P a l æ o n t o l o g i c a l S o c i e t y B u l l e t i n VOLUMEA 16 • NUMBER l 4 b e www.albertapaleo.org r t a DECEMBER 2001 ALBERTA PALÆONTOLOGICAL SOCIETY

OFFICERS MEMBERSHIP: Any person with a sincere interest in President* Vaclav Marsovsky 547-0182 palaeontology is eligible to present their application for Vice-President* Dan Quinsey 247-3022 membership in the Society. (Please enclose membership Treasurer* (acting) Cindy Evans 285-0144 dues with your request for application.) Secretary* (acting)Dan Quinsey 247-3022 Single membership $15.00 annually Past-President* Wayne Braunberger 278-5154 Family or Institution $20.00 annually DIRECTORS Editor* Howard Allen 274-1858 THE BULLETIN WILL BE PUBLISHED Membership* Howard Allen 274-1858 QUARTERLY: March, June, September and Program Coordinator* Philip Benham 280-6283 December. Deadline for submitting material for Curator Ron Fortier 285-8041 publication is the 15th of the month prior to Librarian Mona Marsovsky 547-0182 publication. Events Coordinator* Keith Mychaluk 228-3211 Director at Large Dr. David Mundy 281-3668 Society Mailing Address: Social Director (position currently unfilled) Alberta Palaeontological Society APAC Representative† Vaclav Marsovsky 547-0182 P.O. Box 35111, Sarcee Postal Outlet * Officers and Directors marked with an asterisk are se- Calgary, Alberta, Canada T3E 7C7 nior board members for executive meeting quorum (Web: www.albertapaleo.org) purposes. † APAC is the Alberta Palaeontological Advisory Material for the Bulletin: Committee Howard Allen, Editor, APS 7828 Hunterslea Crescent, N.W. The Society was incorporated in 1986, as a non-profit Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2K 4M2 organization formed to: (E-mail: [email protected]) a. Promote the science of palaeontology through study and education. NOTICE: Readers are advised that opinions expressed in the articles are those of the author and do not neces- b. Make contributions to the science by: sarily reflect the viewpoint of the Society. Except for ar- 1) discovery 2) collection 3) description ticles marked “Copyright ©,” reprinting of articles by 4) education of the general public exchange bulletins is permitted, as long as appropriate 5) preservation of material for study and the future credit is given. Requests for missing issues of the c. Provide information and expertise to other Bulletin should be addressed to the Editor. Back issues collectors. are available for purchase from the Librarian or the Editor, in hard copy or CD-ROM formats. Copies are d. Work with professionals at museums and univer- also available for loan in the Society library. sities to add to the palaeontological collections of the province (preserve Alberta’s heritage).

UPCOMING APS MEETINGS Meetings take place at 7:30 P.M., in Room B101 (or B108, across the hall) Mount Royal College: 4825 Richard Road SW, Calgary, Alberta December 14, 2001—Palaeo Photo Contest and Pot-Luck Dinner. January 26–27, 2002—6th Annual Symposium. See details, Page 15. February 15, 2002—Lisa Bohach, University of Calgary: Trilobites of the Cranbrook Area, BC.

ON THE COVER: Alberta fossils—Teeth of the mollusc-eating freshwater ray, Myledaphus bipartitus Cope, one of Alberta’s commonest vertebrate fossils. Upper Cretaceous, Horseshoe Canyon Formation. Upper photo shows a fresh occlusal surface; lower photo is another specimen, the result of crunching a few too many mollusc shells. Both magnified 14.5 times. Photos by Howard Allen. Have you got a rare, unusu- al, or spectacular Alberta fossil we can showcase on a future cover? Please contact the Editor!

APS Bulletin 1 December 2001 Proposed Dues New Provincial Increase Park Boundaries by Keith Mychaluk, Events Coordinator by Dan Quinsey, Secretary any APS members avidly collect fossils near Provincial Park and Dry Important Notice of Motion MIsland Buffalo Jump Provincial Park. Also, the APS itself has conducted field trips he following motion to increase member- near both of these parks. However, we all need to ship dues will be presented during the an- be aware of recent park boundary changes, which T nual general meeting of May 24, 2002. can be found on the internet at the following site: www3.gov.ab.ca/env/parks/lrm/index.html. By click- Motion: To increase membership dues for the ing on the “Provincial Parks” link, one can locate Alberta Palaeontological Society to $20.00 for maps and legal land descriptions of the current a Single, Family or Institutional membership park boundaries. commencing with the 2003 calendar year. Maps of Dinosaur Provincial Park and Dry Island Buffalo Jump Provincial Park (among oth- The annual fixed expense for each membership ers) can be downloaded from the site as Acrobat whether it be a single, family or institutional mem- PDF files and printed at high resolution. Please bership is $16.85. This figure will rise when we take note that the new southern boundary at Dinosaur into consideration postal rates, general inflation, Park now encompasses the popular “Wolf Coulee” and the increasing cost to bring in speakers for or Bonebed 120 microvertebrate fossil site, which general meetings and the annual symposium. was the venue of an APS trip back in 1999. Currently we are collecting $15.00 for a single Apparently new, albeit small, Provincial Park membership and $20.00 for a family or institution. boundary signs have been posted, but I have been In order to continue to provide the calibre of unable to confirm this. Also, additions to Dry speakers we have had in the past and avoid operat- Island Park have been made downstream at the ing the Society in a deficit position, the board of popular campgrounds on both sides of the Red directors are proposing an increase in membership Deer River at Tolman Bridge. I can confirm that dues to $20.00 for a single, family or institutional new signs have been posted there. I do not know membership commencing with the 2003 year. when the changes at either park were made. In accordance with the bylaws of the Alberta Before planning future trips, please refer to the Palaeontological Society, any change in member- above website and make sure you avoid collecting ship fees shall be determined from time to time by in a park. However, I must criticize the provincial the members at a general meeting. Only members government for not making these changes more in good standing with the Society may vote on this public. Signs around Dinosaur Park are rarely visi- motion. Voting must be done in person and not by ble and, in many cases, have been knocked down. proxy or otherwise. Although 15% of the voting The signs merely say “Alberta Provincial Park members are required to constitute quorum at the Boundary” and do not discuss fines for illegal fossil annual general meeting to vote in elections, only collecting or trespassing. Furthermore, the 10% of the voting members are required to consti- province or the Tyrrell Museum (who certainly tute quorum in order to pass a motion regarding must be aware of the changes at Dinosaur) should membership dues. A majority show of hands will formally contact the APS about any changes to pass the motion. park boundaries near fossil collecting localities. The Board of Directors feels this motion must Since the APS represents over 120 individuals and be passed at this time in order to continue with the groups interested in Alberta fossils, we make an programs and events we have become accustomed obvious choice for advertising changes. Obviously to and to remain solvent as a society. ❏ these park boundary changes are meant to protect natural resources, but what if no one in the greater public is aware of them? ❏

