Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument UTAH GRAND STAIRCASE-ESCALANTE NATIONAL MONUMENT 20th Anniversary Science Summary 2006 - 2016 Learning from the Land GRAND STAIRCASE ESCALANTE National Monument YEARS 201996 - 2016 Learning from the Land United States Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management The mission of the National Landscape Conservation System (NLCS) is to conserve, protect, and restore nationally significant landscapes recognized for their outstanding cultural, ecological, and scientific values. The views, opinions, and data of the authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the Department of the Interior (DOI), Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Grand Staircase Escalante Partners (GSENM), or any agency or entity thereof. Any use of trade, product, or firm names in this publication is strictly for descriptive purposes and does not imply endorsement by the Federal Government. Printed by Grand Staircase Escalante Partners, August 2016 Copies available from: Grand Staircase Escalante Partners 745 East Hwy 89, Kanab, UT 84741 (435) 644-1308 gsenm.org Learning from the Land Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument Science Summary 2006 - 2016 Science Symposium August 2 - 4, 2016 Kanab and Escalante, Utah Printed by Grand Staircase Escalante Partners, August 2016 Acknowledgements The Bureau of Land Management would like to express its appreciation to all who participated in the third Learning from the Land science symposium. Many thanks to all who took the time to prepare and make presentations or lead field trips, as well as those who attended sessions. The symposium was a success thanks to the involvement and support of many people, organizations, and businesses including Garfield and Kane counties, Grand Staircase Escalante Partners (GSEP), and Glen Canyon Natural History Association (GCNHA). As the Assistant Monument Manager, Science & Visitor Services Division, Carolyn Z Shelton has been a steadfast champion of scientific research conducted on GSENM. Carolyn provided overall direction, encouragement, and support for the tireless efforts of GCNHA hosted worker, LeAnn (Bambi) Skrzynski, who coordinated the symposium event as part of the 20th Anniversary celebration for Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. The BLM wishes to thank GSEP staff, Sherry Robinson, for administrative support, Emily Schrepf for fieldtrip reservation coordination, and Katja Knoll for helping summarize journal articles. Our sincere appreciation to BLM staffers Liz Kolle and Linda Tramontano for event -day assistance and fieldtrip coordination; and to all the BLM employees, MAC members, and scientists who served as symposium event presenters, facilitators, fieldtrip leaders, or provided assistance and support. Further, a thank you to Karen Monsen, for donating her time and talents to several journal summaries. Our highest praise goes to Gretchen Siefried for her unpaid dedication to the preparation and presentation of our luncheon at the Heritage House in Kanab, and to Mary Dewitz for the dedication she showed in designing, compiling and formatting the Science Summary. Cover photo:www.jt-fineart.com A special thank you to the following sponsors and supporters: i GRAND STAIRCASE-ESCALANTE NATIONAL MONUMENT 20TH ANNIVERSARY SCIENCE SUMMARY Table of Contents Acknowledgments….........................................…………………......…………….………………….….i Table of Contents…...........................................……………………......……….…………............ii - viii Greeting from the Monument Manager……………………………............................................……....ix Introduction…………..………………………………………….............................................….............x Archaeology and Human History Paleoecology of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument: Human Landscape Impacts and Management Implications on the Colorado Plateau………...............………………………….......…….1 D’Andrea, Robert M., Anderson, R. Scott, Zweifel, Matthew K., Cole, Kenneth L., Burgard, Brittany Deep Human History in Escalante Valley and Southern Utah……................………………..........……2 Joel C. Janetski, Mark L. Bodily, Bradley A. Newbold, and David T. Yoder Fremont-Anasazi Boundary Maintenance and Permeability in the Escalante Drainage………......…….2 Joel C. Janetski, Lane D. Richens, and Richard K. Talbot The Archaeology and Biology of Early Plant Domestication: Evidence for the Four Corners Potato (Solanum jamesii) in Utah………………………............................……………………......……….......3 Lisbeth A. Louderback, and Bruce M. Pavlik. The Paleoarchaic to Early Archaic Transition on the Colorado Plateau: The archaeology of North Creek Shelter……………………………………………………….........................................…………….........….4 Joel C. Janetski, Mark L. Bodily, Bradley A. Newbold, and David T. Yoder Early Holocene Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) Remains from Southern Utah: Implications for the Origins of the Puebloan Domestic Turkeys…………………...............…………………………......…..4 Bradley A. Newbold, Joel C. Janetski, Mark L. Bodily, and David T. Yoder Water, Pitch, and Prehistoric Indexes: An Analysis of Cup and Channel Petroglyphs……….........…....5 Michael L. Terlep The Onset of Small Seed Processing on the Colorado Plateau……………………..........…………........6 David T. Yoder, Mark L. Bodily, Sara Hill, Joel C. Janetski, and Bradley A. Newbold Using packrat middens to assess grazing effects on vegetation change…………………………............6 J. Fisher, K.L. Cole, R.S. Anderson Table of Contents Continued GRAND STAIRCASE-ESCALANTE NATIONAL MONUMENT 20TH ANNIVERSARY SCIENCE SUMMARY ii Biology and Wildlife Ecosystem Services and Economic Benefits of Beaver Restoration in the Escalante Basin, Utah...........7 Mark Buckley Avian Community Responses to Juniper Woodland Structure and Thinning Treatments on the Colorado Plateau……………………………………………………..........................…………...............7 Claire Crow and Charles van Riper III Bee haven: The significance of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument for native bees….........8 Olivia Messinger Carril Roost Sites of Allen’s Lappet-browed Bats (Idionycteris phyllotis) ….........…………………...............9 Melissa S. Siders and Wesley Jolley Influence of Livestock Grazing and Climate on Pinyon Pine Pinus( edulis) Dynamics…………...........9 Nichole N. Barger, Henry D. Adams, Connie Woodhouse, Jason C. Neff and Gregory P. Asner Discovery of a new bee species excavating nests in sandstone: Anthophora pueblo (Hymenoptera: Apidae) …………….......................................………………………………………………......……..10 Michael C. Orr, Frank D. Parker, Terry Griswold, and James P. Pitts Rangeland Ecology and Botany Evaluating dominance as a component of non-native species invasions…………………......…...........11 Alycia W. Crall, Gregory J. Newman, Thomas J. Stohlgren, Catherine S. Jarnevich, Paul Evangelista, and Deb Guenther Long-term effects of chaining treatments on vegetation structure in pinon-juniper woodlands of the Colorado Plateau…………………………………………………………...............................................11 Miranda D. Redmond, Neil S. Cobb, Mark E. Miller, Nichole N. Barger The myth of plant species saturation………………………………...........................………........….....12 Thomas J. Stohlgren, David T. Barnett, Catherine S. Jarnevich, Curtis Flather and John Kartesz Scale and plant invasions: a theory of biotic acceptance ……………………….......................……….12 Thomas J. Stohlgren, Catherine Jarnevich, Geneva W. Chong & Paul H. Evangelista Ecosystem Dynamics and Soils Prioritizing Conservation Effort through the Use of Biological Soil Crusts as Ecosystem Function Indicators in an Arid Region…………………………………………..................…………….......…...13 Matthew A. Bowker, Mark E. Miller, Jayne Belnap, Thomas D. Sisk and Nancy C. Johnson Revisiting classic water erosion models in drylands: The strong impact of biological soil crusts..........13 Matthew A. Bowker, Jayne Belnap, V. Bala Chaudhary, Nancy C. Johnson Evaluating Plant Invasions from Both Habitate and Special Perspectives..............................................14 Geneva W. Chong, Yuka Otsuki, Thomas J. Stohlgren, Debra Guenther, Paul Evangelista, Cynthia Villa and Alycia Waters Table of Contents A simple classification of soil types as habitats of biological soil crusts on the Colorado Plateau, Continued USA.........................................................................................................................................................14 Bowker, Matthew A. & Belnap, Jayne iii GRAND STAIRCASE-ESCALANTE NATIONAL MONUMENT Untangling the biological contributions to soil stability in semiarid shrublands….........……………....15 Bala Chaudhary, Matthew A. Bowker, Thomas E. O’Dell, James B. Grace, Andrea E. Redman, Mat- thias C. Rillig, and Nancy C. Johnson Modelling invasion for a habitat generalist and a specialist plant species……..……………….........