New Study on Ceratopsian Skull Injuries indicates that Horns were used as Weapons

Palaeontologists have debated for many years as to what were the exact function and purpose of the horns and frill on horned dinosaurs such as Triceratops.  Now a new study undertaken by American scientists has concluded that the horns on dinosaurs such as Triceratops were used as defensive weapons and wielded in battles with rivals.  The scars and damaged bone found on the skulls of these dinosaurs reveal rare evidence of dinosaurs fighting each other the scientists have stated.

Fossils of Dinosaurs

Andrew Farke, curator at the Raymond M Alf Museum of Palaeontology, in Claremont, California said:

“Palaeontologists have debated the function of the bizarre skulls of horned dinosaurs for years now.  Some speculated that the horns were for showing off to other dinosaurs, and others thought that the horns had to have been used in combat against other horned dinosaurs.  Unfortunately, we can’t just go and watch a Triceratops in the wild.”

After studying a number of different skull specimens (fortunately, Triceratops skulls are relatively numerous in the fossil record, compared to other bones from these creatures), examining the fossilised bone for signs of traumatic injury; the team reported their findings in the journal the Public Library of Science One.

A Triceratops Exhibit on Display in a Museum

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

Triceratops

Triceratops is one of the most famous dinosaurs of all, partly because it has been depicted in many films and television programmes fighting predators such as Tyrannosaurus rex.  This new research indicates that the script writers and production team may have got it right when they depict this six tonne dinosaur in combat with meat-eating dinosaurs.  Traces of blood vessels found in the frill and horn have indicated that these adornments may have been used for display or for regulating the temperature of these large four-legged animals.  As with other members of the ceratopsian family, the frill would have probably been covered with skin and may have been brightly coloured, suggesting that it was used for display purposes.

Locking Horns

A study by British scientists some years ago concluded that dinosaurs like Triceratops may have locked horns with opponents but not charged at them like a rhinoceros.  The impact forces from a 9-metre-long, six tonne monster would have shattered the nasal and rostrum – not a particularly good outcome for the horned dinosaur.

The American team studied the skulls of Triceratops and compared them with the skulls of another ceratopsian called Centrosaurus.  Triceratops had three horns, two large brow horns, in some specimens over a metre long, and a shorter nose horn.  In contrast Centrosaurus (Centrosaurus apertus), had just one prominent horn, the nose horn.

From studies of the numerous centrosaurine skulls found at the Dinosaur Provincial Park Formation in Alberta, scientists believe that juvenile centrosaurs possessed a short, narrow horn.  As the centrosaurs reached adult size, and presumably were able to breed, the nasal horn developed into a robust, long horn and parts of the skull became thicker and stronger.

The Horned Dinosaur Triceratops

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

In the picture above, the three-horned Triceratops is depicted facing.

The model is from the Safari Ltd Prehistoric World model range.

To view this range: Safari Ltd. Wild Safari Prehistoric World.

Everything stocks the Triceratops. It is the “Triceratops with attitude” from the Procon/CollectA range and we also stock a Centrosaurus It is one of the dinosaur models from our party models collection.

To view Triceratops and other horned dinosaurs: Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal Models.

The injuries seen in Triceratops skulls were consistent with combat injuries, perhaps as rivals battled with each other over social status in the herd.  Centrosaurus skulls did not show similar injuries indicating that their horns and frill were perhaps used more for display.

Interestingly, a number of centrosaurine bone beds are known.  A bone bed is a deposit of a large number of fossilised bones representing many individuals of a single species.  Such bone beds are evidence that dinosaurs moved in large herds, perhaps a number of the herd members met their death at the same time, for example, fording a river, much in the same way that many gnu die when crossing flooded rivers in Africa.

