Two New South American Titanosaurians

The last type of sauropod to have lived were the Titanosauria, a clade consisting of a variety of taxa that were geographically widespread.  Fossils of titanosaurs have been found on every continent.  These long-necked herbivores seem to have been particularly successful in South America, with some of the largest tetrapods of all time – Argentinosaurus, Patagotitan and Dreadnoughtus known from this continent.

A team of scientists based in Argentina recently published a paper describing two new South American titanosaurs from the province of La Rioja located in the north-west of that country.  The dinosaurs named Punatitan coughlini and Bravasaurus arrierosorum, help to fill a gap between the types of titanosaurs associated with Patagonia and south-western Brazil, the two main locations associated with Titanosauria fossil discoveries from South America.

Skeletal Drawings Punatitan coughlini (c) and (d) Bravasaurus arrierosorum

Picture credit: Hechenleitner et al (Communications Biology)

Dinosaurs from the Andes – Titanosaurs Demonstrate Philopatry

The fossil material representing three individuals was found in the Upper Cretaceous red beds of the Quebrada de Santo Domingo locality in the Andes of La Rioja province.  In addition, a large number of titanosaurian egg clutches and eggshells were recovered.  Such was the abundance of eggshell found that this location is regarded as one the largest dinosaur nesting sites known in the world.  These fossils help to support the theory that these types of dinosaurs returned to the same, favoured nesting area year after year, the titanosaurs demonstrated philopatry (the tendency of an organism to habitually return to the same location, usually to breed or to nest).

Cervical and dorsal vertebrae of Punatitan coughlini

Picture credit: Hechenleitner et al (Communications Biology)

Limb Bones Associated with Bravasaurus arrierosorum

Picture credit: Hechenleitner et al (Communications Biology)

Titanosauria Phylogenetic Analysis

A phylogenetic analysis undertaken by the research team suggests that both Bravasaurus and the much larger Punatitan have affinities with both Patagonian and Brazilian titanosaurs.  The discovery of these two genera, both classified within the sub-clade of the Rinconsauria, supports the hypothesis of a close relationship between titanosaurian faunas in South America during the Late Cretaceous.

Titanosaur Palaeogeographical Distribution and Phylogeny

Picture credit: Hechenleitner et al (Communications Biology)

The Site of the Fossil Discoveries and Plotting the Location of Titanosaurs in South America

Picture credit: Hechenleitner et al (Communications Biology)

The scientific paper: “Two Late Cretaceous sauropods reveal titanosaurian dispersal across South America” by E. Martín Hechenleitner, Léa Leuzinger, Agustín G. Martinelli, Sebastián Rocher, Lucas E. Fiorelli, Jeremías R. A. Taborda, and Leonardo Salgado published in Communications Biology.

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Small Skull of Fossil Bird Has Big Implications (Falcatakely forsterae)

A team of international researchers including scientists from Ohio University, Stony Brook University (New York) and University College London have published a scientific paper describing a new type of enantiornithine bird (Falcatakely forsterae) from the Late Cretaceous of Madagascar.

Named Falcatakely, this crow-sized early avian offers a new perspective on the evolution of face and beak shape in the ancestral group leading to modern-day birds.

A Life Reconstruction of Falcatakely forsterae in the Late Cretaceous of Madagascar Surrounded by Other Archosaurs

Picture credit: Mark Witton

A Mesozoic Toucan?

Although palaeontologists are aware of a wide range of Mesozoic birds such as enantiornithines and hesperornithiforms which vary in size, flight adaptations and lifestyles, they all exhibit relatively conservative patterns of beak shape and development.  Modern birds (neornithines), such as the finches studied by the famous naturalist Charles Darwin, show a huge range of beak morphologies, all associated with different feeding and behavioural ecologies.  Falcatakely forsterae bucks this trend for birds from the Late Cretaceous, it has a beak morphology unlike other Mesozoic birds, one that is superficially similar to that of extant toucans.

Falcatakely forsterae, a combination of Latin and Malagasy words inspired by the small size and the scythe-like shape of the beak, which represents a completely novel face shape in Mesozoic birds.

Co-author of the scientific paper Dr Ryan Felice (University College London), explained how the study of birds have helped many scientists understand the subtleties of convergent evolution:

“Ever since Charles Darwin’s observations of Galapagos finches with differently-shaped beaks, birds have shaped our understanding of evolution through natural selection.  This new discovery tells us even more about how the predecessors of modern birds evolved, by showing how different forces in different places can contribute to similar traits in distantly related animals.”

Falcatakely forsterae

Described from a single skull specimen which had remained uncatalogued for several years since its discovery in 2010, lead author Patrick O’Connor (Ohio University) and his colleagues used high resolution CT scans to build up a picture of the skull and beak.

The Skull of Falcatakely forsterae with CT Scans and Interpretative Line Drawing

Picture credit: O’Connor et al

Bird fossils are rare.  Their light fragile bones tend not to fossilise well.  Bird skulls are especially rare, but although crushed, the powerful CT scans have been able to reveal many unique features of the bones and the beak.  For example, the researchers were able to identify a single preserved tooth in the premaxilla, probably one of several teeth lining the beak of this resident of north-western Madagascar some 68 million years ago.

Everything Dinosaur acknowledges the assistance of a media release from the University of Ohio and University College London in the compilation of this article.

The scientific paper: “Late Cretaceous bird from Madagascar reveals unique development of beaks” by Patrick M. O’Connor, Alan H. Turner, Joseph R. Groenke, Ryan N. Felice, Raymond R. Rogers, David W. Krause and Lydia J. Rahantarisoa published in Nature.

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First Dinosaur Remains from Ireland

Scientists from the University of Portsmouth, National Museums of Ireland and Queen’s University Belfast have confirmed that fossils found by the late Roger Byrne on the east coast of County Antrim (Northern Ireland), are dinosaur bones.  These are the only dinosaur bones known from the island of Ireland.  Roger Byrne donated a number of specimens to Ulster Museum but they had not been closely studied, a scientific paper published in the Proceedings of the Geologists’ Association remedies that and confirms that two of the pieces are dinosaurian and although they were found at the same location, they represent bones from two different dinosaurs.

Lead Researcher Dr Mike Simms Holding the Two Dinosaur Fossil Bones

Picture credit: The University of Portsmouth

Dinosaur Bones

Lead author of the research Dr Mike Simms stated:

“This is a hugely significant discovery.  The great rarity of such fossils here is because most of Ireland’s rocks are the wrong age for dinosaurs, either too old or too young, making it nearly impossible to confirm dinosaurs existed on these shores.  The two dinosaur fossils that Roger Byrne found were perhaps swept out to sea, alive or dead, sinking to the Jurassic seabed where they were buried and fossilised.”

Lias Group Exposures

The two fossil bones found by the Roger Byrne, a schoolteacher and avid fossil collector, come from Lower Jurassic strata exposed in Islandmagee.  They had been suspected of representing dinosaur bones, although they were found in marine deposits.  A detailed analysis of their histology and shape indicated that two of the pieces that Roger donated were indeed the bones of dinosaurs.  Originally, it had been thought that the bones represented a single type of dinosaur but the research team were surprised to discover that they represent bones from two very different types.

One specimen has been interpreted as the proximal end of the left femur of a basal thyreophoran ornithischian.  It has been tentatively assigned to Scelidosaurus, a primitive armoured dinosaur, fossils of which are known from Dorset (southern England) and date from the Sinemurian to the Pliensbachian faunal stages of the Early Jurassic.  The strata from which the femur fragment was found dates from slightly earlier, both the fossil bones are around 200 million years old.

A Model of the Early Armoured Dinosaur Scelidosaurus

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

The picture (above) shows the CollectA Deluxe Scelidosaurus figure.

To view the CollectA Deluxe range of prehistoric animals: CollectA Deluxe Prehistoric Life Models.

Evidence of a Meat-eating Dinosaur

The second fragment of bone has been identified as the proximal part of the left tibia of an indeterminate neotheropod, perhaps a member of the averostran-line similar to Sarcosaurus, or a megalosauroid.  Sarcosaurus fossils are associated with Lower Jurassic strata (Hettangian-Sinemurian faunal stages), of England.  Together, the two fossil dinosaur bones represent the first dinosaur remains reported anywhere in Ireland and some of the west westerly in Europe.

An Illustration of Sarcosaurus

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

The researchers used high-resolution, three-dimensional replicas to confirm the identity of the items donated by Roger Byrne.

University of Portsmouth researcher Robert Smyth explained:

“Analysing the shape and internal structure of the bones, we realised that they belonged to two very different animals.  One is very dense and robust, typical of an armoured plant-eater.  The other is slender, with thin bone walls and characteristics found only in fast-moving two-legged predatory dinosaurs called theropods.”

An Illustration of the Fossil Bones from County Antrim

Picture credit: Roger Byrne/National Museums of Ireland

Very Important Fossil Discoveries

Despite their fragmentary and weathered nature, these fossils are extremely important as they date from the Hettangian stage of the Early Jurassic, shortly after the End Triassic extinction event when the Dinosauria start to diversify and become more widespread.  Very few dinosaur fossils are known from this stage of the Early Jurassic, so Roger’s fossils are globally significant.

