Palaeontological articles

7 06, 2020

Two New Transitional Ceratopsids – Knitting Together Horned Dinosaurs

By Mike|2024-02-21T10:09:08+00:00June 7th, 2020|Categories: Adobe CS5, Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal News Stories, Dinosaur Fans, Main Page, Palaeontological articles|0 Comments

Two New Transitional Horned Dinosaurs – Navajoceratops sullivani and Terminocavus sealeyi

In the last few days, a scientific paper has been published that proposes a direct evolutionary link between Pentaceratops and the younger chasmosaurine Anchiceratops. The idea that there was a link between Pentaceratops (P. sternbergii) which roamed the New Mexico portion of Laramidia around 75.3 million years ago and Anchiceratops (A. ornatus) which lived much further north (Alberta, Canada), between 72 and 71 million years ago, had been proposed for more than two decades.

This newly published paper names two transitional species – Navajoceratops sullivani and Terminocavus sealeyi, plus describes another new ceratopsid, simply named taxon C. Between them, these new horned dinosaurs help to fill the gap (literally) in chasmosaurine evolution.

Forming Links in an Evolutionary Chain – From Pentaceratops to Anchiceratops

An evolutionary lineage linking chasmosaurines — The two new horned dinosaurs together with an undescribed taxon form a vital link in the transition of chasmosaurine ceratopsids linking Utahceratops, Pentaceratops and Anchiceratops into an evolutionary lineage.

Picture credit: Ville Sinkkonen & Denver Fowler

It’s All About the Embayment

The Ceratopsidae in North America during the Late Cretaceous (Campanian and Maastrichtian faunal stages), diversified and evolved into many different forms. Two great subfamilies emerged the Centrosaurinae and the Chasmosaurinae. The evolutionary links between these two subfamilies and between the genera associated within each subfamily, has generated a great deal of discussion. These dinosaurs are famous for their large skulls with their elaborate, extravagant head shields and horns. Palaeontologists use the differences in the shape, orientation and size of these frills and adornments to determine one species from another.

Although, using the symmetry of the frill of a horned dinosaur to determine a new species can be controversial: Styracosaurus Provides a Head’s up When it Comes to Naming New Ceratopsids.

Navajoceratops sullivani and Terminocavus sealeyi Plus Taxon C

The problems recently highlighted with the discovery of a Styracosaurus with an asymmetrical skull notwithstanding, authors Dr Denver Fowler of the Badlands Dinosaur Museum and Dr Elizabeth Freedman Fowler (Dickinson State University, North Dakota), propose that these three new chasmosaurines, all from the Kirtland Formation of New Mexico, form a morphological succession between Pentaceratops from the older Fruitland Formation of New Mexico and Anchiceratops from the geologically much younger Horseshoe Canyon Formation of Alberta.

The Closing of the Notch in the Frill of Pentaceratops

New study links Pentaceratops to Anchiceratops — *A newly published scientific paper plots step changes in frill shape that suggests a line of evolutionary descent from Pentaceratops to Anchiceratops via several “transitional genera”.* *Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.*

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

Transitional Ceratopsids – The Shape of the Frills Backed by the Stratigraphy

Significantly, the scientists were able to plot a gradual change in the shape of the horned dinosaurs frills, essentially the gradual and successive filling in of a deep notch at the top of the frill (the embayment). Anchiceratops did not have a notch at the top of its frill and the researchers demonstrate that two new partial skull specimens found in rocks intermediate in age between Pentaceratops and Anchiceratops were also intermediate in shape, showing how the notch in the frill became even deeper through time and eventually closed in on itself, explaining the lack of a notch in Anchiceratops.

Writing in the open access journal PeerJ, the researchers note that this step change in frill shape is observed in chasmosaurines that do not overlap stratigraphically. This suggests that over hundreds of thousands of years, species evolved from a direct line of descent. In biology, this is termed anagenesis – the slow and steady evolution of species in a sequence that forms a direct line of evolutionary descent without any obvious branching.

Two New Chasmosaurine Dinosaurs from the Kirtland Formation of New Mexico

Navajoceratops and Terminocavus life reconstructions. — *Two new chasmosaurine dinosaurs from the Hunter Wash member of the Kirtland Formation of New Mexico.*

Picture credit: Ville Sinkkonen & Denver Fowler

A Five Million Year Evolutionary Line

The two newly named horned dinosaurs Terminocavus sealeyi and Navajoceratops sullivani along with other chasmosaurine specimens from the Farmington and De-na-zin Members of the Kirtland Formation (taxon C), form a sequence of horned dinosaur evolution, stretching over five million years from Utahceratops to Pentaceratops and on to Anchiceratops.

Navajoceratops sullivani is named in honour of the Navajo people who are synonymous with New Mexico. The species name honours the now retired, Dr Robert Sullivan who led the field expedition that resulted in the discovery of the Navajoceratops fossil material. The name translates as “Sullivan’s Navajo horned face”.

Terminocavus sealeyi translates as “Sealey’s closing cavity”, after fossil collector Paul Sealey who found the holotype and due to the fact that the notch in the skull frill is fully closed.

Holotype Parietal Frills of Terminocavus and Navajoceratops

The parietal frills of Navajoceratops and Terminoscavus. — Holotype specimens (parietal frills) of the two new genera, showing line of evolutionary descent and a not to scale silhouette to represent the actual dinosaur. Although the specimens are fragmentary, both include the diagnostic posterior border of the parietal which permitted evolutionary comparisons to be made.

Picture credit: Ville Sinkkonen & Denver Fowler with additional annotation by Everything Dinosaur

An Evolutionary Split

The researchers conclude that fossil material previously assigned to Pentaceratops should be examined once more as it may not represent this taxon. Furthermore, they suggest that there was a splitting event deep in the evolutionary history of the Chasmosaurinae subfamily, after which the Pentaceratops lineage evolved a progressively deepening of the parietal notch in the frill, in contrast to a sister group, the Chasmosaurus lineage which evolved a progressively shallower notch.

The authors propose that encroachment by the Western Interior Seaway around 85-83 million years ago, effectively cut-off dinosaur populations, with a northern and southern population isolated from each other. This permitted two distinct lineages of chasmosaurines to evolve. When the sea retreated around 83 million years ago the two populations were able to mix again.

The Isolation of Dinosaur Populations

The isolation of northern and southern dinosaur populations during the Santonian faunal stage as a result of rising sea levels provides an explanatory mechanism. This mechanism in which high sea level isolated northern and southern dinosaur populations for a period of 1 to 4 million years, lays the foundation for an evolutionary splitting event and provides an explanatory mechanism for the apparent differences between northern and southern dinosaur faunas in the Late Cretaceous of western North America.

Everything Dinosaur acknowledges the assistance of a press release from Dickinson Museum Centre (North Dakota) in the compilation of this article.

The scientific paper: “Transitional evolutionary forms in chasmosaurine ceratopsid dinosaurs: evidence from the Campanian of New Mexico” by Denver W. Fowler and Elizabeth A. Freedman Fowler in PeerJ.

The Everything Dinosaur website: Everything Dinosaur.

29 05, 2020

Wightia declivirostris – A Terrific Tapejarid Pterosaur

By Mike|2024-02-21T05:53:02+00:00May 29th, 2020|Categories: Adobe CS5, Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal News Stories, Dinosaur Fans, Main Page, Palaeontological articles, Photos/Pictures of Fossils|0 Comments

Jawbone Leads to an Isle of Wight Tapejarid Pterosaur

A single, fragmentary jawbone from the upper jaw of a pterosaur found on the Isle of Wight has demonstrated just how diverse and widespread the Tapejaridae family of pterosaurs were. The fossil bone, a partial premaxilla from the Lower Cretaceous (Barremian) Wessex Formation of Yaverland (Isle of Wight), represents a new species, the first record of a tapejarid pterosaur from the Wessex Formation and one of the oldest examples of this pterosaur family to have been found outside of China. The flying reptile has been named Wightia declivirostris.

