Mission
The Dinosaur Institute's mission is to research and interpret the diversity and evolution of dinosaurs and other tetrapods (four-legged vertebrate animals) that lived during the Mesozoic Era, the time interval contained between 250 and 65 million years ago. Core to our mission is also to safeguard and build through fieldwork the Museum's collection of these fossils, to provide mentorship and training to students and postdoctoral fellows, and to inspire and educate the public.
To achieve its mission, the Dinosaur Institute maintains a staff of paleontologists whose responsibilities are to conduct laboratory and field research, to curate and maintain current and new collections, to supervise students, fellows, and volunteers, and to create educational and public programs in association with other units of the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County.
Contact us! - dinosaur@nhm.org
What's New
“Center for Chinese Fossil Discoveries”
05/09/2008
Posted by Luis M. Chiappe
The new Center for Chinese Fossil Discoveries is a joint initiative between the University of Southern California (USC) and The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County (NHM). This center will share resources and develop joint projects related to Chinese paleontology under the leadership of Dr. David Bottjer, Chair of the Department of Earth Sciences at USC, and Dr. Luis Chiappe, Director of the Dinosaur Institute (NHM).
Over the past decade China has been found to have extensive and exquisite fossil deposits that have the possibility of providing answers to many of the most important questions on evolution and the history of life. These Chinese fossils have been so spectacular that collaborative research on them has resulted in many publications in the journals Science and Nature, the most prestigious outlets for scientific publishing, and attracted media attention worldwide. The Chinese government has recognized that investments in fossil research bring scientific results acclaimed at the international level, so there has been a significant amount of funding in China directed towards paleobiological research and education. Both Dr. Bottjer and Dr. Chiappe have conducted years of research in China and have established collaborative projects with some of the most prestigious research and education centers in China. As part of its educational mission the Center will sponsor symposia and speaker series open to the public that will foster an awareness of spectacular Chinese fossils and their importance for answering fundamental biological problems. The Center will also sponsor and promote exhibits at the NHMLAC and maintain a webpage of research, educational programs, and discoveries, which will expose large portions of the public to science, paleobiology, and the magnificent fossil treasures of China.
New research on strange filter-feeding flying reptile
03/11/2008
Posted by Luis M. Chiappe
Pterosaurs were a diverse group of flying reptiles that lived during the Mesozoic, when large terrestrial dinosaurs roamed. Like the large dinosaurs they also became extinct at the end of the Cretaceous. The fossil record yields a large number of different species of pterosaurs, yet many questions remain unanswered about their biology such as: How long did it take for a hatchling to grow to adult size? What kind of growth patterns did they have? Answers to some of these questions have been addressed for the bizarre filter feeding pterosaur - Pterodaustro - that lived about 100 million years ago in what is now Argentina. Dr Luis Chiappe, director of the Dinosaur Institute, led many of the expeditions to collect these creatures as well as contributing significantly to this current research.
This unusual pterosaur is represented by hundreds of individuals - from an embryo within its egg to tiny hatchlings with wing spans of only about 30cm to adults with wingspans of up to 2.5m. This incredible range of different-sized individuals has provided the unique opportunity for an international team of scientists to study its growth and development. The microscopic structure of Pterodaustro’s bones showed that juveniles grew rapidly for about 2 years until they reached approximately 53% of their adult body size. They appear to have attained sexual maturity at this stage, but continued to grow for at least another 3-4 years at comparatively slower rates until larger adult body sizes were attained. The histological analysis provides further definitive evidence that Pterodaustro had a determinate growth strategy i.e. like mammals and birds; they stopped growing at a certain size, unlike modern reptiles that typically grow for as long as they live.
Chinsamy A., Codorniú L., and Chiappe L.M. (2008). Developmental growth patterns of the filter-feeder pterosaur, Pterodaustro guiñazui. Royal Society's Biology letters.
Available online at:
http://journals.royalsociety.org/content/98443w8551537723/