…15 Paul H. Evangelista, Sunil Kumar, Thomas J. Stohlgren, Catherine S. Jarnevich, Alycia W. Crall, John B. Norman III and David T. Barnett Application of BLM’s Assessment, Inventory and Monitoring Strategy at GSENM: Community Phases and Annual Biomass as Derived from 2014 Field Data………………………….….......……...16 D’Andrea, Robert M., Miller, Kevin, and Maeda, Momoka Early and late successional biological soil crusts, cattle, and climate change: A landscape-scale survey in southern Utah. Manuscript in process.…………………………………......…….......…..….17 David deRoulhac, Collin Smith, and Mary O’Brien Microbial Communities of the Jurassic Navajo Sandstone and Their Role in Shaping the Landscape .........................................................................................................................................18
Recommended publications
  • Planetary Report Report
    The PLANETARYPLANETARY REPORT REPORT Volume XXIX Number 1 January/February 2009 Beyond The Moon From The Editor he Internet has transformed the way science is On the Cover: Tdone—even in the realm of “rocket science”— The United States has the opportunity to unify and inspire the and now anyone can make a real contribution, as world’s spacefaring nations to create a future brightened by long as you have the will to give your best. new goals, such as the human exploration of Mars and near- In this issue, you’ll read about a group of amateurs Earth asteroids. Inset: American astronaut Peggy A. Whitson who are helping professional researchers explore and Russian cosmonaut Yuri I. Malenchenko try out training Mars online, encouraged by Mars Exploration versions of Russian Orlan spacesuits. Background: The High Rovers Project Scientist Steve Squyres and Plane- Resolution Camera on Mars Express took this snapshot of tary Society President Jim Bell (who is also head Candor Chasma, a valley in the northern part of Valles of the rovers’ Pancam team.) Marineris, on July 6, 2006. Images: Gagarin Cosmonaut Training This new Internet-enabled fun is not the first, Center. Background: ESA nor will it be the only, way people can participate in planetary exploration. The Planetary Society has been encouraging our members to contribute Background: their minds and energy to science since 1984, A dust storm blurs the sky above a volcanic caldera in this image when the Pallas Project helped to determine the taken by the Mars Color Imager on Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter shape of a main-belt asteroid.
    [Show full text]
  • A New Troodontid Theropod, Talos Sampsoni Gen. Et Sp. Nov., from the Upper Cretaceous Western Interior Basin of North America
    A New Troodontid Theropod, Talos sampsoni gen. et sp. nov., from the Upper Cretaceous Western Interior Basin of North America Lindsay E. Zanno1,2*, David J. Varricchio3, Patrick M. O’Connor4,5, Alan L. Titus6, Michael J. Knell3 1 Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America, 2 Biological Sciences Department, University of Wisconsin-Parkside, Kenosha, Wisconsin, United States of America, 3 Department of Earth Sciences, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana, United States of America, 4 Department of Biomedical Sciences, Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine, Athens, Ohio, United States of America, 5 Ohio Center for Ecology and Evolutionary Studies, Ohio University, Athens, Ohio, United States of America, 6 Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Bureau of Land Management, Kanab, Utah, United States of America Abstract Background: Troodontids are a predominantly small-bodied group of feathered theropod dinosaurs notable for their close evolutionary relationship with Avialae. Despite a diverse Asian representation with remarkable growth in recent years, the North American record of the clade remains poor, with only one controversial species—Troodon formosus—presently known from substantial skeletal remains. Methodology/Principal Findings: Here we report a gracile new troodontid theropod—Talos sampsoni gen. et sp. nov.— from the Upper Cretaceous Kaiparowits Formation, Utah, USA, representing one of the most complete troodontid skeletons described from North America to date. Histological assessment of the holotype specimen indicates that the adult body size of Talos was notably smaller than that of the contemporary genus Troodon. Phylogenetic analysis recovers Talos as a member of a derived, latest Cretaceous subclade, minimally containing Troodon, Saurornithoides, and Zanabazar.
