Mosasaurus Facts and Figures

The name Mosasaurus (pronounced MOE-zah-SORE-usis) is partly derived from the Latin word Mosa (the Meuse River), and the second half of the name comes from the word Sauros, which is Greek for lizard. This ocean-dwelling creature is from the late Cretaceous period (70 to 65 million years ago). Its distinguishing characteristics included a blunt, alligator-like head, fin on the end of its tail, and a hydrodynamic build. It was large—up to 50 feet long and weighing 15 tons—and subsisted on a diet of fish, squid, and shellfish. About Mosasaurus The remains of Mosasaurus were discovered well before educated society knew anything about evolution, dinosaurs, or marine reptiles—in a mine in Holland in the late 18th century (hence this creatures name,  in honor of  the nearby Meuse River). Importantly, the unearthing of these fossils led early naturalists like Georges Cuvier to speculate, for the first time, about the possibility of species going extinct, which flew in the face of accepted religious dogma of the time. (Until the late Enlightenment, most educated people believed that God created all the worlds animals in Biblical times and that the exact same animals existed 5,000 years ago as do today. Did we mention that they also had no conception of deep geologic time?) These fossils were variously interpreted as belonging to fish, whales, and even crocodiles; the closest guess (by the Dutch naturalist Adriaan Camper) was that they were giant monitor lizards. It was Georges Cuvier who established that the fearsome Mosasaurus was a giant member of the family of marine reptiles known as mosasaurs, which were characterized by their large heads, powerful jaws, streamlined bodies, and  hydrodynamic  front and rear flippers. Mosasaurs were only distantly related to the pliosaurs and plesiosaurs (sea serpents) that preceded them (and which they largely supplanted from the dominance of the worlds oceans during the late Cretaceous period). Today, evolutionary biologists believe they were most closely related to modern-day snakes and monitor lizards. The mosasaurs themselves went extinct 65 million years ago, along with their dinosaur and pterosaur cousins, by which time they may already have been succumbing to competition from better-adapted sharks. As with many animals that have lent their names to entire families, we know comparatively less about Mosasaurus than we do about better-attested mosasaurs like Plotosaurus and Tylosaurus.  The early confusion about this marine reptile is reflected in the various genera to which it was assigned in the course of the 19th century, including (take a deep breath) Batrachiosaurus, Batrachotherium, Drepanodon, Lesticodus, Baseodon, Nectoportheus, and Pterycollosaurus. There have also been close to 20 named species of Mosasaurus, which gradually fell by the wayside as their fossil specimens were assigned to other mosasaur genera; today, all that remain are the type species, M. hoffmanni, and four others. By the way, that shark-swallowing Mosasaurus in the movie Jurassic World may  seem impressive (both to people in the fictional park and people in the real-life movie-theater audience), but its completely out of scale: A real, 15-ton Mosasaurus would have been an order of magnitude smaller and much less impressive than its cinematic depiction—and  almost certainly  incapable of dragging a gigantic Indominus rex into the water.

