A Prehistoric Scene Featuring the Mojo Fun Triceratops Model (2019)
Our congratulations to those clever people at Mojo Fun for coming up with some fascinating prehistoric scenes to help promote the Mojo Fun model range featuring prehistoric and recently extinct animals. The prehistoric scene (below), features a pair of adult Triceratops (the Mojo Fun 2019 Triceratops model), facing off against each other. Such intraspecific combats were probably commonplace amongst herds of ceratopsid dinosaurs.
The Mojo Fun Triceratops Scene – Two Horned Dinosaurs Confront Each Other
Mojo Fun Triceratops – a pair of evenly matched dinosaurs face off against each other whilst pterosaurs fly past.
Mojo Fun Triceratops
Such large animals would need a lot of vegetable matter each day and from the backdrop to the conflict it looks like there is not that much for these dinosaurs to eat, so the fight might have broken out over competition for limited resources, in this case food. It is always a pleasure to see how model manufacturers set about promoting their wares.
The New for 2019 Mojo Fun Triceratops Dinosaur Model
The Mojo Fun Triceratops dinosaur model (2019). A beautifully modelled and skilfully painted replica of Triceratops, part of the Mojo Fun prehistoric life model range.
The quartet of pterosaurs flying serenely over the pair of Triceratops are representatives of the Ornithocheiridae family of flying reptiles. The pterosaur is Tropeognathus, although the validity of this genus has been questioned by a number of academics.
The prehistoric scene, although carefully choreographed by Mojo Fun, is very unlikely to have actually occurred. The Ornithocheiridae do have an extensive temporal range but this covers the Lower Cretaceous and the very first stage of the Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian), a time range of some 140 to 93 million years ago. In contrast, the Triceratops genus is confined to the very end of the Cretaceous. It is likely that the very last of the ornithocheirid pterosaurs died out some at least 25 million years before Triceratops evolved.
Ferrisaurus sustutensis – Newest Member of the Leptoceratopsidae
This week has seen the announcement of a new species of horned dinosaur, a member of the Leptoceratopsidae and the first unique dinosaur species to be reported from the Canadian province of British Columbia. The little dinosaur (estimated to be about 1.75 metres long and to have weighed around 150 kilograms), has been named Ferrisaurus sustutensis and it hints of an intriguing prehistoric fauna that roamed the more northerly and western portions of Laramidia around 67 million years ago.
A Life Reconstruction of the Newly Described Leptoceratopsid Ferrisaurus sustutensis
Ferrisaurus sustutensis illustrated.
Picture credit: Raven Amos and courtesy of the Royal British Columbia Museum
First an Indeterminate Neornithischian
In 1971, construction workers building the now abandoned British Columbia Rail line close to the confluence of Birdflat Creek and the Sustut River in the Sustut Basin, discovered fragmentary bones in loose rubble. At first the bones were thought to represent an indeterminate neornithischian dinosaur, but in this study undertaken by Dr Victoria Arbour (Royal BC Museum) and Dr David Evans (Royal Ontario Museum/University of Toronto), they have been assigned to the Leptoceratopsidae.
Leptoceratopsids were a family of hornless, parrot-beaked herbivores related to the Ceratopsidae, dinosaurs such as Triceratops and Styracosaurus. These dinosaurs were restricted to the Late Cretaceous of the Northern Hemisphere, but there is some disputed fossil evidence to suggest a presence in Australia and in Europe too.
Dr Arbour Examining the Fossilised Remains of Ferrisaurus sustutensis
Dr Victoria Arbour examines the fossilised remains of Ferrisaurus sustutensis.
Picture credit: Brandy Yanchyk and courtesy of the Royal British Columbia Museum
Ferrisaurus sustutensis
Fossil remains include elements from the shoulder girdle, a complete left radius, a partial ulna along with hind limb bones, ankle bones and articulated toes from the right foot. An as yet, unprepared block may also contain metatarsals from the left foot. The researchers used the ulna (bone from the forearm) and compared it with other leptoceratopsids such as Leptoceratops (L. gracilis), Cerasinops (C. hodgskissi) and Montanaceratops (M. cerorhynchus).
They also examined the proportions of the toes and concluded, based on this assessment, that the fossilised remains represented a new genus, one that is phylogenetically firmly nested in the Leptoceratopsidae and probably quite closely related to Gryphoceratops morrisoni, which is known from the Dinosaur Provincial Park of southern Alberta.
Ferrisaurus sustutensis – What’s in a Name?
Ferrisaurus sustutensis (pronounced Fair-uh-sore-us suss-tut-en-sis), is the first unique dinosaur species reported from British Columbia and represents a western range extension for Laramidian leptoceratopsids. The name translates as “the iron lizard from the Sustut River”, a reference to the location of the fossil discovery. When the fossil material was being prepared and studied the specimen was affectionately known as “Buster”.