Wightia declivirostris

A Life Reconstruction of Wightia declivirostris (Wessex Formation)

Picture credit: Megan Jacobs (University of Portsmouth)

Terrific Toothless Tapejarids

The terrific toothless tapejarids with their reputation for taking head crest development to the extreme, are known from relatively abundant fossil material associated with the Santana and Crato Formations of Brazil. In addition, several members of the Tapejaridae family are associated with the Jiufotang Formation of China. However, fragmentary fossils are known from elsewhere in the world such as Spain (Europejara olcadesorum) and a toothless, rather deep lower jaw tip along with other partial bones from the Kem Kem beds of Morocco suggests that these types of flying reptile may have persisted into the early Late Cretaceous.

Two of the authors associated with this scientific paper, Professor David Martill and Roy Smith (both from the University of Portsmouth), recently published a report on the discovery of a north African tapejarid which was named Afrotapejara zouhrii, one of a spate of recent Moroccan pterosaur discoveries. To read Everything Dinosaur’s article about this: That Fourth Moroccan Pterosaur. It seems that these fancy-crested, edentulous flying reptiles were much more geographically and temporally diverse than previously thought.

A Typical Illustration of a Tapejarid Pterosaur (Tupandactylus imperator)

Tupandactylus illustration. — *A scale drawing of the tapejarid Pterosaur Tupandactylus imperator. The Tapejaridae are thought to have all sported flamboyant head crests.* *Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.*

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

The Isle of Wight Pterosaur is More Closely Related to Chinese Tapejarids

Amateur fossil hunter John Winch discovered a pterosaur snout near the cliff at Yaverland Point in Sandown Bay, in a fossil plant debris layer. The unusual shape and thin bone walls suggested that it was from a pterosaur. The fragment of jaw, although eroded, demonstrates the characteristic downturned tip, with numerous tiny holes (foramina), on the occulsal surface which indicate the presence of minute sensory organs for detecting food.

The Holotype Material Wightia declivirostris

*The isolated, partial premaxilla of Wightia declivirostris.*

Picture credit: University of Portsmouth

The jaw fragment was passed to palaeontology student at Portsmouth University, Megan Jacobs, who confirmed it was a rare find and definitely pterosaurian. Analysis of the specimen suggests that Wightia is more closely related to the older and more primitive tapejarid Sinopterus from Liaoning (Jiufotang Formation), than it is to Brazilian tapejarids. The genus name of this newly described flying reptile honours the Isle of Wight, whilst the species (trivial) name means “slanting beak”, a reference to the typically tapejarid morphology of the partial premaxilla.

Both the Wealden Formation and the geologically younger Vectis Formation on the Isle of Wight have yielded pterosaur specimens, although they tend to consist of highly fragmentary remains. The discovery of Wightia declivirostris demonstrates how significant the Lower Cretaceous Isle of Wight sediments are to palaeontologists as they try to plot the radiation of different types of flying reptile during the Early Cretaceous.

The scientific paper: “First tapejarid pterosaur from the Wessex Formation (Wealden Group: Lower Cretaceous, Barremian) of the United Kingdom” by David M. Martill, Mick Green, Roy E. Smith, Megan L. Jacobs and John Winch published in the journal Cretaceous Research.

The Everything Dinosaur website: Everything Dinosaur.

24 05, 2020

The Most Dangerous Place and Time in the Cretaceous

By Mike|2024-02-21T05:23:45+00:00May 24th, 2020|Categories: Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal News Stories, Dinosaur Fans, Geology, Main Page, Palaeontological articles, Photos/Pictures of Fossils|0 Comments

A Comprehensive Guide to the Fossils from the Kem Kem Beds of Eastern Morocco

A team of international researchers have documented the fossil vertebrates associated with the early Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian-Turonian) of the famous Kem Kem beds of eastern Morocco. They conclude that with the abundance of hypercarnivores such as Spinosaurus, abelisaurids, Carcharodontosaurus and Deltadromeus, several large pterosaurs and a multitude of giant fish and crocodyliforms, no comparable modern terrestrial ecosystem exists with a similar bias toward large-bodied carnivores.

Arguably, the sediments that make up the Kem Kem Group, which is composed of the lower Gara Sbaa and upper Douira formations, represent the most dangerous place and time in the whole of the Cretaceous.

Examples of Theropod Teeth Associated with the Kem Kem Group of Eastern Morocco

Indeterminate theropod teeth from the Kem Kem Group. — Indeterminate theropod teeth from the Kem Kem Group with (H) showing the denticles of (F) and (N) close up view of denticles in (M). Scale bar equals 2 cm in A-C and I-M whilst 3 cm in D and 5 mm in H and N.

Picture credit: Ibrahim et al (ZooKeys)

An Ambitious Target

The researchers which included Nizar Ibrahim and Paul Sereno (University of Chicago), David Unwin (University of Leicester), Samir Zouhri (Université Hassan II, Casablanca, Morocco) and David Martill (University of Portsmouth), had an ambitious objective. The scientists set out to document and summarise the taxonomic status of the fauna that had been described based on the major collections of Kem Kem fossils, as well as to report on the geological age of the various strata and to plot the palaeoenvironment of this part of north Africa during the early stages of the Late Cretaceous.

The team’s comprehensive report has been published with free access in the journal ZooKeys.

The Changing Palaeoenvironment Represented by the Kem Kem Group Sediments

The palaeoenvironment of the Kem Kem Beds. — Schematic paleoenvironmental stages depicting the Kem Kem region during the Cretaceous. Stages: (1) wide rivers, (2) large river systems with substantial sandbanks, (3) deltaic conditions and (4) rise of the limestone platform.

Picture credit: Ibrahim et al (ZooKeys)

A Very Dangerous Place to Be (Large Crocodyliforms and Pterosaurs)

The strata have provided evidence of large number of crocodyliforms from one-metre-long insectivores, herbivorous forms to giant predators such as Sarcosuchus imperator. Several different types of pterosaur are also associated with these deposits. The first pterosaur remains recovered consisted of isolated teeth collected in the late 1940s and early 1950s but at the time their affinity with the Pterosauria was not recognised. For an article from Everything Dinosaur about recent pterosaur discoveries from Morocco: Pterosaurs, Pterosaurs and Even More Pterosaurs.

Cervical Vertebra (Bone from the Neck) Ascribed to an Azhdarchid Pterosaur

Third cervical? attributed to an azhdarchid pterosaur. — Near complete third cervical? of an azhdarchid pterosaur from the Kem Kem Group. FSAC-KK 3088 in (A) ventral, (B) dorsal, (C) right lateral, (D) left lateral, (E) anterior and (F) posterior view. Scale bar equals 5 cm.

Picture credit: Ibrahim et al (ZooKeys)

In addition, the first tapejarid pterosaur from Africa was reported recently (Afrotapejara zouhrii), the trivial name honours Professor Samir Zouhri, one of the authors of the extensive review. To read an article about Afrotapejara: The Fourth New Moroccan Pterosaur – Afrotapejara.

Lots and Lots of Dinosaurs – A Bias Towards the Theropoda

Dinosaurs are strongly associated with these strata, but there is only very fragmentary evidence of ornithischians including a single, large footprint. This suggests that bird-hipped dinosaurs were present but, in contrast to most other Cretaceous biotas, they seem very much underrepresented by the fossil material. Sauropods such as the rebbachisaurid Rebbachisaurus garasbae and titanosaurs are known from both the Douira and Gara Sbaa formations, however, it is theropod specimens that dominate the Dinosauria associated with the Kem Kem Group. There is evidence to support one medium-sized to large Kem Kem abelisaurid and the discovery of single neck bone (cervical vertebra) indicates a Noasauridae presence.

