Palaeontology

Paleontology in Ecology and Conservation: an Introduction

by Julien Louys

Ecology Needs a Paleontological Perspective

by Julien Louys

The Future of Mammals in Southeast Asia: Conservation Insights from the Fossil Record

by Julien Louys

Paleoecology and Conservation Paleobiology: Future Directions

by Julien Louys

Bishop, L. C. and Reynolds, S. C. (2000). Fauna from Twin Rivers. In The Middle Stone Age of Zambia: South Central Africa Barham, L. (ed). Bristol: Western Academic and Specialist Press pp 217-222.

by Sally Reynolds

Here we present results of an analysis of faunal remains from Twin Rivers, Zambia recovered during the 1999 field... more Here we present results of an analysis of faunal remains from Twin Rivers, Zambia recovered during the 1999 field season under the direction of Larry Barham. Animal remains from the locality were divided into three provenance groups - A Block, F Block and G Block - and examined for taxonomic and taphonomic information. This information is used to discuss the palaeoecology and site formation of these assemblages. This contribution examines the faunal remains from each assemblage in chronological order of the deposits. The identifications and characteristics ofthe bones from each recovered group of remains are described. The inferences about human behaviour and palaeoenvironment are discussed.

Reynolds, S. C. and Bishop, L. C. (2006). Craniodental variability in fossil and modern Plains zebra (Equus burchellii) from East and southern African Pleistocene sites. In Mashkour, M (ed) Equids in time and space: Proceedings of the International Council for Archaeozoology (ICAZ), Durham (UK) 23 to 28 August 2002. Oxbow books pp. 49-60.

by Sally Reynolds

The Plains zebra (Equus burchellii Gray 1824) is a widespread equid species, inhabiting a continuous range throughout... more The Plains zebra (Equus burchellii Gray 1824) is a widespread equid species, inhabiting a continuous range throughout sub-Saharan Africa. This study investigates geographic and temporal variability in members of E. burchellii from East Africa versus those from southern Africa. Modern variability in cranial and dental morphologies is first assessed by examining metric variation between specimens from the two geographical regions. Second, a comparison is made between modern and fossil equid specimens attributed to E. burchellii from East and southern African Pleistocene (1.8 – 0.01 Ma) sites. Results show that modern southern E. burchellii is larger in overall cranial and dental dimensions than living East African conspecifics, but East African fossils are far larger than modern counterparts living in the same region. Morphological differences observed between fossil
and modern East African E. burchellii may reflect changes in climate in this region, while southern Africa experienced little change in conditions over the last 1.8 million years.

Phylogeny of the ankylosaurian dinosaurs - with page numbers

by Susannah Maidment

Morphological trends in the fossil pollen of Decodon and the paleobiogeographic history of the genus

by Fridgeir Grimsson

2012
Fridgeir Grimsson, David K. Ferguson, Reinhard Zetter
International Journal of Plant Sciences

A new Silurian microvertebrate assemblage from the Tortworth inlier, Avon, England

by Susan Turner

Conservation of the faunal remains.

by Nigel Larkin

By S O’Connor and N Larkin. Pages 297-310 in ‘Neanderthals Among Mammoths: Excavations at Lynford Quarry, Norfolk’. Edited by W A Boismier, Clive Gamble and Fiona Coward. Published by English Heritage 2012.

The predatory ecology of Deinonychus and the origin of flapping in birds

by Denver Fowler

FOWLER, D.W., FREEDMAN, E.A., SCANNELLA, J.B., & KAMBIC, R.E. (2011) PLoS One 6(12): e28964. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0028964

Additional notes/images:
http://www.denverfowler.com/index.php?module=htmlpages&func=display&pid=48

Most non-avian theropod dinosaurs are characterized by fearsome serrated teeth and sharp recurved claws.... more Most non-avian theropod dinosaurs are characterized by fearsome serrated teeth and sharp recurved claws. Interpretation of theropod predatory ecology is typically based on functional morphological analysis of these and other physical features. The notorious hypertrophied ‘killing claw’ on pedal digit (D) II of the maniraptoran theropod Deinonychus (Paraves: Dromaeosauridae) is hypothesized to have been a predatory adaptation for slashing or climbing, leading to the suggestion that Deinonychus and other dromaeosaurids were cursorial predators specialized for actively attacking and killing prey several times larger than themselves. However, this hypothesis is problematic as extant animals that possess similarly hypertrophied claws do not use them to slash or climb up prey. Here we offer an alternative interpretation: that the hypertrophied D-II claw of dromaeosaurids was functionally analogous to the enlarged talon also found on D-II of extant Accipitridae (hawks and eagles; one family of the birds commonly known as “raptors”). Here, the talon is used to maintain grip on prey of subequal body size to the predator, while the victim is pinned down by the body weight of the raptor and dismembered by the beak. The foot of Deinonychus exhibits morphology consistent with a grasping function, supportive of the prey immobilisation behavior model. Opposite morphological trends within Deinonychosauria (Dromaeosauridae + Troodontidae) are indicative of ecological separation. Placed in context of avian evolution, the grasping foot of Deinonychus and other terrestrial predatory paravians is hypothesized to have been an exaptation for the grasping foot of arboreal perching birds. Here we also describe “stability flapping”, a novel behaviour executed for positioning and stability during the initial stages of prey immobilisation, which may have been pivotal to the evolution of the flapping stroke. These findings overhaul our perception of predatory dinosaurs and highlight the role of exaptation in the evolution of novel structures and behaviours.

