Top 10 Dinosaurs of 2017: Top 10 Dinosaurs

By Sabrina Ricci

The golden age of dinosaur discoveries continues, with 42 named dinosaurs coming out in 2017.

Blending fiction with fact, Top 10 Dinosaurs of 2017 reimagines the way 10 of the newly described Jurassic and Cretaceous dinosaurs lived in their natural habitats.

Featuring:

- The northern shield Borealopelta markmitchelli
- The cassowary-like crested thief Corythoraptor jacobsi
- The frightful lizard Daspletosaurus horneri
- The want helmet Galeamopus pabsti
- The Halszka thief Halszkaraptor escuilliei
- The Isabel Berry's dinosaur Isaberrysaura mollensis
- The Haarlem specimen Ostromia crassipes
- The silk bird Serikornis sungei
- The ancient horned face Yehuecauhceratops mudei
- The destroyer of shins Zuul crurivastator

Also includes a list of fun facts about each top 10 dinosaur, plus facts about the other 32 dinosaurs named in 2017, for a total of 42 dinosaurs, and links to more resources!

If you want to hear more about your favorite dinosaurs, listen to the I Know Dino podcast.

• Language: English
• Publisher: I Know Dino
• Release date: Jun 7, 2019
• ISBN: 9781622000265

Book preview

Introduction

T hank you so much for purchasing this book. We’ve been doing the I Know Dino podcast for three years now, and every day I’m amazed by our wonderful, enthusiastic audience. We love learning about dinosaurs, and we love sharing our knowledge with you. And that’s why we decided to continue our Top 10 Dinosaurs series and help spread the word about all the great dinosaur discoveries.

In 2017, 41 dinosaurs were named. As usual, we didn’t feel right leaving any of them out, so we gave 31 of them honorable mention, along with a list of five facts for each, at the end of the book.

As we mentioned in our last three books, we may never know exactly how dinosaurs lived and behaved. But we still have fun imagining scenes of dinosaurs eating, fighting, and playing. This book, like the others in the series, is a mix of imagination and research, combining fictitious scenes of 10 of the dinosaurs that made headlines in 2017 with a list of facts about each one to help paint a broader picture. And, if you are interested in learning more about the dinosaurs in this book, check out the I Know Dino podcast.

Please enjoy.

—Sabrina

Borealopelta markmitchelli: Northern shield

Borealopelta

Borealopelta markmitchelli, by Garret Kruger

I t happens so quickly. First the sound of a low rumble, which grows in pitch to a growl, and then a loud, thunderous clap. The ground shakes with it, moving so much that Borealopelta markmitchelli nearly loses his balance.

He manages to keep his footing—a relief because he’s most vulnerable on his back. Though he’s large, about 18 ft (5.5 m) long, weighs about 2,500 lb (1,134 kg), and has body armor, he’s still a potential predator target.

If he’s on his back, the pair of long spikes on his shoulders and the heavy, sharp scales that cover his back are useless. Not to mention that he loses his camouflage: a reddish-brown coloration in the form of countershading, so that his back is darker and his belly is lighter in color to better blend in.

Borealopelta has been fortunate in life so far. His camouflage has served him well, and he’s managed to avoid theropods and live enough years that his face has wizened with age. Scales cover his face and shield his eyes.

Borealopelta looks around. His surroundings haven’t changed much after the shaking. He’s in a flat area with short shrubs and a view of a nearby large body of water. Everything looks peaceful. He decides not to worry about the last few seconds and instead focuses on finding something to eat.

Another Borealopelta pads along in his direction. He’s another male but smaller and younger than Borealopelta. Borealopelta huffs, wishing to be alone. The other male snorts in response and turns away. Borealopelta is pleased.

Some time passes, and Borealopelta eats, content. He takes his time, savoring each bite of shrubbery, occasionally looking around in case any unwanted visitors come by. The world is quiet, more so than usual.

Out of the corner of his eye, Borealopelta notices an odd movement. He turns his head and sees water rising above the land. He pauses, unsure of what to do. Borealopelta has never seen anything like it before.

The only thing he can think to do is