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Lecture by William R. Hammer - Dinosaurs on Ice: Jurassic Dinosaurs from Antarctica
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During the 1990-91 Antarctic field season, an NSF-funded researcher, William R. Hammer, discovered the remains of Cryolophosaurus ellioti, or "frozen crested reptile." Among the Antarctic dinosaur's telltale features were its large skull crest. Hammer's paper describing the extinct creature was published in the journal Science in 1994.
The significance of his find, he said, is that it proves that dinosaurs lived on all of the continents and that dinosaurs tolerated high-latitude climates. Cryolophosaurus is also of scientific significance because it is the first carnivorous dinosaur found in Antarctica and the first dinosaur described from fossil bones found on the southernmost continent.
Hammer holds the Fritiof Fryxell Endowed Chair of Geology at Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois. He was appointed director of the college's Fryxell Geology Museum in 1981.
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| Credit: NSF |
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