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Quiz about Once a terrible lizard
Quiz about Once a terrible lizard

Once a terrible lizard... Trivia Quiz


Don't be afraid of the dinosaurs, for they are extinct. We can play with them safely. Enjoy!

A multiple-choice quiz by DeepHistory. Estimated time: 5 mins.
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Author
DeepHistory
Time
5 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
369,833
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Average
Avg Score
7 / 10
Plays
483
Last 3 plays: Guest 216 (7/10), Guest 97 (8/10), Guest 4 (3/10).
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Question 1 of 10
1. In the late Triassic and early Jurassic, in today's southwestern United States, there lived a genus of dinosaur, whose name in English means "hollow form". What's the scientific name of that dinosaur? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. While the Jurassic was nearing its end, in western North America lived a genus of dinosaur whose name, translated into the English language, means "double beam". What's the scientific name of that dinosaur? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. One of the most known dinosaur genera of the late Jurassic is Brontosaurus, one of the largest land animals ever existed. Yet there is another name for the genus, which has eclipsed the term "Brontosaurus" from usage in the scientific community. What is that name? Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. In the late Jurassic, in the western United States, lived the genus of Dryosaurus. The name "Dryosaurus" means "oak lizard", but why was the genus named so? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. Going back to the early Jurassic, in today's Arizona, there lived a dinosaur genus with the name of Dilophosaurus. Why was that name given to the genus? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. All geologic periods have their end and the Jurassic is no exception. Circa 145 million years ago, the Jurassic ended and the Cretaceous started. The name "Cretaceous" is derived from a Latin word, "Creta". What's the meaning of this word? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. If I asked you if helmets had been invented during the Cretaceous, the answer would of course be a "No". Yet, in the late Cretaceous, there lived a dinosaur genus whose name means "helmet lizard". How is that genus commonly known? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. During the late Cretaceous, ceratopsids were a common sight in today's North America. One of them and probably the most well-known of them, was Triceratops. Which of the following statements about Triceratops is false? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. In 1922, paleontologist William Parks found the first fossils of a dinosaur genus named Parasaurolophus, in Alberta, Canada. The name "Parasaurolophus" means "near-crested lizard", in reference to Saurolophus, another genus with similar characteristics. In which of the following groups does the Parasaurolophus fit? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. By far the most famous dinosaur is Tyrannosaurus, a genus which lived and dominated today's North America 67 to 66 million years ago, somewhat before the mass extinction at the end of the Cretaceous, victims of which were the dinosaurs. What was the name of the paleontologist who gave the name "Tyrannosaurus" to the genus? Hint



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Most Recent Scores
Feb 28 2024 : Guest 216: 7/10
Feb 21 2024 : Guest 97: 8/10
Jan 30 2024 : Guest 4: 3/10

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. In the late Triassic and early Jurassic, in today's southwestern United States, there lived a genus of dinosaur, whose name in English means "hollow form". What's the scientific name of that dinosaur?

Answer: Coelophysis

The name "Coelophysis" is derived from two Greek words: "Koilos", meaning "hollow" and "Physis", meaning "form". The name refers to the structure of its limb bones. Coelophysis was one of the earliest dinosaurs. The genus has also been referred to as Longosaurus and Riobarrasaurus, while the genus Megapnosaurus is now considered synonymous with Coelophysis.
2. While the Jurassic was nearing its end, in western North America lived a genus of dinosaur whose name, translated into the English language, means "double beam". What's the scientific name of that dinosaur?

Answer: Diplodocus

The name "Diplodocus" is a neo-Latin expression which combines two Greek words: "diplos" meaning "double" and "dokos", meaning "beam". The name was coined by paleontologist Othniel Charles Marsh in 1878, one year after the discovery of the first diplodocus fossils. The name was chosen because of the double-beamed form of the chevron bones located behind the dinosaur's tail.
3. One of the most known dinosaur genera of the late Jurassic is Brontosaurus, one of the largest land animals ever existed. Yet there is another name for the genus, which has eclipsed the term "Brontosaurus" from usage in the scientific community. What is that name?

