Ankylosaurs Armored-Plated Dinosaurs That Roamed Earth

Given the ferocious dinosaurs that roamed the planet during the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods—toothy beasts like Allosaurus, Utahraptor and T. Rex—it would be surprising if some plant-eaters didnt evolve elaborate defenses. The ankylosaurs (Greek for fused lizards) are a case in point: to avoid being lunched on, these herbivorous dinosaurs developed tough, scaly body armor, as well as spikes and bony plates, and some species had dangerous clubs on the ends of their long tails that they swung at approaching carnivores. Ankylosaurus Relatives Although Ankylosaurus is by far the best-known of all the ankylosaurs, it was far from the most common (or even the most interesting, if the truth be told). By the end of the Cretaceous period, ankylosaurs were among the last dinosaurs standing; hungry tyrannosaurs couldnt wipe them off the face of the earth, but the K/T Extinction did. In fact, 65 million years ago, some ankylosaurs had developed such impressive body armor—Euoplocephalus even had armored eyelids!—that they would have given an M-1 tank a run for its money. Tough, knobby armor wasnt the only feature that set  ankylosaurs apart (though it was certainly the most noticeable). As a rule, these dinosaurs were stocky, low-slung, short-legged, and probably extremely slow quadrupeds that spent their days grazing on low-lying vegetation and didnt possess much in the way of brain power. As with other types of herbivorous dinosaurs, such as sauropods and ornithopods, some species may have lived in herds, which would have afforded even more defense against predation. (By the way, the closest relatives of ankylosaurs were stegosaurs, both groups being classified as thyreophoran (shield-bearing) dinosaurs.) Ankylosaur Evolution Although the evidence is spotty, paleontologists believe that the first identifiable ankylosaurs—or, rather, the dinosaurs that subsequently evolved into ankylosaurs—arose in the early Jurassic period. Two likely candidates are Sarcolestes, a middle Jurassic herbivore known only from a partial jawbone (this dinosaur received its name—Greek for flesh thief—before it had been identified as a plant eater) and Tianchisaurus. On much better footing is the late Jurassic Dracopelta, which measured only about three feet from head to tail but possessed the classic armored profile of later, bigger ankylosaurs, minus the clubbed tail. Scientists are on much firmer ground with later discoveries. The nodosaurs (a family of armored dinosaurs  closely related to, and sometimes categorized under, the ankylosaurs) flourished in the mid-Cretaceous period; these dinosaurs were characterized by their long, narrow heads, small brains, and lack of tail clubs. The most well-known nodosaurs included Nodosaurus, Sauropelta, and Edmontonia, the last being especially common in North America. One notable fact about ankylosaur evolution is that these creatures lived just about everywhere on earth. The first dinosaur ever discovered in Antarctica—named, appropriately enough, Antarctopelta—was an ankylosaur, as was the Australian Minmi, which possessed one of the smallest brain-to-body ratios of any dinosaur (a nice way of saying that it was very, very dumb). Most ankylosaurs and nodosaurs, though, lived on the land masses, Gondwana and Laurasia, that later spawned North America and Asia. Late Cretaceous Ankylosaurs During the late Cretaceous period, ankylosaurs reached the apex of their evolution. From 75 to 65 million years ago, some ankylosaur genera (most notably Ankylosaurus and Euoplocephalus) developed incredibly thick and elaborate armor, doubtless a result of the ecological pressures applied by bigger, stronger predators like Tyrannosaurus Rex. One can imagine that very few carnivorous dinosaurs would dare to attack a full-grown ankylosaur  since the only way to kill it would be to flip it onto its back and bite its soft underbelly. Still, not all paleontologists agree that the armor of ankylosaurs (and nodosaurs) had a strictly defensive function. Its possible that some ankylosaurs used their spikes and clubs to establish dominance in the herd  or to joust with other males for the right to mate with females, an extreme example of sexual selection. This is probably not an either/or argument, though: since evolution works along multiple paths, its likely that ankylosaurs evolved their armor for defensive, display, and mating purposes all at the same time.

