Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Stephen F. Poropat, Philip D. Mannion, Samantha L. Rigby, Ruairidh J. Duncan, Adele H. Pentland, Joseph J. Bevitt, Trish Sloan, David A. Elliott
Summary: The discovery of a new specimen of Diamantinasaurus matildae in Queensland, Australia provides further insight into this species, including a more complete skull and partial postcranial skeleton. The skull exhibits similarities to the coeval Sarmientosaurus musacchioi from Argentina, supporting their inclusion within the clade Diamantinasauria. Additionally, plesiomorphic features suggest an early-branching position for Diamantinasauria within Titanosauria.
ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Geology
John A. Fronimos
Summary: Osteoderms are distinctive features of Titanosauria and are not only considered armor but also mineral storage sites. A new specimen from Texas provides insights into osteoderm structure and function, revealing detailed interior morphology and potential functions of these ossified dermal elements.
CRETACEOUS RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Geology
Jorge O. Calvo, Agustin Ramirez, Leonardo Salgado, Alejandro Otero
Summary: This study identifies and describes juvenile sauropod remains from the Upper Cretaceous Portezuelo Formation in Neuquen Province, Argentina. The fossils, including a femur and an anterior caudal vertebra, are classified as Titanosauria based on their general morphology. Despite the fragmentary condition of the material, these bones provide valuable insights into the immature stages of titanosaurs.
CRETACEOUS RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Geology
Ignacio Cerda, Virginia Laura Zurriaguz, Jose Luis Carballido, Romina Gonzalez, Leonardo Salgado
Summary: Pellegrinisaurus powelli is a large titanosaurian sauropod from northern Patagonia, Argentina, with incomplete femur and vertebrae fossils as its holotype. The diagnostic features and phylogenetic position of this species have been reevaluated, with bone histology indicating the holotype as a subadult individual. The caudal vertebra previously attributed to Pellegrinisaurus has been reclassified as belonging to Titanosauria indet.
CRETACEOUS RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Geology
Julian C. G. Silva Jr, Thiago S. Marinho, Agustin G. Martinelli, Luiz C. B. Ribeiro, Max C. Langer
Summary: This study describes three distinct tooth morphotypes of titanosaurs found in the Upper Cretaceous fauna of the Serra da Galga Formation in Minas Gerais, Brazil. One of the teeth represents the largest ever found, while others are possibly from juveniles. The diversity in morphology, size, and ontogenetic stages indicates a diverse titanosaurs fauna in the Serra da Galga environment.
CRETACEOUS RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Geology
Alexander O. Averianov, Alexander Sizov, Pavel P. Skutschas
Summary: Tengrisaurus starkovi, a titanosaurian sauropod from the Lower Cretaceous of Asiatic Russia, exhibits new morphological details through the discovery of an additional anterior caudal vertebra. This finding suggests a wider distribution of the Colossosauria clade ancestors in Eurasia during the Early Cretaceous.
CRETACEOUS RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Geology
Alejandro Otero, Jose L. Carballido, Leonardo Salgado, Jose Ignacio Canudo, Alberto C. Garrido
Summary: This study presents a giant titanosaur sauropod specimen from the Candeleros Formation in Neuquén Province, potentially one of the largest sauropods found to date. Preliminary phylogenetic analysis places this specimen at the base of the clade leading to Lognkosauria. The findings suggest the co-existence of large and mid-sized titanosaurs in Neuquén Province at the beginning of the Late Cretaceous, indicating possible niche partitioning.
CRETACEOUS RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Geology
Agustin Perez Moreno, Alejandro Otero, Jose L. Carballido, Leonardo Salgado, Jorge O. Calvo
Summary: This study describes the appendicular skeleton of Rinconsaurus from Argentina and analyzes its phylogenetic relationships with other titanosaurs. Rinconsaurus shows distinct features and a unique combination of characters compared to other titanosaurs. Based on size estimation, the body weight of Rinconsaurus is estimated to be between 3-5 tonnes. The study also includes Rinconsaurus in an expanded phylogenetic data matrix and identifies it as a member of the Rinconsauria clade.