Scientists are confident that more vertebrate fossil material will be found in the Upper Cretaceous rocks of the Sustut Basin, but there are problems with accessing and exploring this area. As much of British Columbia is mountainous and forested, finding exposures of sedimentary rock to explore is challenging. In 2017, Dr Arbour led a field team to the site and found fossilised plants and a fragment of a Cretaceous turtle (Basilemys).
Leptoceratopsid fossil material is quite rare and when these types of dinosaurs are found, they usually only represent a very small part of the dinosaur biota. It is more usual for Upper Cretaceous, dinosaur fossil bearing strata to be dominated by duck-billed dinosaurs, horned dinosaurs or even tyrannosaurids.
Scientists have documented a preservational bias against small-bodied dinosaurs such as Ferrisaurus. The first dinosaur to be described from the Sustut Basin might represent a fauna that was relatively unique to that part of Laramidia, or to find a leptoceratopsid dinosaur first, could simply be down to serendipity.
A Diagram Showing the Known Preserved Remains of Ferrisaurus sustutensis
Preserved elements of Ferrisaurus sustutensis (bones shaded grey represent missing parts of incomplete bones)
Picture credit: PeerJ/Royal British Columbia Museum
The scientific paper: “A new leptoceratopsid dinosaur from Maastrichtian-aged deposits of the Sustut Basin, northern British Columbia, Canada” by Victoria M. Arbour and David C. Evans published in the journal PeerJ.
Gnathovorax cabreirai – Triassic Terror Sheds Light on the Origins of Predatory Dinosaurs
A number of revisions to the Dinosauria have occurred in recent years. Perhaps most famously, by the 2017 scientific paper published by Baron, Norman and Barrett, that redefined the dinosaurs along the lines of a model proposed by Henry Govier Seeley back in the late 1880s*. In this study, the enigmatic and quite poorly known herrerasaurids (Herrerasauridae), with their confusing array of dinosaur and non-dinosaur anatomical traits, were not classified as theropods, instead they are placed on the branch of the family tree associated with the Sauropodomorpha.
This paper, therefore, suggested that meat-eating actually evolved twice, once in the herrerasaurids and then again in the Theropoda.
A Taxonomic Debate
This scientific paper has certainly opened up the taxonomic debate, however, the discovery of a remarkably-well preserved skeleton of a herrerasaurid from southern Brazil has helped scientists to get a much better idea of the Herrerasauridae and this, in turn, has provided a new insight into how these reptiles fit into the wider Dinosauria picture.
Location Map and Geological Setting Plus Skeletal Drawing of the Newly Described Herrerasaurid Gnathovorax cabreirai
Location map of fossil find (A), along with geological setting and key to the bones of other vertebrates found in situ (B). Skeletal reconstruction of Gnathovorax (C), the white bones in the skeletal drawing represent known fossil material.
Picture credit: PeerJ
Hardly Known Herrerasauridae
Fragmentary fossils associated with possible members of the Herrerasauridae have been found in North America and Europe, but the three species of herrerasaurids that most palaeontologists agree upon (Herrerasaurus, Staurikosaurus and Sanjuansaurus) all herald from the Late Triassic of South America. Trouble is, as a dinosaur family there is not a lot of fossil material to study. Writing in the academic journal PeerJ, a team of scientists have published a paper on a new and exquisitely-preserved herrerasaurid that has been named Gnathovorax cabreirai.
Preserved in mudstone, this dinosaur roamed southern Brazil some 233 million years ago (Carnian faunal stage of the Triassic), it was found in an almost articulated state, just some bones from the limbs were missing. It lay alongside rhynchosaur and cynodont fossil remains, animals that this 3-metre-long dinosaur probably hunted.
Gnathovorax cabreirai
The new specimen sheds light into poorly understood aspects of the herrerasaurid anatomy, even permitting the researchers, which included scientists from the Universidade Federal de Santa Maria in Santa Maria, (Brazil), to piece together the animal’s brain, inner ear and cranial nerves.
Photographs of the Skull of Gnathovorax cabreirai and Interpretative Line Drawings
Photographs and a line drawing of the skull of Gnathovorax.
Picture credit: PeerJ
Finding a Place for the Herrerasauridae on the Dinosaur Family Tree
The researchers conclude that Gnathovorax provides enough evidence about the suite of anatomical traits associated with the Herrerasauridae to enable them to be placed with more confidence on the lizard-hipped part of the dinosaur family tree. Thanks to Gnathovorax, the best-preserved herrerasaurid found to date, palaeontologists can state with more certainty that these early predatory animals were indeed members of the Dinosauria, part of the Saurischia along with the sauropodomorphs and the theropods. Importantly, the fossil material is not distorted very much, which has permitted the team to conduct a phylogenetic analysis with a great deal of confidence as to the outcome.
Strangely, Gnathovorax cabreirai is nested more closely to the Argentinean taxa of Herrerasaurus ischigualastensis and Sanjuansaurus gordilloi than it is to the only other herrerasaurid known from Brazil (Staurikosaurus pricei). It reinforces the idea that herrerasaurids were monophyletic, that is, that all the dinosaurs classified in this family shared a common ancestor. Therefore, the Herrerasauridae are proposed to be part of the saurischian Order of dinosaurs, along with theropods and sauropodomorphs, but importantly, distinct from both groups.