    [Show full text]
  • Scoping Report: Grand Staircase-Escalante National
    CONTENTS 1 Introduction .............................................................................................................................................. 1 2 Scoping Process ....................................................................................................................................... 3 2.1 Purpose of Scoping ........................................................................................................................... 3 2.2 Scoping Outreach .............................................................................................................................. 3 2.2.1 Publication of the Notice of Intent ....................................................................................... 3 2.2.2 Other Outreach Methods ....................................................................................................... 3 2.3 Opportunities for Public Comment ................................................................................................ 3 2.4 Public Scoping Meetings .................................................................................................................. 4 2.5 Cooperating Agency Involvement ................................................................................................... 4 2.6 National Historic Preservation Act and Tribal Consultation ....................................................... 5 3 Submission Processing and Comment Coding .................................................................................... 5
    [Show full text]
  • Terrestrial Vertebrate Fauna of the Kaiparowits Basin
    Great Basin Naturalist Volume 40 Number 4 Article 2 12-31-1980 Terrestrial vertebrate fauna of the Kaiparowits Basin N. Duane Atwood U.S. Forest Service, Provo, Utah Clyde L. Pritchett Brigham Young University Richard D. Porter U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Provo, Utah Benjamin W. Wood Brigham Young University Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/gbn Recommended Citation Atwood, N. Duane; Pritchett, Clyde L.; Porter, Richard D.; and Wood, Benjamin W. (1980) "Terrestrial vertebrate fauna of the Kaiparowits Basin," Great Basin Naturalist: Vol. 40 : No. 4 , Article 2. Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/gbn/vol40/iss4/2 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Western North American Naturalist Publications at BYU ScholarsArchive. It has been accepted for inclusion in Great Basin Naturalist by an authorized editor of BYU ScholarsArchive. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. TERRESTRIAL VERTEBRATE FAUNA OF THE KAIPAROWITS BASIN N. Diiane Atwood', Clyde L. Pritchctt', Richard D. Porter', and Benjamin W. Wood' .\bstr^ct.- This report inehides data collected during an investigation by Brighani Young University personnel to 1976, as well as a literature from 1971 review. The fauna of the Kaiparowits Basin is represented by 7 species of salamander, toads, mnphihians (1 5 and 1 tree frog), 29 species of reptiles (1 turtle, 16 lizards, and 12 snakes), 183 species of birds (plus 2 hypothetical), and 74 species of mammals. Geographic distribution of the various species within the basin are discussed. Birds are categorized according to their population and seasonal status.
    [Show full text]
  • A Preliminary Assessment of Archaeological Resources Within the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Utah
    A PRELIMINARY ASSESSMENT OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESOURCES WITHIN THE GRAND STAIRCASE-ESCALANTE NATIONAL MONUMENT, UTAH by David B. Madsen Common rock art elements of the Fremont and Anasazi on the Colorado Plateau and the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. ,I!! CIRCULAR 95 . 1997 I~\' UTAH GEOLOGICAL SURVEY ." if;~~ 6EPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES ISBN 1-55791-605-5 STATE OF UTAH Michael O. Leavitt, Governor DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES Ted Stewart, Executive Director UTAH GEOLOGICAL SURVEY M. Lee Allison~ Director UGS Board Member Representing Russell C. Babcock, Jr. (chairman) .................................................................................................. Mineral Industry D. Cary Smith ................................................................................................................................... Mineral Industry Richard R. Kennedy ....................................................................................................................... Civil Engineering E.H. Deedee O'Brien ......................................................................................................................... Public-at-Large C. William Berge .............................................................................................................................. Mineral Industry Jerry Golden ..................................................................................................................................... Mineral Industry Milton E. Wadsworth ...............................