Hello and welcome to my latest blog. Apologies for the
large time frame between this post and my last one but life has been pretty
hectic recently. During this time some amazing paleontological discoveries have
been made and it is these that make up the content of this publication. As
always I hope you enjoy it.
Platypus
dinosaur.
A close
relative to the infamous Tyrannosaurus Rex, has been found in Chile. Chilesaurus
diegosuarezi is named after its
country of origin and seven year old Diego Suárez who made the discovery at the
Toqui Formation in Aysén. These rocks were left at the end of the Jurassic
Period and are estimated to be 145 million years old.
Chilesaurus diegosuarezi is nicknamed the platypus
dinosaur as a result of its staggering range of characteristics from varying
dinosaur groups. Examples of this include two fingered hands attributes belonging
to dinosaurs such as T.rex however its feet more closely resemble early sauropods.
The pelvic girdle is similar to those of orithischian dinosaurs however the
species is actually classified as a saurischian dinosaur.
What makes
this find so special is despite this species being a theropod, a group of
dinosaurs predominantly made up of carnivores, Chilesaurus diegosuarezi was a herbivorous grazer. Previously the only known
herbivorous theropods were close relatives to birds. This find reveals
herbivorous theropods were present historically earlier than previously
thought.
Fernando E. Novas, Leonardo Salgado, Manuel Suárez, Federico L. Agnolín, Martín D. Ezcurra, Nicolás R. Chimento, Rita de la Cruz, Marcelo P. Isasi, Alexander O. Vargas, David Rubilar-Rogers. An enigmatic plant-eating theropod from the Late Jurassic period of Chile. Nature, 2015; DOI: 10.1038/nature14307
Sexual
dimorphism.
The topic of
sexual dimorphism in dinosaurs had previously caused much debate amongst
scientist. Previous claims have been dismissed because other explanations such
as the age of the individual being a factor could not be ruled out. Now for the
first time strong evidence has come to light in the case of sexual dimorphism in
dinosaurs. The study was conducted by Evan Saitta, who had previously worked
for numerous summers on a Stegosaurus “graveyard” in central Montana.
Some Stegosaurs
had tall plates while others had wide ones. The latter of which could be as
much as 45% larger overall. In the remains at the excavation site in Montana,
these were the only skeletal differences, if the remains were of different
species other differences for separate ecological niches would have been likely
to have been observed.
Further
support for the case of sexual dimorphism in Stegosaurs emerged after CT scans
and microscope analysis ruled out growth as an explanation. In both plates the bone
tissues were no longer growing, nor where the plates growing into each other. Saitta
theorises that with the greater investment in ornamentation usually found on
males, the wider plates were likely found on them. The taller plates may have been
used by females as an anti- predation strategy.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6a/Stegosaurus_Senckenberg.jpg/250px-Stegosaurus_Senckenberg.jpg
- Saitta ET (2015). Evidence for Sexual Dimorphism in the Plated Dinosaur Stegosaurus mjosi (Ornithischia, Stegosauria) from the Morrison Formation (Upper Jurassic) of Western USA. PLoS ONE, 2015 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.012350
Yorkshire cliffs reveal Britain's oldest sauropod.
Experts from the University of Manchester have identified Britain's
oldest sauropod after a vertebrae fell from a Yorkshire cliff face .The
dinosaur came from the Middle Jurassic Period and is estimated to be 176
million years old.
As a consequence of the find being a solitary bone at this
time, it is not possible to give the find a species name. Until more remains are
found, the specimen will be nicknamed “Alan after Alan Gurr who found the
vertebrae. Nether the less, this is still a very special find as Middle-
Jurassic rocks are sparsely found and predominantly in countries including
China and Argentina.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/06/150601141523.htm
New horned dinosaur discovered.
Scientists have discovered that remains found in a cliff
next to Alerta’s Oldman river some ten years previously, belong to a previously
undiscovered species of horned dinosaur. The dinosaur has been named
Regaliceratops peterhewsi after Peter
Hews who made the initial discovery and as a result of its unusual
ornamentation.
The find is as special as it is unique for a catalogue of
reasons. Horned dinosaurs had never previously been found in the previously
mentioned region of Alberta. This immediately indicated an important new find
said Dr. Caleb Brown of the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology. It was not
until further laboratory work had been completed did the team realise just how remarkable
their new find was.
The species shared many similarities to the infamous horned
dinosaur triceratops. Where they differed significantly however was the size of
its facial horns and a frill shaped shield situated at the back of the skull.
The nose horn is smaller and the horns over the eyes have been described as
almost comically small. The frill which Brown descried as looking “like a
crown” consisted of pentagonal plates which radiated outwards and a spike in
the centre.
Regaliceratops peterhewsi
also shows the first example of convergent evolution in horned dinosaurs.
The species belongs to the group of horned dinosaurs known as Chasmosaurines
which had a small horn over the nose along with much bigger horns over the
eyes, however was anatomically more similar to species found in the group known
as Centrosaurines. As these two groups existed in different time periods, this
indicates similar features evolved independently.
A New Horned Dinosaur Reveals Convergent Evolution in Cranial Ornamentation in Ceratopsidae. Current Biology, 2015 DOI:10.1016/j.cub.2015.04.041
Close relative of Velociraptor discovered.
Steven Jasinki from
the University of Pennsylvania made the discovery while working on a specimen thought to be Saurornitholestes langstoni,
a member of the theropod dinosaurs in the Dromaeosauridae family. The remains
had initially been discovered in 1999 by Robert Sullivan in the Bisti/De-Na-Zin
Wilderness Area of New Mexico.
Jasinski, using comparative analysis with
other specimens was able to discover some slight differences. Most eye catching
of which was the surface of the skulls correspondence with an abnormally large
olfactory bulb. This would indicate a strong sense of smell was an important
part of this predators armoury.
S. sullivani was of modest size, estimated to be
around six foot in length and less than three foot at the hip. Using studies on
similar species, it is deemed likely this species would also have been fast,
agile and may well have hunted in packs. Originating from the Late Cretaceous period,
this is the first example of a named Dromaeosaur being discovered from this
time frame in North America south of Montana.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/05/150511125312.htm
That is all for this occasion, I hope you
found these new discoveries as interesting as I did. Thank you for reading,
George.
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