Answer: Apatosaurus

The name "Apatosaurus" can be translated in English as "deceptive lizard". It was coined by Othniel Charles Marsh in 1877, when he examined an incomplete skeleton of Apatosaurus. In 1889, Marsh found a bigger and more complete skeleton of the genus, which he incorrectly identified as a new genus and gave it the name "Brontosaurus", which means "Thunder lizard".
4. In the late Jurassic, in the western United States, lived the genus of Dryosaurus. The name "Dryosaurus" means "oak lizard", but why was the genus named so?

Answer: Its cheek teeth bore an oak leaf shape

The first fossils of Dryosaurus were discovered by Othniel Charles Marsh in 1894. Dryosaurus was an ornithopod, often classified as an iguanodont. Like other genera of its clade, Dryosaurus was a herbivore.
5. Going back to the early Jurassic, in today's Arizona, there lived a dinosaur genus with the name of Dilophosaurus. Why was that name given to the genus?

Answer: Because of two distinct crests on its skull

The name "Dilophosaurus" means "two-crested lizard". The crests were formed by extension of the nasal and lacrimal bones. They had no practical usage, the sole purpose of their presence being displaying them. It is also suggested that there was no difference in the appearance of male and female members of the genus.
6. All geologic periods have their end and the Jurassic is no exception. Circa 145 million years ago, the Jurassic ended and the Cretaceous started. The name "Cretaceous" is derived from a Latin word, "Creta". What's the meaning of this word?

Answer: Chalk

The Cretaceous period was the last of the Mesozoic Era. At the end of the Cretaceous, a mass extinction event occurred, possible after the fall of an asteroid. The result was the extinction of the dinosaurs and the start of the Cenozoic Era, where mammals (humans included) dominate life in the Earth.
7. If I asked you if helmets had been invented during the Cretaceous, the answer would of course be a "No". Yet, in the late Cretaceous, there lived a dinosaur genus whose name means "helmet lizard". How is that genus commonly known?

Answer: Corythosaurus

The genus was discovered and given its name by paleontologist Barnum Brown. Many skeletons of Corythosaurus are well preserved and almost complete. The name was given because of the crest on the dinosaur's skull, which resembles a Corinthian helmet. Corythosaurus most likely belongs in the group Lambeosaurinae.
8. During the late Cretaceous, ceratopsids were a common sight in today's North America. One of them and probably the most well-known of them, was Triceratops. Which of the following statements about Triceratops is false?

Answer: Triceratops and Chasmosaurus are the same genus

The name Triceratops means 'Three-horned face" and it comes from the Greek language. Moreover, Triceratops bears a large neck frill in a rhinoceros fashion and there are other similarities between the two animals. Both Triceratops and Tyrannosaurus lived in North America and in some Triceratops fossils there have been found bite marks attributed to Tyrannosaurus, although how Tyrannosaurus preyed on Triceratops is uncertain.
9. In 1922, paleontologist William Parks found the first fossils of a dinosaur genus named Parasaurolophus, in Alberta, Canada. The name "Parasaurolophus" means "near-crested lizard", in reference to Saurolophus, another genus with similar characteristics. In which of the following groups does the Parasaurolophus fit?

Answer: Lambeosaurinae

The Lambeosaurinae are themselves split between Parasaurolophini, which include Parasaurolophus and Charonosaurus, and Lambeosaurini, which include genera like Lambeosaurus, the genus which gave its name to the whole group, and Corythosaurus. Lambeosayrini were also named Corythosaurini, but the term is now considered a junior term.
10. By far the most famous dinosaur is Tyrannosaurus, a genus which lived and dominated today's North America 67 to 66 million years ago, somewhat before the mass extinction at the end of the Cretaceous, victims of which were the dinosaurs. What was the name of the paleontologist who gave the name "Tyrannosaurus" to the genus?

Answer: Henry Fairfield Osborn

The first fossils of Tyrannosaurus were found in 1874. They were teeth belonging to a member of the genus. In 1900, the first partial skeleton of Tyrannosaurus was found in Wyoming. Osborn initially named the genus Dynamosaurus, but when, in 1902, he discovered a similar skeleton, he named it Tyrannosaurus. Finding that the two genera were in fact one, he rejected Dynamosaurus in favor of Tyrannosaurus.
Source: Author DeepHistory

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor rossian before going online.
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