APS Bulletin 2 December 2001 In an effort to improve APS field trip safety, sev- eral new measures will be adopted for 2002. These Proposed Field will include a “buddy system,” new safety equip- ment and—perhaps—formal first-aid training for some members and trip leaders (more to follow in the coming months). Currently we are looking for Trips for 2002 donations of safety equipment, including first aid kits, flares, pylons, “bear bangers” and reflective by Keith Mychaluk, Events Coordinator safety vests. Please contact Keith Mychaluk, Events Coor- Onefour area, Alberta dinator, for more information: (403) 228-3211, June 22–23, 2002 (Saturday and Sunday) Email: [email protected] upcom- We will return to the same area we visited in ing Bulletin issues for more details. ❏ 2000 to search for more microvertebrate fossil sites in the Oldman and Dinosaur Park Formations (Late Cretaceous). On this trip, we will explore for new localities. Accommodations and gas stations Program Summary are sparse in this region of Alberta, so please plan by Mona Marsovsky ahead. Campgrounds are located in Foremost, Cypress Hills and Medicine Hat. The nearest motel September 21, 2001 accommodations are in Medicine Hat. Reconstructing the Past. By Gilles Danis, Prehistoric Animal Structures (PAST)

Fernie-Sparwood area, BC t the September meeting, Mr. Danis illustrat- July 20–21, 2002 (Saturday and Sunday) ed the trials and tribulations of mounting Our host for this year’s successful trip to A skeletons and how scientific research is es- Cranbrook, Guy Santucci, will once again help sential to determine the best mount for a particular lead one of our trips. We will explore a variety of animal. Jurassic and Cretaceous plant fossil localities in the Gilles Danis graduated with a BA at the Fernie-Sparwood coal mining district. The first University of Laval in 1965. Under the leadership day’s activities will centre around Fernie, so it’s of Dr. Dale A. Russell, Gilles began his career of best to make accommodation arrangements there. mounting dinosaur skeletons for the Canadian On Day Two, we will journey a short drive to Museum of Nature. In 1979, he moved to Alberta neighbouring Sparwood. at the insistence of Dr. Philip Currie, to head the mounting program at the Provincial Museum in Edmonton and later the Royal Tyrrell Museum in Little Rocky Mountains, Zortman, MT, USA Drumheller. In 1989, Mr. Danis started Prehistoric August 16–18, 2002 (Friday–Sunday) Animal Structures (PAST), a company that spe- cializes in mounting fossil remains of various ani- Wayne Braunbergerwill help lead our second mals, ranging from insects to . So far his excursion into Montana. Unlike the first trip, this company has mounted over 400 specimens. trip will centre activities around a single town, Zortman. As such, the APS will not arrange trans- Mr. Danis took us on an entertaining tour of the portation, but we will assist with group accommo- challenges of mounting specimens. Under the sub- dations (more to follow). Wonderful exposures, heading “I’ll Never Do That Again,” Mr. Danis showed us the logic of using modern animals to near Zortman, of Mississippian and Jurassic-aged help determine how dinosaurs and ancient mam- rocks yield a variety of marine invertebrate fossils mals might have stood and walked. He used nu- including crinoids, brachiopods and ammonites. merous examples of both poor and excellent re- The University of Saskatchewan has been using construction to illustrate these ideas. Mr. Danis this area for teaching geology students for years. An opportunity to visit an open-pit gold mine may concluded that it is important “not to force your also be added. Dates will be finalized in time for ideas on the skeleton.” the March 2002 Bulletin.

APS Bulletin 3 December 2001 October 19, 2001 eating his 5-year-old brother Ryan for supper. Komodo! The Mythology and Evolution of a Philip compared and constrasted the Komodo Dragon. By Philip and Peter Benham skull and skeleton with those of dinosaurs. He con- cluded his talk by describing the greatly reduced hilip Benham and son Peter described the habitat of the Komodo dragon and the need to ❏ palaeontology, anatomy and behaviour of conserve these special animals. Pthe Komodo dragon (Varanus komodensis, a member of the monitor lizard family). Philip de- scribed the first encounters of white men with the dragon from the remote Indonesian island and the Other Talks of mythology that surrounds the dragon. The varanoid family originated in the Late Jurassic. The Komodo dragon, monitor lizards and Interest gila monsters belong to one branch, while the by Philip Benham, Program Coordinator snakes make up the second and mosasaurs belong to a third branch. The monitor lizards first appear in the Late Cretaceous of Mongolia. Fossils of the The Royal Tyrrell Museum is running a monitor lizards are rare until the Eocene. Eocene Friday speakers’ series through the spring. To see remains include those found in the Canadian which talks are upcoming, please check out their Arctic at Axel Heiberg Island. The genus Varanus website: http://www.tyrrellmuseum.com/whatshot/ evolved in North America, expanded to Asia and whatshot.htm then reached Australia 15 million years ago. Megalania prisca, a 7 m long, one tonne vara- The Archaeological Society of noid lizard with a skull 80 cm long, chased giant Alberta, Calgary Division, presents the follow- mammal fauna (including wombats the size of hip- ing talks which may be of interest to APS mem- pos!) in Australia until that lizard became extinct bers. All are held at the University of Calgary in 35,000 years ago. The varanoids have spread to Earth Science 162 at 7:30 P.M. areas ranging from tropical jungles to subtropical deserts and live in every continent except South Wednesday, January 16, 2002 America and Antarctica. No other animal genus Cities in the Sand: the Graeco-Roman Sites of Libya by Dr. John Humphrey has as large of a size range as Varanus, which in- cludes both tiny lizards and the Komodo dragon. Wednesday, February 20, 2002 Philip discussed the reasons why isolated popu- Pre-Contact Inuvialuit Culture in the Outer lations, such as those on islands, tend toward ei- Mackenzie Delta by Dr. Charles Arnold ther dwarfism or gigantism. The large size of the Wednesday, March 20, 2002 Komodo dragon is probably due to the lack of Variation in Mainland Saladoid Site Environments predators, lack of competitors and the large size and the Implications for Island Colonization by Dr. of its prey. Richard Callaghan. Philip showed slides from his trip to Komodo Island National Park to visit the dragons. The Wednesday, April 17, 2002 Komodo dragon is an ambush predator that is 2.5 Burial Practices and Mummification at to 2.8 m long and up to 80 kg in weight. Being cold Huaquerones-Puruchoco, an Inca Cemetery in blooded, the dragons move slowly except for short Central Peru by Jocelyn Williams bursts of speed when ambushing prey. What they Phone K. J. Braaten at (403) 239-3970 or email don’t kill outright often succumbs from blood poi- [email protected] for more information on soning due to fifty-two different kinds of bacteria Archaeological Society of Alberta talks. ❏ within the dragon’s saliva. The dragons have been observed following their victim for two weeks wait- ing for the toxic effects of bacteria to take over. Some think that the dinosaur Allosaurus depended Bookmark on the same toxic bite to bring down its prey. Philip described the anatomy and behaviour of our website! the Komodo dragon. A dragon can eat 80% of its www.albertapaleo.org weight in one sitting, which, it was pointed out, would be equivalent to 10-year-old Peter Benham

