Tiny Dinosaur May have Been Nocturnal
Details of the research undertaken to identify and describe a new type of North American dinosaur has just been published in the scientific journal "Cretaceous Research". This dinosaur, at only 75 cm long and standing less than a metre tall is claimed to be the smallest dinosaur every discovered in North America.
Albertonykus borealis
- New Species Named
This new species has been named Albertonykus borealis
(northern clawed beast of Alberta), the fossils of this animal were discovered in the Red Deer Formation of Alberta and it is believed to have been a fast running, insectivore with a similar lifestyle to the Alvarezsaurids - dinosaurs such as Mononykus and Shuvuuia from Asia.
Found by Expedition to Red Deer Region of Alberta
The 70-million-year-old bones (Maastrichtian faunal stage), were found during an expedition to the Red Deer region to excavate the fossils of an Albertosaurus in 2002. The leader of that dig, Philip Currie removed the tiny fossil bones that had been found in association with the larger Tyrannosaur and put them into storage at the Royal Tyrrell Museum in Drumheller. There the bones remained until University of Calgary palaeontologist Nick Longrich discovered them in one of the many storage draws and begun to work out just what sort of animal the bones represented.
We know from experience that one of the best places to find a new species of dinosaur is not out in the field but in the storage areas of museums. For example, we once calculated that given the dinosaur material stored in plaster jackets at the Royal Tyrrell Museum, it would take our team hundreds of years to prepare them all.
Specimen is Described
In the journal article, the two authors describe the specimen and use the strong forelimbs, "s" shaped, flexible neck, agile long necks and pick-like claws as evidence to indicate a diet of insects such as termites and other burrowing creatures depicting a lifestyle similar to modern-day anteaters and pangolins.
The small dinosaur looks like a creature from a Dr. Seuss book, said Longrich, who called the findings "pretty cool."
Dinosaurs are not normally found this far north in Alberta, although fragmentary evidence indicating a small dinosaur may have lived in this region towards the end of the Cretaceous geological period, it was the finding of this specimen that gave palaeontologists something more tangible to study.
A Feathered Member of the Dinosauria
This little dinosaur has been depicted in illustrations created by artists under the guidance of the scientists involved with the study. It is depicted using its shortened forelimbs to dig into tree stumps and fallen logs in search of insects such as termites. Albertonykus is often shown with a covering of downy feathers, this is in recognition of analysis of Alvarezsaurid fossils from Mongolia that show traces of the chemical beta keratin which is found in feathers. A downy coat would help insulate this small, active animal and keep it warm.
Nick Longrich believes this discovery is important as it sheds light on the existence of smaller dinosaurs in the Red Deer River formation. It is very likely that small dinosaurs such as Albertonykus made up a large portion of the Dinosaur fauna. However, it is the large bones of the bigger animals that have a greater preservation potential. Small delicate bones are less likely to be fossilised and indeed, many small carcases are eaten by predators.
Part of the Alvarezsauria
This dinosaur is believed to a member of the Alvarezsauria, a group of small, bipedal dinosaurs with stunted forelimbs and reduced digits. The Alvarezsaurid fossils from Mongolia have been dated to between 80 and 75 million years ago (Campanian faunal stage). The Alberta remains have been dated to approximately 70 million years ago. Although, it is not possible to build a relationship diagram based on these remains the presence of Albertonykus in younger strata may indicate that like the Tyrannosaurs, the dinosaur ancestors of Albertonykus migrated into North America from Asia.
The dinosaurs found in Mongolia are estimated to be about 75 to 80 million years old, while the Alberta version is about 70 million years old.
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Showing posts with label Dinosaur. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dinosaur. Show all posts
Tuesday, 23 October 2012
Tuesday, 16 October 2012
Dinosaur That Looks Like a Dragon - Amargasaurus
Amargasaurus - Dinosauria Member that was a Bit of a Show Off
We have recently been looking at some drawings and designs of dragons and other mythical creatures and the comment was made about how fanciful these animals looked with their wings, spines, spikes and frills. The designers had really gone to town letting their imaginations run riot to produce prototypes for a model series that was to feature dragons and other mythical beasts.
Palaeontologists have their own "Dinosaur Dragon"
However, sometimes the truth can be stranger than fiction and a number of prehistoric animals including dinosaurs are believed to have had bizarre ornamentation, spines, frills and crests. Scientists are still unsure as to the exact purpose of many of these odd appendages, but the fossil record is clearly as capable of revealing any number of bizarre and odd looking animals, a match for the imagination of the sculptors and artists behind many of the dragon models. Unless we have interpreted the fossil evidence incorrectly, these strange features evolved as they gave the animals an advantage in some way.