This new paper supports the idea that meat-eating evolved twice in the Dinosauria (herrerasaurids and theropods), just like the Baron, Norman and Barrett 2017 paper proposed, but it differs from this earlier publication in that it concludes that the Herrerasauridae were indeed true dinosaurs.
Gnathovorax cabreirai – What’s in a Name?
The fossil material comes from the Santa Maria Formation (Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil) and is dated to circa 233.23 +/- 0.73 million years. The genus name is from the Greek and is translated as “jaw that is inclined to devour”, a reference to the recurved teeth and the bodyplan of Gnathovorax that resembles a theropod dinosaur. The species name honours Dr Sérgio Furtado Cabreira, the palaeontologist that found the specimen described in the scientific paper.
The scientific paper: “Gnathovorax cabreirai: a new early dinosaur and the origin and initial radiation of predatory dinosaurs” by Cristian Pacheco, Rodrigo T. Müller, Max Langer, Flávio A. Pretto, Leonardo Kerber and Sérgio Dias da Silva published in PeerJ.
Everything Dinosaur team members get the chance to view all sorts of different examples of prehistoric artwork and illustrations. We are grateful for Caldey for sending into us her illustration of the Late Jurassic theropod Allosaurus, a dinosaur that is sometimes referred to as the “lion of the Jurassic”.
An Allosaurus Drawing
An Illustration of the Head and Neck of Allosaurus (A. fragilis)
An illustration of the fearsome Jurassic carnivorous dinosaur – Allosaurus.
Picture credit: Caldey
The Theropod Allosaurus
Like many aspiring palaeoartists, young Caldey has been experimenting by using different techniques to create the impression of the texture of reptilian skin. In her illustration of Allosaurus, she has used a different method to produce the scales of this large, meat-eating dinosaur. Coloured dots have been used to create the illusion of rough scales and we think the end result is most impressive.
The flash of red is very distinctive over the eyes. Allosaurus had a pair of small horns just above each eye-socket. These horns were actually extensions of the lacrimal bones that are located just in front of the eyes and help to form the orbit. These bones, in turn, were probably covered in keratin and they could have been quite colourful, perhaps having a role in visual displays.
This specimen has scars located on both the upper and lower jaw. These injuries could have occurred when tackling prey or perhaps during intraspecific combat, for example, face-biting behaviour has been postulated for a number of theropods.
Selecting the Colouration
Caldey has also used her own colour palette based on their environment and her research as to which habitats could have been home to this Late Jurassic predator (possible forest and plain areas). She has also mentioned that it would be great if a manufacturer would make an Allosaurus model in this colour scheme.
Our thanks again to Caldey for sending her drawing into us.
Time to reveal the second part of our blog series that highlights the new for 2020 prehistoric animal models that are due to be released by CollectA. Today, we announce the addition of two new 1:40 scale prehistoric animal replicas, representing dinosaurs that have only recently been scientifically described.
The two CollectA models are:
CollectA Deluxe Saltriovenator in 1:40 scale (S. zanellai) – a large, predatory dinosaur from the Early Jurassic of northern Italy.
CollectA Bajadasaurus in 1:40 scale (B. pronuspinax) – a member of the Dicraeosauridae family of Sauropods, known from the Early Cretaceous of Argentina.
The New for 2020 CollectA Deluxe Saltriovenator Dinosaur Model (1:40 Scale)
CollectA Deluxe Saltriovenator dinosaur model.
Picture credit: CollectA
CollectA Saltriovenator 1:40 Scale Dinosaur Model
Known from fragmentary fossils found at the Salnova marble quarry in the municipality of Saltrio from which the dinosaur is named, Saltriovenator is the largest known predatory dinosaur to have been described from fossil material associated with the Sinemurian faunal stage of the Early Jurassic.
The quarry workers used explosives to blast the rocks, which resulted in the fossilised bones being blown into hundreds of fragments. Careful, painstaking preparation by scientists from the Natural History Museum of Milan and the Geological Museum of Bologna enabled this dinosaur to be “pieced” together. This new replica for 2020 is sure to make an explosive impact!
Model designer Anthony Beeson explained that Saltriovenator is an ancestor of Ceratosaurus, so this new for 2020 addition will work well with the CollectA Ceratosaurus introduced in 2018. It is only the third dinosaur known from Italy and the second carnivore.
The single specimen known to science is believed to represent a sub-adult, so the full size of this Early Jurassic monster is unclear, although it could have been around 8 metres long when fully grown and weighed as much as a tonne. Intriguingly, in line with a recently published theory, this carnivore has been given lips.
The New for 2020 CollectA Bajadasaurus (1:40 Scale)
The CollectA Bajadasaurus a 1:40 scale dinosaur model.
