2013 Predictions

[Brontozaurus]

New sauropod fossils will hint at how they got so large while still hatching from eggs.

[RaptorTheDoctor]

Not sure about things I think are likely... things I would WANT to see though...

A dwarf Abelisaur, probably in Madagascar or South America. Like, 10 feet or less. (And all restorations of it will be ridiculously cute)
A mass grave of either Giganotosaurus or Carcharodontosaurus.
Tarbosaurus will become Tyrannosaurus Bataar finally (Possibly Zhuchengtyrannus Magnus into Tyrannosaurus Magnus as well, but less likely)
Scientists will find an extremely beaten up skeleton of Spinosaurs with "Rex wuz here" carved into the pelvis. Some people will rage, but this will generally be accepted as the end of the Rex/Spino debate (I joke, I joke)
Scientists will clone an Allosaur the size of a small dog and entrust it to me for some unknown reason. I will be happy.

Most of those are jokes or hopefully wishes. The Tarbosaurus/Tyrannosaurus thing is probably the most likely there.

[Balaur]

Not sure about things I think are likely... things I would WANT to see though...

A dwarf Abelisaur, probably in Madagascar or South America. Like, 10 feet or less. (And all restorations of it will be ridiculously cute)
A mass grave of either Giganotosaurus or Carcharodontosaurus.
Tarbosaurus will become Tyrannosaurus Bataar finally (Possibly Zhuchengtyrannus Magnus into Tyrannosaurus Magnus as well, but less likely)
Scientists will find an extremely beaten up skeleton of Spinosaurs with "Rex wuz here" carved into the pelvis. Some people will rage, but this will generally be accepted as the end of the Rex/Spino debate (I joke, I joke)
Scientists will clone an Allosaur the size of a small dog and entrust it to me for some unknown reason. I will be happy.

Most of those are jokes or hopefully wishes. The Tarbosaurus/Tyrannosaurus thing is probably the most likely there.

WOW! You hit it on the nail RaptorTheDoctor! There was a paper published about a 10 foot long abelisaurid from Madagascar. Good job! You are the first person to get a prediction correct this year! Again, good job! 

[Yutyrannus]

Here are my 2013 Predictions.

1. A fluffy Albertosaur will be found.
2. A completely furry Gorgonopsid will be found from South Africa.
3. Yutyrannus' true colors will be determined.
4. A complete skeleton of Balaur will be found.
5. A complete Utahraptor skeleton will be found.
6. A Deinonychus-sized raptor with feather impressions will be found in Liaoning.
7. A flightless azdarchid will be found.
8. A carnivorous pterosaur will be found.
9. A complete Spinosaurus will be found.
10. The true colors of Utahraptor will be found.

[tyrantqueen]

We'll find the complete remains of spinosaurus and it'll look like this



Wouldn't that be hilarious?

[amargasaurus cazaui]

We'll find the complete remains of spinosaurus and it'll look like this



Wouldn't that be hilarious?

My often stated opinion, they are more likely to find a complete skeleton of a Unicorn, than Spinosaurus, but if and when they do find such a thing, I have the feeling it will change the established view what Spinosaurus looked like.

[CityRaptor]

Well, they already the complete skeleton of Elasmotherium, so it is true!

So Spinosaurus as an Elephant Seal?  Honestly speaking, not exactly my favourite idea, but an aquatic Theropod ( more than Spinosauroids ) woud be nice. Maybe a Neoceratosaurid.

[darylj]

that is actually an amazing concept for spinosaurus...

[Splonkadumpocus]

I thought I'd review my predictions.

A new titanosaur will be described from Argentina, known from less than half a skeleton.

Not yet, which actually surprises me.

A new ceratopsian from North America will be discovered or (more likely) split off from a preexisting taxon.

Judiceratops. Although it's a new specimen, not split from an old one.

A new coelurosaur will be found in China, known from a complete skeleton with feather impressions. It will be relatively small.

Aurornis.

There will be a conflict over privately-held dinosaur remains.

Nothing yet.

Two taxa, at least one of which is fairly popular, will be lumped together or split apart, resulting in arguments ranging from reasonable debate to insults and name-calling all over the Internet and the paleontological community.

Euoplocephalus was split, but there hasn't been much in the way of discussion. I'm surprised that it didn't get the attention Brachiosaurus/Giraffatitan, Pachycephalosaurus/Stygimoloch/Dracorex, and Triceratops/Torosaurus did.

[squee3]

Direct evidence of feathers will be found on Deinonychus.

[FUTABA]

1: The theories / debates regarding omnivorousness in Sauropods will escalate and catch the general public's attention. (Correct me if this has already happened please).