Studying the Fossil Evidence

From this fossil evidence scientists have concluded that Centrosaurus lived in large groups, whereas no such bone bed evidence has been found to date for Triceratops.  It can be speculated that Triceratops lived in much smaller groups, if this is the case then combat could be envisaged when males were seeking mates as the herd structure being smaller would have led to battles only occasionally.  In contrast, if Centrosaurus lived in large groups, using facial ornamentation for display would make a lot of sense as in a large herd the chances of combat would be higher as more animals of near rank and size would be in close proximity to each other.

Dr Farke added: “If Triceratops and Centrosaurus only used their horns and frills for showing off, we would expect no difference in the rate of injury for both animals.  The most likely culprit for all of the wounds on Triceratops frills was the horns of other Triceratops”.

The team went onto compare the horns of Triceratops with a Swiss Army knife, suggesting that the horns may have been used for a variety of purposes, combat, ritual display and for defence against predators.  Skulls of ceratopsians had been studied in detail before, but this study looked at a huge number of different specimens and looked for similarities in the injuries they found and modelled how these wounds could have been caused.

Triceratops Pathology

The injuries seen on the Triceratops fossils were consistent with the animals battling one another and fighting with their horns.  Centrosaurus, however, showed no such pattern, suggesting that its facial adornments were more for display.

“If Triceratops and Centrosaurus only used their horns and frills for showing off we would expect no difference in the rate of injury for both animals”.

Concluded Dr Farke.

One particular injury, of the squamosal bone on the frill, (top and back of the skull), was ten times more frequent in Triceratops than in Centrosaurus.

Dr Farke went on to add:

“Our findings provide some of the best evidence to date that Triceratops might have locked horns with each other, wrestling like modern antelope and deer.  This suggests that the animals, principally males, sparred for dominance and access to mates.  Many modern herbivores with antlers or horns do this”.

A fellow contributor to the study, Ewan Wolff of the University of Wisconsin-Madison stated that this was the most comprehensive assessment of ceratopsian combat yet.  The conclusions have been compiled from an extensive study of a number of different specimens, allowing close comparisons between individuals to be made.

Ewan Wolff went on to state:

“In the past, individual remains have been used to reconstruct the story of ancient injuries.  I think this research shows the great potential of looking at injury patterns, even less obvious ones, to provide appropriate conclusions.   The features we studied were very subtle”.

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Ancient Hominid Fossil Fails to Wow Audience

Museum officials at the Pacific Science Centre are “sleepless in Seattle” as concerns have been expressed over the low attendance at an exhibition that focuses on the origins of our species (the Lucy Exhibit), one of the first times that some of the fossils have been shown outside of Africa.

The Lucy Exhibit

Lucy – the name of the world famous fossil of an Australopithecus afarensis, had been booked by the Seattle based Pacific Science Centre, but it has not attracted the visitor numbers that the museum officials had hoped.  With the exhibition due to close on March 8th, only 60,000 have attended to date, the exhibition organisers had hoped to attract 250,000 to this very special showcase of early hominid fossils.

Approximately, 40% of the fossil of Lucy has been found (discovered by Tom Grey and Donald Johanson at Hadar in Ethiopia in 1974).  Her official name is A.L. 288, but the fossil, believed to represent a female, was named Lucy as the Beatles song “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds“, was playing in the field camp as the team celebrated their discovery.

The fossil has been dated to approximately 3.2 million years ago (Pliocene Epoch).  Ironically, it is easier to establish the evolutionary relationships between different types of trilobites which died out over 250 million years ago than our own ancestry, with the origins of our own species dating back just a few million years.  Fossil remains of extinct hominids are extremely rare and incomplete.  With hominid fossils, only teeth, knuckle bones and parts of the skull are usually found.  In comparison, trilobites, being animals of a marine environment with a hard exoskeleton are much more likely to be candidates for fossilisation.

Museum Facing a Deficit

According to the Seattle Times, the Pacific Science Centre faces a deficit of approximately $500,000 USD, this could lead to staff redundancies as the centre tries to balance the books.

The Lucy exhibit, part of a tour that commemorates the first time this particular specimen has been put on display outside of Africa, is believed to have cost the Pacific Science Centre approximately $2.25 million USD.