APS Bulletin 4 December 2001 Amphipora)—there was limited fossil diversity observed on our short trip. Most of our time was 2001 Field Trip spent rummaging for samples in the creek bottom, though a few of us headed up the mountain to view the outcrop. Unfortunately we ran out of time to Reports hike up neighbouring Tina Creek to view the off- reef exposures, which are reportedly highly fossilif- erous. The trip was well worth the effort, especially Cripple Creek, Alberta on such a beautiful day in the mountains. August 18-19, 2001 by Keith Mychaluk PAST Workshop Tour, September 22, 2001 small but determined contingent of APS by Mona Marsovsky faithful undertook the challenge to reach A Cripple Creek on the last field trip of the n Saturday, September 22, Mr. Gilles Danis summer. The mountainous Cripple Creek area, (see Program Summary, elsewhere in this northwest of Rocky Mountain House, Alberta, is issue), led fourteen APS members through famous for its exposures of late Devonian-aged O the workshops of Prehistoric Animal Structures carbonate reefs and reef margins. Inc. (PAST) in East Coulee, Alberta, for a two- hour tour. PAST is involved in all stages of recon- struction, including removal of fossils from field jackets, making molds and casts and then assem- bling the skeletons. PAST’s first project was a Brachiosaurus mount (12 m high, 23 m long), which had to be built in

Amphipora sp., x1 Petroleum geologists searching for oil and gas in Alberta have long associated the Cripple Creek rocks with those of the economically valuable Leduc Formation, source of major oil discoveries in the 1940s and 50s. Fossil stromatoporoids in Leduc reefs have been leached out in the subsur- face of Alberta, creating a network of holes (porosi- ty) that are interconnected (permeability) creating a natural reservoir for oil to reside. Since the Cripple Creek reef is exposed, geologists can more closely study it. Reaching Cripple Creek, however, is a rather “bumpy” experience. From the Ram River Falls Campground, we branched off to the west and took the Onion Lake Road, which quickly deterio- rates into a potholed minefield. Fortunately, like much of Alberta this past summer, the area was very dry and no mud was encountered. Our trucks were certainly “shook up” though; my truck now has several new rattles and squeaks as a result. Once we reached our turn-off, we hiked several more kilometres to reach Cripple Creek. At the Seismosaurus hallorum under construction. Host base of the main outcrop area, the creek was lit- Gilles Danis in white sweatshirt. Photo by Vaclav tered with fossil stromatoporoids (mainly Marsovsky.

APS Bulletin 5 December 2001 two pieces (neck and head in a separate piece) due to the 8.5 m height of their workshop. This speci- men guarded the inside entrance to the Field Palaeo Santa’s Museum in Chicago, until the upstart “Sue” the T. rex, took its prominent spot at the entrance. The Brachiosaurus was relocated to O’Hare International Airport in Chicago. Hideout?

by Philip Benham (copyright, © 2001)

[The following is an extract from Phil’s work in pro- gress, tentatively titled “Trips Through Time: Western Canadian Excursions to the Palaeonto- logical, Historical and Just Plain Weird.” –ed.]

bout 160 km east of Haines Junction, along the Alaska Highway towards Whitehorse, is A the junction with a road that leads south to Kusawa Lake. There is a viewpoint 3 km in and a lakeshore campground at 24 km. Icefields in the Kusawa Lake area have yielded gifts from the past Reconstructed skull of the giant African crocodile that some people might define as crappy but to a imperator. Photo by Vaclav Marsovsky. select group of scientists and the local First Nations the gift has been a goldmine of information. APS members viewed the progress of the mount In 1997, in the mountains around Kusawa Lake, of Seismosaurus hallorum, being assembled for a west of Whitehorse, a researcher stumbled across a museum in Japan. Mr. Danis outlined the chal- thick layer of dung melting out of glacial ice. That lenges of reconstructing this specimen, probably in itself is not unusual, for caribou like to congre- the biggest sauropod in North America (32.5 m gate on the snowfields to get away from insects. long), using only the limited body parts found to Discoverer Gerry Kuzyk knew caribou dung date (vertebrae, pubis, ischium, sacrum). when he saw it, but he also knew that there were Information from Diplodocus was used to help fill not enough local caribou to produce the volume of in the missing pieces. dung he had found. The massive layer of dung, PAST is also reconstructing Sarcosuchus, a 13 m then, was likely evidence of a large herd that had long crocodile with a 1.6 m long skull, using the in- lived there sometime in the past. The question was: formation gleaned from an excellent skull found how far into the past? No one was prepared for the by Dr. Paul Sereno in the desert. answer radiocarbon dating gave: 3510 years BP. A Columbian mammoth looked ready to head I have noticed that, in fossil hunting, people for its new home in Hidalgo, Texas. Mr. Danis al- often don’t find much until they get their eye in lowed APS members to help pack an Orca killer tune with what they are looking for. In this case, no whale skeleton for shipment to the Calgary Science one had thought to systematically look for items of Centre. A Calgary company creates the shipping archaeological or palaeontological significance in containers. First the skeleton (divided into 3 parts) melting glacial ice. Sure, there were stories of hik- is placed in the plywood shipping container. The ers or climbers melting out of the ice in the Alps partial skeleton is covered with plastic. The empty decades after they had fallen to their depth. But ar- spaces are then filled with an expanding foam, tifacts and animal remains thousands of years old? which then hardens to create a custom-fit package. Rare indeed. Perhaps it was the discovery of Repacking the specimen is a matter of figuring out “Otzi,” the frozen body of a 5300 year old Bronze which piece goes where. Age man, discovered in the Alps in 1991 that was All of the APS members enjoyed the tour, which the spark for the more recent discoveries. gave us a much better understanding of the science As soon as Kuzyk discovered this site, scientists behind mounting skeletons. APS would like to began searching for black streaks in the snow thank Mr. Gilles Danis for volunteering his time to patches and glacial ice of the southern Yukon. In a provide both a Friday lecture and a Saturday ❏ few years, upwards of 80 of these sites had been morning field trip. recorded. All of them are east of the Coast

APS Bulletin 6 December 2001 Mountain Range. The timeliness of the discovery ments much better. What are the odds of recover- and the urgency of the recovery can’t be underesti- ing a several-thousand-year-old arrow with its mated. As the ice continues to melt back, new ma- feathers still attached and red ochre paint on the terials are being exposed. The less resistant materi- shaft? This is one of the more spectacular articles als decay and the tougher items remain, slowly recovered from these melting ice patches. The first weathering. atlatl found at the Thandlat site was one of the old- The discovery of the caribou feces (they can’t be est reported for North America but it is young called coprolites as they haven’t been lithified) and compared to an atlatl shaft reported from another associated artifacts is very recent, but has set off a nearby site to be 6800 years old. The bow and ar- whirlwind of research. Besides the dung, skeletal rows that replaced them date back to at least 1300 remains of caribou, bison, mountain sheep, small years BP. Traditionally, North American archaeo- mammals and birds have been recovered from the logical efforts require theorization as to what vari- ice (Farnell et al, 2000). ous stone points were used for and where and how Rick Farnell is a caribou biologist working for they were attached. In these southern Yukon sites, the Yukon Department of Renewable Resources. the arrowhead is still attached to the arrow. This is What excites him is the ability to track the popula- an unprecedented opportunity to study complete tion distributions of ancient herds of caribou. artifacts and much more is sure to come. Genetic material can be extracted from the organic Detailed study awaits all these artifacts. They remains (such as teeth, fur, antlers) and will help to have been freeze dried to prevent deterioration. track the evolution of the caribou since the last ice Right now the focus is on recovering as many as age. The oldest patch of caribou dung so far dates possible before all the ice patches are gone, which back over 8000 years, plenty of time to see subtle by Greg Hare’s reckoning could be five to ten changes in DNA as the various herds evolved. years. After the recovery effort is complete, life- When Gerry Kuzyk brought other people to the times of study await the researchers. site near Kusawa Lake other treasures were soon Some avenues of study include a heavy mineral discovered. Besides caribou poop it turns out that analysis to see if mercury levels were traditionally native artifacts were associated with these “organic as high as today. Pollen and plant macrofossils ex- rich” layers. These sites all lie within the traditional tracted from the dung will allow scientists to say hunting range of the Champagne and Aishihik, something about palaeoclimate, vegetation pat- Carcross-Tagish and Kwanlin Dün First Nations terns and the diet of ancient caribou. and coincide with oral traditions regarding hunt- There is one theory yet to be advanced, perhaps ing caribou in the region. The first artifact found because no one has been bold enough to do so. I was the wooden shaft of an atlatl. This tool was propose, given that we are rapidly approaching used to throw spears, and was dated to 4300 years Christmas, that this is not a paleo-Indian site but BP, making it a very important find. The site is rather an ancient encampment of Santa’s. Given now called Thandlat or “sharp-pointed mountain” encroaching civilization he has obviously needed in recognition of the atlatl discovery. The atlatl to move his workshop to the more remote setting uses the principle of the lever, showing that these of the North Pole. ❏ people were technologically adept. Between 3000 and 4000 years BP, newer technology swept south from the High Arctic. The bow and arrow began replacing the atlatl, being of surer aim and greater distance. Within 1500 years BP it had fully re- placed the atlatl and spear as weapon of choice throughout the continent. Greg Hare, Yukon Heritage Branch archaeolo- gist, and Sheila Greer, under the employ of the Champagne-Aishihik First Nation are playing a major role in coordinating the research on the arti- facts associated with the caribou feces. What is ex- ceptional about the artifacts is the fact that not only stone implements are found. The acidic na- ture of soil typically leads to the rotting away of any wooden implements. Glaciers, the ice locker of time, as it were, preserve these wooden imple-

