Episode 357: Sauropod carrion and a brand new ankylosaur


Episode 357 is all about Denversaurus, a nodosaurid ankylosaur discovered with over 100 osteoderms.

We additionally interview Cameron Pahl, software program developer, Analysis Affiliate, and Lecturer with Portland State College and Oregon Well being & Security College. He authored the controversial Allosaurus as a scavenger paper, which is de facto extra about how sauropod carrion affected the ecosystem.

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On this episode, we focus on:

Information:

  • Titanosaur osteoderms may need been helpful for protection in any case, a minimum of whereas they have been younger supply
  • A brand new ankylosaur, Spicomellus, was named from a spiky osteoderm fused on to a rib—a primary for any animal supply
  • 4 dinosaurs have been excavated in Montana together with what might be Anzu, Triceratops, a theropod, and a hadrosaur supply
  • Dinosauria Museum Prague within the Czech Republic is opening October 4 supply
  • Morrison’s Dinosaur Ridge in Colorado has a brand new mural of three dinosaurs supply
  • In Missouri, St. Louis Science Middle has a brand new touring exhibit, known as Tyrannosaurs: Meet the Household supply
  • Mary Anning’s statue in Dorset shall be unveiled on Might 21 subsequent 12 months supply

The dinosaur of the day: Denversaurus

  • Nodosaurid ankylosaur that lived within the Late Cretaceous in what’s now South Dakota, US (Hell Creek Formation, Wyoming (Lance Formation), and Texas (Aguja Formation)
  • Had a large snout and a large cranium
  • Coated in osteoderms and had shoulder spikes
  • Estimated to be about 20 ft (6 m) lengthy and weigh 3 tonnes
  • Kind species is Denversaurus schlessmani
  • Fossils present in 1922 by Philip Reinheimer, a collector and technician on the Colorado Museum of Pure Historical past (now the Denver Museum of Nature and Science)
  • Fossils present in Corson County, South Dakota
  • Barnum Brown referred these fossils (DMNH 468) to Edmontonia longiceps in 1943
  • In 1988, Bob Bakker stated that fossil was a brand new species, Denversaurus, and one other species, Edmontonia rugosidens, was Chassternbergia
  • Genus title means “Denver lizard”
  • Genus title refers back to the Denver Museum of Pure Historical past
  • Species title is in honor of Lee Schlessman, founding father of the Schlessman Household Basis, a benefactor to the museum
  • Holotype is a part of the gathering of the Denver Museum of Nature and Science
  • Holotype features a cranium, no decrease jaws, and a few osteoderms
  • Bakker additionally referred AMNH 3076 to Denversaurus (a cranium discovered within the Aguja Formation in Texas by Barnum Brown and Roland Fowl). Cranium has been described as “weathered”
  • Bakker stated, in a 1988 New York Occasions article, “Denversaurus was most likely a bit of like a three-ton armadillo with spikes”
  • Bakker additionally stated, “There appears to have been an evolutionary pattern to get the eyes up off the bottom and away from mud, and probably to permit for a greater view of potential predators”
  • In 1990 Kenneth Carpenter stated Denversaurus was Edmontonia sp.. Stated Bakker’s motive for naming Denversaurus (eye sockets have been extra to the rear of the cranium, moderately than the center) was primarily based on Bakker’s reconstruction of the skeleton, which was partially crushed)
  • Carpenter stated Edmontonia sp. had affinities to Edmontonia rugosidens
  • In 2000, Ford discovered Denversaurus to be legitimate, after taking a look at osteoderms in ankylosaur systematics
  • In 2015 Michael Burns wrote his thesis on intraspecific variation in ankylosaurs, and located Denversaurus to be possible legitimate, primarily based on phylogeny
  • Talked about one other specimen, BHI 6225, an endocast
  • Described the very best level of the cranium roof as being between the orbits, and agreed with Bakker that the holotype did have orbits extra towards the rear of the cranium, however stated there was an excessive amount of variability in particular person Denversaurus that this character was “not taxonomically helpful”
  • Burns stated in his thesis that Denversaurus, Edmontonia, and Panoplosaurus have been all in the identical clade, Panoplosaurinae
  • Additionally stated Edmontonia was extra basal than Denversaurus
  • Crew from the Black Hills Institute discovered a Denversaurus skeleton in Niobrara County, Wyoming, nicknamed “Tank” (BHI 127327)
  • Tank contains decrease jaws, components of the torso and over 100 osteoderms (can order a solid)
  • Can see Denversaurus at Woodland Park’s Rocky Mountain Dinosaur Useful resource Middle in Colorado, US
  • Different dinosaurs that lived across the identical time and place included T. rex, Triceratops, Edmontosaurus, Struthiomimus, Pachycephalosaurus

Enjoyable Reality:
We most likely have dinosaurs & bats to thank for retaining flying bugs small.

Sponsors:

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