Audio
ETE - Phytosaur audio description
Transcript
Description: On the display table of this exhibit is a reddish-tan replica of a phytosaur skull. It is 4 feet (1.2 meters) long and 18 inches (46 cm) tall. Half the skull is a long, narrow snout full of pointed yellow teeth. The skull has several round holes on either side of the head, and two thin nostrils at the top. On either side of the skull are signs advising, “No Touching.”
Text: This phytosaur, found in the Chinle Formation just outside of Zion National Park, is called Angistorhinus (pronounced: an-gee-store-eye-nus). Its long narrow snout and conical teeth suggest it was well adapted for eating fish, similar to today’s narrow-snouted crocodiles and gharials. The back of Angistorhinus’ jaws are powerful and equipped with large, blade-like teeth, indicating that it may have specialized towards preying on specific animals. The total length of this animal is estimated at 15-18 feet (5-6 meters) long.
Description: A digital illustration of two large reptiles lying on light pink sand. The reptiles have long, narrow snouts full of sharp, pointed teeth. One animal rests the end of its snout on the other’s back. Their skin is light brown and green, with patches of red on their heads and spiked backs. At the top of their head are small yellow eyes, which sit on either side of their skulls just above their long, thin nostrils. Three tiny, long necked animals stand on the back of one phytosaur.
Text: Angistorhinus (pronounced: an-gee-store-eye-nus): phytosaur. Phytosaurs are groups of early reptiles that look like modern crocodiles but are unrelated. They hunted in the rivers of the Triassic about 50 million years before the first true semiaquatic crocodiles appeared in the Early Jurassic.
Description: Below this text are two photos of skulls viewed from above. The skull on top has a long, narrow snout with a rounded end. The head has two long nostril holes (nares) close together, with similarly shaped eye sockets (orbits) just above them on either side of the top of the head. All four holes are outlined with white ink to easily distinguish their shape.
Text: Angistorhinus (pronounced: an-gee-store-eye-nus) Triassic phytosaur. Chinle Formation approximately 220 million years ago. Skull viewed from above. Photos by Andrew Milner, St. George Dinosaur Discovery Site.
Description: The next skull has a wider, triangular snout with a rounded tip. At the tip are two round nostrils (nares) close together, outlined in white ink to show their shape. The head is wider than the previous skull, and less rounded. Two large, round eye sockets (orbits) are at the top of the head closely separated by a strip of bone. These holes are also outlined in white ink to define their shape.
Text: Calsoyasuchus (pronounced: Kal-so-ya-soo-kus) early Jurassic crocodile. Kayenta Formation approximately 190 million years ago. Skull viewed from above.
Notice how phytosaur nostrils are close to their eyes, while crocodiles have nostrils at the tip of the snout. The position of the nostrils is one of the major skeletal differences between phytosaurs and crocodiles. Can you spot any other differences?
Description: To the right of this text is a green illustration of a magnifying glass that reads “Junior Paleontologist” on the handle.
Description
Audio description of the Phytosaur display in the End Triassic Extinction exhibit
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