APS Bulletin 7 December 2001 around 12 to 17 metres in length, and weighed about 4 to 6 tonnes. Its skull was very crocodile- Could like in appearance. had a distinctive sail on its back; there are a lot of theories about the function of this sail—one is thermoregulation, Spinosaurus heating or cooling off its body temperature. Another possible function is intimidation to- wards a carnivore or to keep another of its species aegyptiacus beat away from its territory or to protect its right to mate with a selected female. Spinosauruswas likely a very well-built picivore a full-grown (fish-eater), which may have preyed on terrestrial animals too. For its being picivorous, there is no direct evidence, but its ancestors such as T. rex? did indeed eat fish, by the remains of its last lunch—an undigested fish. The teeth of these ani- by Steven Coombs (copyright © 2001) mals are conical (teeth of its relative Baryonyx are modified with serrations), the same as a crocodile; they have no curve or serrations like other thero- What is it? pods. Spinosaurus is known to have this type of ith all the excitement of this summer’s teeth so it may have included fish in its diet. The Jurassic Park 3, people have witnessed an crocodiles of today feed on fish and terrestrial ani- Wincredible movie with some very neat mals. technology and computerized dinosaurs, and —hey—the film was an adrenaline rush. (I haven’t seen it yet, but I heard about it from some movie goers!) The film also had its inaccuracies and the char- acters sound very stupid for even going back to that island—once or twice is enough. The big su- perstar of this film is a sort of spinosaurid as I would call it. Not much is known of this North African theropod, but in the film they tried to de- pict it as one of the most dangerous carnivorous Spinosaurus aegyptiacus reconstruction. Art by dinosaurs the world has ever seen—in the film it Steven Coombs. battled a full-grown T. rex, and won! But could it really beat a full-grown T. rex? Spinosauruswas maybe one of the longest di- Well, I wouldn’t really know, because like I said, nosaurs, but also one of the slimmest. Recently not much is known about this animal. The remains (prior to the filming of Jurassic Park 3) Jack that were found (fragmentary dentary, vertebrae, Horner—a consultant on the dinosaurs in the hind limb elements, teeth) were all destroyed in film—spoke about a spinosaurid having a skull World War II bombing raids, along with other rare two metres long. He said in an interview that this fossils. spinosaurid found in Africa would have been over Spinosaurus aegyptiacus was found in 1910 by 18 m long and was the biggest carnivore ever German palaeontologist Ernst Stromer, who led an found. He’s writing a paper at the moment about Expedition to Northern Africa where he found this this new find that could shed more light on this mysterious animal in the Baharija Formation of very interesting and mysterious dinosaur. Egypt. It lived around 95 million years ago, in the the Late Cretaceous. It was a spinosaurid, and The Battle! some of its ancestors were animals such as If the Jurassic Park 3 battle were to be a reality Baryonyx and . my bet would be for T. rex to win the champi- Today not much is known of Spinosaurus, onship in this match. Spinosaurus was not your though some more remains have been found (neck normal flesh eating terrestrial giant—it was more a vertebra, fragmentary dentaries, dorsal neural arch scaly-fleshed eater; in other words its diet included and teeth). This dinosaur is estimated to have been fish. Modern bears are an example of an animal

APS Bulletin 8 December 2001 that will feast on fish, but they do eat other prey as would be better to think that T. rex would have well. Possibly Spinosaurus was the same. won by being more specialized—maybe not a Spinosauruslived in a coastal environment battle, but I’ll leave that up to you! ❏ teeming with huge fish up to two metres long or more, and its technique for catching prey was with [APS member Steven Coombs is a high school stu- its huge thumb claw, borne on the first digit of the dent in Barachois, Quebec. This is his second article manus (hand); this thumb claw measured around for the Bulletin. – ed.] 40 cm in length with a sheath of keratinous materi- al (such as our fingernails) and with a very raptori- al curve to it. With this claw and the way it was shaped, it must have been easy to capture fish by APS Members swinging the hand like a sickle. In nature, bears do this with their claws. Another weapon that was used was its crocodile-shaped head that had a kink in the jaw, similar to that of crocodiles. By having attend 2001 this kink it was much easier to hold onto the fish while eating it—just like modern crocodiles. SVP Conference Now T. rex was a pretty huge, carnivorous, 7 This year’s annual conference of the Society of tonne tyrannosaurid which measured 12+ m from Vertebrate Paleontology (SVP) was held in nose to tail. It was the biggest carnivore of its time, Bozeman, Montana. APS attendees included Les but not the biggest to ever live. It was very swift for Adler and Mona and Vaclav Marsovsky. Following its size as well. T. rex was closer to birds than are their accounts of the activities. Spinosaurus; it had a brain much larger than any other carnivore proportional to its size. Field Trips T. rex had a skull with up to 60 teeth; each was curved with serrations and measured up to 30 cm Cenozoic Vertebrate Palaeontology and Geology in length including the root (not all teeth, mainly of Southwestern Montana and Adjacent Areas. just maxilla teeth). The jaw force that T. rex pro- he reason I joined this trip was to cover new duced was estimated to be around 12.9 kN (2,900 ground—I had been on large areas of the lbs.) for one side of the jaw, or 25.8 kN (5,800 lbs.) other field trips that were offered by for the whole jaw. Its teeth were shaped like ba- T Dinotour in the early 1990s. Also the other trips nanas (they are D-shaped in cross-section) for concentrated on dinosaurs, whereas this trip pro- crushing bone. This would kill something fast and vided experience in collecting a variety of fossil was very efficient. mammal material over a wide area of southwestern The architecture of the skull of T. rex was very Montana and Idaho. different from some other theropods. It was made There were four leaders: a historian, a structural to have a longer field of view while hunting or geologist and two vertebrate palaeontologists. At looking for carrion—this is called deep percep- one location the rocks were white and the fossils tion—it was a very unique tool for T. rex. By hav- were black. At another location the rocks and the ing deep perception it was much easier to track fossils were all white. At some locations, people prey and to know its distance and whether the prey fanned out over an area. At another location the was big enough to tackle. Humans have the same collecting was done as a team where everybody got type of vision. (Spinosaurus did not have deep per- down on their hands and knees and slowly worked ception, but had its eyes placed on the side of its uphill in a line. skull like other typical theropods, such as Participants were expected to hand over their Allosaurus or ). finds to the leaders who tagged special containers. One thing that T. rex didn’t have is big arms—it The specimens were being collected for the had arms almost the size of an adult human’s. The Museum of the Rockies collections. I found fresh- function of these arms is very puzzling. Studies es- water fish fragments, much turtle, oreodont teeth timate they might have been able to lift 180 kg or and brontothere bone pieces. I met with palaeon- more. tologists from China, Sweden, Australia and the Which one of these specialized carnivores United States. would have won? Well, Spinosaurus was much The trip started at Bozeman, went west to the more primitive than T. rex in many features, so it Pipestone area, where the fossil location is up for