Creative Writing Personal Essay - 1204 Words

You hear the whispered shuffling of nearly silent footsteps across shag carpeting. Soft hands surround you, shrouding you in darkness and leaving only overbearing cherry lotion scents to give you a sense of where you are. A nauseating feeling comes in as you feel yourself rising, the air ever so slightly vocalizing a hushed whoosh on every side of you. A flood of warm ochre light blinds you for a moment, bringing you back to awareness. The hands that startled you before now carefully tear the plastic that once coated your body off, and you can feel their warmth much stronger than when they first held you. An air bubble pops quietly and you quickly find that a rubbing motion is spreading parts of you over rough lips that exhale a wind†¦show more content†¦Warm air brushes against you, and you imagine it covers everything else, too. The gradient from earlier eventually fades into complete darkness, pierced only by cold, neon-toned lights. You are almost scared, but you see the girl reach for the hand of the man driving, assured and confident, and know this expedition is of safe purpose. You become eager to watch for where you will travel next, despite not knowing why these two people are driving or where they are going. The very idea of something even better than this confusing swirl of sights and sounds keeps you watching for more, taking in everything outside. Stars begin to twinkle delicately. Trees and other foliage whizz past in a barely identifiable blur. The radio is turned down so the couple can more easily chatter about how their day has been and how much they missed one another. The man’s voice carries a tone of hidden knowledge when he speaks to the woman wearing you. She looks into a mirror, and you discover that her hair matches his-- a deep chestnut brown, reflecting the bright blue lights w ithin the car with ease-- though hers is much longer, and clearly more styled. The mirror is flipped back up, and she intertwines her hand with his once more. His are warm and sturdy, easily contrasted by her pale and dainty equivalent. The scene is beautiful in its own quaint way, but you are certain now that there must be more. Soon, the car doors both open and air as cold as the lights lining theShow MoreRelatedCreative Writing : Personal Essay1155 Words   |  5 PagesI panicked, I didnt know what to do. Uh... he was just staring at me with a big waiting smile on his face. Niall, Yeah? A big smile spread across my face, I really liked this guy, why shouldnt I go on a date with him? There was nothing stopping me. Isnt too early for that? Yes, but we could always take things slow? He smiles with mischievous eyes. Okay then, Ill go on a date with you. I hadnt finished the sentence when he was already engulfing me in a big tight hug once againRead MoreCreative Writing : Personal Essay896 Words   |  4 Pageshey tom, i figured i might as well write back something. something more composed and put together. something better than just a bunch of emotions poorly leaking out through cheaper words. you hurt me tom. and ill always wonder why. yeah yeah, i know. youre an impulsive guy who doesnt think out his actions. but itll still be on my mind. and i dont know how ill ever be able to get it off my mind, sorry. if you cant tell yet, i might be a bit of a blunt asshole through my words here. though i normallyRead MoreCreative Writing : Personal Essay885 Words   |  4 PagesNext, the unthinkable occurred as Viktor’s finger pushed inward to Joey’s virgin asshole. This apparently one hundred percent, married Italian stud started wailing for more, uncontrollable. Shit, my cock was ready to burst, thought Joey. Fuck me. God, I wanna get fucked. Joey soon felt Viktor’s mouth swallowing his swollen cockhead all the while as Viktor’s fingers sank farther into this virgin asshole. â€Å"He still virgin,† spoke Viktor to Henrik. â€Å"Not no more,† Henrik replied with a handsomeRead MoreEssay-Personal Narrative-Creative Writing1395 Words   |  6 PagesAfter a few more tears from Cynthia, they were finally on their way. â€Å"Where’s the rest of your gear?† Remi asked as she made herself comfortable in the backseat. â€Å"It’s with Nate and Lyle, they drove ahead in the van to get situated.† â€Å"Cool.† Leaning back, Remi pulled out her journal and tried to map out her route. The festival started on Friday and lasted through Sunday. Today was Monday, and Remi had spent most of Sunday tracing her routes. Tomorrow she had an appointment to meet with Evie CroftonRead MoreIn My Creative Nonfiction Genre Proposal, I Stated That,1571 Words   |  7 Pagesmy creative nonfiction genre proposal, I stated that, â€Å"my [creative writing project s] focus will be literary essays that address humanity’s universal desire for a sense of identity and belonging; these essays will be written from a personal perspective, containing anecdotes, internal conflicts, and external opinions† (1). A little over ten weeks later, I believe I have achieved this goal in my final draft because of the stylistic approaches and revisions I made with the help of the Creative WritingRead MoreThrough My Creative Writing And Reading Experience, I Have1156 Words   |  5 PagesThrough my creative writing and reading experience, I have been exposed to a variety of literary genres. My preferred genres have consistently been free verse poetry, fiction, and non-fiction. For the purpose of this class, I have chosen the genre of creative non-fiction. My focus will be literary essays that address humanity’s universal desire for a sense of identity and belonging; these essays will be written from a personal perspective, containing anecdotes, internal conflicts, and external opinionsRead MoreAnalysis Of Power And Time By Mary Oliver810 Words   |  4 PagesIn Mary Oliver’s essay â€Å"Of Power and Time,† she reaches her readers by presenting the trio: logos, pathos, ethos, her personal experiences, and the state of mind of others. While Oliver explains what creative writing is, one key part she discusses is the importance of creative writing. She has an understandment of creative writers and herself. Oliver’s target audience are for writers, or people in general that believe using their time wisely is important. She reveals emotions and reasonings behindRead MoreThe Beginning Of Creative Nonfiction1517 Words   |  7 Pageshistory of creative nonfiction is vast and diverse, spanning from the earliest known civilization to the present. This literary genre includes memoirs, essays, travel writing, and journalism. The literary essay is the mode of creative nonfiction I have chosen for my course project, and I will address the general history of creative nonfiction, focusing on the development of the essay. The origins of this genre date back centuries before Montaigne coined the term â€Å"essay.† The beginning of creative nonfictionRead MoreWriting Is An Art That Improves Through Time With Consistent Practice And Exploration Of One s Skills1234 Words   |  5 PagesWriting is an art that improves through time with consistent practice and exploration of one’s skills. Prior to this class, I have always considered myself to be an efficient writer. However, my writing was limited in the scope of academic writing, due to the fact that throughout my high school career, that is the most of what was expected to be written from me. In this class I was able to dive further into my writing and explore with my skills in the context of creative writing, poetry, as wellRead More Emotive Response to Essays1425 Words   |  6 PagesIn tenth grade, everyone in Mrs. D’s English class had to write an essay on an American author. No one was actually given a choice in the matter, no r was anyone allowed the option of choosing their author. That kind of option wouldn’t have meant much to me anyway, seeing as I, like many sophomores in high school, had no interest in anything even remotely intellectual. Fate’s ubiquitous hand dealt me Sherwood Anderson, a man I had never heard of (nor did I frankly care to know about). Despite the

