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Late Cretaceous)
Netherlands Journal of Geosciences — Geologie en Mijnbouw | 87 - 4 | 353 - 358 | 2008 Geo (Im) pulse Bird remains from the Maastrichtian type area (Late Cretaceous) G.J. Dyke1*, A.S. Schulp2 & J.W.M. Jagt2 1 School of Biology and Environmental Sciences, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland. 2 Natuurhistorisch Museum Maastricht, De Bosquetplein 6-7, NL-6211KJ Maastricht, the Netherlands. * Corresponding author. Email: [email protected] Manuscript received: June 2007; accepted: October 2008 Abstract Remains of Late Cretaceous birds are rare, which is especially true for Europe and the type area of the Maastrichtian Stage (southeast Netherlands, northeast Belgium) in particular. In the present paper, we record new remains (isolated tarsometatarsus and radius) that document the presence of both enantiornithine and ornithurine birds in the Maastrichtian area. These fossils, although fragmentary, are important in view of their stratigraphic age: all bird remains discovered to date in the Maastricht area are amongst the youngest 'non-modern' avians known, originating from strata deposited less than 500,000 years prior to the end of the Cretaceous Period. Keywords: Aves, Enantiornithes, Ornithurae, Maastrichtian, Late Cretaceous, the Netherlands, Belgium Introduction In general, the fossil record of birds from the latest stages of the Cretaceous is more scanty and less well understood than Despite more than 250 years of intensive collecting effort in that of the Lower and 'Middle' Cretaceous (Chiappe & Dyke, shallow marine sediments in the type area of the Maastrichtian 2002; Chiappe & Witmer, 2002; Fountaine et al, 2005). In Stage (southeast Netherlands, northeast Belgium; Fig. 1), the particular, Late Cretaceous birds are rare in Europe (see Dyke first bird remains to be recognised from this part of Europe et al, 2002; Rees & Lindgren, 2005): the bulk of the material have been described only relatively recently. -
Beyond Endocasts: Using Predicted Brain-Structure Volumes of Extinct Birds to Assess Neuroanatomical and Behavioral Inferences
diversity Article Beyond Endocasts: Using Predicted Brain-Structure Volumes of Extinct Birds to Assess Neuroanatomical and Behavioral Inferences 1, , 2 2 Catherine M. Early * y , Ryan C. Ridgely and Lawrence M. Witmer 1 Department of Biological Sciences, Ohio University, Athens, OH 45701, USA 2 Department of Biomedical Sciences, Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine, Ohio University, Athens, OH 45701, USA; [email protected] (R.C.R.); [email protected] (L.M.W.) * Correspondence: [email protected] Current Address: Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA. y Received: 1 November 2019; Accepted: 30 December 2019; Published: 17 January 2020 Abstract: The shape of the brain influences skull morphology in birds, and both traits are driven by phylogenetic and functional constraints. Studies on avian cranial and neuroanatomical evolution are strengthened by data on extinct birds, but complete, 3D-preserved vertebrate brains are not known from the fossil record, so brain endocasts often serve as proxies. Recent work on extant birds shows that the Wulst and optic lobe faithfully represent the size of their underlying brain structures, both of which are involved in avian visual pathways. The endocasts of seven extinct birds were generated from microCT scans of their skulls to add to an existing sample of endocasts of extant birds, and the surface areas of their Wulsts and optic lobes were measured. A phylogenetic prediction method based on Bayesian inference was used to calculate the volumes of the brain structures of these extinct birds based on the surface areas of their overlying endocast structures. This analysis resulted in hyperpallium volumes of five of these extinct birds and optic tectum volumes of all seven extinct birds. -
New Oviraptorid Dinosaur (Dinosauria: Oviraptorosauria) from the Nemegt Formation of Southwestern Mongolia
