Is Oculudentavis a Member of the Archosauria?

On the 11th March (2020), Everything Dinosaur posted up a blog article featuring the discovery of a remarkably well-preserved fossil skull that had been found in amber from northern Myanmar.

To read our blog post: Hummingbird-sized Dinosaur from Burmese Amber.

Oculudentavis khaungraae

Following publication, a number of academics have questioned the conclusions made by Xing et al with regards to this fossil representing a member of the Maniraptora.  It is certainly true that the validity of the interpretation of the fossil skull as maniraptoran has subsequently been challenged post publication (Wang Wei et al).  They comment that the shape of the skull is not unique to archosaurs, many lizards for example, show similar characteristics, the phylogenetic analysis is questioned, along with the apparent absence of an antorbital fenestra (an opening in the skull of all known archosaurs between the orbit and the naris).

The Very Bird-like Skull of Oculudentavis khaungraae But Can Appearances be Deceptive?

Picture credit: Xing et al (Nature)

It is suggested that the skull actually comes from a lizard and that the specimen is not from an archosaur at all.

The original publication noted that the spoon-shaped bones that make up the sclerotic ring were reminiscent of that seen in the eye sockets of lizards.  Scleral bones of this shape have never been found in a dinosaur or a bird, it is suggested that these bones support the idea that the fossil is that of a lizard and not a member of the Archosauria.

Trouble with the Teeth

The roots of the tiny teeth do not seem to be located in sockets in the jawbone (thecodont dentition).  This was a peculiar feature remarked upon by a number of academics once this paper had been widely circulated.  Teeth located in sockets is a characteristic of toothed-archosaurs such as crocodilians and the dinosaurs.  Other types of tetrapod also show this tooth morphology, but in Oculudentavis the teeth are not in sockets but either fused to the jaw (acrodont dentition) or located within grooves that can be found along the length of the jaw bones (pleurodont dentition).

The number of teeth in the jaw far exceeds that known for any type of ancient bird.  The tooth line extending under the eye-socket (orbit), is also highly unusual.  Such anatomical traits are associated with the Squamata (lizards and snakes), not with the Archosauria.

These arguments (along with others, such as the absence of feathers), have led some scientists to question the conclusions made in the original Nature publication.  Oculudentavis might not be a bird or a dinosaur, it might represent the preserved remains of a lizard.

An Anolis Lizard (A. equestris) Displaying its Throat Sac

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

The scramble to publish can sometimes lead to a lack of peer review opportunities and a foreshortening of pre-publication correspondence amongst academics.  When the “Nature” paper was published it certainly created a great deal of interest in the wider media.  Sadly, we suspect that any challenge to the original paper’s conclusions or subsequent revision will not attract anywhere near as much publicity.

We shall await developments.

Perhaps, in future we could refer to such controversies as “Oculudentavism”.

The Everything Dinosaur website: Everything Dinosaur.

Scottish Island – A Dinosaur Stomping Ground Complete with Stegosaurs

Scientists led by researchers from Edinburgh University have reported the discovery of dozens of dinosaur footprints preserved in exposed mudstones at two locations on the Isle of Skye.  The trace fossils preserve evidence of a variety of different types of dinosaurs, which helps palaeontologists to gain a better understanding of dinosaur distribution and diversity during the Middle Jurassic.

The tracks indicate a variety of dinosaur trackmakers, including bipedal theropods of various sizes, possible ornithopods and a quadrupedal ornithischian dinosaur, the tracks of which show a resemblance to the ichnotaxon Deltapodus, which is believed to represent a stegosaur.  If these prints do represent a member of the Stegosauria, then this is the first time that evidence for this type of armoured dinosaur has been discovered on the Isle of Skye.