Amargasaurus - Extinct Show Off
An example of a dinosaur with a bizarre appearance is Amargasaurus (Amargasaurus cazaui),
a Diplodocid dinosaur related to the better known (and larger) Diplodocus. This Sauropod had a disproportionately short neck when compared to other members of this group of dinosaurs but its most striking feature were the rows of spines and spikes that ran along the body from behind the neck to the end of the tail, although spines on the tail is conjecture as the only specimen of this animal discovered to date lacked a tail. It is not known what colour this structure might have been, although since palaeontologists think that dinosaurs had excellent colour vision, it is quite possible that this frill was brightly coloured.
Rows of Spines
The spines are extensions of the vertebrae, what they were used for is unknown, although several theories have been put forward. The spines may have supported a sail-like structure which may have been used for communication amongst herd members or for temperature regulation. A sail may have helped this animal warm up quickly in the morning and, by facing towards the noon sun, exposing only a minimum part of their body's surface area, they may have been able to regulate their temperature during the hottest part of the day.
Thermo-regulatory Device?
A large sail-like structure on the neck would have inhibited movement of the neck, not a good idea if you are a browsing herbivore. It has been suggested that any sail on the neck did not cover the full expanse of the spines, but in reality the tops of the spines were tipped with horn and were actually defensive spikes to protect a vulnerable part of this animal. An examination of the skull and teeth of Amargasaurus in conjunction with an examination of the length of the neck vertebrae permits us to speculate that this animal browsed on low-lying vegetation. With its head craned towards the ground to eat, it would make sense to have spikes on the neck to prevent a predator grabbing the neck in a surprise attack.
Whatever, the reason for the strange neck-frill, this dinosaur, whose fossils are known from South America has been referred to as the "dinosaur dragon" by many palaeontologists.
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We have recently been looking at some drawings and designs of dragons and other mythical creatures and the comment was made about how fanciful these animals looked with their wings, spines, spikes and frills. The designers had really gone to town letting their imaginations run riot to produce prototypes for a model series that was to feature dragons and other mythical beasts.
Palaeontologists have their own "Dinosaur Dragon"
However, sometimes the truth can be stranger than fiction and a number of prehistoric animals including dinosaurs are believed to have had bizarre ornamentation, spines, frills and crests. Scientists are still unsure as to the exact purpose of many of these odd appendages, but the fossil record is clearly as capable of revealing any number of bizarre and odd looking animals, a match for the imagination of the sculptors and artists behind many of the dragon models. Unless we have interpreted the fossil evidence incorrectly, these strange features evolved as they gave the animals an advantage in some way.
Amargasaurus - Extinct Show Off
An example of a dinosaur with a bizarre appearance is Amargasaurus (Amargasaurus cazaui),
a Diplodocid dinosaur related to the better known (and larger) Diplodocus. This Sauropod had a disproportionately short neck when compared to other members of this group of dinosaurs but its most striking feature were the rows of spines and spikes that ran along the body from behind the neck to the end of the tail, although spines on the tail is conjecture as the only specimen of this animal discovered to date lacked a tail. It is not known what colour this structure might have been, although since palaeontologists think that dinosaurs had excellent colour vision, it is quite possible that this frill was brightly coloured.
Rows of Spines
The spines are extensions of the vertebrae, what they were used for is unknown, although several theories have been put forward. The spines may have supported a sail-like structure which may have been used for communication amongst herd members or for temperature regulation. A sail may have helped this animal warm up quickly in the morning and, by facing towards the noon sun, exposing only a minimum part of their body's surface area, they may have been able to regulate their temperature during the hottest part of the day.
Thermo-regulatory Device?
A large sail-like structure on the neck would have inhibited movement of the neck, not a good idea if you are a browsing herbivore. It has been suggested that any sail on the neck did not cover the full expanse of the spines, but in reality the tops of the spines were tipped with horn and were actually defensive spikes to protect a vulnerable part of this animal. An examination of the skull and teeth of Amargasaurus in conjunction with an examination of the length of the neck vertebrae permits us to speculate that this animal browsed on low-lying vegetation. With its head craned towards the ground to eat, it would make sense to have spikes on the neck to prevent a predator grabbing the neck in a surprise attack.
Whatever, the reason for the strange neck-frill, this dinosaur, whose fossils are known from South America has been referred to as the "dinosaur dragon" by many palaeontologists.