CRETACEOUS RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Stephen F. Poropat, Matt A. White, Tim Ziegler, Adele H. Pentland, Samantha L. Rigby, Ruairidh J. Duncan, Trish Sloan, David A. Elliott
Summary: The Snake Creek Tracksite in the Upper Cretaceous Winton Formation of Queensland, Australia, presents an important vertebrate ichnoassemblage, including the first sauropod tracks reported from eastern Australia. This site also preserves a small number of theropod and ornithopod tracks, as well as the first fossilised crocodyliform and possible turtle tracks reported from Australia.
Article
Geology
David Rubilar-Rogers, Alexander O. Vargas, Bernardo Gonzalez Riga, Sergio Soto-Acuna, Jhonatan Alarcon-Munoz, Jose Iriarte-Diaz, Carlos Arevalo, Carolina S. Gutstein
Summary: A new lithostrotian sauropod, Arackar licanantay gen. et sp. nov., has been discovered in the Upper Cretaceous beds of the Hornitos Formation in Atacama Region, northern Chile. This new titanosaur exhibits unique characteristics and is phylogenetically classified in a clade with Rapetosaurus and Isisaurus. It is the third dinosaur named from Chile and the third titanosaur from the western side of the Andes in South America.
CRETACEOUS RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Scott A. Hocknull, Melville Wilkinson, Rochelle A. Lawrence, Vladislav Konstantinov, Stuart Mackenzie, Robyn Mackenzie
Summary: The discovery of a new giant sauropod dinosaur in the Australian Eromanga Basin sheds light on the taxonomic and morphological diversity of sauropods from the southern-central Winton Formation. The study introduces a method for direct comparative assessments using 3-D surface scan models to differentiate new taxa and overcome limitations in the study of sauropods. Phylogenetic assessments support a shared ancestry for all four Winton Formation taxa, while interpretations of palaeobiogeographical relationships and environmental differences remain ambiguous.
Article
Geology
Julian C. G. Silva Junior, Felipe C. Montefeltro, Thiago S. Marinho, Agustin G. Martinelli, Max C. Langer
Summary: Finite element analysis was used to evaluate the bites of two potential predators on titanosaur osteoderms, showing that the bites caused less stress on solid bone osteoderms. This supports the hypothesis that titanosaur osteoderms could have served as defensive tools beyond just mineral storage.
CRETACEOUS RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Biology
Veronica Diez Diaz, Geraldine Garcia, Xabier Pereda Suberbiola, Benjamin Jentgen-Ceschino, Koen Stein, Pascal Godefroit, Xavier Valentin
Summary: Remains of a new sauropod dinosaur, Garrigatitan meridionalis, were found in France, showing anatomical differences with other titanosaurs and increasing the diversity of Late Cretaceous titanosaurs within the Ibero-Armorican Island. The new taxon is within the clade Lirainosaurinae and histological analysis indicated that all individuals had reached skeletal maturity.
HISTORICAL BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Hans-Dieter Sues, Alexander Averianov, Brooks B. Britt
Summary: The Upper Cretaceous Bissekty Formation in Uzbekistan has yielded various non-avian theropod dinosaur remains, including a large dromaeosaurid and a neovenatorid carcharodontosaurian named Ulughbegsaurus uzbekistanensis. However, the classification of Ulughbegsaurus uzbekistanensis remains uncertain due to the lack of definitive diagnostic features. Furthermore, a giant dromaeosaurid and a medium-sized tyrannosauroid called Timurlengia euotica coexisted in the same formation.
GEOLOGICAL MAGAZINE
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Philip D. Mannion, Emanuel Tschopp, John A. Whitlock
Summary: Sauropod dinosaurs were abundant and diverse in the Upper Jurassic Morrison Formation of the USA, with some authors questioning the validity of certain species. However, there is no evidence to suggest that any recognized Morrison sauropod species are ontogimorphs. Anatomical features of subadult sauropods do not drastically change as they approach maturity, and the taxonomic affinities of these individuals are not substantially misinterpreted.
ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Anatomy & Morphology
Ivan T. Kuzmin, Elizaveta A. Boitsova, Victor A. Gombolevskiy, Evgeniia Mazur, Sergey P. Morozov, Andrey G. Sennikov, Pavel P. Skutschas, Hans-Dieter Sues
Summary: Present-day crocodylians have a relatively fixed and highly modified skull structure, with multiple contact points and articulations between different skeletal elements. Most crocodylians' braincase elements are influenced by multiple pneumatic sinuses, and there are consistent variations between different taxa.
JOURNAL OF ANATOMY
(2021)
Article
Paleontology
Hans-Dieter Sues, BenT Kligman, Rainer R. Schoch
Summary: A diverse group of non-marine tetrapods from the Middle Triassic era has been discovered in the Erfurt Formation of BadenWurttemberg, Germany. It includes a reptile with thin dentaries and maxillae, as well as distinctive large teeth. The closest comparable species, Colognathus obscurus, is found in Norian-age strata in the American Southwest and North Carolina, but it differs in having a large molariform tooth at the posterior end of each tooth row. Previous knowledge of the German taxon was limited to partial dentaries, but this paper presents new cranial material, including the maxillary dentition. The new findings confirm that Colognathus obscurus is indeed a reptile, contrary to previous suggestions that it may be a fish.
NEUES JAHRBUCH FUR GEOLOGIE UND PALAONTOLOGIE-ABHANDLUNGEN
(2022)
Article
Paleontology
Hans-Dieter Sues, Martin D. Ezcurra, Rainer R. Schoch
Summary: The study provides a detailed description of the poorly known reptile Eifelosaurus triadicus from the Triassic of Germany and places it within Rhynchosauria and Rhynchosauridae in the phylogenetic analysis. This taxon distinguishes itself from other rhynchosaur species with unique character states and represents a paleobiogeographically important record of rhynchosaurs in the early Middle Triassic.
Article
Paleontology
Rainer R. Schoch, Hans-Dieter Sues
Summary: Reexamination and description of Parioxys ferricolus provided insights into its ontogeny and revealed several distinctive features. It is closely related to Kamacops acervalis, belonging to the Eucacopinae clade.
JOURNAL OF PALEONTOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Paleontology
Alexander O. Averianov, Hans-Dieter Sues
Summary: A new alvarezsaurid theropod, Dzharaonyx eski, has been discovered in the Upper Cretaceous Bissekty Formation in Dzharakuduk, Uzbekistan. It possesses unique features, such as opisthocoelous posterior dorsal vertebrae and procoelous posterior caudal vertebrae with a longitudinal canal within the neural arch. The humerus structure is intermediate between two other alvarezsaurid species. Phylogenetic analysis suggests that Dzharaonyx belongs to the Parvicursorinae subfamily.
JOURNAL OF VERTEBRATE PALEONTOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Paleontology
L. J. Krumenacker, Lindsay E. Zanno, Hans-Dieter Sues
Summary: The diversity of mid-Cretaceous tyrannosauroids in North America is not well understood. A partial tyrannosauroid femur from eastern Idaho is described, filling in a significant gap in the tyrannosaur record in this region. The bone is morphologically similar to Moros intrepidus but does not belong to this taxon. Histological analysis revealed that the individual was at least five years old and still undergoing growth. The presence of this previously unrecognized tyrannosauroid suggests a wider distribution of such taxa in the early Late Cretaceous of Laramidia.
JOURNAL OF PALEONTOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Zoology
Arjan Mann, Jason D. Pardo, Hans-Dieter Sues
Summary: This study redescribes the anatomy of Odonterpeton triangulare, a Permo-Carboniferous tetrapod, and discusses its phylogenetic placement within the group of fossorial reptiles known as Recumbirostra. New anatomical details of the cranium and palate are revealed, including a previously unknown feature associated with early amniotes. The study also proposes a new clade, Chthonosauria, within Recumbirostra, based on shared derived cranial features.