Socrates Vs Crito - 1522 Words

In the dialogue Crito, the Laws state that â€Å"One must obey the commands of one’s city and country, or persuade it as to the nature of justice† (51c1-2). In this paper, a third option in response to the state, i.e. punishment in reaction to unjust acts, will be advocated for. To this end, I will argue that Socrates could be justified in escaping because doing so could have punished the Laws of Athens, which would have helped the Laws maintain their virtue. This argument exists in two parts. First, I will use the three Laws speeches from the Crito in attempt to show that it is just for Socrates to punish the Laws. Next, I will use the same three speeches as well as the original verdict given in the Apology to try to show that escaping is in†¦show more content†¦Therefore, based on his strong love for the Laws, Socrates should pay great heed to the virtue of the Laws. The unjust conviction of Socrates can be considered an unjust act by the Laws. Such unjust ac tions are inconsistent with the preservation or care of virtue. General agreement seems to state that people should be punished in response to unjust acts as an attempt to maintain their virtue. For example, this appears to be the entire reason for Socrates’ punishment from Athens in the first place. Socrates performed actions the city deemed unjust and was punished in response. The punishment was an attempt to guide Socrates and other citizens toward virtue. Thus, if a person performs an unjust act, they should be punished. The punishment serves as an attempt to care for their virtue. Therefore, it would be justified for the Laws to be punished in response to their unjust act. In the first speech by the Laws, they ask Socrates, â€Å"Do you think you have this right to retaliation against your country and its laws?† (51a2-3). Due to Socrates’ care for the virtue of the Laws, he assumes the aforementioned right to retaliation against them, provided they commit a n act that detracts from their virtue. If one cares about the Laws and their virtue, it is right for that person to punish the Laws as an attempt to care for their well-being. It follows then, that Socrates is not only justified in punishing the Laws, but also thatShow MoreRelatedSocrates Vs Crito Essay1326 Words   |  6 PagesSocrates, amongst the most influential thinkers to emerge from Greek civilization and, perhaps the most noble and wisest Athenian to have ever lived, many centuries before Christ, is noted for not writing anything himself as all that is known about his philosophical thought is through the writings of Xenophon and Plato. By contrast, Martin Luther King Jr. lived in the nineteenth century wherein his main legacy was to secure progress on African American civil rights in the United States. 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In this case we rely on our own beliefs that may be throughRead MoreGreek Society vs. Socrates Essay897 Words   |  4 PagesGreek Society vs. Socrates What make a man virtuous? Throughout many texts of Greek society the picture of a perfect man is painted and apparent. This man, the â€Å"perfect man†, is the virtuous Greek citizen. Who is virtuous not only in the eyes of society, but also at home, in war, and in his relationship to the God(s). Also in Greek society, there was a man named Socrates who’s opinion differed with his culture’s thoughts, and he constructed his own thoughts and beliefs of what characteristics