Bull. Natn. Sci. Mus., Tokyo, Ser. C, 30, pp. 95–130, December 22, 2004 New Oviraptorid Dinosaur (Dinosauria: Oviraptorosauria) from the Nemegt Formation of Southwestern Mongolia Junchang Lü1, Yukimitsu Tomida2, Yoichi Azuma3, Zhiming Dong4 and Yuong-Nam Lee5 1 Institute of Geology, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, Beijing 100037, China 2 National Science Museum, 3–23–1 Hyakunincho, Shinjukuku, Tokyo 169–0073, Japan 3 Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum, 51–11 Terao, Muroko, Katsuyama 911–8601, Japan 4 Institute of Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100044, China 5 Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources, Geology & Geoinformation Division, 30 Gajeong-dong, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 305–350, South Korea Abstract Nemegtia barsboldi gen. et sp. nov. here described is a new oviraptorid dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous (mid-Maastrichtian) Nemegt Formation of southwestern Mongolia. It differs from other oviraptorids in the skull having a well-developed crest, the anterior margin of which is nearly vertical, and the dorsal margin of the skull and the anterior margin of the crest form nearly 90°; the nasal process of the premaxilla being less exposed on the dorsal surface of the skull than those in other known oviraptorids; the length of the frontal being approximately one fourth that of the parietal along the midline of the skull. Phylogenetic analysis shows that Nemegtia barsboldi is more closely related to Citipati osmolskae than to any other oviraptorosaurs. Key words : Nemegt Basin, Mongolia, Nemegt Formation, Late Cretaceous, Oviraptorosauria, Nemegtia. dae, and Caudipterygidae (Barsbold, 1976; Stern- Introduction berg, 1940; Currie, 2000; Clark et al., 2001; Ji et Oviraptorosaurs are generally regarded as non- al., 1998; Zhou and Wang, 2000; Zhou et al., avian theropod dinosaurs (Osborn, 1924; Bars- 2000). -
EDITORIAL NOTE Collection of Paleontology Papers in Honor of The
Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências (2019) 91(Suppl. 2): e20191434 (Annals of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences) Printed version ISSN 0001-3765 / Online version ISSN 1678-2690 http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/0001-3765201920191434 www.scielo.br/aabc | www.fb.com/aabcjournal EDITORIAL NOTE Collection of Paleontology Papers in honor of the Centenary of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences ALEXANDER W.A. KELLNER* and MARINA B. SOARES Laboratório de Sistemática e Tafonomia de Vertebrados Fósseis, Departamento de Geologia e Paleontologia do Museu Nacional/UFRJ, Quinta da Boa Vista, s/n, São Cristóvão, 20940-040 Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil How to cite: KELLNER AWA AND SOARES MB. 2019. Collection of Paleontology Papers in honor of the Centenary of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences. An Acad Bras Cienc 91: e20191434. DOI 10.1590/0001-3765201920191434. The Brazilian Academy of Sciences is a non-profit organization (ABC 2019) that has completed one century of existence in 2016. A series of special publications was organized by the Annals of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences (AABC) in celebration of this important date (e.g., Kellner 2017, Crespilho 2018, Cavaleiro 2018). Here we have the pleasure to introduce the final of these volumes gathering 20 original contributions in paleontology, the science dedicated to the study of all evidences of life that have been preserved in layers of deep time. The topics presented here vary from the description of new species and specimens of flying reptiles, dinosaurs, and crocodylomorphs to studies on biogeography, osteohistology, and specific contributions provided by microfossils. Over 70 authors from different countries were involved in this volume, showing the increasing international integration of Brazilian paleontologists. -
On the Paleontology of Animal Cognition: Using the Brain Dimensions of Modern Birds to Characterize Maniraptor Cognition
12 Journal of Advanced Neuroscience Research, Special Issue, May-2017, 12-19 On the Paleontology of Animal Cognition: Using the Brain Dimensions of Modern Birds to Characterize Maniraptor Cognition Thomas M. Gaetano1, Margaret M. Yacobucci1 and Verner P. Bingman2,* 1Department of Geology, Bowling Green State University, Ohio, USA 2Department of Psychology and J.P. Scott Center for Neuroscience, Mind and Behavior, Bowling Green State University, Ohio, USA Abstract: Drawing inferences on the characteristics, including behavior, of extinct species using comparisons with extant species has a long tradition in paleontology. Departing from the observation that extinct maniraptors possessed brains with a relatively long and narrow telencephalon, we used digital endocasts taken from 11 species of modern birds to determine if any of the sampled modern bird species displayed a similar telencephalic shape, and by inference, similar cognitive ability. The analysis revealed that the telencephalon of the double-crested cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus) is