Huge hypercarnivores such as Carcharodontosaurus saharicus and Spinosaurus aegyptiacus have been reported. The habitat seemed to have an overabundance of large, carnivorous dinosaurs, although extensive niche partitioning is proposed by several authors.

Perhaps the Most Famous African Dinosaur of them all – Spinosaurus aegyptiacus

Spinosaurus aegyptiacus skull and skeleton. — *Skull and skeletal reconstruction of Spinosaurus aegyptiacus. Scale bars equal 40 cm in A and B, whilst in C the scale bar is 1 metre.*

Picture credit: Ibrahim et al (ZooKeys)

Deltadromeus agilis

One of the most mysterious of all the theropods from Morocco is Deltadromeus agilis. The taxonomic position of this meat-eater remains controversial. A partial skeleton (UCRC PV11), was discovered in a coarse sandstone layer in the upper portions of the Gara Sbaa Formation. The bones were found in association with teeth of the huge sawfish Onchopristis as well as teeth from crocodyliforms. Fossils associated with D. agilis from eastern Morocco show a resemblance to isolated material recovered from the roughly contemporaneous Bahariya oasis in the Western Desert of Egypt by the German palaeontologist Ernst Stromer.

The Egyptian fossils were assigned to the taxon Bahariasaurus ingens, but the Moroccan and Egyptian material could represent the same genus. If this is the case, then D. agilis would become a senior synonym of B. ingens. A single thigh bone from the Bahariya oasis measures 144 cm long. This suggests that whatever sort of carnivore Deltadromeus/Bahariasaurus was, it was huge. Some commentators have suggested that based on femur proportions Deltadromeus could have been only slightly shorter (but more lightly built), than Tyrannosaurus rex.

Holotype of D. agilis (A) and Compared in Size to the Egyptian Femur Specimen (B)

Deltadromeus agilis skeleton reconstruction. — Deltadromeus agilis from Morocco and Egypt. A (A) revised reconstruction based on UCRC PV11 (B) holotype compared to a large femur (now lost) referred to the genus and species from the Bahariya Formation, Egypt. Known elements in white. Scale bars: 1 m.

Picture credit: Ibrahim et al (ZooKeys)

Sadly, like much of Stromer’s material from the Egyptian expeditions, the femur has been lost.

It is very likely that there were lots of smaller predatory dinosaurs too. Dromaeosaurid teeth have been reported from several localities but bones are exceptionally rare and the only positively identified dromaeosaurid skeletal elements are some foot bones found in Sudan and recovered from Cenomanian-age rocks.

A Predominance of Aquatic Predators

The authors state that the Kem Kem assemblage is dominated by aquatic and subaquatic invertebrates and vertebrates, the majority of which are predators. They suggest that as most of the taxa are exploiting aquatic food resources, then like modern marine food chains, the habitat is predator dominated. As to the overabundance of carnivorous dinosaurs compared to plant-eating ones, the researchers conclude that this is not due to sampling bias or preservation factors. Large theropods in the food web were supported primarily in the case of Spinosaurus or secondarily in the case of the terrestrial carnivores by the huge amount of aquatic protein sources.

For models of Carcharodontosaurus, Spinosaurus and other theropod dinosaurs: PNSO Age of Dinosaurs Models and Figures.

The dissected deltaic plain and nearshore environments may have enhanced aquatic resources while limiting, or rendering patchy areas of available vegetation for large-bodied dinosaurian herbivores. Hence the bias towards carnivores when it comes to assessing the fossilised remains of dinosaurs from the Kem Kem beds.

The Presence of So Many Carnivores could be Explained by the Abundance of Aquatic Food Sources such as Small Fish

*Serenoichthys kemkemensis from the Douira Formation. Scale bar equals 1 cm. The abundance of predators could be explained by the large amount of aquatic protein sources present in the environment.*

Picture credit: Ibrahim et al (ZooKeys)

The scientific paper: “Geology and paleontology of the Upper Cretaceous Kem Kem Group of eastern Morocco” by Nizar Ibrahim, Paul C. Sereno, David J. Varricchio, David M. Martill, Didier B. Dutheil, David M. Unwin, Lahssen Baidder, Hans C. E. Larsson, Samir Zouhri and Abdelhadi Kaoukaya published in ZooKeys.

Visit the Everything Dinosaur website: Everything Dinosaur.

22 05, 2020

13,000 Edmontosaurus an Astonishing Dinosaur Bonebed

By Mike|2024-02-18T13:47:44+00:00May 22nd, 2020|Categories: Adobe CS5, Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal News Stories, Dinosaur Fans, Geology, Main Page, Palaeontological articles, Photos/Pictures of Fossils|0 Comments

Massive Edmontosaurus Bonebed Provides Data on Dinosaur Decomposition

A team of scientists have produced a study mapping an astonishing dinosaur bonebed that has so far yielded a staggering total of 13,000 individual fossil elements. In truth, the bonebed contains many more fossils, but individual dinosaur teeth, ossified tendons and other fragmentary elements under five centimetres in length have not been counted.

Edmontosaurus annectens

The site is located in eastern Wyoming and consists almost entirely of the preserved remains of a single type of dinosaur, a hadrosaur (Edmontosaurus annectens). The bonebed study has not only provided a great deal of information about this duck-billed dinosaur but shed light on how death assemblages consisting of a large number of corpses are formed and how various bones of differing sizes might be transported before final deposition.

Dinosaur Bonebeds such as the Danek Edmontosaurus regalis Bonebed in Edmonton Have Yielded Thousands of Fossil Bones

Excavating an Edmontosaurus. — *The Danek Edmontosaurus bonebed is typical of an Edmontosaurus-dominated bonebed which are widespread in the Upper Cretaceous (Campanian to Maastrichtian) of western North America).*

Picture credit: Victoria Arbour

The Hanson Ranch Bonebed (Lance Formation)

Writing in the on-line, open access journal PLOS One, the scientists which include Keith Synder of the Biology Dept. of the Southern Adventist University, Tennessee, document the taphonomy and depositional history of an extensive E. annectens bonebed known as Hanson Ranch, in the Lance Formation of eastern Wyoming. The bonebed includes five main quarries and three exploratory quarries. Approximately 13,000 elements including around 8,400 identifiable bones, have been recovered in 506 square metres of excavated area in twenty years (1996-2016).

Virtually all the fossils are located within a fine-grained (claystone to siltstone) bed that has a maximum depth of two metres.

Mapping the Stratigraphy of the Main Bonebeds at the Hanson Research Station (Wyoming)

The Stratigraphy of the Hanson Research station. — *Local stratigraphy associated with the main bonebeds at the Hanson Research station. The green arrow indicates position of main bonebed.*

Picture credit: Synder et al (PLOS One) with additional annotation by Everything Dinosaur

Edmontosaurus annectens Fossils in an Excellent State of Preservation

Almost all the fossils recovered from the site exhibit exquisite preservation with little or no abrasion, breakages or signs of weathering prior to deposition. All the material is disarticulated and scattered although over a relatively confined area. This evidence in conjunction with analysis of the sediments associated with the fossils indicates that the bones were moved and buried after a period of initial decay and decomposition of the Edmontosaurus carcasses.

Mapping the Distribution of Fossil Bones in a Bonebed

A map showing the distribution of fossil material in an Edmontosaurus bonebed. — *A map showing typical disarticulated fossil bone distribution in a bonebed.*

Picture credit: Synder et al (PLOS One)

Gaining a Better Understanding of Edmontosaurus Biostratigraphy

The thousands of fossil bones represent mainly adult or sub-adult specimens. Due to the huge number of fossils associated with the Hanson Research site, the scientists have been able to gain a deeper understanding of Edmontosaurus biostratigraphy including how elements from the skeleton can be transported over distances prior to deposition. The most abundant fossil bones are ischia, pubes, scapulae, ribs and limb bones. In contrast, vertebrae, ilia and chevrons are rare.