Unit Paper Free Essays

There isn’t an American citizen in the world ho doesn’t know of the painstaking terror that swept through the country as we witnessed the scene via the myriad of media coverage on every channel. Watching these news sources and seeing the aftermath, and watching the government response as they tried to figure out why it happened was actually detrimental to the healing process of the country. Hearing the scientists discuss how the towers fell, and listening as the government talked about how these terrorists gained access to the planes Just worked to spread more fear into the minds of the American citizens. We will write a custom essay sample on Unit Paper or any similar topic only for you Order Now Had the media Just gone dark, had the government Just said, â€Å"k, this happened, we need time to clean this up and discuss options, trust us,† Then the country may have been able to relax a little more. American citizen’s now have some level of post- traumatic stress simply from being exposed to what was going on in real time. I will never forget the video of the people Jumping from the buildings before their collapse, or the ash falling like snowflakes, covering everything around the city. I’ll never forget the clouds of thick black smoke, and the exact moment that the towers finally elapsed. And I’ll never forget the days after, and the images of the towers missing from that NYC skyline. And yet, Vive never even been to New York. The media showed every horrifying angle as things progressed, making it as though we were all standing on the roadway, gazing up at the horrors as they occurred. The news provided every view point and every option, even though 95% of them were speculative and so far from the truth. The terrorists’ goal was to make the US fearful of them in order to make their point, and while they did a decent Job of that, the media Just added icing o the cake. For months afterwards, people were too afraid to fly; people were too fearful to use public transportation. This fear was Just perpetuated by the media’s involvement. On the opposing end of the spectrum, the media can sometimes have a positive effect in minimizing the effectiveness of the terrorist attack. While flying into Boston in April of last year, I was amazed to hear the news of the city being in Lockwood. Sitting outside of Logan airport, the lack of people was eerie, and I pulled up the news on my phone to follow what was going on. The city was in Lockwood and police were requesting that people stay in their homes and off the roads to make it easier to search for the bombing suspect; a nice way of suggesting that Marshall Law was being imposed, but not exactly. The good thing about the media being involved in this was that people quickly heard that they should stay inside, which cleared the roads and made it possible for the police and government to really focus and search for Tsarina’s. Would they have found him if they hadn’t put the city on Lockwood? Probably, but you can’t be certain, ND it was more effective to do so to ensure that he was located as quickly as possible. Social networking is almost as bad as the media. Daily, there are posts about a child with cancer or a family whose home burned down that are asking people to like the photo. This is all misinformation and useless. Not to mention the things people post about terrorists or even the government, where you can tell that they have heard one thing and assumed the rest. That being said, social networking has a knack for escalating facts really quickly until they are more lie than truth. It’s important to be informed, but when you’re getting your facts from a post that’s majority misinformation, it Just snowballs and leads to a bunch of confusion and panic. That’s not always the case, however. Sometimes, social networking can be a fantastic tool when it comes to terrorist activity. The ability to share posts on Backbone, for example, can be an excellent tool if the police are searching for a particular suspect. A picture or description can be released, and people can spread it to millions of others in mere minutes. Not Just relating to terrorism, but crime in mineral, this is incredible and has been known to assist with finding many people, suspects and victims. While the media can be a useful aspect when it comes to terrorist activity, it is generally more of a hassle than an aiding tool. It’s our civil right to be kept informed on the events in our country, but in times of an attack, our government should focus on responding before they should worry about letting us bystanders know what happened. A terrorist attack is performed with the objective of instilling fear in the targeted audience, and when facts are misconstrued, this is Just perpetuated. How to cite Unit Paper, Papers

Wu-Tang Forever free essay sample

After three years of pursuing solo releases, the Wu-Tang Clan has reunited for the double CD, Wu-Tang Forever. The much-anticipated album is the groups first since their popular debut, 36 Chambers. It was produced by the RZA, and features all nine members (if you can name them all, you are a true fan) throughout the 27 tracks on this expanded format. In addition, the first of the two discs is also an enhanced CD. This allows you (if you have access to a CD-ROM drive) to play an interactive game and view footage of the group. The album itself resembles their first in many ways. From the hard-core lyrics and rhymes to the old kung-fu fighting movie samples, it has the sound that made the first so easily recognizable. The music will definitely not be confused with any other popular hip hop act like Puff Daddy or Snoop Doggy Dogg. The Clan uses little or no sampling or borrowing the musical hook from older music, unlike the more popular rap hits of the past few years. We will write a custom essay sample on Wu-Tang Forever or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page It is not the type of music for everyone. Its tracks are laced with explitives, and it is labeled as such. The albums first release, Triumph, has been compared to the groups first hit Protect ya Neck. The song features all nine rappers. Its high-tech video, computerized bees and all, is a favorite on MTV. But it is not one of this reviewers favorite songs. In fact, the whole album is sort of a disappointment. Despite the few tracks that are all right, it just seems to be missing the edge the first had. The next release due out, Its Yours, is a better song, but it doesnt approach songs like C.R.E.A.M. and Bring da Ruckus. Maybe it is because there was so much anticipation, or maybe the layoff has had an effect on the groups sound. The album was released over the summer, and is in abundance at your local music store. Most of the groups big fans probably already own a copy, so there isnt much of a rush to buy it. If you are into the R and hip-hop scene, it may be worth checking out. However, I wouldnt recommend it. If you want Wu-Tang Clan albums and already own 36 Chambers, the solo projects (R.A., Method Man, O.D.B., Tha Genius, Rackwon) are a much safer bet. .