http://blog.gmane.org/gmane.science.dinosaurs.general hourly 1 1901-01-01T00:00+00:00 http://gmane.org/img/gmane-25t.png http://gmane.org http://comments.gmane.org/gmane.science.dinosaurs.general/54854 <pre>From: Ben Creisler bcreisler&lt; at &gt;gmail.com A new paper in Paleontological Journal: A. G. Sennikov and V. K. Golubev (2012) On the faunal verification of the Permo-Triassic boundary in continental deposits of eastern Europe: 1. Gorokhovets-Zhukov ravine. Paleontological Journal 46(3): 313-323 DOI: 10.1134/S003103011203015X http://www.springerlink.com/content/ug2835240107184u/ A reference section of the Permian and Triassic continental deposits of the Zhukov ravine near the town of Gorokhovets (Vladimir Region) is described and new tetrapod localities are characterized. The position of the Permian-Triassic boundary in this section is recognized and its faunal substantiation based on vertebrates is provided for the first time. The Zhukov ravine section is unique in the fact that it shows a thick stratigraphically continuous succession of the Permo-Triassic boundary beds, with three successive tetrapod zones: the terminal Permian Chroniosuchus paradoxus and Archosaurus rossicus zones and the Early Triassic Tupilakosaurus wetlugensis Zone. </pre> Ben Creisler 2012-05-26T15:45:30 http://comments.gmane.org/gmane.science.dinosaurs.general/54853 <pre>From: Ben Creisler bcreisler&lt; at &gt;gmail.com New in PLoS ONE: Claudia P. Tambussi, Ricardo de Mendoza, Federico J. Degrange &amp; Mariana B. Picasso (2012) Flexibility along the Neck of the Neogene Terror Bird Andalgalornis steulleti (Aves Phorusrhacidae). PLoS ONE 7(5): e37701. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.00377 http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0037701 Background Andalgalornis steulleti from the upper Miocene–lower Pliocene (≈6 million years ago) of Argentina is a medium-sized patagornithine phorusrhacid. It was a member of the predominantly South American radiation of ‘terror birds’ (Phorusrhacidae) that were apex predators throughout much of the Cenozoic. A previous biomechanical study suggests that the skull would be prepared to make sudden movements in the sagittal plane to subdue prey. Methodology/Principal Findings We analyze the flexion patterns of the neck of Andalgalornis based on the neck vertebrae morphology and biometrics. The transitional cervical vertebrae 5th and 9th clearly separate regions 1–2 and 2–3 respectively. Bifurcate neural spines are developed in the cervical vertebrae 7th to 12th suggesting the presence of a very intricate ligamentary system and of a very well developed epaxial musculature. The presence of the lig. elasticum interespinale is inferred. High neural spines of R3 suggest that this region concentrates the major stresses during downstrokes. Conclusions/Significance The musculoskeletal system of Andalgalornis seems to be prepared (1) to support a particularly big head during normal stance, and (2) to help the neck (and the head) rising after the maximum ventroflexion during a strike. The study herein is the first interpretation of the potential performance of the neck of Andalgalornis in its entirety and we considered this an important starting point to understand and reconstruct the flexion pattern of other phorusrhacids from which the neck is unknown. </pre> Ben Creisler 2012-05-26T04:56:34 http://comments.gmane.org/gmane.science.dinosaurs.general/54852 <pre>From: Ben Creisler bcreisler&lt; at &gt;gmail.com New in PLoS ONE: Tony Thulborn (2012) Impact of Sauropod Dinosaurs on Lagoonal Substrates in the Broome Sandstone (Lower Cretaceous), Western Australia. PLoS ONE 7(5): e36208. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0036208 http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0036208 Existing knowledge of the tracks left by sauropod dinosaurs (loosely ‘brontosaurs’) is essentially two-dimensional, derived mainly from footprints exposed on bedding planes, but examples in the Broome Sandstone (Early Cretaceous) of Western Australia provide a complementary three-dimensional picture showing the extent to which walking sauropods could deform the ground beneath their feet. The patterns of deformation created by sauropods traversing thinly-stratified lagoonal deposits of the Broome Sandstone are unprecedented in their extent and structural complexity. The stacks of