extraordinarily narrow (large length-to-width ratio) and strikingly similar to Archaeopteryx and even some non-avian, maniraptoran dinosaurs. The relatively narrow brain in turn suggests a relatively small nidopallium subdivision of the telencephalon and associated impoverished general cognitive ability. This first-order brain-anatomical observation, together with the relatively ancient origins of a cormorant fossil record, suggest that cormorants could be used as a model for the general cognitive abilities of extinct maniraptors. Keywords: Brain endocasts, Comparative cognition, Double-crested cormorant, Hippocampus, Nidopallium, Paleoneurology. INTRODUCTION animal cognition, observations and experimental evidence from birds have also offered some extraordi- Considerations of the richness of animal cognitive nary examples of cognition [3]. -
Homo Erectus: a Bigger, Faster, Smarter, Longer Lasting Hominin Lineage
Homo erectus: A Bigger, Faster, Smarter, Longer Lasting Hominin Lineage Charles J. Vella, PhD August, 2019 Acknowledgements Many drawings by Kathryn Cruz-Uribe in Human Career, by R. Klein Many graphics from multiple journal articles (i.e. Nature, Science, PNAS) Ray Troll • Hominin evolution from 3.0 to 1.5 Ma. (Species) • Currently known species temporal ranges for Pa, Paranthropus aethiopicus; Pb, P. boisei; Pr, P. robustus; A afr, Australopithecus africanus; Ag, A. garhi; As, A. sediba; H sp., early Homo >2.1 million years ago (Ma); 1470 group and 1813 group representing a new interpretation of the traditionally recognized H. habilis and H. rudolfensis; and He, H. erectus. He (D) indicates H. erectus from Dmanisi. • (Behavior) Icons indicate from the bottom the • first appearance of stone tools (the Oldowan technology) at ~2.6 Ma, • the dispersal of Homo to Eurasia at ~1.85 Ma, • and the appearance of the Acheulean technology at ~1.76 Ma. • The number of contemporaneous hominin taxa during this period reflects different Susan C. Antón, Richard Potts, Leslie C. Aiello, 2014 strategies of adaptation to habitat variability. Origins of Homo: Summary of shifts in Homo Early Homo appears in the record by 2.3 Ma. By 2.0 Ma at least two facial morphs of early Homo (1813 group and 1470 group) representing two different adaptations are present. And possibly 3 others as well (Ledi-Geraru, Uraha-501, KNM-ER 62000) The 1813 group survives until at least 1.44 Ma. Early Homo erectus represents a third more derived morph and one that is of slightly larger brain and body size but somewhat smaller tooth size. -
1000002291104.Pdf
Quaternary International 211 (2010) 4–13 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Quaternary International journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/quaint Morphological and morphometric analysis of variation in the Zhoukoudian Homo erectus brain endocasts Xiujie Wu a,b,*, Lynne A. Schepartz c, Christopher J. Norton d a Laboratory of Evolutionary Systematics of Vertebrates, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xizhimenwaidajie 142, Box 643, Beijing 100044, China b State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Nanjing 210008, China c Department of Anthropology, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306-7772, USA d Department of Anthropology, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, HI 96822-2223, USA article info abstract Article history: The six Zhoukoudian (ZKD) Locality 1 Homo erectus specimens derive from stratigraphic levels 11–3 with Available online 19 July 2009 a geochronological span of approximately 0.3 Ma. This paper introduces the history of the ZKD endocasts and presents data on their morphological features and linear dimensions in order to evaluate variability in the sample over time and in the broader context of human brain evolution using a comparative sample of African and other Asian H. erectus fossils and modern Chinese males. The ZKD brains are very similar in their morphological characteristics, but there are also significant but subtle changes involving expansion of the frontal and occipital lobe breadths that correlate with the geochronology. The same is not true for general endocranial volume. The ZKD brains, together with other Asian and African H. erectus specimens, have low height dimensions and short parietal chords that distinguish them from the modern Chinese. -
Ontogenetic and Adult Shape Variation in the Endocast of Tapirus: Implications for T