Explaining the Composition of the Bonebed

When it comes to cranial material lower jaw bones (dentaries), nasals, quadrates and jugals are prevalent whilst premaxillae (upper jaw bones), predentaries and bones associated with the braincase are seldom found. The researchers suggest that following decay and break-up of the carcase, water action sorted and removed the articulated sections such as the backbone and the smaller bones such as the digits and toes, before, or at the same time, the remaining material was swept up in a subaqueous debris flow that created the final deposit.

The scientists suggest that similar processes may have been at work that created the other hadrosaurid-dominated Upper Cretaceous bonebeds associated with such geological formations as Hell Creek, Two Medicine, Horseshoe Canyon, Prince Creek as well as the Lance Formations of western North America. It is noted that there is a remarkably similar skeletal composition among the fossil bonebeds studied. It is also noted that there is a significant correlation between the hadrosaurid bonebeds and fluvial assemblages representing thanatocoenosis* events seen with modern-day vertebrate death assemblages.

Thanatocoenosis* Explained

Thanatocoenosis refers to a site where a collection of fossils representing a variety of organisms are found together. Such sites are often referred to as death assemblages. The organisms represented at the location may not have been associated in life, but their remains have been transported and deposited together thus forming a fossil bed composed of an extensive amount of fossilised material.

Not All of the Dinosaur Fossils are Edmontosaurus

The bonebed can be described as monodominant as the vast majority of the fossil material found can be assigned to just one species Edmontosaurus annectens. Non-dinosaurian terrestrial taxa identified include mammals and squamates along with the remains of many aquatic creatures such as crocodiles, turtles, gar and other fishes and numerous molluscs. Some other types of plant-eating dinosaur are represented notably, ceratopsids, pachycephalosaurs, nodosaurs and members of the family Thescelosauridae. Numerous shed theropod teeth are also associated with this location.

Everything Dinosaur will post up a separate article detailing one rather special theropod fossil associated with a quarry close to the Hanson Research station in the near future.

A Life Reconstruction of the Hadrosaurid Edmontosaurus

Wild Safari Prehistoric World Emontosaurus model. — *The new for 2020 Wild Safari Prehistoric World Edmontosaurus dinosaur model.*

The picture (above) highlights the 2020 Wild Safari Prehistoric World Edmontosaurus dinosaur model.

To view this range: Wild Safari Prehistoric World Models.

The scientific paper: “Over 13,000 elements from a single bonebed help elucidate disarticulation and transport of an Edmontosaurus thanatocoenosis” by Keith Snyder, Matthew McLain, Jared Wood and Arthur Chadwick published in PLOS One.

Visit the Everything Dinosaur website: Everything Dinosaur.

20 05, 2020

The First Elaphrosaurine Theropod Reported from Australia

By Mike|2024-02-20T20:45:27+00:00May 20th, 2020|Categories: Adobe CS5, Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal News Stories, Dinosaur Fans, Main Page, Palaeontological articles, Photos/Pictures of Fossils|0 Comments

Curious Cervical Leads to Startling Conclusion

Think of a theropod dinosaur and a ferocious carnivore with a large head and big teeth probably comes to mind. However, the Theropoda is an extremely diverse clade within the Dinosauria, not all of them were big, particularly ferocious or even had teeth. One group the elaphrosaurines, were very bizarre indeed and the discovery of a single neck bone in Victoria has led to the conclusion that these strange, light-weight dinosaurs distantly related to Carnotaurus, roamed Australia in the Early Cretaceous.

A Life Reconstruction of the Australian Elaphrosaurine

Life reconstruction of the elaphrosaur from Victoria. — *A life reconstruction of the first elaphrosaur from Australia.*

Picture credit: Ruairdh Duncan (Swinburne University of Technology, Victoria)

From the Lower Cretaceous of Australia

Volunteer Jessica Parker discovered a 5-centimetre-long bone whilst helping out at the annual Dinosaur Dreaming excavation near Cape Otway, Victoria (2015). The sediments at the site, known as Eric the Red West, date from the late Albian faunal stage of the Lower Cretaceous and are part of the Eumeralla Formation. At first, the bone identified as a cervical vertebra (neck bone), was thought to have come from a pterosaur.

Intriguingly for Swinburne University palaeontologist Dr Stephen Poropat and PhD student Adele Pentland, once the fossil specimen had been prepared it became clear that this was not a bone from the middle portion of the neck of a flying reptile.

Dr Poropat explained:

“Pterosaur neck vertebrae are very distinctive. In all known pterosaurs, the body of the vertebra has a socket at the head end, and a ball or condyle at the body end. This vertebra had sockets at both ends, so it could not have been from a pterosaur.”

The Cervical Vertebra – Evidence of Australia’s First Elaphrosaur

The cervical vertebra (elaphrosaur0. — *The five-centimetre-long bone identified as a middle cervical from an elaphrosaur.*

Picture credit: Dr Stephen Poropat

Geologically Much Younger Than Most Elaphrosaurines

The taxonomic affinity of the subfamily Elaphrosaurinae within the Theropoda remains controversial. A number of authors have placed this little-known group, characterised by their small, light, graceful bodies, tiny heads, long necks and reduced forelimbs within the Noasauridae family, which means that they are distantly related to abelisaurids such as Ekrixinatosaurus, Majungasaurus and Carnotaurus.

Most elaphrosaurs are known from the Late Jurassic, but this new elaphrosaur from Australia, lived some forty million years later. Only Huinculsaurus (H. montesi), from the Cenomanian/Turonian (early Late Cretaceous), of Argentina is geologically younger, than the Australian fossil remains.

The Fossil Find Location, Typical Elaphrosaurine Body Plan and Placing the Fossil Find in a Chronological Context

Elaphosaur timeline and typical body plan. — A silhouette of the elaphrosaur with a map showing fossil location and a timeline showing elaphrosaurine chronology. The newly described elaphrosaurine from Victoria is geologically the second youngest member of this group known.

Picture credit: Poropat et al (Gondwana Research)

A Dinosaur of the Polar Region

The discovery of this single, fossilised neckbone adds support to the idea that the elaphrosaurines were geographically and temporally much more widespread than previously thought. The similarity of these dinosaurs to the much better-known ornithomimosaur theropods (bird mimics), could help to explain why few other Cretaceous elaphrosaur specimens have come to light. Fossil material may have been found but misidentified as representing ornithomimids.

As the Cape Otway location would have been situated much further south during the Early Cretaceous (110-107 million years ago), at around a latitude of 76 degrees south, this implies that elaphrosaurines were capable of tolerating near-polar palaeoenvironments.

Elaphrosaurines were Related to Noasaurids

Recently, Everything Dinosaur wrote a post about the discovery of noasaurid from an opal mine close to Lightning Ridge (New South Wales). Noasaurids and elaphrosaurines were related, most scientists classifying them as different branches within the Abelisauroidea. Coincidentally, the New South Wales noasaurid was identified from a single cervical vertebra too. Both it and the Cape Otway elaphrosaurine dinosaur have not been assigned to any genus, but both fossils are likely to represent new species.

To read Everything Dinosaur’s article about the recently discovered noasaurid from New South Wales: Noasaurids from Australia.

The scientific paper: “First elaphrosaurine theropod dinosaur (Ceratosauria: Noasauridae) from Australia — A cervical vertebra from the Early Cretaceous of Victoria” by Stephen F. Poropat, Adele H. Pentland, Ruairidh J. Duncan, Joseph J. Bevitt, Patricia Vickers-Rich and Thomas H. Rich published in Gondwana Research.