transmitted reliefs (underprints or ghost prints) beneath individual footfalls are nested into a hierarchy of deeper and more inclusive basins and troughs which eventually attain the size of minor tectonic features. Ultimately the sauropod track-makers deformed the substrate to such an extent that they remodelled the topography of the landscape they inhabited. Such patterns of substrate deformation are revealed by investigating fragmentary and eroded footprints, not by the conventional search for pristine footprints on intact bedding planes. For that reason it is not known whether similar patterns of substrate deformation might occur at sauropod track-sites elsewhere in the world. </pre> Ben Creisler 2012-05-26T04:54:03 http://comments.gmane.org/gmane.science.dinosaurs.general/54845 <pre> &gt; Again, I actually like the idea - since you're the one who pointed it out here, I was hoping you had some suggestions for what we'd predict if tree-roosting was indeed important to paravians. The idea was never advanced by me as a testable lifestyle for any particular fossil specimen -- that would be a "misunderstanding" -- but it falsifies the idea that an animal evolving flight in tree-down gliding-first mode will by evolutionary logic show "arboreal adaptations" in its skeleton -- beyond the basic capacity to climb a tree... I suppose predictions made by tree-roosting might include 1) limited upstroke early on (that is, even after the appearance of a sophisticated gliding wing), 2) that the perching foot would appear subsequent to powered flight (full upstroke), not before -- and 3) the capability of climbing vertically. One note -- controlled climbing up is easier than climbing down -- and in the hoatzin type wing-claw model, climbing down would appear to be problematic, which makes parachuting/gliding useful. In any case, I am unsure that these are unique predictions, and would be useful in "proving" tree roosting -- although I suppose in sum they might be a start. Given that the possibility of a tree-roosting lifestyle falsifies certain assertions about the relevance of "arboreal adaptions" to bird flight evolution, I think any statements that the "discussion" was not fruitful are wrong. &gt; If your assertion is, instead, that we'd see no difference in the fossil record between a case a fully "terrestrial" origin and a "terrestrial + tree roosting" origin [...] Yes, that is my assertion, but relative only to pes morphology in small cursorial, feathered, vertical-climbing, etc, etc... I would think a strict ground-up scenario might predict a full wingstroke early on, even when wings are rudimentary -- but suppose that to be debatable. Foraging in a tree would necessarily alter the feet, by evolutionary logic -- but just sitting or sleeping in a tree will not necessarily do so, especially given a ground-foraging lifestyle and the attendant conserving of cursorial morpho-type. &gt; then I'm not sure what is being argued. Good question. You could comb through the various threads and find other people to ask </pre> Don Ohmes 2012-05-25T22:45:55 http://comments.gmane.org/gmane.science.dinosaurs.general/54831 <pre>Dear colleagues: This e-mail is to inform you of some courses on Geometric Morphometrics, which may would be of your interest. I would appreciate if you could distribute this information between your colleagues: "Introduction to Geometric Morphometrics". June 12-15, 2012. Instructors: Dr. Chris Klingenberg (University of Manchester, UK) and Dr. Jesús Marugán-Lobón (Universidad Autónoma de Madrid). Just 5 places left. More information at: http://www.transmittingscience.org/introduction_to_gm.htm “3D Geometric Morphometrics”. July 17-20, 2012. Instructor: Dra Melissa Tallman (CUNY/AMNH, New York). Early registration until May 31. More information at: http://www.transmittingscience.org/3d_gm.htm “Geometric Morphometrics and Phylogeny”. September 4-7, 2012. Instructor: Dr. Chris Klingenberg (University of Manchester, UK). More information at: http://www.transmittingscience.org/gm_and_phylogeny.htm For any questions: courses&lt; at &gt;transmittingscience.org. These courses will be held in the premises of Sabadell of the Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont (Barcelona, Spain). They are co-organized by Transmitting Science and el Institut Catalá de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont. Best