ZOOLOGICAL JOURNAL OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Paul Olsen, Jingeng Sha, Yanan Fang, Clara Chang, Jessica H. Whiteside, Sean Kinney, Hans-Dieter Sues, Dennis Kent, Morgan Schaller, Vivi Vajda
Summary: Abundant lake ice-rafted debris in Late Triassic and earliest Jurassic strata of the Junggar Basin of northwestern China indicates that freezing winter temperatures typified the forested Arctic, despite high levels of atmospheric CO2. Non-avian dinosaurs were primitively insulated, enabling them to access rich Arctic vegetation even under freezing winter conditions. Transient volcanic winters led to the end-Triassic mass extinction on land, while insulated dinosaurs not only survived but also rapidly expanded in the Jurassic.
Article
Geology
Hans-Dieter Sues, David C. Evans, Peter M. Galton, Caleb M. Brown
Summary: This article provides a detailed anatomical description of the holotype of Parksosaurus warreni, including photographs of the skeleton. It highlights the functional role of the tail and its stabilizing function during locomotion. The new anatomical information allows for more detailed comparisons to closely related taxa and further discussions on the interrelationships of neornithischian dinosaurs.
CRETACEOUS RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Hans-Dieter Sues, Alexander Averianov, Brooks B. Britt
Summary: The Upper Cretaceous Bissekty Formation in Uzbekistan has yielded various non-avian theropod dinosaur remains, including a large dromaeosaurid and a neovenatorid carcharodontosaurian named Ulughbegsaurus uzbekistanensis. However, the classification of Ulughbegsaurus uzbekistanensis remains uncertain due to the lack of definitive diagnostic features. Furthermore, a giant dromaeosaurid and a medium-sized tyrannosauroid called Timurlengia euotica coexisted in the same formation.
GEOLOGICAL MAGAZINE
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Hans-Dieter Sues, Rainer R. Schoch
Summary: We report the discovery of Rutiotomodon tytthos, the first trilophosaurid stem-archosaur from Central Europe, found in Germany. The fossils consist of two jaw fragments with distinct teeth. This finding expands the known temporal range of trilophosaurids and suggests that their diversity in dental structure and diet is greater than previously thought.
ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Anatomy & Morphology
Hans-Dieter Sues, Rainer R. Schoch
Summary: The skeletal remains of the oldest rhynchocephalian known to date were discovered in a limestone quarry near Vellberg, Germany. This new taxon, named Wirtembergia hauboldae, displays distinctive features in its jaws and teeth. Phylogenetic analysis placed it as the earliest diverging member of rhynchocephalians known so far.
ANATOMICAL RECORD-ADVANCES IN INTEGRATIVE ANATOMY AND EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Paleontology
Hans-Dieter Sues, Paul E. Olsen, Tim J. Fedak, Rainer R. Schoch
Summary: The Economy Member of the Wolfville Formation in Colchester County, Nova Scotia, has provided a unique assemblage of Triassic tetrapods different from other communities in eastern North America. Fossils include various reptiles and synapsids, with the first definite record of Tanystropheus in eastern North America. The age of this unit is Middle Triassic based on the tetrapod record, making it the oldest known Triassic tetrapod-bearing stratigraphic unit in the region.
JOURNAL OF VERTEBRATE PALEONTOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Paleontology
Gabriela Sobral, Hans-Dieter Sues, Rainer Schoch
Summary: The study presents an interesting fossil record of a reptile with unusual dentition, revealing unique anatomical features and suggesting potential evolutionary relationships with certain ancient animals. The research also indicates that tetrapods with similar tooth morphologies may have inhabited freshwater and brackish-water paleoenvironments, providing additional evidence for future morpho-functional assessments.
JOURNAL OF VERTEBRATE PALEONTOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Paleontology
Hans-Dieter Sues, Rainer R. Schoch
Summary: Micromenodon pitti is a newly described sphenodontian reptile with unique facial features and dentition suited for processing hard arthropod exoskeletons and snail shells. It is classified as an early-diverging sphenodontian with fully acrodont tooth implantation.
JOURNAL OF PALEONTOLOGY
(2021)