The first giant titanosaurian sauropod from the Upper Cretaceous of North America

by Denver Fowler

FOWLER, D.W., & SULLIVAN. R.M. (in press; 2011) The first giant titanosaurian sauropod from the Upper Cretaceous of North America, Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 56(4): 685-690

Additional info:
http://www.denverfowler.com/index.php?module=htmlpages&func=display&pid=42

Argentinosaurus (Cenomanian, Argentina) is generally accepted as being the largest dinosaur so far discovered and is... more Argentinosaurus (Cenomanian, Argentina) is generally accepted as being the largest dinosaur so far discovered and is one of several giant titanosaurian sauropods known from the Upper Cretaceous of South America and Asia, but surprisingly not from North America. Here we present the first evidence of giant titanosaurian sauropods from the Upper Cretaceous of North America: two enormous vertebrae and a partial femur, from the Naashoibito Member of the Ojo Alamo Formation, New Mexico, and referred to Alamosaurus sanjuanensis. One of the new vertebrae, a posterior cervical, is comparable in size to a posterior cervical described for Puertasaurus: an Argentinosaurus-sized titanosaurian from the Maastrichtian of Argentina. This makes A. sanjuanensis the largest dinosaur from North America, and among the largest in the world. These findings indicate that A. sanjuanensis is diagnosed based on immature remains, which may have implications for cladistic analyses.

New sauropod material from the Late Jurassic part of the Shishugou Formation (Junggar Basin, Xinjiang, NW China)

by Denver Fowler

WINGS, O., SCHWARZ-WINGS, D. & FOWLER, D.W. (2011) Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie, Abhandlungen. DOI: 10.1127/0077-7749/2011/0183

In April 2006, three new dinosaur localities were discovered in the upper part of the Middle to Late Jurassic... more In April 2006, three new dinosaur localities were discovered in the upper part of the Middle to Late Jurassic Shishugou Formation within “Dinosaur Valley”, a classic Junggar Basin locality for Jurassic vertebrates. Recovered bones comprise cervical vertebrae of an adult and a juvenile sauropod and several sauropod forelimb elements. The vertebrae show several affinities to Mamenchisaurus , but a generic assignment cannot be undertaken considering the fragmentary nature of the material and the uncertain status of taxa assigned to the genus Mamenchisaurus . Comparisons make it likely that they are more closely related to Mamenchisaurus and Omeisaurus than to other eusauropods and Euhelopus . All vertebrae expose an accessory lamina at the vertebral centrum, which might also be present but remained undescribed in species of Mamenchisaurus . Indications in the forelimb elements, such as humerus, ulna, and pollex claw, do not allow a determination of the taxa, although there are no distinct differences to Mamenchisaurus . The remains are important because of their extreme size, including potentially the first recognized juvenile remains of a Mamenchisaurus relative, and demonstrate further evidence for the occurrence of non-neosauropod eusauropods in the Junggar Basin.

Navajodactylus boerei, n.gen., n.sp. (Pterosauria, ?Azhdarchidae) from the Upper Cretaceous Kirtland Formation (Upper Campanian) of New Mexico

by Denver Fowler

SULLIVAN, R.M., & FOWLER, D.W. (2011) In: Sullivan et al. (eds.). "Fossil Record 3": New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science Bulletin 53: 393-404.

Navajodactylus boerei gen. et sp. nov. is a new ?azhdarchid pterosaur from the Upper Cretaceous Kirtland Formation... more Navajodactylus boerei gen. et sp. nov. is a new ?azhdarchid pterosaur from the Upper Cretaceous Kirtland Formation (Hunter Wash Member), San Juan Basin, New Mexico. The holotype consists of the proximal portion of a right 1st wing phalanx with a fused extensor tendon process. Comparison to other named and unnamed pterosaurs indicates that the morphology of the extensor tendon process can be used to differentiate pterosaur taxa. Navajodactylus boerei is characterized by having a well-developed extensor tendon process that covers 75% of the proximal articulation surface of the 1st wing phalanx, with a pronounced dorsal boss on the superior margin of the dorsal cotyle, and it has a shallow, open extensor tendon process saddle. The arc of metacarpal IV is large and occupies more than 50% of the proximal area of the dorsal cotyle on the extensor tendon process.

