like Triceratops and Pentaceratops, but not as much about Dodecaceratops, which sported no less than a dozen three-foot-long horns on its massive frill. Unfortunately, this herbivore was so top-heavy that the adults immediately pitched forward and stuck into the ground, where they were referred to as "ceratopsicles" by passing tyrannosaurs.
8. Kangaraptor
Habitat: Sometimes the attic, sometimes the basement
Historical Period: A long time before you were born
Size and Weight: About 10 feet high and 300 pounds
Diet: Marsupials
Toward the end of the Cretaceous period, raptors became increasingly specialized in their choice of prey. The fearsome Kangaraptor was equipped with muscular arms and legs, a six-foot vertical jump, and a top running speed of 55 miles per hour. Unfortunately, since the kangaroos it hunted wouldn't evolve for another fifty million years, it quickly starved to death.
9. Anvilomimus
Habitat: Very high up off the ground
Historical Period: Yes
Size and Weight: About 3 feet long and 500 pounds
Diet: Mashed bugs
No pterosaur of the dinosaur age had a more elaborate (or heavier) head crest than Anvilomimus, whose lack of flying ability was more than compensated by the spectacular thwack sound it made when it hit the ground at 100 MPH. It’s believed that male and female Anvilomimuses mated in the brief interval between falling out of their nests and cratering the dusty plains below.
10. Yu-Gi-Opteryx
Habitat: I dunno, I think he's in his bedroom
Historical Period: Right now
Size and Weight: About 4 feet tall and 75 pounds
Diet: Oreos
Otherwise well-adapted to its suburban lifestyle, Yu-Gi-Opteryx was dealt a crushing blow by Mother Nature in not having enough "power points" to successfully outcompete its enemies. Its fossils are available in a complete set, and if you have #17 I'll trade you my whole collection of T. Rex teeth.