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Paleontology, Stratigraphy, Paleoenvironment and Paleogeography of the Seventy Tethyan Maastrichtian-Paleogene Foraminiferal Species of Anan, a Review
    Journal of Microbiology & Experimentation Review Article Open Access Paleontology, stratigraphy, paleoenvironment and paleogeography of the seventy Tethyan Maastrichtian-Paleogene foraminiferal species of Anan, a review Abstract Volume 9 Issue 3 - 2021 During the last four decades ago, seventy foraminiferal species have been erected by Haidar Salim Anan the present author, which start at 1984 by one recent agglutinated foraminiferal species Emirates Professor of Stratigraphy and Micropaleontology, Al Clavulina pseudoparisensis from Qusseir-Marsa Alam stretch, Red Sea coast of Egypt. Azhar University-Gaza, Palestine After that year tell now, one planktic foraminiferal species Plummerita haggagae was erected from Egypt (Misr), two new benthic foraminiferal genera Leroyia (with its 3 species) Correspondence: Haidar Salim Anan, Emirates Professor of and Lenticuzonaria (2 species), and another 18 agglutinated species, 3 porcelaneous, 26 Stratigraphy and Micropaleontology, Al Azhar University-Gaza, Lagenid and 18 Rotaliid species. All these species were recorded from Maastrichtian P. O. Box 1126, Palestine, Email and/or Paleogene benthic foraminiferal species. Thirty nine species of them were erected originally from Egypt (about 58 %), 17 species from the United Arab Emirates, UAE (about Received: May 06, 2021 | Published: June 25, 2021 25 %), 8 specie from Pakistan (about 11 %), 2 species from Jordan, and 1 species from each of Tunisia, France, Spain and USA. More than one species have wide paleogeographic distribution around the Northern and Southern Tethys, i.e. Bathysiphon saidi (Egypt, UAE, Hungary), Clavulina pseudoparisensis (Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Arabian Gulf), Miliammina kenawyi, Pseudoclavulina hamdani, P. hewaidyi, Saracenaria leroyi and Hemirobulina bassiounii (Egypt, UAE), Tritaxia kaminskii (Spain, UAE), Orthokarstenia nakkadyi (Egypt, Tunisia, France, Spain), Nonionella haquei (Egypt, Pakistan).
    [Show full text]
  • 38-Simpson Et Al (Wahweap Fm).P65
    Sullivan et al., eds., 2011, Fossil Record 3. New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science, Bulletin 53. 380 UPPER CRETACEOUS DINOSAUR TRACKS FROM THE UPPER AND CAPPING SANDSTONE MEMBERS OF THE WAHWEAP FORMATION, GRAND STAIRCASE-ESCALANTE NATIONAL MONUMENT, UTAH, U.S.A. EDWARD L. SIMPSON1, H. FITZGERALD MALENDA1, MATTATHIAS NEEDLE1, HANNAH L. HILBERT-WOLF2, ALEX STEULLET3, KEN BOLING3, MICHAEL C. WIZEVICH3 AND SARAH E. TINDALL1 1 Department of Physical Sciences, Kutztown University, Kutztown, PA 19530; 2 Department of Geology, Carleton College, Northfield, MN, 55057; 3 Central Connecticut State University, Department of Physics and Earth Sciences, New Britain, Connecticut 06050, USA Abstract—Tridactyl tracks were identified in the fluvial strata of the Upper Cretaceous Wahweap Formation in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, southern Utah, U.S.A. An isolated track and a trackway are located within the upper member at the Cockscomb, and an isolated track is in the capping sandstone member at Wesses Canyon. The upper member tracks are tridactyl pes imprints consisting of a longer, blunt digit III and shorter, blunt digits II-IV. This trace corresponds well to an ornithropod dinosaur as the trackmaker. The capping sandstone member track is a tridactyl pes with an elongate digit III and shorter digits II-IV. Claw impressions are present on the terminus of digits II and III. This trace is consistent with the pes impression of a one meter tall theropod. The tracks further highlight the diversity of dinosaurs in the capping sandstone of the Wahweap Formation. INTRODUCTION During the Late Cretaceous, North America, in particular the west- ern United States, was the site of a radiation of new dinosaurian genera.
    [Show full text]
  • Yanawant: Paiute Places and Landscapes in the Arizona Strip
    Yanawant Paiute Places and Landscapes in the Arizona Strip Volume Two OfOfOf The Arizona Strip Landscapes and Place Name Study Prepared by Diane Austin Erin Dean Justin Gaines December 12, 2005 Yanawant Paiute Places and Landscapes in the Arizona Strip Volume Two Of The Arizona Strip Landscapes and Place Name Study Prepared for Bureau of Land Management, Arizona Strip Field Office St. George, Utah Prepared by: Diane Austin Erin Dean Justin Gaines Report of work carried out under contract number #AAA000011TOAAF030023 2 Table of Contents Preface……………………………………………………………………………………………ii i Chapter One: Southern Paiute History on the Arizona Strip………………………………...1 Introduction.............................................................................................................................. 1 1.1 Early Southern Paiute Contact with Europeans and Euroamericans ........................... 5 1.2 Southern Paiutes and Mormons ........................................................................................ 8 1.3 The Second Powell Expedition......................................................................................... 13 1.4 An Onslaught of Cattle and Further Mormon Expansion............................................ 16 1.5 Interactions in the First Half of the 20 th Century ......................................................... 26 Chapter Two: Southern Paiute Place Names On and Near the Arizona Strip 37 Introduction ...........................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Operation and Performance of the Mars Exploration Rover Imaging System on the Martian Surface
    Operation and Performance of the Mars Exploration Rover Imaging System on the Martian Surface Justin N. Maki Jet Propulsion Laboratory California Institute of Technology Pasadena, CA USA [email protected] Todd Litwin, Mark Schwochert Jet Propulsion Laboratory California Institute of Technology Pasadena, CA USA Ken Herkenhoff United States Geological Survey Flagstaff, AZ USA Abstract - The Imaging System on the Mars Exploration Rovers has successfully operated on the surface of Mars for over one Earth year. The acquisition of hundreds of panoramas and tens of thousands of stereo pairs has enabled the rovers to explore Mars at a level of detail unprecedented in the history of space exploration. In addition to providing scientific value, the images also play a key role in the daily tactical operation of the rovers. The mobile nature of the MER surface mission requires extensive use of the imaging system for traverse planning, rover localization, remote sensing instrument targeting, and robotic arm placement. Each of these activity types requires a different set of data compression rates, surface Figure 1. The Mars Exploration Spirit Rover, as viewed by coverage, and image acquisition strategies. An overview the Navcam shortly after lander egress early in the mission. of the surface imaging activities is provided, along with a presents an overview of the operation and performance of summary of the image data acquired to date. the MER Imaging System. Keywords: Imaging system, cameras, rovers, Mars, 1.2 Imaging System Design operations. The MER cameras are classified into five types: Descent cameras, Navigation cameras (Navcam), Hazard Avoidance 1 Introduction cameras (Hazcam), Panoramic cameras (Pancam), and Microscopic Imager (MI) cameras.
    [Show full text]
  • Cranial Anatomy and Taxonomy of Dolichorhynchops Bonneri New
    Marshall University Marshall Digital Scholar Biological Sciences Faculty Research Biological Sciences 2008 Cranial anatomy and taxonomy of Dolichorhynchops bonneri new combination, a polycotylid (Sauropterygia: Plesiosauria) from the Pierre Shale of Wyoming and South Dakota F. Robin O’Keefe Marshall University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: http://mds.marshall.edu/bio_sciences_faculty Part of the Animal Sciences Commons, and the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons Recommended Citation O'Keefe, F. R. (2008). Cranial anatomy and taxonomy of Dolichorhynchops bonneri new combination, a polycotylid (Sauropterygia: Plesiosauria) from the Pierre Shale of Wyoming and South Dakota. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 28(3), 664-676. This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Biological Sciences at Marshall Digital Scholar. It has been accepted for inclusion in Biological Sciences Faculty Research by an authorized administrator of Marshall Digital Scholar. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. CRANIAL ANATOMY AND TAXONOMY OF DOLICHORHYNCHOPS BONNERI NEW COMBINATION, A POLYCOTYLID (SAUROPTERYGIA: PLESIOSAURIA) FROM THE PIERRE SHALE OF WYOMING AND SOUTH DAKOTA F. ROBIN O’KEEFE ABSTRACT The taxonomic identity of two well-preserved polycotylid plesiosaur skeletons from the Pierre Shale of far northern Wyoming and southern South Dakota has been controversial since their discovery. Originally referred to Dolichorhynchops osborni, the material was almost immediate-ly christened Trinacromerum bonneri Adams 1997; more recently the material has been referred to Polycotylus. Recent preparation of the well-preserved skull of one specimen permits detailed examination of the cranial morphology of this animal for the first time, and allows for its inclusion in a cladistic analysis of the Polycotylidae.