Navajodactylus boerei is a component of the Hunter Wash local fauna (Kirtlandian land-vertebrate age [LVA]), which is approximately 75 Ma (late Campanian). This age date is based on the stratigraphic position of the type locality which lies below ash 2, dated at 74.44 Ma, and above ash DEP, dated at 75.56 Ma. Navajodactylus boerei is also identified among the pterosaur material recovered from the the Dinosaur Park Formation, Dinosaur Provincial Park, Alberta, Canada. This material is late Judithian LVA and is dated approximately 76-75.3 Ma, an age slightly older than the age of the holotype.

Burrow, C.J. & Turner, S. 2012. Fish stew: fossil fish taphonomy and the contribution of microfossils in documenting Devonian vertebrate history In: J.A. Talent ed. Global biodiversity, extinction intervals and biogeographic perturbations through time. UNESCO/International Year of Planet 'Earth and Life' theme. Springer.

by Susan Turner

Co-author to Dr Carole J. Burrow on invited chapter to International Year of Planet Earth book; Earth and Life
Global Biodiversity, Extinction Intervals and Biogeographic Perturbations Through Time
Series: International Year of Planet Earth
Talent, John A. (Ed.)
2012, 2012, XXXII, 1107 p. 620 illus., 429 in color.
Hardcover, ISBN 978-90-481-3427-4

Taphonomic studies provide new insights into palaeoenvironmental reconstruction and direct palaeobiological... more Taphonomic studies provide new insights into palaeoenvironmental reconstruction and direct palaeobiological significance including evolutionary novelty, ontoge-netic development, population composition, and post-mortem processes. A com-parative taphonomic analysis is applied to the different groups within vertebrate assemblages from a range of environments reflecting different tectonic settings and climatic regimes, with a particular emphasis on the Australian Devonian re-cord. Detailed descriptive studies in recent decades of fossil assemblages including their taphonomy from 'Konzentrat' bonebed deposits in the Devonian, notably in East Gondwana especially Australia, have given ‘added value’ to work on complete remains. Analysis of Australian bonebed and other rich fish-bearing deposits has expanded temporal resolution in the mid-Palaeozoic fossil record (sample acuity, stratigraphic completeness), and contributed to solutions of broad-scale problems in evolution, biogeography, and biostratigraphy.

Palaeobiology of Euowenia grata (Marsupialia: Diprotodontinae) and its Presence in Northern South Australia

by Aaron Camens

Recovery of a specimen of Euowenia grata (De Vis, 1887) from mid Pliocene sediments of the Tirari Formation on the... more Recovery of a specimen of Euowenia grata (De Vis, 1887) from mid Pliocene sediments of the Tirari Formation on the bank of the Warburton River in the Lake Eyre Basin provides the first recorded account of this species in South Australia. The specimen comprises a partial skull including left and right premaxillae, maxillae, and left zygomatic arch, along with an almost complete upper dentition (missing the left I2). An articulated hind leg and pes found downstream at the same stratigraphic level, as well as both fore- and hind-feet of a single individual, are also referred to E. grata and represent the first postcranial material assigned to the species. A reconstruction of the pes indicates that much more of the body weight was borne by the tarsus in this species than in plesiomorphic diprotodontids, such as Nimbadon Hand et al., 1993, or Ngapakaldia Stirton, 1967, although E. grata does not exhibit the more extreme enlargement of the tarsus seen in graviportal Pleistocene diprotodontids. E. grata is found here also to be the only known Australian marsupial, extant or extinct, to exhibit fusion of all three cuneiform bones in the tarsus. We suggest that the diprotodontine hind limb and pes had evolved graviportal adaptations in the Pliocene as well as in the Pleistocene members. We also suggest that E. grata may have been able to rear up against trees while browsing.

Dinosaurs of Dorset: Part III, the ornithischian dinosaurs (Dinosauria, Ornithischia) with additional comments on the sauropods.

by Susannah Maidment

Wealden armoured dinosaurs.

by Susannah Maidment

A review of Late Jurassic stegosaurs (Dinosauria, Stegosauria) from the People’s Republic of China.

by Susannah Maidment

Re-description of the postcranial skeleton of the Middle Jurassic stegosaur Huayangosaurus taibaii.

by Susannah Maidment