regards Soledad De Esteban Trivigno Area de Paleobiología Institut Català de Paleontologia Edifici ICP, Campus de la UAB 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès Barcelona. Spain 00-34-935868334 www.icp.cat </pre> Soledad Esteban 2012-05-25T09:04:52 http://comments.gmane.org/gmane.science.dinosaurs.general/54810 <pre>From: Ben Creisler bcreisler&lt; at &gt;gmail.com A new online paper: A.J. (Tom) van Loon (2012) Time and space in stratigraphy: The ‘3-m gap’ story. Proceedings of the Geologists' Association (advance online publication) http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.pgeola.2012.03.008 http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0016787812000296 Even for earth scientists it appears difficult to keep in mind that a sedimentary succession does not form due to accumulation at a constant rate, but that long periods of slow accumulation may alternate with short phases of event sedimentation and/or shorter or longer time-spans of non-deposition or even erosion. An example of this incorrect way of thinking is a recently published article in which it is postulated that the find of a ceratopsian brow horn only 13 cm below the K/T boundary in the Hell Creek Formation (Montana, USA) proves that dinosaurs did not become extinct before the K/T impact. It is argued why the postulated consequence (closure of the so-called 3-m gap: a zone of some metres thick underneath the K/T boundary in which, thus far, no dinosaur remnants had been found in the USA) is based on incorrect presumptions, particularly the relationship between time and space. </pre> Ben Creisler 2012-05-24T16:11:23 http://comments.gmane.org/gmane.science.dinosaurs.general/54794 <pre>Hi all, Once again early access has prevented my institution from getting what we normally get. If anyone has access to the latest paper on ankylosaur systematics, I would really appreciate a copy of it. Thank you, Jason   Thompson, R.S., Parish, J.C., Maidment, S.C.R., Barrett, P.M. 2012. Phylogeny of the Ankylosaurian Dinosaurs (Ornithischia: Thyreophora). J.Syst.Paleo. Vol.10(2):301-312 </pre> Jura 2012-05-23T18:03:59 http://comments.gmane.org/gmane.science.dinosaurs.general/54789 <pre>From: Ben Creisler bcreisler&lt; at &gt;gmail.com Alas, the supposed giant "dinosaur eggs" from Chechnya are only boring rocks-- http://www.rt.com/news/chechen-eggs-rocks-photos-996/ </pre> Ben Creisler 2012-05-23T17:38:32 http://comments.gmane.org/gmane.science.dinosaurs.general/54786 <pre>From: Ben Creisler bcreisler&lt; at &gt;gmail.com A new online paper: Anthony R. Fiorillo, Thomas L. Adams &amp; Yoshitsugu Kobayashi (2012) Cretaceous Research (advance online publication) http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cretres.2012.04.013 http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0195667112000869 An unnamed nonmarine sedimentary package of rocks in southeastern Alaska in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve has provided the first evidence of dinosaurs for this vast region. The rock unit is contained within the Wrangellia Terrane and exposures are of limited geographic extent. The rock unit is considered to be latest Cretaceous age. Sections are overwhelmingly dominated by extraformational conglomerates. Fine- to medium-grained light coloured sandstones are common and medium grey shales occur as minor components of the sections. Megafloral specimens indicate an abundance of horsetails, ferns and gymnosperm wood. Rather than two-dimensional impressions, most ferns are preserved in three dimensions, suggesting rapid burial. The abundance of charcoal in these rocks suggests that this area during deposition was also prone to ecological disturbance. Field parties found evidence of a small theropod and ornithopods. A single theropod pes impression is approximately 9 cm long and 7 cm wide. Attribution to the Theropoda was based on the sinusoidal shape of the impression of the middle digit. An ornithopod impression, identified by clearly blunt and rounded digit impressions, is approximately 22 cm long and 26 cm wide. All impressions are under tracks. </pre> Ben Creisler 2012-05-23T17:13:46 http://comments.gmane.org/gmane.science.dinosaurs.general/54785 <pre>From: Ben Creisler bcreisler&lt; at &gt;gmail.com A new advance paper in Nature: Stephanie E. Pierce, Jennifer A. Clack &amp; John R. Hutchinson (2012) Three-dimensional limb joint mobility in the early tetrapod Ichthyostega. Nature (advance online publication) doi:10.1038/nature11124 http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nature11124.html The origin of tetrapods and the transition from swimming to walking was a pivotal step in the evolution and diversification of terrestrial vertebrates. During this time, modifications of the limbs—particularly the specialization of joints and the structures that guide their motions—fundamentally changed the ways in which early tetrapods could move. Nonetheless, little is known about the functional consequences of limb anatomy in early tetrapods and how that anatomy influenced locomotion capabilities at this very critical stage in vertebrate evolution. Here we present a three-dimensional reconstruction of the iconic Devonian tetrapod Ichthyostega and a quantitative and comparative analysis of limb mobility in this early tetrapod. We show that Ichthyostega could not have employed typical tetrapod locomotory behaviours, such as lateral sequence walking. In particular, it lacked the necessary rotary motions in its limbs to push the body off the ground and move the limbs in an alternating sequence. Given that long-axis rotation was present in the fins of tetrapodomorph fishes, it seems that either early tetrapods evolved through an initial stage of restricted shoulder and hip joint mobility or that Ichthyostega was unique in this respect. We conclude that early tetrapods with the skeletal morphology and limb mobility of Ichthyostega were unlikely to have made some of the recently described Middle Devonian trackways. </pre> Ben Creisler 2012-05-23T17:11:50 http://comments.gmane.org/gmane.science.dinosaurs.general/54783 <pre> OoooH ... Please .... anybody .... send me a copy of this paper !!! Thank you ever so much !!! - dale </pre> dale mcinnes 2012-05-23T15:42:32 http://comments.gmane.org/gmane.science.dinosaurs.general/54780 <pre>Hi all, I'm going to ask a potentially very silly question: how certain can we be that the osteoderms (particularly types 3 and 4) of *Agustinia ligabuei* Bonaparte, 1999 are actually osteoderms? Is it possible that they are just misidentified transverse processes / sacral ribs (compare the base of the osteoderm (but rotate it upside down) in Bonaparte (1999) to Figure 23.B in Curry Rogers (2009), for example)? If so, then the sacrum would have to have been at least a third wider than it is long (though I don't 100% trust the scale bars for the dimensions of the sacral vertebrae - in Bonaparte (1999), Figure 1 suggests that they are ~11cm long, whilst Figure 2 suggests ~67cm...). Novas (2009) follows Bonaparte's (1999) Figure 2, and based on his Figure 5.4 (p. 173; presuming his scaling of the osteoderms is correct) the breadth of the pelvis (without the ilia) would be ~91cm. The identity of the Type 2 osteoderm (640mm transverse length) is a bit more problematic; could it be the fused ischia, viewed dorsally? Similarly problematic is the type 4 osteoderm in Figure 5 of Bonaparte (1999) which was 760mm long; could this be a dorsal rib? The only images I am able to find of the holotype specimens are those in the original paper and the rearranged images in Novas, 2009. The discussions of Salgado &amp; Bonaparte (2007) and Upchurch et al. (2004) don't add much to the original description, the codings for *Augustinia* [sic] in Curry Rogers 2005 appear not to actually correspond to *Agustinia*, and I've had no luck finding any images on the internet. Have I missed any important references to this specimen? Do any photos and / or a quarry map exist somewhere, I wonder? If I'm completely off the track here, please let me know, it's just that I've been looking at Bonaparte's figures and struggling to believe the interpretation. This taxon is definitely in need of redescription and re-illustration... or (wishfully thinking) another, more complete specimen! Cheers, Steve Bonaparte, J.F., 1999. An armoured sauropod from the Aptian of northern Patagonia, Argentina, In: Tomida, Y., Rich, T.H., Vickers-Rich, P. (Eds.), Second Gondwanan Dinosaur Symposium: National Science Museum Monograph, 15, Tokyo, pp. 1-12. Curry Rogers, K.A., 2005. Titanosauria: a phylogenetic overview, In: Curry Rogers, K.A., Wilson, J.A. (Eds.), The Sauropods: Evolution and Paleobiology. University of California Press, Berkeley, pp. 50-103. Curry Rogers, K., 2009. The postcranial osteology of *Rapetosaurus krausei* (Sauropoda: Titanosauria) from the Late Cretaceous of Madagascar. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 29, 1046-1086. Novas, F.E., 2009. Cretaceous sauropods, In: Novas, F.E. (Ed.), The Age of Dinosaurs in South America. Indiana University Press, Bloomington, pp. 166-241. Salgado, L., Bonaparte, J.F., 2007. Sauropodomorpha, In: Gasparini, Z., Salgado, L., Coria, R.A. (Eds.), Patagonian Mesozoic Reptiles. Indiana University Press, Bloomington, pp. 188-228. Upchurch, P., Barrett, P.M., Dodson, P., 2004. Sauropoda, In: Weishampel, D.B., Dodson, P., Osmólska, H. (Eds.), The Dinosauria: Second Edition. University of California Press, Berkeley, pp. 259-322. -- Dr. Stephen Poropat Postdoctoral Research Fellow Uppsala University Villavägen 16 SE-752 36 Uppsala Sweden Research Associate Australian Age of Dinosaurs PO Box 408 Winton 4735 Australia </pre> Stephen Poropat 2012-05-23T13:57:25 http://comments.gmane.org/gmane.science.dinosaurs.general/54775 <pre>Many of you will already know about this, but at present there is an unprecedented opportunity to contribute to the legislative push for open access to federally funded research in the USA -- including, but not limited to, palaeontology. The White House OSTP (Office of Science and Technology Policy) has solicited public comments on open access twice in as many years, which shows its concern. Now, following a meeting between the president's Chief Science Advisor John Holdren and open-access advocates including John Wilbanks and SPARC's Heather Joseph, the administration wants to gauge public interest in this issue by means of an online petition: http://wh.gov/6TH YOU DO NOT NEED TO BE AMERICAN TO SIGN THE PETITION. This is an international issue, and international signatures are welcomed. All that's required is that you are 13 or older, and have an email address that they can use for the verification email. The petition needs to hit 25,000 signatures in 30 days in order to cross the president's desk; doing so will also help the FRPAA, a bill which proposes extending the NIH's public access policy to all of the dozen federal agencies with research budgets exceeding $100M. I need hardly explain the huge advantages this would have for palaeontology, health, education, industry, public interest in science, third-world development and in many other areas; but anyone who thinks open access is only of interest to academics is encouraged to look at the "Who Needs Access?" web-site: http://whoneedsaccess.org/latest-news/ For this reason, please encourage not only your colleagues but also your friends and family outside of academia to sign. The faster we hit the 25,000-signatures target, and the more we can exceed it by, the stronger the case for the current presidential administration to tackle the issue before the November election! Thanks for listening. The petition URL again: http://wh.gov/6TH </pre> Mike Taylor 2012-05-23T11:54:02 http://comments.gmane.org/gmane.science.dinosaurs.general/54774 <pre>Diego Pol &amp; Oliver W. M. Rauhut (2012) A Middle Jurassic abelisaurid from Patagonia and the early diversification of theropod dinosaurs. Proc. R. Soc. B rspb20120660; published ahead of print May 23, 2012, 1471-2954 Abstract = Abelisaurids are a clade of large, bizarre predatory dinosaurs, most notable for their high, short skulls and extremely reduced forelimbs. They were common in Gondwana during the Cretaceous, but exceedingly rare in the Northern Hemisphere. The oldest definitive abelisaurids so far come from the late Early Cretaceous of South America and Africa, and the early evolutionary history of the clade is still poorly known. Here, we report a new abelisaurid from the Middle Jurassic of Patagonia, Eoabelisaurus mefi gen. et sp. nov., which predates the so far oldest known secure member of this lineage by more than 40 Myr. The almost complete skeleton reveals the earliest evolutionary stages of the distinctive features of abelisaurids, such as the modification of the forelimb, which started with a reduction of the distal elements. The find underlines the explosive radiation of theropod dinosaurs in the Middle Jurassic and indicates an unexpected diversity of ceratosaurs at that time. The apparent endemism of abelisauroids to southern Gondwana during Pangean times