frasca Posted April 23, 2019 Share Posted April 23, 2019 Hey everybody, My team writes math textbooks and we want to include dinosaurs in them. We're trying to find a document that states the amount of bones (approx.) in different kinds of dinosaurs. I would really appreciate your help! Thanks, Gonzalo from Uruguay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossildude19 Posted April 23, 2019 Share Posted April 23, 2019 Hello Gonzalo, and Welcome to the Forum. Have you had a look at THIS WEBSITE? Good luck, and welcome again. Tim - VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER VFOTM --- APRIL - 2015 __________________________________________________ "In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks." John Muir ~ ~ ~ ~ ><))))( *> About Me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Kmiecik Posted April 23, 2019 Share Posted April 23, 2019 Good luck -- since most dinosaur fossils are incomplete skeletal remains paleontologists can at best speculate as to how many bones each may have had. In many cases it would also depend on how one defines "bone". The average (think T.Rex) had about 200 total and those with longer necks and tails had proportionately more, while those with shorter necks and tails had less. I've never seen a list that tells you how many each species may have had. Most scientists don't dare make a guess like that simply because they would be wrong 99.9% of the time. Many new species are named and described with only a dozen or so bones to work with. Unfortunately there is very much speculation involved. However, if one or more of the bones found does not match anything else ever found we can be pretty sure it is a new and different species. An existing species can be identified from as little as one bone. So it's an exact science shrouded in mystery because we will never know how many different species even existed, let alone how many have been preserved. Certain bones fuse to become one as one ages just as they do in humans, so unless you know for sure it is an adult and not a juvenile the bone count means nothing. Even in humans the bone count varies from about 270 at birth to about 206 at adulthood, and it will vary some depending on individuals. Some people have less, others have more. It's a guessing game at best. Mark. Fossil hunting is easy -- they don't run away when you shoot at them! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frasca Posted April 24, 2019 Author Share Posted April 24, 2019 Thank you so much for your replies! This explains why it was so hard to find that info. I have however found approximate data for T-Rex and Triceratops. If anybody out there has approximate numbers for any other(s) they'll be welcomed! Once again, thanks Tim and Mark! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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