East Tennessee State University Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University Electronic Theses and Dissertations Student Works 5-2020 Ontogenetic and Adult Shape Variation in the Endocast of Tapirus: Implications for T. polkensis from the Gray Fossil Site Thomas M. Gaetano East Tennessee State University Follow this and additional works at: https://dc.etsu.edu/etd Part of the Other Neuroscience and Neurobiology Commons, Paleobiology Commons, Paleontology Commons, and the Zoology Commons Recommended Citation Gaetano, Thomas M., "Ontogenetic and Adult Shape Variation in the Endocast of Tapirus: Implications for T. polkensis from the Gray Fossil Site" (2020). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 3765. https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/3765 This Thesis - unrestricted is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Works at Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Ontogenetic and Adult Shape Variation in the Endocast of Tapirus: Implications for T. polkensis from the Gray Fossil Site ________________________________ A thesis presented to the faculty of the Department of Geosciences East Tennessee State University In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Masters of Science in Geosciences _________________________________ by Thomas M. Gaetano May 2020 _________________________________ Dr. Steven C. Wallace, Chair Dr. Christopher C. Widga Dr. Richard T. Carter Dr. Thomas C. Jones Keywords: Endocast, Paleoneurology, Tapir, Gray Fossil Site, Telencephalon, Sociality, Paleoecology, Sensory Ecology ABSTRACT Ontogenetic and Adult Shape Variation in the Endocast of Tapirus: Implications for T. -
New Australopithecine Endocast, SK 1585, from Swartkrans, South Africa
New Australopithecine Endocast, SK 1585, from Swartkrans, South Africa RALPH L. HOLLOWAY Deprrrtmrnt of Anthropology, Colttinbin University, New York, New York 10027 KEY WORDS Brain . Primates . Endocasts . Australopithecines. ABSTRACT The new SK 1585 endocast, found by Dr. Brain at Swartkrans, 1966, is that of a robust australopithecine, matching the endocast of the Olduvai Hominid 5 in volume, and being almost identical to it in morphology. Aside from Olduvai Hominid 5 it is the only robust australopithecine endocast com- plete enough to permit easy reconstruction, as only a small portion of the frontal lobe is missing. While the gyral and sulcal patterns are not clear, there are a number of features indicating that the brain is not that of a pongid, but that is has been reorganized to a hominid pattern, particularly the occipital, parietal, and temporal lobes. A new undistorted endocast, presuma- of visual inspection, after the surface of bly that of a robust australopithecine, the cast had been lightly rubbed with was discovered in January, 1966, by carbon shavings to enhance the surface Dr. C. K. Brain in the hillside dump rub- detail. Various combinations of lighting ble at Swartkrans (Brain, '70, '67). At the were employed to bring out features of kmd suggestion of Dr. Brain, I was in- cerebral morphology. vited to describe this endocast while visit- The volumetric determinations by water ing in Johannesburg during the early part displacement were carried out on plasti- of 1969. I am greatly indebted to Dr. cine reconstructed plaster copy, first Brain and Prof. P. V. Tobias for this checked for its accuracy against the orig- opportunity. -
The Oldest Record of Ornithuromorpha from the Early Cretaceous of China
ARTICLE Received 6 Jan 2015 | Accepted 20 Mar 2015 | Published 5 May 2015 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms7987 OPEN The oldest record of ornithuromorpha from the early cretaceous of China Min Wang1, Xiaoting Zheng2,3, Jingmai K. O’Connor1, Graeme T. Lloyd4, Xiaoli Wang2,3, Yan Wang2,3, Xiaomei Zhang2,3 & Zhonghe Zhou1 Ornithuromorpha is the most inclusive clade containing extant birds but not the Mesozoic Enantiornithes. The early evolutionary history of this avian clade has been advanced with recent discoveries from Cretaceous deposits, indicating that Ornithuromorpha and Enantiornithes are the two major avian groups in Mesozoic. Here we report on a new ornithuromorph bird, Archaeornithura meemannae gen. et sp. nov., from the second oldest avian-bearing deposits (130.7 Ma) in the world. The new taxon is referable to the Hongshanornithidae and constitutes the oldest record of the Ornithuromorpha. However, A. meemannae shows few primitive features relative to younger hongshanornithids and is deeply nested within the Hongshanornithidae, suggesting that this clade is already well established. The new discovery extends the record of Ornithuromorpha by five to six million years, which in turn pushes back the divergence times of early avian lingeages into the Early Cretaceous. 1 Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100044, China. 2 Institue of Geology and Paleontology, Linyi University, Linyi, Shandong 276000, China. 3 Tianyu Natural History Museum of Shandong, Pingyi, Shandong 273300, China. 4 Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales 2019, Australia. -