One of the other items donated by Roger Byrne probably represents an element from the skull or jawbone from a large marine reptile, perhaps an ichthyosaur or a pliosaur, whilst a polygonal-shaped piece was determined not to be a fossil at all, but a piece of Palaeocene basalt, similar to that found at the famous Giant’s Causeway on the northern coast of County Antrim.

Scelidosaurus a Beachcomber?

Commenting on the number of Scelidosaurus fossils associated with marine deposits, Professor Martill (University of Portsmouth), suggested:

“Scelidosaurus keeps on turning up in marine strata, and I am beginning to think that it may have been a coastal animal, perhaps even eating seaweed like marine iguanas do today.”

The fossils were on display at the Ulster Museum during the “Dippy on Tour” exhibition in 2018, but it is hoped that these important fossil bones will be able to go on permanent display once the COVID-19 restrictions are lifted.

Everything Dinosaur acknowledges the assistance of a media release from the University of Portsmouth in the compilation of this article.

The scientific paper: “First dinosaur remains from Ireland” by Michael J. Simms, Robert S.H. Smyth, David M. Martill, Patrick C. Collins and Roger Byrne published in the Proceedings of the Geologists’ Association.

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“Duelling Dinosaurs” Find Permanent Home

The famous “Duelling Dinosaurs” featuring a tyrannosaurid specimen closely associated with a large ceratopsid have found a permanent home at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences.  The fossils, discovered eroding slowly out of a hillside formed from the famous Hell Creek Formation deposits of Montana were once thought to represent a dwarf, lightweight species of Late Cretaceous tyrannosaurid – named Nanotyrannus and a new species of horned dinosaur, these days, most palaeontologists consider the largely articulated and heavily associated pair to represent a sub-adult Tyrannosaurus rex and a Triceratops.

“Duelling Dinosaurs”

Their acquisition on behalf of the Museum, by the not-for-profit Friends of the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences will permit palaeontologists access to study these amazing 66-million-year-old dinosaurs as well as allowing the general public to get up close and personal to two dinosaur fossils that could have ended up in the hands of a private collector.

Still Partially Entombed – The  Tyrannosaurid Member of the “Duelling Dinosaurs”

Picture credit: Matt Zeher

Evidence of Predator/Prey Interaction

The fossils, only partially exposed and still protected by their burlap field jackets may represent the best-preserved skeletons of Triceratops and T. rex known to science.  The huge blocks may contain evidence of a predator/prey interaction.  The dinosaur carcasses have not been studied and remain entombed within sediment from the Montana hillside where they were discovered. Because of these rare burial conditions, each bone is in its natural position and Museum scientists will have access to biological data that is typically lost in the excavation and preparation processes.

Entombing sediment preserves extraordinary features such as body outlines, skin impressions and other soft tissues, as well as injuries and potential evidence of interaction, such as tyrannosaur teeth embedded in the bones of its ceratopsian companion.

A Life Reconstruction of “Duelling Dinosaurs”

Picture credit: Anthony Hutchings

Welcoming Important Specimens

Commenting on the arrival of these remarkable specimens, Jason Barron, chair of the Friends of the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences stated:

“It is an immeasurable honour to welcome these specimens as they take up permanent residence here at the Museum.  Duelling Dinosaurs is a singular find; we are incredibly grateful to our supporters for making this a reality and allowing our visitors – in-person and virtual alike – to experience this journey with us.”

In conjunction with the fossil acquisition, design is nearing completion on a globally unique, behind-the-scenes visitor experience at the Museum in downtown Raleigh.  The exhibit will be the first physical expansion of the Museum in over ten years and will build on its sustained leadership in public engagement with scientific research.

Part of the “Duelling Dinosaurs” Awaiting Further Study and Research

Picture credit: Matt Zeher

Providing New Opportunities to Learn About Iconic North American Dinosaurs

The acquisition of the “duelling dinosaurs” and the fact that they have a permanent home, will allow palaeontologists the opportunity to carefully study what has been described as one of the most astonishing vertebrate fossils ever found.

Dr Lindsay Zanno, head of palaeontology at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, is very excited at the prospect at being able to study these unique, associated fossils and commented:

“We have not yet studied this specimen; it is a scientific frontier.  The preservation is phenomenal, and we plan to use every technological innovation available to reveal new information on the biology of T. rex and Triceratops.  This fossil will forever change our view of the world’s two favourite dinosaurs.  The way we have designed the entire experience — inviting the public to follow the scientific discoveries in real time and participate in the research — will set a new standard for museums.”

Everything Dinosaur acknowledges the assistance of a media release from the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences in the compilation of this article.

To read an article from 2013 about the auction of these fossils: D-Day for Important Dinosaur Fossils.

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