Dinosaurs Congregating Around Mudflats on the Isle of Skye (Middle Jurassic)

Picture credit: Jon Hoad

Globally Important Fossil Discovery

During the Middle Jurassic the Dinosauria rapidly diversified and many new types evolved.  Unfortunately, the fossil record for terrestrial vertebrates from the Middle Jurassic is particularly poor.  The abundant trace fossils associated with the Isle of Skye are globally important, providing scientists with an opportunity to plot which types of dinosaurs are associated with this location.  Since the first dinosaur footprint in Scotland was found in the 1980s numerous tracksites representing several ichnotaxa have been recorded.

Writing in the academic journal PLOS One, the researchers describe two new tracksites from Rubha nam Brathairean (Brothers Point).  The sites are referred to as BP1 and BP3, site BP2, which revealed sauropod and theropod prints has already been reported upon: Isle of Skye Steps into the Jurassic Spotlight (2018).

An Aerial View and Line Drawing of BP1 Showing the Distribution of the Dinosaur Tracks

Picture credit: PLOS One

An Insight into the Fauna Around a Subtropical Coastal Area

The trace fossils at both BP1 and BP3 were formed when mudflats were exposed and dinosaurs walked over them.  Today, the mudstones comprise part of the Lealt Shale Formation of the Great Estuarine Group.  The dinosaurs inhabited a coastal environment in what was a subtropical climate.  The fossil bearing rocks might be exposed on the coast today, but the climate on the Isle of Skye today is very different to what it was like around 170 million years ago.  The notorious Scottish weather prevented the researchers from using drones on several occasions in their attempts to photograph and map the sites.

An Aerial View of BP3 and Accompanying Line Drawing Showing the Various Dinosaur Tracks

Picture credit: PLOS One

The tracks at both sites are preserved as impressions (concave epirelief) and the signs of mud cracks associated with the trace fossils suggest that the surfaces of both sites were briefly exposed before being quickly reclaimed by the return of brackish water.  Whilst the dinosaur tracks at BP3 were being mapped, an articulated pterosaur skeleton was found in the overlying limestone layer.  The state of the bones (largely unfractured) and the articulated skeleton suggest that the overlying limestone was deposited in a relatively low energy environment.  The pterosaur is currently being studied and will be covered in a future scientific paper.

Evidence of a Scottish Stegosaur

One of the tracks at location BP1 (BP1_Twy-01) shows a series of prints made by a quadrupedal dinosaur.  Although the tracks are a little distorted, distinctions between the pes (rear foot) and the manus (front foot) can be made.  The researchers conclude that these prints and other, single prints from this site are similar to the ichnotaxon Deltapodus.  Evidence of a potential armoured dinosaur from the Isle of Skye adds to the diversity of dinosaur types known from this location.

Mapping the Ornithischian Tracks (Potential Stegosaur – Ichnotaxon Deltapodus)

Picture credit: PLOS One

Together these two new tracksites demonstrate the wide variety of different types of dinosaur present in the area and will help palaeontologists gain more data on the early evolution and radiation of the Dinosauria.  As the researchers conclude, essentially BP1 and BP3 provide a snapshot of a “day in the life” of a Middle Jurassic ecosystem.

A Palaeontological Puzzle

No sauropod tracks have been described to date from BP1 or BP3, although they have been found at BP2.  The absence of sauropod evidence could be coincidental or perhaps an indication that during the time the mudflats were exposed, these large herbivores were not present in the area.  Environmental factors could help to explain the absence of sauropods.  Site BP2 represents a shallow lagoon, whilst BP1 and BP3 represent mudflats.  The sauropods may have preferred to occupy the lagoons.

The scientific paper: “Novel track morphotypes from new tracksites indicate increased Middle Jurassic dinosaur diversity on the Isle of Skye, Scotland” by Paige E. dePolo, Stephen L. Brusatte, Thomas J. Challands, Davide Foffa, Mark Wilkinson, Neil D. L. Clark, Jon Hoad, Paulo Victor Luiz Gomes da Costa Pereira, Dugald A. Ross and Thomas J. Wade published in the journal PLOS One.

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