APS Bulletin 9 December 2001 sale; then to McCartey’s Mountain, then on to MYA). Paleosols there indicated wet-dry seasonal- Dillon where we stayed for two nights. From ity. We saw sauropod and three-toed tracks, ter- Dillon we proceeded to the Bannock Pass and on mite nests, bioturbation by invertebrates that lived to the Railroad Canyon area of Idaho. On the third under the tracks and the odd dinosaur bone. The day a large territory was covered, including the second day we visited the Red Gulch tracksite, Diamond “O” Ranch, Ruby Valley, Nevada and which was discovered in 1997 by Erik Kvale, in the Virginia City ghost towns; Madison Bluffs lookout lower Sundance Formation (169–164 MYA). The and the Madison Buffalo Jump. field trip leaders showed us examples of crevasse This region is characteristic of the basin and splays where palaeo channels breached their range structure where a basin may be about 90 km banks. Ripple marks and intensive invertebrate in length and 50 km wide, separated from adjacent traces indicated that this was a shoreline at the basins by giant faults. Within a basin may be found edge of the Sundance Sea. great thicknesses of sediments, up to 16,000 me- Hundreds of three-toed tracks led to and from tres, and faults and unconformities. Within, the the ancient sea. This site has been developed for exposed rocks ranged from Precambrian garnet tourists by the Bureau of Land Management gneisses through Carboniferous limestones and (BLM), including a picnic area and informative Jurassic, Cretaceous and Cenozoic sediments. signs. Nearby, the Flitner Ranch dinosaur site had Cirques were visible on high mountains with thick more tracks, but much less bioturbation. A short basic and acidic lava flows and ash layers. Precise hike (uphill in the heat) allowed us the privilege of dating is available from magnetic reversal mea- walking the “Yellow Brick Road.” This “road” is surements linked to mammal fossil distribution covered with well preserved dinosaur tracks. lists which can be matched to Cenozoic epochs. On the third day, we went even farther back in This well-planned trip was enhanced by experi- time to see the dinosaur tracks at the Gypsum enced leaders and copious field-trip notes. Springs (170 MYA) site. Dinosaurs and crocodiles — Les Adler had wandered this area. Some of the tracks were thought to be marks made by swimming di- Middle and Late Jurassic dinosaur fossil-bearing nosaurs, as they pushed themselves off the bottom horizons: Implications for dinosaur paleoecology, in shallow water. More invertebrate traces, includ- northeastern Bighorn Basin, Wyoming. ing a pattern that appeared to be sea urchin feeding edimentologist Erik Kvale from the Indiana trails, helped to indicate the conditions of the area Geological Survey/Indiana University led the when the tracks were made. The Sundance and trip with the able assistance of invertebrate Gypsum Springs tracks are especially important S because they were laid down during the 20 million tracksite specialist Stephen Hasiotis from the University of Kansas and dinosaur track expert year period in which no North American dinosaur Debra Mickelson from the University of Colorado. fossils have been found. On the first day, the twenty participants (in- The participants were grateful for all of the hard cluding APS members Vaclav and Mona work done by the organizers. This tour showed Marsovsky and Richard McCrea) were taken by a that the study of tracks is more than just a story of luxurious bus (including microwave and coffee the track makers but has a strong sedimentology maker) to Greybull, Wyoming. Luxury is not a component and trace fossil component which tells good indicator of quality, as the bus, once stopped the full story about the environment in which the at the rest area, never did start again. Erik’s uncle, tracks were made. There is more to dinosaur track- Cliff Manuel, a tour operator, came to our rescue sites than just dinosaur tracks. by ferrying us in his 13-person van to and from the — Mona Marsovsky fossil site, the restaurant and hotel. The next day, a replacement bus, less luxurious but much more re- SVP 61st Annual Meeting at Bozeman, liable, took over transportation duties. Montana The tour leaders took their educational respon- hese annual meetings enable palaeontolo- sibilities seriously, carrying portable flipcharts into gists to keep up to date with the latest re- the field every day to explain the geology, sedimen- T search in their fields of interest, to establish tology, paleosols, invertebrate tracks and dinosaur networks and to examine fossil collections. tracks that we would see on each leg of the trip. Three field trips occurred before the technical The first day concentrated on the dinosaur papers were presented, two specializing on di- tracksites in the upper Morrison Formation nosaurs and one on Cenozoic mammals. Each par- (Brushy Basin Member, Late Jurassic, 145–147

APS Bulletin 10 December 2001 ticipant was provided with notes on his or her par- eggs. Some eggs were preserved with embryos in ticular trip and notes on the other two trips, plus them, which allowed the scientists to assign them notes on a post-meeting trip to dinosaur sites in to the titanosaurs (large sauropods). The sedi- Alberta and to the Royal Tyrrell Museum. ments surrounding the nests are 80 Ma old. At the beginning of the event, the sky was hazy The discovery allows the scientists to observe due to the heat and forest fires in the vicinity. A the transformation of this dinosaur from embryo few days later snow fell and the mountains seven stage to adulthood. They have found that the em- kilometres out of town were covered. A couple of bryos have their nostrils located close to the tip of days later the snow had all melted. the snout and as the animal ages, the nostrils mi- In addition to four days of meetings, a number grate backwards toward the eyes. CAT-scan of other activities took place—including the offi- methodology was used first in an attempt to study cial dedication of a life-size bronze Tyrannosaurus the fossil bones but that proved to be unsuccessful. rex in front of the Museum of the Rockies, with After that a more conventional approach was Jack Horner amongst the dignitaries. There were taken, which was to remove the rock matrix sur- displays of posters, books, models, carvings, paint- rounding the delicate bones. ings and T-shirts; also a welcoming reception at Based on the number of nests, the dinosaurs the Museum and a benefit auction and social gathered in hundreds or perhaps thousands to lay which raised about CDN$45,000. their eggs. They dug their own nests by making a About 490 technical papers were presented, shallow bowl depression. The eggs may have been covering many facets of vertebrate fossils. Speakers covered by vegetation but these dinosaurs did not were given a fifteen-minute time limit; two screens bury their eggs like a turtle. There is no evidence and computer connections—usually two going si- that there was any parental care after laying. There multaneously—kept everyone interested. Shuttle would be a danger of trampling the eggs by an ani- buses operated between the University of mal weighing several tons. There were no signs of Montana, about a mile to the south of town, and eggs being broken by trampling and the spacing of the hotels about a mile to the north. the nests was too dense to have allowed the large The SVP has about 2,000 members of whom dinosaurs to be walking around among them. about 1,300 came to Bozeman from 17 countries. [Reviewed by Vaclav Marsovsky] From southern Alberta came Drs. Phil Currie and Eva Koppelhus, Dave Eberth, Don Brinkman and The Globe and Mail, Betsy Nicholls. Also Darren Tanke, Darla Zelenitsky, Mike Skrepnick, Miss Jamniczy, September 20, 2001 Richard McCrea, Vaclav and Mona Marsovsky Early whales, small dogs much alike, and Les Adler. Another former APS member, Dr. fossil shows Paul Sereno of Chicago was there. Mike Skrepnick PAKISTAN—Recently announced discoveries of was presented with the Lazendorf Paleo Art Award two whale-ancestor fossils have helped fill the gap for best 2-dimensional art at the SVP conference in understanding the evolution of Earth’s biggest awards banquet. ❏ animals. The older of the two discoveries was a small, dog-like animal that probably didn’t swim. Both Pakicetus, the 50-million-year-old fossil Fossils in the News found by Hans Thewissen of Northeastern Ohio University, and a 47-million-year-old creature Quirks and Quarks, CBC Radio One, (unnamed in the article) unearthed by Philip September 29, 2001 Gingerich of the University of Michigan, show Patagonian fossil eggs contain ankle-bone anatomy that links them to the even- titanosaur embryos toed ungulates—sheep, pigs, hippos. This fossil evidence confirms the suspicions of Host Bob MacDonald interviewed Dr. Luis molecular biologists who, studying DNA, had pre- Chiappe, assistant curator of the Los Angeles viously concluded that whales and the even-toed County Museum of Natural History. ungulates must have been related through a com- A team of scientists including Dr. Chiappe has mon ancestor. The link is reinforced by inner ear been collecting dinosaur eggs since 1997 at a site bones, found in both fossils, that are exclusive to called Auca Mahuevo in Patagonia. The eggs are the whales and their ancestors. softball size, 12 to 15 cm in diameter. They are found in clutches containing between 25 and 35

