By Kristy McCaffrey
When you think of dinosaurs, Tyrannosaurus rex comes
to mind but there were many types of theropod that came before it. Coelophysis
was a small bipedal carnivore and was one of the earliest dinosaurs to walk the
earth. It was also an ancestor of T. rex.
 |
Coelophysis, a small dinosaur from the
Triassic Period (considered to be
the Dawn of the Dinosaurs) |
Dinosaurs lived during the Mesozoic Era (sometimes called “the
Age of Reptiles”), which spanned from 252 million years ago to 66 million years
ago. It was comprised of the Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous Periods. Early
dinosaurs (such as Coelophysis) emerged in the Triassic, but they were
quite small. Giants such as T. rex and enormous sauropods such as Brontosaurus
and Diplodocus lived during the late Jurassic and Cretaceous.
 |
A Coelophysis fossil at the
Museum of Northern Arizona |
In 1889, Edward Drinker Cope was the first to identify and
name Coelophysis. The first remains were found by David Baldwin, an
amateur fossil collector working for Cope, in 1881 in northwestern New Mexico.
These first finds were too poorly preserved to give a full picture of the
dinosaur, but in 1947 a massive graveyard of fossils was found in New Mexico
containing many well-preserved and fully articulated specimens.
 |
It is theorized that Coelophysis may have
run in packs, although no direct
evidence supports this |
There is wide consensus today that birds descended from theropods
such as Coelophysis. (T. rex has more in common with the
modern-day chicken than to a crocodile.) Both birds and theropods shared
wishbones, likely incubated their eggs, had hollow bones, and were covered in
feathers.
In my upcoming book, THE CANARY, Dr. Jack Brenner and Sarah
Ryan are on the hunt in the Arizona desert for Jack’s father, the esteemed
paleontologist Dr. Allan Brenner. And Allan is on the hunt for Coelophysis.
Coming July 25, 2023. Pre-order a copy today!!
Read an excerpt
Jack and Sarah have entered a marriage of convenience for
various reasons, one being her difficult relationship with one of her
professors, Dr. Everett Pierce. Isaac is a Comanche friend and paleontology
assistant of Jack’s father.
“And why are you here, Dr. Pierce?” Sarah asked, sitting up
straight and looking him in the eye. Either she was a very good actress, or her
animosity was real. Jack at least had to concede that it was likely the latter.
“I’ve been contracted to explore the area,” he said.
“By whom?” Isaac cut in.
“Roderick Melton.”
That Pierce was still tied to Melton shouldn’t have
surprised Jack, but it did, despite that it was no secret Pierce’s father
pulled strings wherever he could for his son. It had been a topic of gossip in
paleontological circles that the elder Pierce had been trying to establish
business relations with Roderick Melton. And then there’d been the business
with Betsy. Unbeknownst to Jack, he’d been in a romantic triangle with her and
Pierce, and while he blamed Pierce wholeheartedly for being an unethical ass,
Betsy had decisively left Jack despite that he’d protected her from possibly
going to jail, which probably wouldn’t have happened considering Roderick’s wealth.
But Pierce had never won Betsy’s hand—she had later married
someone else—and it had been the one bright spot in an otherwise painful period
of Jack’s life.
He kept his reaction to himself by raising his glass—the
whiskey this time and not the beer—and nursing a long drink.
Isaac folded his hands together on the table. “Selling out,
are you?”
“Don’t give me the holier than thou speech,” Pierce replied
with a smirk. “We’re all in it for the money. Private collectors have as much
right to house collections as museums.”
“At least we know now for certain,” Isaac said.
Pierce raised a brow. “What’s that?”
“You have zero ethics.”
Unethical ass echoed in Jack’s head.
“Ethics don’t pay the bills,” Everett said. “And what about
Allan Brenner? Who’s paying his bills?”
Jack and Isaac didn’t respond, so Sarah filled the empty
space. “Yale University,” she said. “And Helen Parks, I would assume.”
“Yes, of course,” Pierce said conversationally, leaning
forward. “And she’s the one who hired you, right Sarah?”
Jack didn’t like the proprietary tone in Pierce’s voice as
he said her first name.
“You know,” Pierce continued. “If you’d wanted a dig, you
could have come to me. I could’ve introduced you to Melton.”
“Like you did with Jane?” she countered.
Pierce’s eyes narrowed and he swallowed nervously, his
Adam’s apple bobbing noticeably. “Jane quit school, a reminder that women
really don’t have what it takes to be out here.”
“I’ve heard that could be said of some men, as well.” Sarah
offered a polite smile while sipping her drink.
Jack tried not to laugh, but his lips twitched anyway.
Pierce rose to his feet. “I look forward to seeing you in
class in the fall, Mrs. Brenner. I’m sure you’ll have much to share with
the other students after your summer here.” He adjusted his jacket. “Gentlemen.
I expect I’ll see you out there.”
“Not if I can help it,” Jack said plainly.
Pierce snatched the bottle of whiskey, clearly unwilling to
leave the remainder with them. “Allan Brenner thinks he’s some sort of god out
here. He’s not.
“I get it now,” Isaac said with a knowing nod. “You’re here
to outshine him. How exactly do you propose to do that?”
“He’s pinned so many of his theories on Coelophysis,”
Pierce said, “but he’s yet to find a full skeleton. And when I find one, I’ll
debunk every hypothesis he’s put forward.”
Learn more about Kristy's books at kristymccaffrey.com
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