Masiakasaurus knopfleri
(Grade school students check out the exhibit's "Dire Straits" dinosaur skeleton)
Masiakasaurus knopfleri is named after Mark Knofler, the lead singer of the band Dire Straits because it seemed that, when his music was played, more bones of Masiakasaurus were uncovered. This fossil, measuring about six feet in length, was a small predatory theropod dinosaur. With its compact body, long neck, and long arms, Masiakasaurus resembled the well-known dinosaurian carnivore Velociraptor, of Jurassic Park fame. Strangely, the skull of Masiakasaurus had teeth in the front of its jaws that project directly forward, an adaptation for stabbing prey.
