They were likely small, active predators. Probably starting off with a body length of only a couple of metres, they would have been bipedal with small, grasping hands. The models were then applied to the unidentified, isolated teeth, which found that most of the teeth belonged to maniraptorans, and dromaeosaurids in particular. These teeth were split into three distinct groups based on their size and shape. Dinosaurs are often celebrated for being big, fierce and tough. The truth, however, is that they suffered from many of the same injuries and maladies that humans do. A study published this year in The Lancet reported on the first well-documented case of malignant bone cancer in a non-avian dinosaur. The animal, a horned dinosaur known to experts as Centrosaurus, probably coped with declining health before its eventual death in a coastal flood that caught its herd off-guard. Dinosaurs Weren’t in Decline When the Asteroid Hit Some of the key traits that allowed dinosaurs to be such an evolutionary success story—from fuzzy feathers to warm-running metabolisms—may have first evolved in their tiny ancestors. This year experts reported the discovery of a tiny reptile from the Triassic of Madagascar they named Kongonaphon . While not a dinosaur itself, this animal was close to the ancestors of both dinosaurs and related flying reptiles called pterosaurs. This small, insect-eating reptile likely moved nimbly to catch lunch and may have sported a coat of fuzz to help regulate its body temperature. This hints that some key dinosaur traits, such as warm-bloodedness and insulating body coverings, evolved early in their history and were elaborated upon as dinosaurs eventually diversified into all sorts of shapes and sizes. Winner By a Tail Spinosaurus used its tail to swim

Named Jaculinykus yaruui, or the ‘speedy clawed dragon’, the small, possibly feathered, dinosaur was well adapted to dashing around what is now Mongolia. With hands dominated by a large thumb, it could have dug into insect colonies in the search for food. Though they’re not directly related to birds, the alvarezsaurids continue to fascinate due to their unusual characteristics – most peculiarly of all, their hands.For the most part, this book delivered everything I was looking for. The book is organized first by period (Triassic, Cretaceous, Jurrasic) and then by type of dinosaur (Sauropods, Ornithopods, Armor, Theropods, etc.) which was a neat way of seeing the different variety in the same family (like the Triceratopses and Ankylosaurs). In each brief description, there is information about the naming of the dinosaurs, where it has been discovered, and its scientific etymology. Silutitan and Hamititanadd to our knowledge of the sauropods that lived in what is now Asia during the early Cretaceous period, from 145 million to 100 million years ago. The discovery also refines scientists’ picture of how sauropod dinosaurs spread out and diversified across ancient Earth. 10. A Japanese dinosaur from the Mesozoic Era’s last chapter While these dinosaurs wouldn’t have all been alive at the same time, there may have been three or four different species co-existing at different points in the Late Cretaceous. An 1897 painting by Charles R. Knight depicts two dinosaurs called “Laelaps” in an energetic fight, suggesting they may have been warm-blooded.

Fossils are echoes of an ancient past. Find out about the two major categories of fossils, how fossilization occurs, and how fossils can help paint a picture of the planet's history. Bipedality is really important for defining early dinosaurs,' says Paul. 'To do that, they also had to modify their hind legs.'Is this embarrassing for the dinosaur king? Yes. But T. rex did have serrated, banana-size teeth and one of the most powerful bite forces on record, so it's not like we'd laugh in its face or anything (unless we were walking away at a brisk clip). But T. rex, the most famous carnivore of them all, was a slowpoke, with a preferred walking speed of just under 3 mph (5 km/h), according to a separate study, published in April in the journal Royal Society Open Science. That's about the average walking speed for a person. So far this year, 42 new dinosaur species have been discovered, according to the University of Maryland’s Tom Holtz, who maintains a database of new dinosaur finds. What has sustained this pace? For one, Holtz says, “it’s more people doing the work: more eyes on the ground, more teams, more parts of the world being investigated.” Dinosaur paleontology is a more diverse and more global discipline than ever before—with huge benefits to science. Scientists also have a more refined sense of what a dinosaur “species” actually is. Paleontologists once gave the name Iguanodon to fossils that spanned tens of millions of years. Re-evaluations now show that Iguanodon is really multiple species, including a new one unveiled in November. Ceratosuchops and Riparovenator add crucial knowledge about the poorly understood spinosaurids, shedding light on the group’s evolutionary origins. Most of the oldest spinosaurids lived in what’s now Europe, which suggests the group’s ancestral homeland was in the Northern Hemisphere. ( Read more about Ceratosuchops and Riparovenator’s scientific significance.) 6. A toothless pipsqueak from Brazil

Ceratosuchops inferodios translates to “horned, crocodile-faced hell heron,” inspired by the theory that spinosaurids were riverbank predators like today’s herons. Riparovenator milnerae means “Milner’s riverbank hunter,” a tribute to British spinosaurid expert Angela Milner. Each dinosaur was probably about 26 feet long and roughly 6.6 feet tall at the hip. The genus Iguanodon is part of a group of related dinosaurs known as Iguanodontia. This family of plant-eaters lived during the Early Cretaceous Period, which lasted from 145 million to 100.5 million years ago. That fossil, described in April, is the second dinosaur from Japan that lived during the Maastricthian age, which lasted from 72 million until 66 million years ago—right up until the asteroid-driven extinction event at the end of the Cretaceous period. The dinosaur, Yamatosaurus izanagii, is named for an ancient term for part of the Japanese archipelago, as well as Izanagi, a deity in Japanese mythology. Stegouros also fills in an important evolutionary gap. Very few armored dinosaurs have been found within the lands that once made up Gondwana, an ancient supercontinent that started breaking apart during the age of dinosaurs. Before Stegouros, only two armored dinosaurs had been found in what was once southern Gondwana, and neither is as complete as the newly described animal. 8-9. Two huge dinosaurs found in China’s pterosaur gold mineHowever, it wasn’t just dinosaurs leaving their mark. The researchers found one footprint with four digits that might have been left by a pterosaur landing in the mud. For many, the Natural History Museum is a place that inspires learning, gives purpose and provides hope. People tell us they 'still get shivers walking through the front door', and thank us for inspiring the next generation of scientists. To reverse the damage we've done and protect the future, we need the knowledge that comes from scientific discovery. Understanding and protecting life on our planet is the greatest scientific challenge of our age. And you can help.