Picture credit: CollectA
CollectA Bajadasaurus 1:40 Scale Dinosaur Model
The second new for 2020 prehistoric animal from CollectA to be announced this week is the spectacular Bajadasaurus (B. pronuspinax). A spectacular dicraeosaurid from Patagonia, closely related to Amargasaurus, a model of which, is already present in the CollectA range. This plant-eating giant was described even more recently than Saltriovenator (published in Scientific Reports in February 2019). Like Saltriovenator it is known from fragmentary remains, but skull material has been recovered and a single neck bone (the fifth cervical vertebra), sports an elongated and curved neural spine.
Commenting Upon the New CollectA Models
Designer Anthony Beeson commented that it was this spine that gave the dinosaur its name “Bajada reptile bent over forwards”. The relatively short neck was probably crowned with a double row of tall curved spines that may have helped this herbivore defend itself from theropod dinosaurs. The ornamentation on the neck could have also played a role in thermoregulation or perhaps even visual display.
At around nine to ten metres in length, Bajadasaurus was quite sizeable and Anthony explained that he had based this model on the better known Amargasaurus. It certainly makes an amazing addition to the CollectA 1:40 scale model range and just like Saltriovenator, this dinosaur model has been given lips.
Tale of the Tape
CollectA Deluxe Saltriovenator 1:40 Scale Model – length 27.5 cm, with a head height of around 14 cm. Expected mid 2020.
CollectA Bajadasaurus (1:40 scale) – length 35 cm with those amazing neural spines standing around 10 cm high. Expected early 2020.
To view the current range of CollectA models available from Everything Dinosaur: CollectA Prehistoric Life.
To view the Deluxe range of CollectA figures available: CollectA Deluxe.
We look forward to posting up more information and images of other new for 2020 prehistoric animal models from CollectA next week.
Danuvius guggenmosi – Adapted for Walking and Climbing
A previously unknown primate that lived in the forests of southern Germany around 12 million years ago was capable of walking upright, just like us. Palaeontologists have debated how the development of bipedalism amongst the great apes occurred and for that matter, where in the world did the first apes capable of upright walking evolve. A remarkable fossil found in Bavaria suggests that upright posture may have originated in a common ancestor of humans and great apes that lived in Europe and not in Africa as previously supposed.
A Life Reconstruction of the Newly Described Miocene Ape Danuvius guggenmosi
Danuvius life reconstruction.
Picture credit: Velizar Simeonovski / University of Tübingen
A Fossil Ape
Writing in the publication “Nature”, an international research team led by Professor Madelaine Böhme from the Senckenberg Centre for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironment (University of Tübingen), report on the discovery of a previously unknown type of primate that once roamed the forests of Bavaria. This ape named Danuvius guggenmosi, which lived 11.62 million years ago, shows anatomical adaptations suited to both walking upright as well as using all four limbs for climbing.
The ability to walk bipedally with a plantigrade foot is considered a key evolutionary stage on the road that would eventually lead to the evolution of hominins including our own species H. sapiens.
The Twenty-one Fossils that Comprise the Male Danuvius Specimen
The 21 bones of the most complete partial skeleton of a male Danuvius (D. guggenmosi).
Picture credit: Christoph Jäckle / University of Tübingen
A Fossil That Resets the Evolutionary Clock
The scientists conclude that Danuvius were able to walk on two legs nearly twelve million years ago. This is around six million years earlier than previously thought. Up until this discovery the oldest evidence of potential bipedalism had been reported from Late Miocene of Africa and remarkably, from the island of Crete in the Mediterranean. Close to the village of Trachilos in western Crete, scientists uncovered a series of footprints, the preserved tracks of an upright walking ape-like animal. These trace fossils are believed to be around 5.7 million years old. To read about these strange fossil tracks: Has Human Evolution Tripped Us Up?
The German fossil material represent a significant step (no pun intended), in terms of human evolution. Lead author Professor Böhme explained:
“The finds in southern Germany are a milestone in palaeoanthropology, because they raise fundamental questions about our previous understanding of the evolution of the great apes and humans.”
Piecing Together the Skeleton of Danuvius (White Elements Represent Plaster Reconstructions of Bones)
Reconstructing the skeleton of Danuvius.
Picture credit: Christoph Jäckle / University of Tübingen
Lead Author of the Scientific Paper Professor Madelaine Böhme
Professor Madelaine Böhme examining the fossil material.
Picture credit: Christoph Jäckle / University of Tübingen
How Did Hominins Come to Walk on Two Legs?
In the “Origin of Species” written by Charles Darwin and first published in 1859, one of the great controversies that arose from this book was the implications regarding our own evolution. Darwin, perhaps all too aware of the seismic nature of his theory, did not dwell on this aspect of natural selection in his ground-breaking volume.
Towards the end of the book, in the concluding remarks section, he merely stated “light will be thrown on the origin of man and his history”. Most of us now believe that we are descended from apes, however, one of the key distinguishing features between ourselves and the Great Apes, now bracketed in the same taxonomic family – the Hominidae, is that we walk on our hind legs and are truly bipedal, but how did this come about?