Commenting on the exhibit, the President of the Centre, Bryce Seidl stated:

“It’s a powerful story of evolution and culture and history … but we’re not getting the attendance we need for an exhibit of this scale”.

With an admission charge in excess of $20 USD, the low turnout has been blamed on the difficult economic conditions.  At an earlier exhibit, back in 2007 at Houston, Texas over 200,000 people came to see the fossil skeleton and as a result the exhibit was extended by five months to accommodate the demand.

The Exhibit Looks at Hominin Evolution and the Development of Stone Tools

A collection of typical Stone Age Tools. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

Donald Johanson, the American anthropologist who along with Tom Grey discovered Lucy and whose lecture “Lucy’s Legacy” on Feb 5 in Seattle is a sell-out, said fascination with the skeleton remains strong.

“As I travel around the country lecturing, people seem to have a deep interest in their origins, in their roots, “ Mr Johanson commented.

We will do our bit to promote this event, although travelling to Seattle is a bit too much even for our dedicated staff, we would encourage anyone in the area to take this opportunity to see Lucy and her fellow exhibits – after all, in a way it is just like going to meet a long lost relative, a 3 million-year-old relative at that.

In the meantime, Everything Dinosaur does stock a range of hominin figures that depict the evolutionary development of the human family.  These models can be found here: Wild Safari Prehistoric World Figures.

Dinosaurs more Robust then Scientists Previously Thought – Adapted to the Cold

It is partly thanks to the palaeontologists that have worked at the Dinosaur Cove site in Victoria, Australia that we have an appreciation of the adaptability of dinosaurs to harsh environments.  Evidence from Cretaceous sediments has shown that Antarctica, was not always a frozen wasteland but once had dense conifer forests and marshes that teemed with life.  Scientists believe that many animals were seasonal migrants – herds of plant-eaters migrating with the seasons to take advantage of the long daylight hours in the short Summer.   Following close behind would be the carnivores.  However, dinosaurs like the little ornithopod Leaellynasaura are believed to have been permanent residents.

Polar Dinosaurs

During this time in the Cretaceous, approximately 106 million years ago, the lands that were to become New Zealand, Australia and Antarctica were fused into a super continent.  The climate was much warmer then, but as the sun dropped below the horizon the residents would have had to endure long periods of total darkness and temperatures below freezing.

Now a team of scientists studying fossils from the very end of the Age of Reptiles have uncovered evidence of thriving dinosaurs in the far north, just 1,000 miles from the North Pole.  Working with fossils dating back to between 68 and 65 million years ago (Maastrichtian faunal stage), the researchers from the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences have uncovered evidence of hadrosaurs, nodosaurids as well as meat-eaters such as tyrannosaurids and smaller dromaeosaurs in northeastern Russia.  Work has been going on in Alaska studying hadrosaur fossils (duck-billed dinosaurs), but scientists assumed that these dinosaurs migrated into the area to take advantage of the 24-hour daylight in the short northern hemisphere Summer that would have allowed lush plant growth.  The Belgian team have discovered fragments of dinosaur egg shell, indicating that at least some species bred at high latitudes.  Whether or not the nesting sites were created by permanent residents or by migrating dinosaurs is unclear.  No fossil evidence for crocodiles, turtles and lizards have been found in the Russian site to date.  Does this mean that this northern region was just to cold for these cold-blooded reptiles to survive?

Studying Fossil Pollen and Plant Material

By studying fossil pollen and plant material the team working on the exposed Upper Cretaceous strata of north-eastern Russia have concluded that the average annual temperature was approximately 10 degrees Celsius.

Commenting on the research, recently published in the German scientific journal “Naturwissenschaften“, the leader of the expedition Professor Pascal Godefroit stated:

“For the first time we have firm evidence that these polar dinosaurs were able to reproduce and live in those relatively cold regions.  There is no way of knowing for sure, but dinosaurs were probably warm blooded just like modern birds, which are the direct descendants of dinosaurs”.

