Dinosaurs evolved partway through the Triassic period of the Mesozoic era, around 230 Ma (million years ago). At that time, the earth had one supercontinental landmass, called Pangaea, of which Europe was a part. So it remained throughout the Triassic. By the start of the Jurassic period, some 30 million years later, the supercontinent began to split into Laurasia and Gondwana. The largest inlet from Panthalassa, the superocean that surrounded Pangaea, was called the Tethys Ocean, and as this inlet cut deeper into the supercontinent, much of Europe was flooded.
By the Cretaceous, from 145 to 65 million years ago, the continents were beginning to approach their present shapes, but not their present positions, and Europe remained tropical. At times, it was a chain of island-microcontinents including Baltica and Iberia.
Europe is relatively rich in fossils from the Jurassic-Cretaceous boundary, and much of what is known about European dinosaurs dates from this time. As the timeline below illustrates, there are substantial gaps in our knowledge from the rest of the Mesozoic. The absence of dinosaur genera from this time is because few fossils have been discovered, and almost certainly not because Europe contained few types of dinosaur—except, perhaps, immediately after the Triassic–Jurassic extinction event.
This is a timeline of selected dinosaurs from the list above. Time is measured in Ma, megaannum, along the x-axis.
List of Asian dinosaurs
This is a list of dinosaurs whose remains have been found in Asia, other than India. During the Mesozoic, India was not part of Asia. It was part of the supercontinent Gondwana, and then a separate island. More dinosaurs have been found in Asia than any other continent so far.
This is a timeline of selected dinosaurs from the list above. Time is measured in Ma, megaannum, along the x-axis.
Abelisaurus
Abelisaurus is a genus of theropod dinosaur that lived in South America during the Upper Cretaceous period. There is one known species, "Abelisaurus comahuensis".
"Abelisaurus" was the first abelisaurid to be discovered, and gives its name to the family, the Abelisauridae. "Abelisaurus" is the type genus. Despite this, little is known about it.
The first, and only, fossils discovered were several skull bones found in Argentina. Scientists put them back together in the lab to create a skull. The skull is similar to that of other members of its family. Like most abelisaurs, it is blunt and short in length, but tall in vertical height from a front view. "Abelisaurus" probably preyed on the large sauropod dinosaurs of the time, such as "Amargasaurus", in packs. It may also have hunted smaller plant-eating dinosaurs, such as the small ornithopod "Gasparinisaura".
Gargoyleosaurus
Gargoyleosaurus ("gargoyle lizard") was an armoured ankylosaur which walked on four legs and had a stiff tail. It had a series of spikes running along each side of its body. "Gargoyleosaurus" was about 10 feet (3 m) long and was roughly 3.3 feet (1 m) tall to the top of the shoulder it may have weighed about a ton.
"Gargoyleosaurus" is found in the of the Morrison Formation (latest Upper Jurassic) in Wyoming. It lived about 155–144 million years ago.
This dinosaur had a long, narrow beak with teeth on both the upper and lower inner surface (most other ankylosaurs have teeth on only the lower beak). This plant-eater had protective body armour on the upper surface of its body and tail (hollow bony oval plates).
John Boehner
John Andrew Boehner (pronounced /ˈbeɪnər/ BAY-nər; born November 17, 1949) is an American politician. Between 2011 and 2015, he was the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives.
Boehner is a member of the Republican Party. He served in the Ohio State House from 1985 to 1990. In 1990, he became a Congressman (a member of the United States House of Representatives). Boehner resigned in early October 2015. He was succeeded as Speaker by Paul Ryan on October 29, 2015.
Boehner was born in Reading, Ohio and was one of twelve brothers and sisters. Boehner worked in his family's bar and briefly served in the United States Navy before graduating from Xavier University in 1977. Later, he was a small businessman.
He has been in politics since 1985. He represents the area north of Cincinnati, Ohio. Boehner served as chair of several important committees before becoming Minority Leader in 2006. While minority leader, Boehner was one of the main people who were critical of President Obama. When the Republicans took back the House of Representatives in the 2010 elections, Boehner became Speaker of the House.
In September 2015, Boehner said he would step down as Speaker and that his resignation would be in effect on October 30. His resignation became in effect on October 29 with Paul Ryan succeeding him.
Nanosaurus
Nanosaurus ("small or dwarf lizard") was an ornithopod dinosaur that measured about 4 ft (1.1 m) long, weighing about 50 pounds (22.5 kg). Othnielia had a horny beak and a small skull with self-sharpening cheek teeth. Othnielia may have had cheek pouches.
This plant eater was bipedal (walked on two legs). It had thin legs and a stiffened tail that gave it speed and agility. It had five-fingered hands and four-toed feet, all clawed. It had large eyes and short arms. "Othnielia" resembled Hypsilophodon. Its fossils (two partial skeletons and teeth) were found in Colorado and Utah in rocks of the Late Jurassic age.
Coelurus
Coelurus (meaning "hollow") is a poorly known genus. It was perhaps a bipedal theropod dinosaur 6 feet (1.8 m) long, weighing roughly 20 kg. Its femur (thigh bone) was 55 cm long. It was a carnivore that lived during the late Jurassic period, about 156 to 145 million years ago. Its bones were hollow and lightweight, so "Coelurus" was probably light and fast. Its fossils were found in Wyoming. "Coelurus" was named by paleontologist Othniel C. Marsh in 1879.
Commodus
Commodus (Lucius Aurelius Commodus Antoninus, 31 August 161 – 31 December 192) was Roman emperor from 177 to 192. He was co-emperor with his father Marcus Aurelius from 177 until his father's death in 180. From 180 to his death in 192, Commodus was the only emperor.
His accession as emperor was the first time a son had succeeded his father since Titus succeeded Vespasian in 79. Commodus was the first emperor "born to the purple", that is, born during his father's reign.
The reign of Marcus Aurelius had been marked by almost continuous warfare, even though he preferred books to war. That of Commodus was comparatively peaceful in the military sense but was marked by political strife, and the arbitrary and capricious behaviour of the emperor himself. In the view of Dio Cassius, a contemporary observer, his accession marked the descent "from a kingdom of gold to one of rust and iron". The historian Edward Gibbon took Commodus's reign as the beginning of the decline of the Roman Empire.
Despite his notoriety, Commodus's years in power are not well chronicled.
Commodus remained with the Danube armies for only a short time before negotiating a peace treaty with the Danubian tribes. He then returned to Rome and celebrated a triumph for the conclusion of the wars on 22 October 180.
Unlike the preceding Emperors Trajan, Hadrian, Antoninus Pius and Marcus Aurelius, Commodus had little interest in the business of administration. He left the running of the state to a succession of favourites, beginning at this time with Saoterus, a freedman from Nicomedia who had become his chamberlain.
This state of affairs lead to a series of conspiracies and attempted coups, which in turn eventually provoked Commodus to take charge of affairs, which he did in an increasingly dictatorial manner.