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Dinosaur Age Meets Space Age
Dinosaur Footprint Discovered at NASA Campus
Scientists at the NASA complex located at Greenbelt, Maryland have a more down to Earth scientific distraction to study as it has been revealed that a fossilised dinosaur footprint has been discovered in the grounds. For the scientists and support teams that work at the Goddard Space Flight Centre the elephant foot-sized trace fossil has afforded them a glimpse into the environment approximately 112 million years ago (Aptian/Albian faunal stage of the Cretaceous) when huge, heavily armoured, herbivorous dinosaurs roamed the area.
Trace Fossil Indicates Nodosaurs Roamed Maryland
The trace fossil, a single footprint is slightly eroded, the back of the foot, the heel area is crumbling away but a careful examination reveals four distinct toe marks at the front, a print of a dinosaur walking over soft mud back in the Cretaceous geological period. It is not just natural processes that have caused the print to become less than pristine, palaeontologists and ichnologists (scientists who specialise in studying fossil tracks and track-ways), have remarked that parts of the footprint seem to show damage from a recent encounter from a grass strimmer. It seems one of the gardeners may have clipped the thirty-five centimetre wide trace fossil when they were cutting down weeds.
Contribution Made by Local, Amateur Fossil Collector
The fossil was found by Ray Stanford, an expert in finding dinosaur tracks on the eastern side of the United States. For Ray, finding this particular specimen came after a hunch to explore a part of the Goddard site, where previously he had found tantalising evidence of a dinosaur footprint. The fragment of a print he had found a few years ago, represented an unknown type of fast-running but small meat-eating dinosaur. That fossil indicated to Ray that the conditions had been right for permitting footprint preservation, so it was simply a question of returning to the area to explore the site a little more carefully to see what might turn up. His chance came when he and his wife were at the Goddard Centre's cafe enjoying lunch back on June 25th, when Ray made his excuses and set out to examine the grassy, overgrown bank where the previous fossil discovery had occurred.
Left Foot of a Nodosaur
The print is believed to have been made by the back left foot of a Nodosaurid, a member of the dinosaur clade known as the Thyreophora - armoured dinosaurs. Nodosaurids are generally similar to the better known Ankylosaurs. However, they were more primitive and lacked the club-like projection on the end of their tails. Most of these types of dinosaurs had body armour that consisted of spines and spikes and their narrow snouts indicate that Nodosaurs were specialised low browsers. Fossils of these types of dinosaur have been found in Europe (including England) and North America. The largest of these dinosaurs may have reached lengths in excess of seven metres and weighed as much as an African elephant.
Ray Stanford has made a specialism out of studying dinosaur track-ways on the eastern side of the United States, however, he has a special affinity for finding Nodosaur remains. This type of plant-eating dinosaur was not known from the strata of Maryland, however, Stanford has found a number of Nodosaur tracks indicating that these elephant-sized animals were present in the region and he and colleagues from Johns Hopkins University (Baltimore, Maryland) discovered the fossilised remains of a baby Nodosaurid near to the University of Maryland Campus. This baby, the first juvenile Nodosaur fossil to be found represented a new species and it was named Propanoplosaurus marylandicus.
This unique dinosaur fossil is now part of the fossil vertebrate collection at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History (Washington D.C.).
NASA Officials Study Fossil Location
A team of NASA officials and representatives of the media were taken to the see the single footprint on Friday by Stanford. It has been speculated that from the shape and deformation of the print the dinosaur was moving relatively quickly when it left the impression of its back left foot in the soft sediment. Ray speculated that this dinosaur could have been running away from a meat-eating dinosaur.
For Alan Binstock, the Goddard site's Architect and Facility Manager, the print might cause him something of a headache. As far as he could recall no dinosaur fossils had ever been found on any of the other nationwide NASA locations but plans would be put in place to ensure that no trophy hunters or curious amateur palaeontologists could remove the print from the location.
Jennifer Groman, NASA's federal preservation officer, more used to dealing with space age issues was part of the inspection team last Friday. Â It is going to be her responsibility to safeguard the footprint whilst it remains on NASA property.
She commented that NASA did not want to make this site a focus for tourists and casual observers at this point. She did not want unauthorised people trying to excavate the fossil print or indeed whatever else may be lying there waiting to be discovered. Concerns have already been raised about the fossil being taken off the NASA property by trophy hunters.
Plans in Place to Explore the Site Properly
The site will remain secure for the time being. Officials at NASA are working with a team of palaeontologists who intend to undertake a more thorough and protracted examination of the location to see what else might be found there. Who knows, as NASA's mission to Mars searches for signs of life on the amongst the Martian rocks, on a grassy bank at Goddard Flight Centre, a team of palaeontologists assisted by NASA's space scientists might be shedding light on the exotic yet long extinct life forms that once roamed the eastern coast of America.