Professor Godefroit added:

“We have no remains of cold-blooded reptiles such as turtles, crocodilians and lizards in that area which suggests it was too cold for them.  The dinosaurs were incredibly diverse in polar regions – as diverse as they were in tropical regions. It was a big surprise for us”.

The Belgian’s work could have a big impact (no pun intended), on Mesozoic extinction theories.  It seems that certain types of dinosaur may have been more tolerant to harsh, cold climates than previously thought.  If sudden and dramatic climate change is put forward as a theory for the demise of the dinosaurs, then why could this be so?  The fossil record indicates that some dinosaurs could migrate to cooler environments in search of food and indeed, some may have actually adapted to the cold conditions and actually thrived.

Did Dinosaurs Thrive in the Snow?

A dinosaur van covered in snow.  A new study into dinosaurs present in high northern latitudes.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

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Amateur Palaeontologist facing Theft charges over “Raptor” Fossil

The raptors, or to give them their scientific name the dromaeosaurs are typically, small, swift, bipedal dinosaurs and the name raptor is translated as meaning “robber or thief”, perhaps an apt description for these little dinosaurs.

It is easy to imagine a sharp-eyed Velociraptor seizing the opportunity when a Protoceratops has left her nest unguarded, to rush in and steal an egg.  Ironically, a “raptor” fossil is at the centre of allegations of fossil theft in the state of Montana, USA.

Dinosaur Fossil

In the late autumn of 2006, Nathan Murphy, a well-known and highly regarded amateur palaeontologist and fossil collector took a specimen of a small, dromaeosaur to be studied at his local dinosaur study centre – the Dinosaur Field Station.

Mr Murphy had identified the fossil bones as belonging to a new type of dromaeosaur, a turkey sized animal that he had nick-named “Sid Vicious”, after the infamous punk rock singer.  If Mr Murphy owned the rights to this fossil, then it could prove to be an extremely lucrative discovery, as there would be a considerable amount of money to be made selling casts to museums and private collectors.  However, Montana State law enforcement officers now accuse Mr Murphy of theft as the specimen had been discovered several years earlier, not where Mr Murphy claimed to have found it, but on private land and this means that “Sid Vicious” actually belongs to someone else.

Montana is one of the largest States in the USA.  Although it is sparsely populated, it is extremely important to palaeontologists with an absolute treasure trove of Mesozoic fossils, many of which are dinosaurs from the Cretaceous.  Montana is famous for its hadrosaurine (duck-billed dinosaur) fossils, the State fossil is Maiasaura (Maiasaura peeblesorum), a medium sized hadrosaur whose remains along with a nesting colony were discovered in Montana in the 1970s.

Investigation by Federal Authorities

In the Autumn, after a long investigation by the Federal authorities, Mr Murphy was charged with the theft of the dinosaur fossil.  It seems that this specimen had been discovered many years earlier, at a different location from the one Mr Murphy first claimed.  The raptor fossil had been found on land belonging to somebody else and Mr Murphy had attempted to deceive the true owners keeping any monetary gains associated with this find.

A trial is scheduled for March, but it may not be required if Mr Murphy pleads guilty to the charge of theft.  He had claimed the fossil was found near Saco, Montana, some 25 miles from where it was actually discovered a few years earlier.

Whatever the reasons for Mr Murphy’s deception, whether intended or not, the real tragedy is that the lie about the specimen’s discovery means that palaeontologists will have difficulty in studying the surrounding strata.  The provenance of the fossil has been lost.

It is easy to see where the conflict between science and fossil collecting for profit can arise. Such are the stakes in terms of monetary gain and prestige.  Unfortunately, the science of palaeontology is the real loser in instances such as this.  A valuable specimen cannot be researched properly because of the deception and important scientific information concerning this little dromaeosaur has been lost.

Dinosaur Fossil

Even the smallest dinosaur fossil can be significant when studying ancient prehistoric life.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur