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A Monster with a History
Although Gobiderma is extinct, its relatives live on. The Gila (HEE-luh) Monster, for example, lives in deserts of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. The Gila Monster has a poisonous bite, but scientists don't think Gobiderma shared this toxic feature.
Pronunciation: go-bee-dur-ma
Locality Found: Mongolia
Age: Cretaceous; 80 million years go
Size: 3 inches (7.5 centimeters) long
Prepared For: Fighting Dinosaurs exhibition
Characteristics: Like the skulls of many modern reptiles, Gobidermas' skull was covered with bumpy armor consisting of tiny bones called osteoderms.
How many different kinds of lizard fossils have been found so far in the Gobi?
fewer than 50
more than 50
more than 100
Correct!
Many of these lizard fossils have been found at Ukhaa Tolgod, a dig site with beautifully preserved fossils from about 80 million years ago.
Based on fossil evidence, paleontologists know that Gobiderma had reddish skin with yellow stripes.
Fact
OR
Fiction
?
Fiction
A fossil's color has to do with the minerals in the rocks nearby, not the animal's actual color. Artists sometimes make guesses based on modern animals.
“
We put Gobiderma into a new section of the cladogram called Monstersauria, which includes Gila Monsters and other lizards.
„
Mark Norell
paleontologist