APS Bulletin 11 December 2001 APS member Fred Lewis, of Carmel, Indiana, sent this photo. He writes: “These are footprints of a Pennsylvanian (300 million-year-old) reptile found in an ancient tidal flat area in Martin County, Indiana by geologist Eric Kvale. The rock was split revealing prints and casts measuring approximately 2.5 cm across. Several names have been suggested, but without other evidence they are only speculation. The rep- tile Petrolacosaurus could apply as it fits the time period and measures 40 cm long, with a foot pattern that could match. I photographed this rock specimen for the Indiana State Museum where it is now in the fossil collection. As a volunteer for the Indiana State Museum I do photography and a variety of other assign- ments in the Natural History Department.” (Copyright ©2001, by Fred Lewis)

Calgary Herald, September 4, 2001 The Globe and Mail, June 7, 2001 Thieves target Burgess Shale fossil The key to life as we know it? FIELD, BC—Fossil poachers have made off with a Good teeth valuable museum specimen of the Burgess Shale KOTELNICH, RUSSIA—Little Suminia get- fossil Ottoia, a segmented worm. The fossil, on a manovi, a squirrel-sized animal that lived 260 mil- 15-kilogram slab, is estimated to be worth as much lion years ago, appears to have been one of the ear- as $25,000 on the black market. Says Randle liest herbivores to make efficient use of “leaves and Robertson of the Yoho Burgess Shale Foundation: grasses” [sic—there were no grasses 260 million “…it’s every fossil thief’s dream to steal a fossil years ago –ed.] thereby paving the way for the de- from the Burgess Shale and sell it.” The specimen velopment of later ecosystems in which large num- [according to a CBC radio interview it was labelled bers of herbivores populate the Earth. Fossils of and catalogued] was “in the quarry for educational Suminia, a (presumably) hairless creature belong- purposes.” Why such a valuable specimen was left ing to the extinct anomodont group, were recov- unattended for thieves to haul away is unclear—it ered from rocks in central Russia. Its teeth and must have been quite a job lugging a 15-kilo slab jaws, studied by Dr. Robert Reisz of the University down the rugged Walcott Quarry trail, presumably of Toronto and grad student Natalia Rybczynski, in the dark. suggest that Suminia was an efficient chewer.

APS Bulletin 12 December 2001 The Globe and Mail, June 1, 2001 and toward the top of their heads, to facilitate breath- Calgary Herald, June 1, 2001 ing—like whales or dolphins. Even after it became apparent that these dinosaurs really did roam New species of dinosaur unearthed in about on land, reconstructions continued to show Egypt nostrils high up on the dinosaurs’ heads. BAHARIYA OASIS, EGYPT—Yet another titanic Lawrence Witmer, deciding to restudy skulls of sauropod has emerged from the rocks, this time in a number of dinosaur types, found that marks on the of central Egypt. Paralititan stromeri the skulls, left by the growth of blood vessels, were (“tidal giant”) a 94-million-year-old Cretaceous consistent with those on the skulls of living verte- sauropod, is estimated to have weighed 70 tonnes, brates; thus, the dinosaurs’ nostrils were probably and stretched 30 metres long—second only to the oriented toward the front of the snout, just like current South American title-holder, those on modern animals. Argentinosaurus. The fossils were found by a team led by University of Pennsylvania grad student Calgary Herald, October 26, 2001 Josh Smith. The general area had been explored Crikey! That’s a croc! early last century by a German geologist, Ernst TENERE DESERT, NIGER—Specimens of the Stromer von Reichenbach. Fossils collected at that biggest, nastiest crocodile ever discovered have time were unfortunately pulverized by World War been revealed by a team led by University of II bombing raids in Munich. Smith and his col- Chicago palaeontologist Paul Sereno. The fossils, leagues, reinvestigating forgotten historical sites, unearthed in 1997 [see Bulletin, Dec. 1999 and stumbled onto the new bones by accident, thanks Page 6 of this issue] include several skulls and other to a GPS error. bones of a 12-metre long—the length of a school bus—8 tonne monster that looked like a scaled-up The Globe and Mail, June 19, 2001 version of modern crocodiles. Sarcosuchus impera- Fossil find places dinosaur species in tor, the “flesh-eating crocodile emperor” apparent- America ly preyed on dinosaurs that wandered too close to NEW MEXICO—The discovery of dinosaur re- its lair in African rivers of 110 million years ago. mains in the Zuni Basin, near the New Mexico- Arizona border is forging links with Asian fossil Science, December 15, 2000 finds. Palaeontologists Jim Kirkland and Doug “Sir Mammoth” leads charge to Wolfe recovered fossils of a therizinosaur—an ex- uncover Ice Age fossils otic, bipedal herbivore related to tyrannosaurs— AMSTERDAM—This article highlights the ac- in 90-million-year-old rocks (mid-Cretaceous). complishments of Dutch amateur palaeontologist The “sloth-like” Nothronychus is the first North Dick Mol, a customs officer at Amsterdam airport American representative of the therizinosaurs, who doubles as one of the world’s foremost au- which have previously been found only in China thories on mammoth remains. The 45-year-old, and Mongolia. Asian therizinosaurs have been who has been knighted by Queen Beatrix, is scien- found with hairy feather structures. Nothronychus tific coordinator of an expedition to recover mam- would have stood about 3 metres tall, and weighed moth remains from the Siberian Taimyr Peninsula. about 900 kilograms. Remains of another dino- He has amassed a collection of some 15,000 speci- saur, found a kilometre away, but apparently the mens, many of Pleistocene mammals dredged same age, belong to a coelurosaur—a small, from the bottom of the North Sea by fishing boats. bipedal carnivore about 2 metres long. This latter Palaeontologist Jelle Reumer, director of the animal has not yet been named. Rotterdam Natural History Museum points out a recent trend in the science: “Vertebrate palaeon- The National Post, August 3, 2001 tology as an academic subject now hardly exists Scientist moves dinosaurs’ nostrils here. Amateurs help fill that gap.” The article con- ATHENS, OHIO—In another example of false no- cludes that “Mol’s [legacy] may be the credibility tions dying hard, Dr. Lawrence Witmer of Ohio he lends to a thriving community of amateur University has revised the way we look at di- palaeontologists.” ❏ nosaurs’ noses. Early palaeontologists, stuck on the idea that dinosaurs must have spent most of their time in water to support their huge bulk, supposed [Thanks to Les Adler, Georgia Hoffman and Sam that the animals’ nostrils would have to be placed Richter for clippings. —ed.]