For models and replicas of dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals: Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal Models.

The Everything Dinosaur website: The Everything Dinosaur Website.

4 05, 2020

A New Dinosaur Called Stellasaurus – “Star Lizard”

By Mike|2024-02-19T07:34:10+00:00May 4th, 2020|Categories: Adobe CS5, Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal News Stories, Dinosaur Fans, Main Page, Palaeontological articles, Photos/Pictures of Fossils|0 Comments

Stellasaurus ancellae – Missing Link from the Two Medicine Formation of Montana

A new species of horned dinosaur has been described based on fossil material from the famous Two Medicine Formation of north-western Montana. The new species named Stellasaurus ancellae is a possible missing link in the evolutionary transition of Centrosaurinae dinosaurs from Styracosaurus to one of the last of the horned dinosaurs known to science – Pachyrhinosaurus.

Stellasaurus means “star lizard”, reflecting the ornate star-shaped head crest and in honour of British rock/pop star David Bowie, famous for his flamboyant appearance and his hit single “Starman” which was released on April 28th 1972, almost 48 years to the day that the Stellasaurus scientific paper was published in Royal Society Open Science.

United by a Flamboyant Appearance David Jones AKA David Bowie and “Star Lizard” AKA Stellasaurus

Two flamboyant characters David Bowie and Stellasaurus. — *David Bowie (left) and Stellasaurus ancellae (right).*

Picture credit: Getty Images and Andrey Atuchin

Stellasaurus ancellae

Just like the career of David Bowie, Stellasaurus has had to wait a while before becoming famous. The fossil material now assigned to Stellasaurus was discovered in 1986, near the town of Cut Bank in Montana, close to the USA/Canadian border. The discovery was made by Carrie Ancell. It remained catalogued but not studied in the Museum of the Rockies (Montana), vertebrate fossil collection.

The contribution of Carrie Ancell, now a senior preparator at the Museum of the Rockies, has been recognised as the species name honours her. Carrie Ancell has played a significant role in developing our understanding of northern Laramidian centrosaurines. She discovered and prepared MOR 492, the holotype specimen of Stellasaurus ancellae, as well as the holotype of Achelousaurus horneri, and co-discovered the holotype of Einiosaurus procurvicornis.

Views of the Holotype Fossil Material of Stellasaurus ancellae

Holotype fossil material for Stellasaurus ancellae — Left lateral parietal bar of Stellasaurus ancellae holotype MOR 492 in dorsal and ventral views. The line drawing has been reproduced from a PLOS One article (Evans and Ryan). Note scale bar on left equals 10 cm.

Picture credit: Wilson et al/Royal Society Open Science

Reviewing the Centrosaurinae Fossil Material from the Two Medicine Formation

A review of cranial material, specifically the ornamentation associated with the neck frill (parietal processes), previously assigned to the centrosaurine Rubeosaurus ovatus resulted in the identification of this new taxon. However, this assessment could mark the demise of R. ovatus as the researchers, which include John Wilson of Montana State University, conclude that only what was the holotype fossil, a partial parietal specimen number USNM 11869, can be attributed Rubeosaurus. This could spell the end for Rubeosaurus. When USNM 11869 was first described it was assigned to a new species of Styracosaurus (S. ovatus).

Thus, this new paper proposes that the genus Rubeosaurus is now no longer valid and that Styracosaurus ovatus is the sister taxon to Styracosaurus albertensis and Stellasaurus marks a missing link in centrosaurine evolution between Styracosaurus and Einiosaurus procurvicornis.

A Stratigraphical and Temporal Assessment of Late Cretaceous Centrosaurines Based on Two Medicine Formation Fossil Material *

The centrosaurine lineage from Styracosaurus to Pachyrhinosaurus. — Stratigraphic and temporal relationship between Two Medicine Formation centrosaurine taxa. * Pachyrhinosaurus lakustai fossil material is not from the Two Medicine Formation but from the younger unit 4 sediments of the Wapiti Formation of Canada.

Picture credit: Wilson et al/Royal Society Open Science

A Missing Link Amongst the Centrosaurinae

The researchers postulate that Stellasaurus represents a missing link in the centrosaurine family tree. The fossils of Stellasaurus are believed to be around 75 million years old. From a stratigraphical perspective, they are younger than Styracosaurus albertensis fossils, but older than fossils assigned to Einiosaurus. That flamboyant head shield with its various lumps and bumps could reflect a transitional stage between the headshield morphology of Styracosaurus and that of Einiosaurus. It is suggested that Stellasaurus was preceded by Styracosaurus and that Styracosaurus evolved into Stellasaurus. In addition, Einiosaurus evolved from Stellasaurus.

A Transitional Process – One Horned Dinosaur Leading Directly to Another Species of Horned Dinosaur

Anagenesis amongst centrosaurines. — *Anagenesis within centrosaurine dinosaurs. Stellasaurus evolved from Styracosaurus and Einiosaurus evolved from Stellasaurus.*

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur/Andrey Atuchin

Anagenesis in the Centrosaurinae

Commenting upon the importance of this new research, lead author John Wilson stated:

“The ornamental horns and spiky frills on the skulls of these animals are what changed the most through evolution. The new species has skull ornamentation which is intermediate. This gives us evidence these species are members of a single, evolving lineage – this type of evolution is called anagenesis.”

The Phylogeny of the Centrosaurinae from Statistical Analysis Undertaken by the Research Team

Phylogeny of the Centrosaurinae based on Bayesian analysis. — Phylogeny of the Centrosaurinae clade of the Ceratopsidae based on Bayesian statistical analysis mapped against a temporal range. Styracosaurus ovatus (formerly Rubeosaurus ovatus), is placed as the sister taxon to Styracosaurus albertensis, whilst Stellasaurus is mapped between S. albertensis and Einiosaurus procurvicornis.

Picture credit: Wilson et al/Royal Society Open Science

The scientific paper: “A new, transitional centrosaurine ceratopsid from the Upper Cretaceous Two Medicine Formation of Montana and the evolution of the ‘Styracosaurus-line’ dinosaurs” by John P. Wilson, Michael J. Ryan and David C. Evans published in Royal Society Open Science.

The Everything Dinosaur website: Everything Dinosaur.

2 05, 2020

Spinosaurus – An Enormous River Monster

By Mike|2024-02-18T15:58:37+00:00May 2nd, 2020|Categories: Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal News Stories, Dinosaur Fans, Main Page, Palaeontological articles, Photos/Pictures of Fossils|0 Comments

Spinosaurus an Aquatic Dinosaur

A team of international researchers including scientists from Leicester University, the University of Portsmouth and the University of Detroit Mercy, have published a paper in the academic journal “Nature” that concludes that the giant theropod Spinosaurus was indeed an aquatic animal.

Studying Spinosaurus

In the autumn of 2014, a paper was published in the journal “Science” entitled “Semiaquatic adaptations in a giant predatory dinosaur”. Spinosaurus was depicted as an obligate quadruped very much at home in the water. In this latest publication, three of the authors involved in the earlier study, Nizar Ibrahim of the University of Detroit Mercy, Cristiano Dal Sasso and Simone Maganuco from the Natural History Museum of Milan (Italy), have collaborated with numerous other researchers in the analysis of Spinosaurus aegyptiacus tail bones.

The tail of Spinosaurus was unlike any other known theropod. The fossil tail bones, indicate that the tail was wide, flexible and fin-like. It seems very well adapted to propelling this huge dinosaur through water. The researchers conclude that this is unambiguous evidence for an aquatic propulsive structure in a member of the Dinosauria. In other words, Spinosaurus was very much at home in the rivers, swamps and lakes of the Cretaceous of northern Africa. Here is one dinosaur that took to the water.