2: A recently discovered Chinese theropod will be uncovered as a fraud again. (a la Archaeoraptor)

3: A new species of Parasaurolophus will be discovered. (Wishful thinking)

4: Post K-T (K-Pg) Non-Avian Dinosaur remains will be discovered in the Antarctic.

5: The K-Pg boundary will be renamed the K-PgT-ip-S boundary.

[tyrantqueen]

1: The theories / debates regarding omnivorousness in Sauropods will escalate and catch the general public's attention. (Correct me if this has already happened please).

No. Just...no.

[Patrx]

1: The theories / debates regarding omnivorousness in Sauropods will escalate and catch the general public's attention. (Correct me if this has already happened please).

No. Just...no.

I'm with you, TQ; the word is "omnivory", rather than "omnivorousness" 

As for my predictions, I think it's quite possible that new feather remains will be discovered in North America and other Western fossil sites - like the recent Ornithomimus finds.

[Gwangi]

I think we're really close to settling the debate on whether or not feathers were basal for all theropods or that they at least existed on larger coelurosaurs like Tyrannosaurus. I'm of the opinion that it is pretty much settled already but until the evidence shows up...you know how it goes.

[FUTABA]

1: The theories / debates regarding omnivorousness in Sauropods will escalate and catch the general public's attention. (Correct me if this has already happened please).

No. Just...no.

I'm with you, TQ; the word is "omnivory", rather than "omnivorousness" 

Ah, I tried "Omnivorosity" but my spell check didn't like it, tried every other variation I could think of until "Omnivorousness" and even though it didn't sound like a real word my spell check didn't have a problem with it, and by that point I was too peeved to fight it so I gave in.

By the way, I'm not pro omnivorousnessivory in Sauropods as such, just predicting is all.

....And just looked up "Omnivorousness" and apparently it's legit
http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/omnivorousness

[Patrx]

So it is! It seems my correction was somewhat misplaced. Carry on, then 
I was, perhaps too subtly, implying that the notion of omnivorous sauropods doesn't strike me as unduly far-fetched.

I think we're really close to settling the debate on whether or not feathers were basal for all theropods or that they at least existed on larger coelurosaurs like Tyrannosaurus. I'm of the opinion that it is pretty much settled already but until the evidence shows up...you know how it goes.

I hope you're right! It'd be good to have some fossils to point to when that topic comes up.

[FUTABA]

So it is! It seems my correction was somewhat misplaced. Carry on, then 
I was, perhaps too subtly, implying that the notion of omnivorous sauropods doesn't strike me as unduly far-fetched.

Thought maybe that was the case.

I don't really know all that much about the particulars to be able to make a justified opinion at the mo though. It's interesting nonetheless.

[Gwangi]

It does not seem far fetched to me that sauropods or at least some of them were omnivores. I'm sure they probably injected some small animals unintentionally when they ate but I don't know if you would really call that omnivorous.  A lot of animals classified as herbivores alive today take in animal material on occasion.

[tyrantqueen]

(Don't want to start an argument- Mods please delete this post.)

[Dinoguy2]

It does not seem far fetched to me that sauropods or at least some of them were omnivores. I'm sure they probably injected some small animals unintentionally when they ate but I don't know if you would really call that omnivorous.  A lot of animals classified as herbivores alive today take in animal material on occasion.

I think it was Bob Bakker who suggested exactly this many years ago and even drew a picture of a sauropod accidentally eating a small... mammal? Lizard? Something like that.

Given that sauropods would have been pretty much indiscriminately wolfing down huge portions of plant matter all day, plant matter in which many small insects, mammals, lizards, etc. lived, it would be totally astounding if they somehow managed to NOT eat tons of small animals.

And, of course, there's no such thing as a pure herbivore. Nearly all plant-eating animals will occasionally eat meat to supplement their diet. There are reports of white-tailed deer actively hunting down and eating squirrels.

So yeah, sauroppods would have occasionally eaten meat, both by accident and on purpose. It would be bizarre if they didn't. But, as you say, this doesn't make them "omnivores". An omnivore is an animal that includes both meat and plants as major parts of their diet. An herbivore is an animal that only occasionally eats meat, and a carnivore is an animal that only occasionally eats plants.

This is why scientists get all up in arms when silly popular shows or books describe herbivorous animals with human-like terms such as "vegetarians." A vegetarian is a person who goes out of their way to never eat meat. Herbivores simply don't care, as long as most of their food is plants. In short, Lex should have been terrified in that one JP scene. There's no reason for the brachiosaur not to have bitten her arm off and eaten it along with the branch!