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Scientists at the NASA complex located at Greenbelt, Maryland have a more down to Earth scientific distraction to study as it has been revealed that a fossilised dinosaur footprint has been discovered in the grounds. For the scientists and support teams that work at the Goddard Space Flight Centre the elephant foot-sized trace fossil has afforded them a glimpse into the environment approximately 112 million years ago (Aptian/Albian faunal stage of the Cretaceous) when huge, heavily armoured, herbivorous dinosaurs roamed the area.
Trace Fossil Indicates Nodosaurs Roamed Maryland
The trace fossil, a single footprint is slightly eroded, the back of the foot, the heel area is crumbling away but a careful examination reveals four distinct toe marks at the front, a print of a dinosaur walking over soft mud back in the Cretaceous geological period. It is not just natural processes that have caused the print to become less than pristine, palaeontologists and ichnologists (scientists who specialise in studying fossil tracks and track-ways), have remarked that parts of the footprint seem to show damage from a recent encounter from a grass strimmer. It seems one of the gardeners may have clipped the thirty-five centimetre wide trace fossil when they were cutting down weeds.
Contribution Made by Local, Amateur Fossil Collector
The fossil was found by Ray Stanford, an expert in finding dinosaur tracks on the eastern side of the United States. For Ray, finding this particular specimen came after a hunch to explore a part of the Goddard site, where previously he had found tantalising evidence of a dinosaur footprint. The fragment of a print he had found a few years ago, represented an unknown type of fast-running but small meat-eating dinosaur. That fossil indicated to Ray that the conditions had been right for permitting footprint preservation, so it was simply a question of returning to the area to explore the site a little more carefully to see what might turn up. His chance came when he and his wife were at the Goddard Centre's cafe enjoying lunch back on June 25th, when Ray made his excuses and set out to examine the grassy, overgrown bank where the previous fossil discovery had occurred.
Left Foot of a Nodosaur
The print is believed to have been made by the back left foot of a Nodosaurid, a member of the dinosaur clade known as the Thyreophora - armoured dinosaurs. Nodosaurids are generally similar to the better known Ankylosaurs. However, they were more primitive and lacked the club-like projection on the end of their tails. Most of these types of dinosaurs had body armour that consisted of spines and spikes and their narrow snouts indicate that Nodosaurs were specialised low browsers. Fossils of these types of dinosaur have been found in Europe (including England) and North America. The largest of these dinosaurs may have reached lengths in excess of seven metres and weighed as much as an African elephant.
Ray Stanford has made a specialism out of studying dinosaur track-ways on the eastern side of the United States, however, he has a special affinity for finding Nodosaur remains. This type of plant-eating dinosaur was not known from the strata of Maryland, however, Stanford has found a number of Nodosaur tracks indicating that these elephant-sized animals were present in the region and he and colleagues from Johns Hopkins University (Baltimore, Maryland) discovered the fossilised remains of a baby Nodosaurid near to the University of Maryland Campus. This baby, the first juvenile Nodosaur fossil to be found represented a new species and it was named Propanoplosaurus marylandicus.
This unique dinosaur fossil is now part of the fossil vertebrate collection at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History (Washington D.C.).
NASA Officials Study Fossil Location
A team of NASA officials and representatives of the media were taken to the see the single footprint on Friday by Stanford. It has been speculated that from the shape and deformation of the print the dinosaur was moving relatively quickly when it left the impression of its back left foot in the soft sediment. Ray speculated that this dinosaur could have been running away from a meat-eating dinosaur.
For Alan Binstock, the Goddard site's Architect and Facility Manager, the print might cause him something of a headache. As far as he could recall no dinosaur fossils had ever been found on any of the other nationwide NASA locations but plans would be put in place to ensure that no trophy hunters or curious amateur palaeontologists could remove the print from the location.
Jennifer Groman, NASA's federal preservation officer, more used to dealing with space age issues was part of the inspection team last Friday. Â It is going to be her responsibility to safeguard the footprint whilst it remains on NASA property.
She commented that NASA did not want to make this site a focus for tourists and casual observers at this point. She did not want unauthorised people trying to excavate the fossil print or indeed whatever else may be lying there waiting to be discovered. Concerns have already been raised about the fossil being taken off the NASA property by trophy hunters.
Plans in Place to Explore the Site Properly
The site will remain secure for the time being. Officials at NASA are working with a team of palaeontologists who intend to undertake a more thorough and protracted examination of the location to see what else might be found there. Who knows, as NASA's mission to Mars searches for signs of life on the amongst the Martian rocks, on a grassy bank at Goddard Flight Centre, a team of palaeontologists assisted by NASA's space scientists might be shedding light on the exotic yet long extinct life forms that once roamed the eastern coast of America.
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