Did our bipedalism evolve from forest-dwelling monkey-like apes which clambered around on all fours? Did bipedalism first arise in brachiating apes such as gibbons and orangutans who mostly use their arms to climb, or did it arise first in knuckle-walking apes such as bonobos, chimpanzees and gorillas?
Reconstructing Cranial Elements of Danuvius guggenmosi
A reconstruction of part of the skull and the jaws of Danuvius (white plaster indicates reconstructed elements).
Picture credit: Christoph Jäckle / University of Tübingen
Mapping an Ancient Vertebrate Fauna Preserved in a Bavarian Clay Pit
The Danuvius guggenmosi fossils were discovered between 2015 and 2018. Working in the Hammerschmiede clay pit in the Allgäu region of Bavaria, Böhme and her team excavated more than 15,000 fossil vertebrate bones from the ancient humid and forested ecosystems that were abundant in southern Germany at that time. The new primate fossils include the remains of at least four individuals. The most complete skeleton, of a male Danuvius, has body proportions similar to modern-day bonobos. Thanks to completely preserved limb bones, vertebrae, finger and toe bones, the researchers were able to reconstruct the way Danuvius moved about in its environment.
Professor Böhme stated:
“For the first time, we were able to investigate several functionally important joints, including the elbow, hip, knee and ankle, in a single fossil skeleton of this age. It was astonishing for us to realise how similar certain bones are to humans, as opposed to great apes.”
The scientists conclude that Danuvius was capable of walking on two legs but could also climb like an ape. The spine, for example, had an S-shaped curve similar to our own spine, it held the body upright when standing on two legs. The ape’s build, posture, and the ways in which it moved are unique among known primates.
Danuvius guggenmosi
Co-author of the paper, Professor David Begun (University of Toronto), commented:
“Danuvius combines the hindlimb-dominated bipedality of humans with the forelimb-dominated climbing typical of living apes.”
The male Danuvius stood about a metre in height and weighed approximately 31 kilograms. Females were smaller, reflecting the sexual dimorphism found in the extant members of the Hominidae today. The research team estimate that females weighed around 18 kg, less than any great ape alive today. The ribcage of these apes was broad and flat. The lower back was elongated; this helped to position the centre of gravity over extended hips, knees and flat feet, as in bipeds. Several key-features of human bipedality have been found on bones from the leg.
The Hand Bones of the Male Danuvius in their Storage Boxes
Bones from the hand of the male Danuvius (manus).
Picture credit: Christoph Jäckle / University of Tübingen
Despite these human-like anatomical adaptations, Danuvius would have been very much at home in the trees, fellow researcher, Professor Nikolai Spassov of the Bulgarian Academy of Science highlighted that:
“In contrast to later hominins, Danuvius had a powerful, opposable big toe, which enabled it to grasp large and small branches securely”.
Danuvius guggenmosi and the Hip Bone from Hungary
This new study supports a previously published paper that analysed a fossilised ape hip bone that was around ten million years of age, that had been found in Hungary. The Hungarian and the German fossil material indicate that the European ancestors of African apes and humans differed from extant gorillas and chimpanzees.
The researchers point out that the ancestors we share with living African apes were as unique as we are today. These fossils may help palaeoanthropologists to map out where in deep time the African apes and human ancestors diverged, these remarkable fossils from southern Germany are certainly a step in the right direction.
The scientific paper: “A new Miocene ape and locomotion in the ancestor of great apes and humans” by Madelaine Böhme, Nikolai Spassov, Jochen Fuss, Adrian Tröscher, Andrew S. Deane, Jérôme Prieto, Uwe Kirscher, Thomas Lechner and David R. Begun published in the journal Nature.
Everything Dinosaur acknowledges the assistance of a press release from the University of Tübingen in the compilation of this article.
Those talented people at Rebor are introducing not one, but three amazing Stegosaurus dinosaur models in 1:35 scale in time for Christmas. The new Rebor Stegosaurus models will be available from Everything Dinosaur in three colour variants – namely “Plain”, “Mountain” and “Woodland” and team members are expecting this stock to arrive at the company’s warehouse in about 7-8 weeks, although they could be in stock slightly sooner.
Rebor Stegosaurus Dinosaur Models
The Rebor Stegosaurus Dinosaur Model “Garden” – Mountain Colour Variant
Rebor Garden Stegosaurus armatus 1:35 scale dinosaur model (Mountain).
Each model measures around 28 cm long with a height of 14 cm. The Rebor Stegosaurus figures have flexible necks and tails and each display base is approximately 11.5 cm long and 8 cm wide.
The Rebor Stegosaurus Dinosaur Model “Garden” – Plain Colour Variant
Rebor Garden Stegosaurus armatus 1:35 scale dinosaur model (Plain).
The Rebor Stegosaurus Dinosaur Model “Garden” – Woodland Colour Variant
Rebor Garden Stegosaurus armatus 1:35 scale dinosaur model (Woodland).
