Glossary

Bipeds – animals that walk on their hindlimbs only

Bulk-Browse – the ability to consume large mouthfuls of plants with every bite

Bracing Joints – additional joints between the back bones that act as struts and braces on a suspension bridge to prevent the spine from sagging

Sauropods – the largest dinosaurs, these were gigantic, long-necked plant-eaters

Massospondylus – a small “prosauropod,” a distant biped cousin of Aardonyx and the sauropods

Micro-Environment – a small region within a larger environment with a somewhat different ecology than the surrounding area: example, an oasis with water and trees within a larger desert

“Near-sauropods” – animals slightly closer to the common ancestor of sauropods than Aardonyx, these almost-sauropods spent most of their time on all-fours

Ornithischians – a family of dinosaurs that includes armored, beaked, and horned forms; all vegetarian

Paleoclimate – the ancient climate of a given time period based on chemical, mineral, and fossil plant and pollen data

“Prosauropod” – bipedal, long-necked Saurischian dinosaurs that were distant cousins to animals like Aardonyx and the sauropods

Quadruped – an animal that walks on all-fours

Saurischian – a family of dinosaurs that includes the predatory theropods, modern birds, and the plant-eating sauropods and their relatives

Wide Gape – the ability to open the mouth to a large angle