Difficult Question related to the Alphabetical Order of Dinosaur Genera

Sometimes, team members at Everything Dinosaur get asked really unusual and challenging questions by school children.  For instance, on one of our many visits to schools to teach science using dinosaurs as theme, we were asked this question by a young learner.

“If you were to list all the names of dinosaurs in alphabetical order what would be the name at the bottom of your list?”

An Alphabetical Dinosaur Puzzle

With the relative explosion of dinosaur names from discoveries made by Chinese scientists there are a number of genera that we are aware of that begin with the letter “Z”.  However, if we were to write down a list in alphabetical order, a substantial task in itself given the number of dinosaur genera known, we think that it would not be a Chinese dinosaur on the bottom.  That honour (we think), would go to Zupaysaurus a genus of theropod dinosaur known from skull material, partial vertebrae and some limb bones.

This dinosaur lived in what was to become Argentina towards the end of the Triassic.  It was named and described in 2003 and resembles in appearance a dinosaur such as Dilophosaurus.

An Illustration of the Skull of Zupaysaurus

Here’s looking at you! A stare from the ITOY Studio Dilophosaurus dinosaur model.  Zupaysaurus is thought to have looked very similar to Dilophosaurus.  Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

Everything Dinosaur

To view a model of a Dilophosaur (resembling Zupaysaurus) and other dinosaur toys, take a look at the extensive Wild Safari Prehistoric World range of prehistoric animal models: Safari Ltd. Wild Safari Prehistoric World.