1:35 Scale Dinosaur Models
Each beautifully crafted replica is depicted in 1:35 scale and are designed to accompany the Rebor Ceratosaurus (C. dentisulcatus), a fellow resident of the famous Upper Jurassic Morrison Formation of the western United States. Dinosaur fans can choose from three colour schemes for their armoured dinosaur – “plain”, “woodland” and “mountain”, a motif introduced when the 2018 Ankylosaurus models were launched by Rebor.
The Rebor Ceratosaurus Dinosaur Model (1:35 Scale)
The Rebor 1:35 scale Ceratosaurus dentisulcatus replica. This figure is on display at the Everything Dinosaur office.Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.
Stegosaurus is one of the most instantly recognisable of all the dinosaurs. However, compared to other iconic prehistoric animals such as Triceratops and Tyrannosaurus rex only recently have palaeontologists begun to learn more about the physiology and anatomy of this genus.
Stegosaurus was one of those taxa caught up in the “Bone Wars” between Othniel Charles Marsh and Edward Drinker Cope, as such, new species were erected, often, on only the flimsiest and scrappiest of fossil evidence. Take for example, Stegosaurus affinis which was named by Marsh in 1881, just four years after the first Stegosaurus (S. armatus) was named and described. This species was erected based on the description of a single bone from the hips, as such Stegosaurus affinis, like many Stegosaur species has been revised over the years and this particular armoured dinosaur is now regarded as “nomen dubium” – of dubious taxonomic affinity.
Challenging the Validity of the Genus
Even the validity of Stegosaurus armatus has been questioned. It was originally appointed the type species for the entire genus and despite around thirty Morrison Formation specimens being ascribed to it, S. armatus has been replaced as the type species by Stegosaurus stenops in 2013. It might be surprising, given the iconic nature of this dinosaur, but palaeontologists remain uncertain as to the composition of the Stegosauridae family and the exact taxonomic relationships within such instantly recognisable genera such as Stegosaurus.
Despite its status and popularity, Stegosaurus was not even the first armoured dinosaur to be described, that honour goes to the equally confusing and little known Hylaeosaurus (H. armatus), which shares the same trivial name as S. armatus. Hylaeosaurus heralds from the Grinstead Clay Formation (Wealden Group). A life-size model of Hylaeosaurus (the first large, armoured dinosaur model to be commissioned, can be found at the Crystal Palace Park, how fitting therefore, that the London-based Rebor should add models of Stegosaurs to its exciting range of prehistoric animal replicas.
Each Colour Variant Has its Own Display Base – “Mountain”, “Plain” or “Woodland”
Rebor “Garden” Stegosaurus dinosaur model – three display bases. Three Stegosaur models and three beautifully crafted Stegosaur bases – which one will you choose? Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.
Fossil Footprints Reflect Diverse Dinosaurs in South-western Alaska
Dinosaur fossils and their footprints have been found in Cretaceous-aged rocks in the American state of Alaska before. Everything Dinosaur has produced a number of articles featuring fossil discoveries, many of which come from the Denali National Park area of the central part of the state. However, a new paper published in the journal PLOS One, provides an insight into the dinosaurs that roamed the south-western corner of the “Last Frontier” state.
The Late Cretaceous of the area of Alaska now known as the Aniakchak National Monument was dominated by duck-billed dinosaurs, but ankylosaurs, theropods and birds also lived in that part of the world.
A Digital Reconstruction of the Aniakchak National Monument in the Late Cretaceous
Numerous hadrosaur tracks have been found – both adults and juveniles.
Picture credit: Karen Carr/PLOS One
The Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) Chignik Formation
The trackways, individual prints and other fossils, such as cycad leaves that indicate that around 70 million years ago, this part of Alaska was much warmer than it is today, provide palaeontologists with an insight into a high latitude, dinosaur dominated ecosystem. These fossils may also provide some further evidence to help palaeontologists understand how dinosaurs migrated from Asia into the Americas. Seventy-five new dinosaur footprints and trackways have been documented, more than ninety percent of which represent hadrosaurs.
Representative Hadrosaur Tracks
Photographs of hadrosaur trackways including an overlapping track (A) with line drawing (B) and a photogrammatic contour map of a footprint (F).
Picture credit: PLOS One
Fossil Footprints
Co-author of the study, Dr Yoshitsugu Kobayashi (Hokkaido University Museum, Japan), stated:
“This study provides us a better understanding of the high-latitude dinosaur ecosystems of Alaska. Such an understanding will help us address important questions such as did the dinosaurs survive the winters there and, if so, how did they survive?”
A Map Highlighting the Position of the Fossil Discoveries
A, Alaska. Red star is location of Aniakchak National Park and Preserve. Blue circles show location of dinosaur bonebeds on North Slope. B, Drawing of Aniakchak National Park and Preserve. The outcrop pattern for the Chignik Formation is shown in light green. Red rectangle outlines this study area. C, Close-up diagram of study area showing Chignik Formation exposures in light green, restricted to shoreline.