Life Reconstruction of Spinosaurus (S. aegyptiacus) 2020

Swimming Spinosaurus 2020 — *A pair of spinosaurids hunting the giant, prehistoric sawfish Onchopristis.*

Picture credit: Davide Bonadonna/National Geographic

The beautiful illustration (above), depicts Spinosaurus hunting the 8-metre-long sawfish (Onchopristis). A partial fossil jaw found in 1975 (MSNM V4047), attributed to Spinosaurus had a vertebra thought to have come from an Onchopristis embedded within it. Although, the vertebra is thought to have become lodged after the Spinosaurus died, it demonstrated that Spinosaurus and this giant prehistoric fish were contemporaneous.

Not All Dinosaurs were Entirely Terrestrial

Unlike a lot of Kem Kem fossil material from Morocco, the Spinosaurus specimen, which was discovered in 2015, with the tail section found in 2018, consists of numerous associated bones. Most of the vertebrate fossils found within these deposits are isolated, but these caudal vertebrae with their tall neural spines and elongated chevrons, have permitted the researchers to reconstruct the tail and to test its swimming capabilities using robotic flapping apparatus that was built to model the tail’s morphology and motion.

The researchers conclude that the tail of Spinosaurus was long, strong, flexible and ideal for propelling this monster through water. It is likely that these fossils will provide much more information on the enigmatic Spinosaurus, as the material represents the most complete theropod dinosaur found to date in northern Africa.

The Reconstructed Spinosaurus – Obligate Quadruped with a Typical Theropod Tail (circa 2014)

*Life-size reconstruction and supplemental figure from the autumn 2014 scientific paper.*

Picture credit: Davide Bonadonna (top) Ibrahim et al (bottom)

A Reconstruction of Spinosaurus aegyptiacus 2020

Picture credit: Davide Bonadonna/National Geographic

The Tail of a Tail

Note the differences in the shape of the tail between the 2014 reconstruction and the very much more fin-like 2020 reconstruction. The tail of Spinosaurus aegyptiacus has been described as resembling that of a giant crested newt.

Co-author of the scientific paper, Dr David Unwin (University of Leicester), commented:

“The Spinosaurus’ fin-like tail is a game changing discovery for us that fundamentally alters our understanding of how this dinosaur lived and hunted – it was actually a ‘river-monster’. As well as its tail, many other features of this dinosaur, such as the high position of the nostrils, heavy bones, short legs and paddle-like feet point to a life spent in the water rather than on land. Not only did dinosaurs dominate the land and take to the air as birds, they even went back into the water and became the top predators there as well.”

The Papo Limited-edition Spinosaurus Model (2019)

Historically, some types of dinosaurs were associated with aquatic environments, for example, Jurassic sauropods and duck-billed dinosaurs such as Corythosaurus and Lambeosaurus. However, these ideas have now been abandoned by most scientists and the Dinosauria is regarded as almost entirely terrestrial. Recent studies have suggested that the enigmatic spinosaurids, dinosaurs such as Oxalaia, Irritator, Siamosaurus and Ichthyovenator along with Suchomimus, Baryonyx et al, may have been semi-aquatic. This newly published paper demonstrates that Spinosaurus aegyptiacus possessed a number of anatomical adaptations indicating an aquatic habit. In 2019, Papo introduced a new, limited-edition figure of Spinosaurus, depicting this animal as a semi-aquatic, obligate quadruped.

The Papo Limited-edition Spinosaurus Figure (2019)

Papo Limited Edition Spinosaurus Model. — The Papo limited-edition Spinosaurus dinosaur model (2019). This Papo replica depicted Spinosaurus with a fin-like tail, ironically, this shape of tail has now been proposed by vertebrate palaeontologists. *Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.*

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

A Close-up View of the Thick Tail Adapted for Swimming of the Papo Spinosaurus

Papo Limited Edition Spinosaurus tail. — *The tail of the Papo limited-edition Spinosaurus dinosaur model (2019).* *Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.*

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

Implications for Other Members of the Spinosauridae

Spinosaurus aegyptiacus was one of the last of the spinosaurids. The authors of the scientific paper postulate that other members of the Spinosauridae are thought to have had aquatic adaptations which suggests a substantial invasion of aquatic environments by this clade of theropods.

Our congratulations to the scientists for their research into this fascinating theropod, we look forward to further papers being published as the Spinosaurus material from the Moroccan site continues to be excavated. Our congratulations to Papo, for producing a fantastic replica, that although might not depict the dinosaur as exactly as some palaeontologists might, but they do seem to have produced a tail that reflects the newly published scientific data.

A review of the 2014 paper: Spinosaurus 2014 Scientific Paper Review.

To see the Papo range of prehistoric animal models including the limited edition Spinosaurus: Papo Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Animal Models.

The scientific paper: “Tail-propelled aquatic locomotion in a theropod dinosaur” by Nizar Ibrahim, Simone Maganuco, Cristiano Dal Sasso, Matteo Fabbri, Marco Auditore, Gabriele Bindellini, David M. Martill, Samir Zouhri, Diego A. Mattarelli, David M. Unwin, Jasmina Wiemann, Davide Bonadonna, Ayoub Amane, Juliana Jakubczak, Ulrich Joger, George V. Lauder and Stephanie E. Pierce published in the journal Nature.

Visit the Everything Dinosaur website: Everything Dinosaur.

8 04, 2020

Lower Triassic Fossil from Brazil – The Origins of the Tanystropheidae

By Mike|2024-02-16T17:07:19+00:00April 8th, 2020|Categories: Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal News Stories, Dinosaur Fans, Main Page, Palaeontological articles|0 Comments

Elessaurus gondwanoccidens – Unlocking the Origins of the Bizarre Tanystropheidae

After the mass extinction event that marked the end of the Permian many new types of terrestrial vertebrate evolved. The archosaurs radiated and developed into a variety of forms, one of the most bizarre groups to emerge were the Tanystropheidae, epitomised by the amazing Middle Triassic Tanystropheus with its hugely elongated neck.

The origin of the tanystropheids remains shrouded in mystery. The paucity of the fossil record has hindered palaeontologists in their research. However, a team of scientists have reported the discovery of fossils in southern Brazil that may shed light on the ancestry of these incredible reptiles.

Elessaurus gondwanoccidens

Writing in the academic journal PLOS One, the researchers which include Tiane De-Oliviera of the Federal University of Santa Maria, Brazil, describe and name Elessaurus gondwanoccidens. It had long legs and very probably a long tail. The genus name being inspired by the Elvish name (Elessar), a character from Lord of the Rings also known as Aragorn played by Viggo Mortensen in the trilogy of films directed by Peter Jackson.

A Life Reconstruction of the Newly Described Archosauromorph Elessaurus gondwanoccidens

Elessaurus life reconstruction. — *A life reconstruction of the newly described Elessaurus from the Lower Triassic of Brazil.*

Picture credit: Márcio L. Castro

An Illustration of the Bizarre Tanystropheus with its Greatly Elongated Neck

A drawing of Tanystropheus. — *A drawing of the bizarre Triassic reptile Tanystropheus. Elessaurus has been described as the sister taxon to the Tanystropheidae. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.*

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

Fragmentary Fossil Material – The Posterior of an Early Triassic Archosauromorph

The fossil material used to describe this new species consists of a partially articulated hind limb and associated fossil elements including parts of the pelvis and caudal vertebrae. The specimen was collected at the locality Bica São Tomé, Sanga do Cabral Formation (Sanga do Cabral Supersequence, Paraná Basin of southern Brazil).

