I Know Dino Podcast Present Notes: Scipionyx (Episode 74)

Episode 74 is all about Scipionyx, a compsognathid that lived in Italy and has the nickname “Ciro.”

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On this episode, we talk about:

Compsognathid that lived within the early Cretaceous in Italy
Named in 1998
Well-known as a result of paleontologists discovered a number of comfortable tissue and inside organs, together with muscle mass and intestines

First dinosaur found in Italy
Just one fossil discovered of Scipionyx, and it was found in 1981 by novice paleontologist Giovanni Todesco (he thought it was an extinct chicken)
Todesco ready the fossil in his basement, utilizing vinyl glue and including a faux tail

Todesco nicknamed the fossil “little doggie” and in 1993 Giorgio Teruzzi from the Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Milano discovered concerning the fossil and mentioned it was a juvenile theropod. He nicknamed it Ambrogio, after Ambrose, the patron saint of Milan
Teruzzi additionally enlisted the assistance of his colleague Father Giuseppe Leonardi
In Italy the fossil discover belongs to the federal government, and Todesco ended up giving the fossil to the Archaeological Directorship at Naples in October 1993

In 1993 Teruzi and Leonardi reported the fossil scientifically, and the journal Oggi nicknamed it Ciro “a typical Neapolitan boy’s identify”
Marco Signore from the College of Naples Federico wrote a thesis in 1995 naming the fossil Dromaeodaimon irene, however the paper was unpublished so the identify was not used
Sergio Rampinelli labored on the fossil for 300 hours to revive it (exchange the glue and take away the faux tail); that’s when he discovered all of the comfortable tissue
Marco Signore and Cristiano dal Sasso named and described Ciro as Scipionyx samniticus, and it was featured on the entrance cowl of Nature in 1998

The primary paper Cristiano dal Sasso and Marco Signore wrote was referred to as “Distinctive soft-tissue preservation in a theropod dinosaur from Italy,” revealed in Nature in February 1998
The identify Scipio is for Scipione Breislak, a geologist from the 18th century who first described the formation (Pietraroia Plattenkalk) the place Ciro was discovered, and for Cornelius Scipio (nickname Africanus), a well-known Roman consul who fought within the Mediterranean space
The species identify means “From Samnium” the “historic identify of the area together with the Benevento Province”

Different potential names have been Italosaurus, Italoraptor and Microraptor
The holotype is sort of full, and consists of the decrease legs and a claw on the correct second finger
Cristiano dal Sassa and Marco Signore additional studied the fossil in 2005-2008 and wrote an in depth monograph in 2011 about Scipionyx

The specimen discovered is of a really younger dinosaur, perhaps solely 3 days previous
There’s a big empty area between the again of its intestines and the pubic shafts. It might have had a yolk sac from hatching that it could have used to assist in giving it extra vitamins throughout the first couple weeks after hatching
Dimension of the yolk sac means it was most likely 3 days previous, perhaps even 1 week previous

Juvenile theropod dinosaur discoveries are scarce
Though it was so younger it may stroll
dal Sassa and Signore estimated it to be 18 in (~46 cm) lengthy (together with the lacking tail), which is just a little bit smaller than Allosaurus hatchlings, however as a result of it’s Compsognathidae, an grownup Scipionyx most likely solely grew to 93 inc (237 cm) lengthy (identical dimension as Sinocalliopteryx, the biggest identified compsognathid)

They discovered 8 distinctive traits in Scipionyx, together with 5 enamel within the premaxilla on either side and a wrist with solely two bones
Straight, lengthy decrease jaw with 10 enamel on either side; the jaw bone is low
Had 7 enamel within the maxilla on either side; whole of 44 enamel in all

As a result of it was so younger it hadn’t changed any enamel but
Enamel curve steadily
Giant cranium with giant eye sockets, most likely as a result of it was so younger

Most likely had primitive feathers (based mostly on family members)
No pores and skin or proof of feathers have been discovered
A lot of comfortable tissues preserved, together with some blood vessels, cartilage, connective tissue, bone tissue, muscle tissue, and elements of the respiratory and digestive techniques

Unique bone tissue isn’t there, however calcium phosphate mineralization preserved the bone cell construction
Solely a bit of the trachea (respiratory system) is preserved, a really skinny piece about 1 mm broad
Can also see horn sheaths of hand claws

Liver was additionally preserved (in the correct form), which helps present the relative positions of inside organs
They noticed a big, reddish space and concluded it was the liver
In 1999 a examine by Ruben and others discovered that Scipionyx had a respiratory system just like a crocodile’s due to its giant liver. However dal Sasso and Maganuco’s examine in 2011 discovered that the liver might have been distorted in fossilization and simply seems to be greater, and in addition some birds have giant livers, so it most likely was extra bird-like than crocodile-like

Additionally discovered some semi-digested lizards and fish within the intestine; perhaps mother and father fed it to the infant?
Mother and father most likely fed the infant (unlikely to catch the lizards or fish itself at 3 days previous or chew into items and swallow by itself)
No abdomen acid on the bones within the abdomen, so the meal was lower than sooner or later previous

An “opportunistic generalist” eater (ate quick lizards and fish that washed ashore)
Lived in an space with shallow lagoons
Lived in an space with a number of small islands, and was most likely one of many greater animals in its habitat

It presumably immigrated from North Africa considerably lately
In 2002 Scipionyx received its personal show on the Museo Archeologico di Benevento
Compsognathids are small carnivorous dinosaurs

Some compsognathids care thought of to be basal coelurosaurs, others as a part of Maniraptora
Enjoyable truth: There are numerous forms of fossilized eggs, however in keeping with Konstantin Mikhailov and others in “Parataxonomy of Fossil Egg Stays” revealed by Taylor and Francis, there are 6 fundamental eggshell varieties:
- Testurdoid (Chelonia – the inexperienced sea turtle)
- Geckoid (Gekkota – principally gekkos)
- Crocodiloid (Crocodilia)
- Dinosauroid-spherulitic (Sauropoda and Ornithopoda)
- Dinosauroid-prismatic (protoceratopsids and hypsilophodontids)
- Ornithoid (theropoda and trendy birds)

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