Picture credit: PLOS One
Ankylosaurs Present Too
Two tracks have been identified as having been made by armoured dinosaurs (ichnotaxon Tetrapodosaurus), both these tracks were found in fallen blocks and the largest of the footprints measures around 35 centimetres wide. The impression of five digits in each of the tracks indicate that these prints represent tracks made by the forelimbs, not the four-toed back legs of armoured dinosaurs.
A Potential Ankylosaur Track – Aniakchak National Monument
Picture Credit: PLOS One with additional annotation by Everything Dinosaur
Avian and Non-avian Theropods
The research team also identified a number of different sized tridactyl (three-toed), prints. Two different types of bird track were identified in the study, along with a much larger single print that the scientists estimate was made by a theropod dinosaur around five to six metres in length. The fossil print has been assigned to the ichnogenus Grallator. The track suggests a large, predatory dinosaur and the team comment that the footprint is roughly around the track size that would have been made by the pygmy tyrannosaurid Nanuqusaurus hoglandi, which was named and described in 2014, from material found in the far north of Alaska (Prince Creek Formation).
A Large Three-toed Theropod Dinosaur Print (Aniakchak National Monument)
Large tridactyl track attributed to the ichnogenus Grallator from the Aniakchak National Monument location.
Picture credit: PLOS One
The scientific paper: “Dinosaur ichnology and sedimentology of the Chignik Formation (Upper Cretaceous), Aniakchak National Monument, south-western Alaska; Further insights on habitat preferences of high-latitude hadrosaurs)” by Anthony R. Fiorillo, Yoshitsugu Kobayashi, Paul J. McCarthy, Tomonori Tanaka, Ronald S. Tykoski, Yuong-Nam Lee, Ryuji Takasaki and Junki Yoshida published in the journal PLOS One.
Everything Dinosaur acknowledges the assistance of a press release from the Perot Museum of Nature and Science in the compilation of this article.
A pair of Polish palaeontologists have published a scientific paper describing the discovery of a large, Late Jurassic pliosaur from a site located in a cornfield in the north-eastern part of the Holy Cross Mountains close to the village of Krzyżanowice in southern Poland. This is the first pliosaur to have been found in Poland.
The First Pliosaur Discovered in Poland
Scientists are puzzled with regards to the vertebrate fauna identified at the site, the pliosaur fossils are very similar to pliosaur remains associated with the Late Jurassic Boreal/Sub-Boreal localities of the Kimmeridge Clay in England and the Svalbard Archipelago in the Arctic. However, the fossils of turtles and marine crocodiles found at this location have more in common with the fauna associated with ecosystems found much further to the south.
Teeth and a Partially Preserved Jaw of the Polish Pliosaur
A photograph show a partial preserved jaw of the Polish pliosaur and fossil teeth.
Picture credit: Polish Academy of Sciences
Fearsome Pliosaurs
The Pliosauridae are a family of marine reptiles within the clade Plesiosauria. They are often referred to as the “short-necked plesiosaurs”, as unlike plesiosaurs, these reptiles evolved massive skulls on short, powerful necks. Pliosaurs were geographically widespread throughout the Jurassic and Cretaceous with fossil discoveries having been made in Europe, including the UK, Australia, and the Americas. It is believed they originated in the Early Jurassic and survived into the Late Cretaceous.
A Typical Pliosaur – Pliosaurus
The CollectA Deluxe 1:40 scale Pliosaurus marine reptile model.
The picture (above) shows a CollectA Deluxe 1:40 scale pliosaur figure.
The fossilised remains, although fragmentary, suggest an animal around ten metres in length. The presence of such a large, apex predator indicates that the ecosystem was particularly rich and diverse. The pliosaur has yet to be scientifically described but it is very likely a new genus. It swam in the warm, tropical sea in the central portion of the European archipelago, as during the Late Jurassic, sea levels were much higher and western Europe consisted of a series of large islands surrounded by a shallow sea.
Examining the Fossilised Bones and Teeth
Palaeontologist Dr Daniel Tyborowski (from the Museum of the Earth of the Polish Academy of Sciences) in Warsaw and co-author of the scientific paper examines the fossil remains.
Picture credit: Polish Academy of Sciences
Identifying a Late Jurassic Faunal Boundary
The unusual mix of vertebrate fossils, some similar to animals that lived further north, whilst others resemble marine animals that lived in more southerly palaeolatitudes, has led the researchers to suggest that the fossils preserved in this part of Poland represent an ancient faunal boundary. A faunal boundary is an area of demarcation between two ecosystems that are similar but contain different members.
The unique composition of the Krzyżanowice-site vertebrate fauna demonstrates that, during the Late Jurassic this new locality was located in the transitional palaeobiogeographic line referred to in the scientific paper as the “Matyja-Wierzbowski Line”. The fossils represent the boundary between two ecosystems, an area where some faunal mixing between the two ecosystems occurred.