Based on other fragmentary vertebrate fossils known from this area, the rocks that contained Elessaurus are believed to date from the Lower Triassic. Although the Elessaurus fossil material represents just a portion of the skeleton and no bones from the anterior part of the animal are known, these fossils represent the most complete post-cranial fossil material obtained to date from the Sanga do Cabral Formation.

Elessaurus Fossil Material (UFSM 11471) and an Accompanying Line Drawing

E. gondwanoccidens fossil material and accompanying line drawing. — Elessaurus gondwanoccidens fossil material and accompanying line drawing showing limb, pelvis and tail elements. Abbreviations fi = fibula, ti = tibia, gr = groove, fe = femur, il = ilium, sv = sacral vertebra, cv = caudal vertebra. Note scale bar equals 10 mm.

Picture credit: De-Oliveira et al (PLOS One)

A Phylogenetic Assessment

A phylogenetic assessment of Elessaurus places this genus as a sister taxon to the Tanystropheidae. The analysis suggests that E. gondwanoccidens was closely related to the tanystropheids and as such it can provide information into the origins of these bizarre reptiles. Most tanystropheid fossils are found in Middle to Late Triassic rocks of North America, Europe and Asia. These fossils tend to be strongly associated with marine deposits, indicating that most later tanystropheids adapted to an aquatic or semi-aquatic lifestyle.

The discovery of the closely related but earlier Elessaurus in continental deposits from the Lower Triassic of Brazil, indicates that the origin of this group may lie in the southern continents, the landmass known as Gondwana. The location of the fossil was the inspiration for the trivial (specific), name of this reptile. The specific name is derived from the super-continent Gondwana and the Latin adjective “occidens” which means western.

Map (A) Showing the Location of the Fossil Find (B) Stratigraphic Diagram and a Skeletal Reconstruction of Elessaurus

A map showing the location of the fossil find, along with a stratigraphic profile of the outcrop and a skeletal reconstruction of Elessaurus (known fossil material in grey).

Picture credit: De-Oliveira et al (PLOS One)

A Terrestrial Animal

The long legs of Elessaurus seem to be suited to a terrestrial existence. This suggests that the ancestral tanystropheids may have been entirely terrestrial before later species adapted to a more aquatic life. The discovery of Elessaurus provides a clearer view of the origins of the Tanystropheidae, the scientists hope that further fossil finds will shed more light on the ancestry and evolution of these very unusual tetrapods.

The scientific paper: “A new archosauromorph from South America provides insights on the early diversification of tanystropheids” by Tiane M. De-Oliveira, Felipe L. Pinheiro, Átila Augusto Stock Da-Rosa, Sérgio Dias-Da-Silva and Leonardo Kerber published in PLOS One.

The Everything Dinosaur website: Everything Dinosaur.

6 04, 2020

New Study Suggests Homo heidelbergensis Younger Than Previously Thought

By Mike|2024-02-09T08:19:47+00:00April 6th, 2020|Categories: Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal News Stories, Main Page, Palaeontological articles, Photos/Pictures of Fossils|0 Comments

Dating the Broken Hill Skull – H. heidelbergensis Younger than Previously Thought

Palaeoanthropologists have long recognised that the evolution of the hominins and our own species (Homo sapiens), was complicated and not simply a linear transgression from one species to another. Human fossil remains are exceptionally rare and sometimes, a new study can upend previously assumed concepts and ideas. For example, a team of scientists including researchers from the Natural History Museum (London), Australian National University (Canberra), University College Dublin, Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle (Paris), University of the Free State (South Africa), University of Wollongong (Queensland), University of Southampton and Griffith University (Queensland), have published new dating information for a hominin skull discovered in 1921.

The skull representing Homo heidelbergensis turns out to be much younger than previously thought.

The Famous Broken Hill Skull (Kabwe 1) Homo heidelbergensis

The famous H. heidelbergensis skull (Kabwe 1). — *Views of the Broken Hill Skull (Kabwe 1). Left lateral view (A) and anterior view (B).*

Picture credit: The Trustees of the Natural History Museum

Studying Homo heidelbergensis

Writing in the academic journal “Nature”, the researchers conclude that this skull, previously thought to be around half a million years old, was much younger with an estimated date of between 274,000 and 324,000 years of age. This result suggests that in the later stages of the Middle Pleistocene of Africa (Chibanian stage), there were many different types of hominin living at the same time. Homo sapiens, H. heidelbergensis/H. rhodesiensis and Homo naledi were all contemporaneous.

The Broken Hill Skull

The skull studied, referred to as the Broken Hill specimen, currently resides in the collection of the Natural History Museum (London) and is on display in the Human Evolution gallery, but there are ongoing discussions about the return of this fossil to Africa.

The skull was discovered in 1921 by an African miner and his Swiss co-worker Tom Zwigelaar at the lead and zinc mine located at Broken Hill, which at the time was in northern Rhodesia but is now Kabwe in Zambia, hence the reference to the fossil skull as Kabwe 1. Other fragmentary human remains were also found at the mine (partial upper jaw, tibia, sacrum and two elements from a femur from another individual). The fossils were donated by the mining company to the then British Museum (Natural History Museum), at the time of their discovery anthropologists regarded these fossils as the most significant hominin fossils found on the African continent.

Early Photographs of Kabwe 1 (Broken Hill Skull)

Original photographs of the Broken Hill skull (Homo heidelbergensis). — *Original photographs of the Broken Hill skull (H. heidelbergensis).*

Picture credit: Griffith University (Queensland)

Problems Dating the Skull and Fossil Bones

Nearly a hundred years ago, data recording surrounding such an important fossil discovery was nowhere near as thorough at it is today. Mining work continued in the area where the skull and other bones had been found so any evidence to help accurately date the fossils was subsequently lost. Assigned to Homo heidelbergensis, the skull was originally dated to around 500,000 years ago. However, these researchers, led by Professor Rainer Grün (Environmental Futures Research Institute at Griffith University), subjected the skull and the other hominin fragments from the site to radiometric dating and determined that these people lived between 274,000 and 324,000 years ago.

Commenting on the importance of this research, Professor Grün stated:

“The new best age estimate of the fossil impacts our understanding of the tempo and mode of modern human origins”.

One of the co-authors of the scientific paper, Professor Chris Stringer (Natural History Museum), added:

“Previously, the Broken Hill skull was viewed as part of a gradual and widespread evolutionary sequence in Africa from archaic humans to modern humans. But now it looks like the primitive species Homo naledi survived in southern Africa, H. heidelbergensis was in Central Africa, and early forms of our species existed in regions like Morocco and Ethiopia.”

Homo rhodesiensis and Piltdown Man

It was Sir Arthur Smith Woodward, the curator of the Geology Department at the British Museum who proposed the new species Homo rhodesiensis to describe the Kabwe 1 skull as “Rhodesian Man”. However, most scientists now consider H. rhodesiensis to be junior synonym of H. heidelbergensis or possibly an African sub-species of it. Despite a prestigious academic career, Sir Arthur is best remembered for his association with the Piltdown Man hoax of 1912. Even on his deathbed, he still believed that the fossil remains found in a Sussex gravel bed at Barkham Manor, near to Piltdown Common, represented a species of archaic human, unlike any other species of early hominin known to science.

Unfortunately, for Sir Arthur, five years after he died, new dating techniques proved the human skull bones from the site to be less than 500 years old.

The new, younger date for the Kabwe 1 skull also casts a cloud over the provenance of stone tools associated with hominin fossils from the late Middle Pleistocene. As scientists have evidence to indicate Homo heidelbergensis present in Africa as recently as 300,000 years ago, stone tools from this date may not have been crafted by our species.

Not All the African Stone Tools Around 300,000 Years of Age Can be Ascribed to our own Species

Heidelbergensis flint spear. — Crafted with considerable skill – a flint spear point associated with Homo heidelbergensis. The much younger age of the Kabwe 1 specimen casts doubts about which species made the stone tools associated with Middle Pleistocene hominin fossils.