might be due to the presence of a large, central Gondwanan desert. This indicates that, apart from continent-scale geography, aspects such as regional geography and climate are important to reconstruct the biogeographical history of Mesozoic vertebrates. http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/early/2012/05/17/rspb.2012.0660.abstract Cheers Brian Museums Board of Victoria ABN 63 640 679 155 is endorsed as a Deductible Gift Recipient. All gifts of $2 or more are tax deductible. [cid:imageaf3b7d.jpg&lt; at &gt;bb02cd33.ef464ee4] Melbourne Museum Major Tourist Attraction museumvictoria.com.au&lt;http://museumvictoria.com.au/&gt; This e-mail is solely for the named addressee and may be confidential. You should only read, disclose, transmit, copy, distribute, act in reliance on or commercialise the contents if you are authorised to do so. If you are not the intended recipient of this e-mail, please notify postmaster&lt; at &gt;museum.vic.gov.au&lt;mailto:npostmaster&lt; at &gt;museum.vic.gov.au&gt; by email immediately, or notify the sender and then destroy any copy of this message. Views expressed in this email are those of the individual sender, except where specifically stated to be those of an officer of Museum Victoria. Museum Victoria does not represent, warrant or guarantee that the integrity of this communication has been maintained nor that it is free from errors, virus or interference. Please consider the environment before printing this email. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ---REMAINDER OF MESSAGE TRUNCATED--- * * This post contains a forbidden message format * * (such as an attached file, a v-card, HTML formatting) * * This Mail List at USC.EDU only accepts PLAIN TEXT * * If your postings display this message your mail program * * is not set to send PLAIN TEXT ONLY and needs adjusting * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * --_002_FD0FCA1296784949899C8D4F9DB5231201023E355FRAKALImvvicgo_";-- </pre> Choo, Brian 2012-05-23T09:53:43 http://comments.gmane.org/gmane.science.dinosaurs.general/54767 <pre>From: Ben Creisler bcreisler&lt; at &gt;gmail.com Many thanks to Jürgen Fichter for bringing this paper to my attention and for providing a copy. Although the issue is dated 2011, I believe the true publication date would be 2012, which affects the citation for the new ichnotaxon: Palaeochirotherium macrodactylum Fichter &amp; Kunz 2012. Please correct me if I am wrong! I mentioned the name Palaeochirotherium when it appeared in a German news story a few weeks back. See below. Jürgen Fichter &amp; Reiner Kunz (2011 [2012]) Neue Nachweise chirotheroider Fährten in der Detfurth-Formation (Mittlerer Buntsandstein, Untere Trias) bei Wolfhagen.[New evidence of chirotheroid tracks in the Detfurth-Formation (Middle Bunter, Lower Triassic) near Wolfhagen.] Geologisches Jahrbuch Hessen 137: 5-18 Abstract New evidence of chirotheroid tracks from a quarry near Wolfhagen with exposed Detfurth-Formation (Middle Bunter, Lower Triassic) is described. (Speculative) information about the population of trackmakers of Protochirotherium wolfhagense Fichter &amp; Kunz is discussed. Additionally, a hypothetical reconstruction of the actual foot morphology is presented. The discovery of a hitherto unknown type of track led to the creation of the new species and genus Palaeochirotherium macrodactylum ichnogen. nov. ichnospec. nov. The genus Synaptichnium was also detected for the first time in this quarry. Issue link: http://www.hlug.de/no_cache/vertrieb/schrift/schriftenreihen/geologisches-jahrbuch-hessen.html?tx_commerce_pi1%5BshowUid%5D=0&amp;tx_commerce_pi1%5BcatUid%5D=1040600&amp;tx_commerce_pi1%5Bpointer%5D=3 pdf of cover and table of contents: http://www.hlug.de/fileadmin/shop/pics/schriften/Schriften_Geologie_483.pdf ===== News story and DML citation: http://www.hna.de/nachrichten/kreis-kassel/wolfhagen/geologen-finden-einem-steinbruch-wolfhager-stadtwald-bisher-unbekannte-saurierfaehrten-2293274.html http://dml.cmnh.org/2012Apr/msg00507.html http://permalink.gmane.org/gmane.science.dinosaurs.general/54566 </pre> Ben Creisler 2012-05-23T03:01:08 http://comments.gmane.org/gmane.science.dinosaurs.general/54761 <pre>Dear all: I was reading on the flapping frequency of Pteranodon in Stein (1975), which claims a wing stroke for second for an inferred 15 kg. Pteranodon. However, that weight is no longer considered the adult weight, as far as I know. Do you know where can I read about the relationship between wing stroke frequency relative to body mass, if present? Thank you in advance, Augusto. </pre> Augusto Haro 2012-05-23T02:23:11 http://comments.gmane.org/gmane.science.dinosaurs.general/54753 <pre>From: Ben Creisler bcreisler&lt; at &gt;gmail.com New in PLoS ONE: Susannah C. R. Maidment, Deborah H. Linton, Paul Upchurch &amp; Paul M. Barrett (2012) Limb-Bone Scaling Indicates Diverse Stance and Gait in Quadrupedal Ornithischian Dinosaurs. PLoS ONE 7(5): e36904. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0036904 http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0036904 Background most primitive ornithischian dinosaurs were small bipeds, but quadrupedality evolved three times independently in the clade. The transition to quadrupedality from bipedal ancestors is rare in the history of terrestrial vertebrate evolution, and extant analogues do not exist. Constraints imposed on quadrupedal ornithischians by their ancestral bipedal bauplan remain unexplored, and consequently, debate continues about their stance and gait. For example, it has been proposed that some ornithischians could run, while others consider that none were cursorial. Methodology/Principal Findings Drawing on biomechanical concepts of limb bone scaling and locomotor theory developed for extant taxa, we use the largest dataset of ornithischian postcranial measurements so far compiled to examine stance and gait in quadrupedal ornithischians. Differences in femoral midshaft eccentricity in hadrosaurs and ceratopsids may indicate that hadrosaurs placed their feet on the midline during locomotion, while ceratopsids placed their feet more laterally, under the hips. More robust humeri in the largest ceratopsids relative to smaller taxa may be due to positive allometry in skull size with body mass in ceratopsids, while slender humeri in the largest stegosaurs may be the result of differences in dermal armor distribution within the clade. Hadrosaurs are found to display the most cursorial morphologies of the quadrupedal ornithischian cades, indicating higher locomotor performance than in ceratopsids and thyreophorans. Conclusions/Significance Limb bone scaling indicates that a previously unrealised diversity of stances and gaits were employed by quadrupedal ornithischians despite apparent convergence in limb morphology. Grouping quadrupedal ornithischians together as a single functional group hides this disparity. Differences in limb proportions and scaling are likely due to the possession of display structures such as horns, frills and dermal armor that may have affected the center of mass of the animal, and differences in locomotor behaviour such as migration, predator escape or home range size. </pre> Ben Creisler 2012-05-22T22:07:36 http://comments.gmane.org/gmane.science.dinosaurs.general/54752 <pre>From: Ben Creisler bcreisler&lt; at &gt;gmail.com New in PLoS ONE: Andrew T. McDonald (2012) Phylogeny of Basal Iguanodonts (Dinosauria: Ornithischia): An Update. PLoS ONE 7(5): e36745. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0036745 http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0036745 The precise phylogenetic relationships of many non-hadrosaurid members of Iguanodontia, i.e., basal iguanodonts, have been unclear. Therefore, to investigate the global phylogeny of basal iguanodonts a comprehensive data matrix was assembled, including nearly every valid taxon of basal iguanodont. The matrix was analyzed in the program TNT, and the maximum agreement subtree of the resulting most parsimonious trees was then calculated in PAUP. Ordering certain multistate characters and omitting taxa through safe taxonomic reduction did not markedly improve resolution. The results provide some new information on the phylogeny of basal iguanodonts, pertaining especially to obscure or recently described taxa, and support some recent taxonomic revisions, such as the splitting of traditional “Camptosaurus” and “Iguanodon”. The maximum agreement subtree also shows a close relationship between the Asian Probactrosaurus gobiensis and the North American Eolambia, supporting the previous hypothesis of faunal interchange between Asia and North America in the early Late Cretaceous. Nevertheless, the phylogenetic relationships of