    [Show full text]
  • Giant Raptor Dinosaur Discovered in Utah Monument 3 April 2006
    Giant Raptor Dinosaur Discovered in Utah Monument 3 April 2006 and published in the latest issue of the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, was authored by Lindsay Zanno, a graduate student in the Department of Geology and Geophysics, and Scott Sampson, chief curator at the Utah Museum of Natural History (UMNH), and associate professor in the Department of Geology and Geophysics. The new dinosaur, formally dubbed Hagryphus giganteus, which means "giant four-footed, bird-like god of the western desert” in reference to the animal's outward resemblance to a large land bird, its giant stature, and its discovery in the Utah desert. Hagryphus is a member of the oviraptorosaurs, a group of bird-like feathered dinosaurs with toothless beaks, powerful arms and formidable claws. These enigmatic animals are thought by some paleontologists to have been omnivorous, feeding on a mixture of meat and plants. Although only the hands and feet of The fleshed-out rendering by artist Michael Skrepnick Hagryphus are known, the scientists were able to best represents what the new dinosaur, called Hagryphus, looked like. Photo Credit: copyright Michael use the animal"s close relatives to estimate the size W. Skrepnick 1999 of the skeleton. The researchers say they do not know why this dinosaur was so much larger than its northern cousins but speculate that it may have been related to different environmental conditions Scientists from the University of Utah and the Utah in the south. Museum of Natural History have discovered the remains of a new bird-like, meat-eating dinosaur in Ruthless Thief or Protective Parent? Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument (GSENM), southern Utah.
    [Show full text]
  • A Guide to 1.000 Foraminifera from Southwestern Pacific New Caledonia
    Jean-Pierre Debenay A Guide to 1,000 Foraminifera from Southwestern Pacific New Caledonia PUBLICATIONS SCIENTIFIQUES DU MUSÉUM Debenay-1 7/01/13 12:12 Page 1 A Guide to 1,000 Foraminifera from Southwestern Pacific: New Caledonia Debenay-1 7/01/13 12:12 Page 2 Debenay-1 7/01/13 12:12 Page 3 A Guide to 1,000 Foraminifera from Southwestern Pacific: New Caledonia Jean-Pierre Debenay IRD Éditions Institut de recherche pour le développement Marseille Publications Scientifiques du Muséum Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle Paris 2012 Debenay-1 11/01/13 18:14 Page 4 Photos de couverture / Cover photographs p. 1 – © J.-P. Debenay : les foraminifères : une biodiversité aux formes spectaculaires / Foraminifera: a high biodiversity with a spectacular variety of forms p. 4 – © IRD/P. Laboute : îlôt Gi en Nouvelle-Calédonie / Island Gi in New Caledonia Sauf mention particulière, les photos de cet ouvrage sont de l'auteur / Except particular mention, the photos of this book are of the author Préparation éditoriale / Copy-editing Yolande Cavallazzi Maquette intérieure et mise en page / Design and page layout Aline Lugand – Gris Souris Maquette de couverture / Cover design Michelle Saint-Léger Coordination, fabrication / Production coordination Catherine Plasse La loi du 1er juillet 1992 (code de la propriété intellectuelle, première partie) n'autorisant, aux termes des alinéas 2 et 3 de l'article L. 122-5, d'une part, que les « copies ou reproductions strictement réservées à l'usage privé du copiste et non destinées à une utilisation collective » et, d'autre part, que les analyses et les courtes citations dans un but d'exemple et d'illustration, « toute représentation ou reproduction intégrale ou partielle, faite sans le consentement de l'auteur ou de ses ayants droit ou ayants cause, est illicite » (alinéa 1er de l'article L.
    [Show full text]