Picture credit: Dr Nicholas Conrad/University of Tubingen

The new age estimate for Kabwe 1 raises questions about our own evolution. It casts doubts on the presumption that H. heidelbergensis/H. rhodesiensis was a direct ancestor of our species Homo sapiens. This research suggests that there were multiple contemporaneous hominin lineages in Africa during the later stages of the Middle Pleistocene, reflecting a similar model found in Eurasia.

African hominins (late Middle Pleistocene) – H. sapiens, H. naledi, H. heidelbergensis/H. rhodesiensis
European/Asia hominins (late Middle Pleistocene) – H. neanderthalensis, H. luzonensis, H. floresiensis, the Denisovans and perhaps also H. heidelbergensis and H. erectus

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

The scientific paper: “Dating the skull from Broken Hill, Zambia, and its position in human evolution” by Rainer Grün, Alistair Pike, Frank McDermott, Stephen Eggins, Graham Mortimer, Maxime Aubert, Lesley Kinsley, Renaud Joannes-Boyau, Michael Rumsey, Christiane Denys, James Brink, Tara Clark and Chris Stringer published in Nature.

To read an article about the presence of H. heidelbergensis in Kent: Giant Prehistoric Straight-tusked Elephant Butchered by H. heidelbergensis.

The Everything Dinosaur website: Everything Dinosaur.

30 03, 2020

Pterosaurs, Pterosaurs and Even More Pterosaurs

By Mike|2024-01-20T14:27:39+00:00March 30th, 2020|Categories: Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal Drawings, Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal News Stories, Dinosaur Fans, Main Page, Palaeontological articles|0 Comments

The “Golden Age” of Pterosauria Research

In the last few weeks, a number of scientific papers have been published detailing new pterosaur discoveries and fossil finds. We really do seem to be living in a “golden age” of flying reptile research. For example, researchers have identified the fragmentary fossil remains of three types of pterosaur from the famous Cretaceous Kem Kem beds of Morocco (Anhanguera, Coloborhynchus and Ornithocheirus). Even before the dust had settled on that publication, another scientific paper, published this week, describes Afrotapejara zouhrii, the newest member of the Tapejaridae, fossils of which also come from the enigmatic Kem Kem beds.

The “Golden Age” of Pterosaur Research – Illustration of Three of the New Pterosaur Types Described

New pterosaur genera described from the Kem Kem Beds of Morocco. — *The pterosaur Anhanguera soars over the skies of North Africa with Coloborhynchus and Ornithocheirus to keep it company.*

Picture credit: Megan Jacobs (Baylor University, Texas)

Cretaceous Fossils Mixed Up in a Blender

The Kem Kem Formation is exposed in south-eastern Morocco and neighbouring Algeria. The extensive deposits represent an inter-tidal, estuarine environment with large, wide lagoons and a broad floodplain criss-crossed by numerous rivers. These sediments were laid down in the Albian to Cenomanian faunal stages of the Cretaceous, approximately 100 to 95 million years ago.

The terrestrial landscape was dominated by dinosaurs, surprisingly, there seems to have been an overabundance of big theropods present – Spinosaurus, Rugops (other abelisaurs), Sauroniops, Deltadromeus, Carcharodontosaurus, potential dromaeosaurids and a wealth of other fossil bones and isolated teeth that represent indeterminate species.

Trouble is, the transport of material due to river and tidal action has resulted in a mixing up of fossil material. Fossil beds contain a vast array of jumbled up, disarticulated material, much of which may also have been re-deposited from its original stratigraphic layer. These deposits have been colourfully described as representing fossils that have been put in a blender, such is their mixing and depositional status.

Typical Isolated and Fragmentary Vertebrate Fossil Remains from the Kem Kem Beds

Fossil remains (Kem Kem beds). — *Assorted vertebrate fossil remains from the Kem Kem beds of Morocco.*

Pterosaurs as Piscivores

In the first scientific paper, researchers from the University of Portsmouth, Baylor University (Waco, Texas), the University of Detroit Mercy (Detroit), Leicester University, the Laboratoire Santé et Environnement (Morocco) and the University of Bath report on the discovery of fragmentary jaws and associated teeth that led to the identification of three new types of pterosaur.

The remains suggest three ornithocheirid pterosaurs, a second species of Coloborhynchus and an Ornithocheirus reminiscent of Ornithocheirus fossil material known from the Cambridge Greensand deposits of southern England. In addition, a portion of a lower jaw (mandibular symphysis), closely resembles that of the South American ornithocheirid Anhanguera piscator, fossils of which are known from the roughly contemporaneous Romualdo Member of the Santana Formation (Brazil).

An Illustration of Anhanguera (Ornithocheiridae Family)

Fossils from Morocco

As well as representing a turbulent depositional environment, the fossiliferous beds of south-eastern Morocco provide an additional challenge for scientists. Local residents mine the sedimentary rocks, often using only rudimentary tools and materials, so that they can sell their fossil finds to dealers and collectors. Fortunately, in this case, the fragments of jaw were acquired by scientists enabling a proper academic investigation to be carried out. The teeth of these pterosaurs suggest that they were probably piscivores, the largest of which probably had a wingspan in excess of four metres.

In the paper, the researchers conclude that the Kem Kem fossil assemblage includes at least nine species of pterosaur, of which the majority (five), are members of the Ornithocheiridae. These strata help to support the theory that toothed pterosaurs remained diverse throughout the late Early Cretaceous, before going into decline and eventually disappearing after the Cenomanian faunal stage.

And There’s More – Another Moroccan Pterosaur This Time a Tapejarid

New pterosaur discoveries are behaving a bit like buses at the moment (prior to the coronavirus pandemic), three come along and then shortly afterwards another one turns up. Many of the same scientists from the first academic paper, have published, albeit a little earlier than expected, another paper, this time naming a new species tapejarid pterosaur. Unlike the other three, this flying reptile was edentulous (no teeth in the jaws). The newly described tapejarid has been named Afrotapejara zouhrii, based on yet more fragmentary material including jaw elements.

A Typical Illustration of a Tapejarid Pterosaur

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

Fossils of Pterosaurs from the Kem Kem Beds

Fossil jaws seem to be taphonomically selected for in the Kem Kem beds. Other pterosaur remains have been frequently reported from these deposits, but rarely are the fossils diagnostic. Isolated mandibular material had hinted at the present of tapejarids in northern Africa in the Early Cretaceous, but Afrotapejara is the first genus to be erected. It represents the fourth example of a toothless pterosaur taxon to have been described from the Kem Kem beds and it provides the first unambiguous evidence to support the presence of the Tapejaridae in Africa. The genus name translates as “African tapejarid”, whilst we suspect that the specific name honours Samir Zouhri, one of the authors of the first pterosaur paper reported upon in this blog post.

Based on this evidence, it seems that we really are living in a “golden age” of pterosaur research.

The first scientific paper: “New toothed pterosaurs (Pterosauria: Ornithocheiridae) from the middle Cretaceous Kem Kem beds of Morocco and implications for pterosaur palaeobiogeography and diversity” by Megan L. Jacobs, David M. Martill, David M. Unwin, Nizar Ibrahim, Samir Zouhri and Nicholas R. Longrich published in Cretaceous Research.

The second scientific paper: “A new tapejarid (Pterosauria, Azhdarchoidea) from the mid-Cretaceous Kem Kem beds of Takmout, southern Morocco” by David M. Martill, Roy Smith, David M. Unwin, Alexander Kao, James McPhee and Nizar Ibrahim published in Cretaceous Research.

The Everything Dinosaur website: Everything Dinosaur.