APS Bulletin 13 December 2001 Alberta Palaeontological Society Sixth Annual Symposium January 26 & 27, 2002 (continued from back page) WORKSHOPS

Saturday, January 26 Room B108, Mount Royal College (Lower Level) Fee: $5.00 1:00 Ð 4:00 P.M. Kids Drawing Dinosaurs — Steve Raymond, Sartech Enterprises. Session will teach kids big and small some basic drawing techniques.

Sunday, January 27 Room B108, Mount Royal College (Lower Level) Fee: $15.00 9:00 Ð 12:00 P.M. Micropalaeontology for the oil industry — Bert Van Helden, of Stratigraphic Services will show how microfossils provide valuable clues to finding oil and gas.

Sunday, January 27 Room B108, Mount Royal College (Lower Level) Fee: $15.00 1:00 Ð 4:00 P.M. Vertebrate Micropalaeontology — Dr. Don Brinkman, Royal Tyrrell Museum, on recognizing and identifying vertebrate microfossils.

There is a fee associated with the workshops—all other events are free. Special reduced fee of $25.00 for those attending both Sunday workshops. These fees are used to offset the expense of the workshops and symposium. Limited space is available in the work- shops; to register or for more information, contact Philip Benham at (403) 691-3343 or email: [email protected]. Also see our website: www.albertapaleo.org

ALBERTA PALAEONTOLOGICAL SOCIETY CALGARY, ALBERTA Operating Statement for 2000 (Audited) January 1, 2000 to December 31, 2000 Revenues Expenses Membership $1666.00 Postage $8.02 T-shirts 95.00 Bulletin 1002.61 Donations 22.50 Bank charges 73.95 Pins 3.00 Name tags 94.14 Field Trips 4070.00 Speaker expenses 153.92 Raffle proceeds 30.50 Post Office box 77.04 Credit memo 52.78 Printing 377.26 Abstracts volume 420.00 Field trip expenses 4115.04 Bulletin sales 3.00 Website expenses 449.37 Miscellaneous 15.00 Refreshments 9.84 Refreshments 23.91 Typewriter 25.00 TOTAL REVENUES $6420.69 TOTAL EXPENSES $6361.19

Excess of revenues over expenses: $59.50. As of December 31, 2000, members’ equity is approximately $2600.00, consisting of $1600 in cash and $1000 in pins and T-shirts. Treasurer: Cindy Evans. Auditors: Vaclav Marsovsky and Mona Marsovsky

APS Bulletin 14 December 2001 Alberta Palaeontological Society Sixth Annual Symposium

in conjunction with the Mount Royal College Geology Department and the C.S.P.G. Palaeontological Division

Mount Royal College Science Wing (Lower Level) 4825 Richard Road SW, Calgary, Alberta

SPEAKERS J e n k i n s T h e a t r e , S a t u r d a y , J a n u a r y 2 6 , 2 0 0 2 , f r o m 1 0 : 0 0 A.M.t o4 : 3 0 P.M. All talks are FREE and open to the public

10:00 Ð 10:30 A.M. Kimberlites, Diamonds and Microfossils in Saskatchewan Dr. Dave McNeil, Geological Survey of Canada

10:30 Ð 11:00 A.M. Trilobites, Sponges and Worms—Oh My! Five Million Years After the Burgess Shale Kimberly Motz, University of Calgary

11:00 Ð 11:30 A.M. Chemosymbiotic Bivalves at Modern and Ancient Hydrothermal Vents and Cold Seeps Dr. Paul Johnston, Royal Tyrrell Museum and Mount Royal College

11:30 Ð 12:00 P.M. On the Origins of Snakes: Old Problems, New Data Dr. Michael Caldwell, University of Alberta

12:00 Ð 2:00 P.M. Poster Viewing Posters will be available all day, January 26, outside Jenkins Theatre

2:00 Ð 2:30 P.M. The Hunt for Mary Jane: Search for the Lost Fleet of the 1910–1915 American Museum of Natural History Palaeontological Expeditions to Alberta, Canada Darren Tanke, Royal Tyrrell Museum

2:30 Ð 3:00 P.M. Fossil Discoveries in the Churchill Area, Northern Manitoba Dr. Graham Young, Manitoba Museum Man and Nature

3:00 Ð 4:30 P.M. Mass Extinctions: Past, Present and Future Dr. Peter Ward, University of Washington

WORKSHOPS see Page 14! ☛

APS Bulletin 15 December 2001