Anatomy of the Early Cretaceous Enantiornithine Bird Rapaxavis Pani
Anatomy of the Early Cretaceous enantiornithine bird Rapaxavis pani JINGMAI K. O’CONNOR, LUIS M. CHIAPPE, CHUNLING GAO, and BO ZHAO O’Connor, J.K., Chiappe, L.M., Gao, C., and Zhao, B. 2011. Anatomy of the Early Cretaceous enantiornithine bird Rapaxavis pani. Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 56 (3): 463–475. The exquisitely preserved longipterygid enantiornithine Rapaxavis pani is redescribed here after more extensive prepara− tion. A complete review of its morphology is presented based on information gathered before and after preparation. Among other features, Rapaxavis pani is characterized by having an elongate rostrum (close to 60% of the skull length), rostrally restricted dentition, and schizorhinal external nares. Yet, the most puzzling feature of this bird is the presence of a pair of pectoral bones (here termed paracoracoidal ossifications) that, with the exception of the enantiornithine Concornis lacustris, are unknown within Aves. Particularly notable is the presence of a distal tarsal cap, formed by the fu− sion of distal tarsal elements, a feature that is controversial in non−ornithuromorph birds. The holotype and only known specimen of Rapaxavis pani thus reveals important information for better understanding the anatomy and phylogenetic relationships of longipterygids, in particular, as well as basal birds as a whole. Key words: Aves, Enantiornithes, Longipterygidae, Rapaxavis, Jiufotang Formation, Early Cretaceous, China. Jingmai K. O’Connor [[email protected]], Laboratory of Evolutionary Systematics of Vertebrates, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, 142 Xizhimenwaidajie, Beijing, China, 100044; The Dinosaur Institute, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, 900 Exposition Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90007 USA; Luis M. Chiappe [[email protected]], The Dinosaur Institute, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, 900 Ex− position Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90007 USA; Chunling Gao [[email protected]] and Bo Zhao [[email protected]], Dalian Natural History Museum, No. -
Relative Size of Brain and Cerebrum in Tyrannosaurus Rex: an Analysis Using Brain-Endocast Quantitative Relationships in Extant Alligators
Sheridan College SOURCE: Sheridan Institutional Repository Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences Publications and Scholarship (FHASS) Winter 2013 Relative size of brain and cerebrum in Tyrannosaurus rex: an analysis using brain-endocast quantitative relationships in extant alligators Grant R. Hurlburt Sheridan College, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://source.sheridancollege.ca/fhass_publications SOURCE Citation Hurlburt, Grant R., "Relative size of brain and cerebrum in Tyrannosaurus rex: an analysis using brain- endocast quantitative relationships in extant alligators" (2013). Publications and Scholarship. 32. https://source.sheridancollege.ca/fhass_publications/32 This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License. This Book Chapter is brought to you for free and open access by the Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences (FHASS) at SOURCE: Sheridan Institutional Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Publications and Scholarship by an authorized administrator of SOURCE: Sheridan Institutional Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. 6.1. Left lateral view of endo- cranial cast of wild Alligator mississippiensis. Skull length 34.3 cm, estimated body length, 2.6 m. Scale bar equals 1 cm. 134 ©2013 by Indiana University Press. All rights reserved. Relative Size of Brain and Cerebrum in Tyrannosaurid Dinosaurs: An Analysis 6 Using Brain-Endocast Quantitative Relationships in Extant Alligators Grant R. Hurlburt, Ryan C. Ridgely, and Lawrence M. Witmer Brain and cerebrum mass are estimated from endocasts of three tyran- Abstract nosaurid taxa (Tyrannosaurus rex, Gorgosaurus, and Nanotyrannus) using morphological and quantitative brain-endocast relations in a size series of sexually mature alligators (Alligator mississippiensis).