Identifying the “Matyja-Wierzbowski Line” in the Upper Jurassic Marine Deposits of Europe
Identifying the “Matyja-Wierzbowski Line”. The black line plots the boundary between the two marine ecosystems.
Picture credit: Polish Academy of Sciences with additional annotation by Everything Dinosaur
For a more in-depth explanation of faunal boundary, please refer to this article that discusses “The Wallace Line”, a faunal boundary in south-east Asia proposed by the English biologist Alfred Russel Wallace: New Species of Rat Discovered in Sulawesi.
The scientific paper: “New marine reptile fossils from the Late Jurassic of Poland with implications for vertebrate faunas palaeobiogeography” by Daniel Tyborowski and Błażej Błażejowski published in the Proceedings of the Geologist’s Association.
Fossil Bones Unearthed in Victoria Resemble Australovenator
Scientists have announced the discovery of several isolated theropod dinosaur bones, including a vicious 20 centimetre long hand claw discovered on the Otway Coast of Victoria (Australia). The fossil material is reminiscent of Australovenator wintonensis, a megaraptorid dinosaur known from the Winton Formation of Queensland. The finding of these new meat-eating dinosaur fossils in Victoria suggests that the Megaraptoridae were both geographically and temporally widespread in Australia.
The Fossilised Hand Claw of a Megaraptorid Dinosaur
Ungual phalanx ascribed to a megaraptorid dinosaur from Victoria (Australia).
Picture credit: Stephen Poropat (Museums Victoria)
Fossils from the Eumeralla Formation
Writing in the academic “Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology”, the researchers, which included scientists from Museum Victoria, the Australian Age of Dinosaurs Natural History Museum and Swinburne University (Victoria), report the discovery of two teeth, two manual unguals, and a right astragalus that are almost identical to the corresponding elements in Australovenator.
The fossils come from the Eric the Red West (ETRW), site on Cape Otway, some fifty miles to the west of Port Phillip Bay. The strata at this location is part of the Eumeralla Formation and dates from the lower Albian of the Early Cretaceous. This suggests that the dinosaur that possessed that formidable hand claw roamed southern Australia around 107 million years ago.
In contrast, Australovenator wintonensis is known from the Winton Formation of Queensland (Cenomanian–lowermost Turonian faunal stages of the Cretaceous), as such, Australovenator roamed more than a thousand miles further north and lived at least ten million years later.
A Scale Drawing of Australovenator wintonensis
Vicious dinosaur from “Down Under” – megaraptorid theropod dinosaurs from Australia including Australovenator wintonensis.Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.
Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur
The new Victorian specimens were discovered between 2011 and 2017, by volunteers working on annual Dinosaur Dreaming team’s excavations. These digs are held each February and are coordinated by husband and wife palaeontologists, Swinburne’s Professor Patricia Vickers-Rich and Dr Thomas Rich from Museums Victoria, who are both co-authors of this new scientific paper.
Implications for “Australian Spinosaurs”
In this newly published paper, the researchers also reappraise the single neck bone (cervical vertebra), found along this coast and described as a possible spinosaurid bone. In the light of this very much older (than previously known from Australia), megaraptorid fossil material, the researchers conclude that the neck bone described in 2011 as potentially Australia’s first member of the Spinosauridae, also probably represents Megaraptoridae fossil material.
The Otway Coast area of Victoria has revealed evidence of the presence of many different types of ornithopods. For example, last year we reported on the naming of Diluvicursor pickeringi. It can be speculated that megaraptorid dinosaurs may have specialised in hunting the many different kinds of fast-running, herbivorous dinosaur that shared the rift valley that was opening up between Antarctica and Australia.
Prey for Megaraptorid Dinosaurs?
A pair of Diluvicursor dinosaurs feeding next to a fast running river in the Antarctica/Australia rift valley 113 million years ago.
Picture credit: P. Trusler
Studying Megaraptorid Dinosaurs
The new theropod fossils were found isolated rather than as part of a single skeleton. This is because they were carried some distance from where the theropods died by ancient, deep, fast-flowing rivers. These rivers snaked through the then-narrow rift valley (now called the Bass Strait), that opened up as the supercontinent Gondwana gradually broke apart and separated.
Lead author of the study Dr Stephen Poropat (Swinburne Museum), commented:
“The similarities between the Victorian megaraptorid remains and Australovenator are striking. If we had found these theropod bones in Queensland, we would probably have called them Australovenator wintonensis. But they’re from Victoria, which prompts the question: Could one dinosaur species exist for more than ten million years, across eastern Australia? Maybe.”
The scientific paper: “New megaraptorid (Dinosauria: Theropoda) remains from the Lower Cretaceous Eumeralla Formation of Cape Otway, Victoria, Australia” by Stephen F. Poropat, Matt A. White, Patricia Vickers-Rich and Thomas H. Rich published in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology.
Everything Dinosaur acknowledges the assistance of a press release from Swinburne University in the compilation of this article.