Compare and Contrast the Baroque Music and Jazz Essay Example For Students

Compare and Contrast the Baroque Music and Jazz Essay Compare and Contrast the Baroque Music and Jazz BY outwitted The Baroque period spanned from 1600 to 1750. The baroque period can be divided into three parts: early (1600-1640), middle and late (1680-1750). Although today most people recognize the latest part as the baroque music, the earliest part was one of the most revolutionary phases in music history. The early baroque composers rejected the polyphony texture of the late Renaissance music and favored homophobic texture. They also focused on harmony rather than the complexity of melodic lines. The growth of figured bass and counterpoint represents the development of harmony. However, by the late baroque period, polyphonic texture returned to favor. Famous Baroque composers: Johann Sebastian Bach Popular work: Air on a G String George Frederic Handel Popular work: The Messiah Antonio Vivaldi Popular work: The Four Seasons It is difficult to define Jazz music, as there are many different styles and movements. A brief definition of Jazz would be: American music that originated in New Orleans around 1900 and characterized by propulsive syncopated rhythms, polyphonic ensemble playing, improvisatory, virtuosic solos, melodic freedom, and a harmonic idiom ranging from simple diatonic through chromatics to atonality. But this does not tell everything about Jazz. Jazz developed from Ragtime around 1900 and about 20 different styles were born since then. Examples are swing, bebop, boss nova, free Jazz and soul Jazz. Famous Jazz musicians: Luis Armstrong Chuck Imagine Charles Minus Jon Chlorate Mary Lou Williams Miles Davis Nat King Cole The main characteristic of this piece is unity of melody. This piece begins with Joyful elodea, which contains arpeggio and arch shape melody. Its mood of Joyfulness remains throughout the piece. Base chords are mostly based on chords l, IV and V. At bar 9, a melody changes a little but the mood doesnt change. The rhythmic patterns of the beginning of this piece are repeated throughout. There are frequent uses of imitation in the melody. For example, from bar 9 after the perfect cadence, imitation begins as descending 4th. Melodic sequence also often occurs in the piece. Bar 6 is one of example of sequences contained. Melodic phrases are repeated one tone higher pitches. Another main characteristic of this piece is polyphonic texture, as more than 3 independent melodic lines are sounded together consistently. From bar 14, there is imitation again. The harmony is based on a circle of fifths. Each motive figure is decorated with triplet. In the melody line, the first figure starts with F, the next one starts with B and the next one starts with E and so on. Similarly, the chords of bass line go through cycle of fifth. Therefore, both melody line (flute and violin) and base line (cambial) are in circle of fifth. This makes the melodic like sound dutiful and natural. This movement is in Reiteration form: one short section keeping returning, often creating tutu-solo-tutu-solo pattern. This movement opens with the reiteration, which consists of 1/16th notes. After the reiteration, there is short solo section, where the flute and violin imitate each other. This piece is performed in 12-bar structure in 4/4 time. This piece begins with piano solo in E major. In the beginning of this piece, we can see the chords progression: I-I-I I-V-V l. This chords progression is repeated throughout this piece with a constant Hitachi pulse. Call and response is frequently used in this piece. We can see the example of call and response between voice and other instruments at 0:46. There is also call and response between main vocal and female chorus in 2:29. Musical Review EssayThis gives the performers a feeling of freedom while playing. In Jazz, improvisation is more important than in baroque music and is more abound. Not only the bass line, but also melody and rhythm can be improvised. Many baroque and Jazz composers repeat the same melodic or rhythmic idea in one piece. In Bachs concerto v, for example, there are 1/16th notes constantly throughout ND the same melodic ideas are repeated. This is same for Jazz music. For example, in a Jazz piece Whatd I say, there are frequent uses of swing rhythm and the same melodies are repeated throughout. Unity of mood describes both baroque music and Jazz. If a piece of music opens with dark and slow melody its darkness remains throughout the piece. The unity of mood is created by continuous rhythm and melody. The chords of a lot of baroque and Jazz songs are mostly based on l, IV and V. For example, the chords structure of the first 8 bars in Bachs concerto v is I I V- I l. The twelve notes progression, which many Jazz musicians use, is I I-I-IV- IV- I-I V- V- I and is very similar to the one used in concerto. Difference in time and culture also makes difference in music. We can find several differences between baroque music and Jazz. First, we can see that their styles are very distinguishable. Jazz musicians have more feeling of freedom while performing as they can improvise in many ways while baroque musicians can only improvise in bass lines and they mostly play what is written on the score sheet. There is also difference in musical form and structure. The baroque composers tend to follow the certain forms such as retooled form while Jazz composers favor minimum forms that allow maximum flexibility. In addition, the main concept or purpose of Baroque music and Jazz are different. Jazzs primary purpose was to entertain the people in bars, while baroque composers primarily worked to provide music for dance and church services. Early baroque composers rejected the complex polyphony of the late Renaissance and favored homophobic texture that maximizes harmony. But Jazz composers favored the complexity of melody. Melody in Jazz is often complicated and usually official to sing or play while melody in early baroque music is less complicated and easy to remember. In addition, the uses of instruments in the two periods are different. Despite that baroque music is mostly based on string groups, Jazz music is based upon brass and woodwind instruments. Although style, time, and history are different, there are some similarities between baroque music and Jazz. There are similarities in rhythm, melody, and texture. Music from the two different periods sound different, however, when we look at the two closely we see that they share musical technical similarities.