many basal iguanodonts remain ambiguous due to the high number of taxa removed from the maximum agreement subtree and poor resolution of consensus trees. </pre> Ben Creisler 2012-05-22T22:05:58 http://comments.gmane.org/gmane.science.dinosaurs.general/54749 <pre>I have been researching the origins of domesticated chickens and turkeys and I just stumbled on some information that may help to enrich our past discussions about myrmecophagy in alvarezsaurs. Multiple field reports, including studies of crop contents, indicate that the Red Jungle Fowl, Gallus gallus, which is the ancestral chicken, feeds predominantly on termites in season in its native bamboo forests of India. Both adults and poults capture flying termites but also scratch into the mounds of Odontotermes obesus and consume pupae and juveniles. Klasing, 2005, states that this is true of many asian Phaisanidae, not only Gallus. Chicks eat a larger percentage of insect material than adult Gallus, and the breeding cycle of Gallus in the wild correlates with the annual cycle of termite availability, according to Collias and Collias, 1967. References include Bump and Bohl, 1961, Klasing, 2005, Bebbe, 1990, Collias and Collias, 1967, and Collias and Saichuae, 1967. This is interesting to me because chickens are classic generalists in their anatomy and trophic flexibility. They feed on bamboo seeds and an enormous diversity of other food items, especially when termites are scarce. Yet wild populations of Gallus apparently rely strongly on termites, especially for their reproductive success. If Jungle Fowl can multiply on termites with no special morphological adaptations at all, one wonders what provided the selection pressure that drove alvarezsaurs to have such radically specialized anatomies? Indeed one can imagine many small coelurosaurs, such as the smallest troodontids, exploiting termites just as chickens do today. Of course the transition from facultative to obligate myrmecophagy could drive extreme morphological specializations, but there are exceptions to that rule also, such as Myrmecobius. Myrmecobius, the numbat, is an obligate termite eater that, as I understand it, did not undergo specialization of its limbs or digestive system, though it does display multiplication of its teeth, and lengthening of the snout and tongue. I would probably do well to remember an adage told to me by a classmate in High School. In Biology there are exceptions to every rule, including that one. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ---REMAINDER OF MESSAGE TRUNCATED--- * * This post contains a forbidden message format * * (such as an attached file, a v-card, HTML formatting) * * This Mail List at USC.EDU only accepts PLAIN TEXT * * If your postings display this message your mail program * * is not set to send PLAIN TEXT ONLY and needs adjusting * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * </pre> Jason Brougham 2012-05-22T20:48:12 http://comments.gmane.org/gmane.science.dinosaurs.general/54748 <pre>From: Ben Creisler bcreisler&lt; at &gt;gmail.com In the spirit of all the recent badly distorted and scientifically unfounded news reporting on dinosaur-related items such as sauropod flatulence as a supposed cause of dinosaur extinction, the theory that dinosaurs were all aquatic, and especially the purported giant meter-wide "dinosaur eggs" [concretions!] found in Chechnya, let me be the first to claim (in honor of the defunct Weekly World News) that a huge "dinosaur egg" has been discovered in space. A photo can be seen at: http://www.universetoday.com/95323/cassini-captures-a-rarely-seen-moon/ </pre> Ben Creisler 2012-05-22T19:10:04 http://comments.gmane.org/gmane.science.dinosaurs.general/54745 <pre>From: Ben Creisler bcreisler&lt; at &gt;gmail.com A news story about the paleontology section about to open at the Houston Museum of Natural Science. This version has photos: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gcKMGNMRlWvDckkKBFGKDPC_sCJA?docId=4a48620a47db4cde9ff9e2f241b646a3 Also, a free version of a NY Times article about the exhibit and another new museum in Dallas: http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/news/us/texas-gets-prehistoric-with-two-new-fossil-halls-636767/ </pre> Ben Creisler 2012-05-22T16:55:17 Search the mailing list at Gmane query http://search.gmane.org/?group=$group=gmane.science.dinosaurs.general