Episode 421: A raptor with preserved intestines

Episode 421: A raptor with preserved intestines. Plus a brand new aquatic dinosaur (that isn’t Spinosaurus), a pregnant T. rex, a dinosaur airlift, and extra

Information:

• Paleontologists found new dromaeosaur, Daurlong wangi, full with a part of the intestines! supply
• A brand new non-avian dinosaur, Natovenator, with a streamlined physique for swimming and searching fish supply
• The Auckland Struggle Memorial Museum in New Zealand has two T. rex on show, and one among them could have been pregnant supply
• Maximus, the T. rex cranium, bought for lots lower than anticipated supply
• Gary the Edmontosaurus was airlifted from Purple Deer River valley in Alberta, Canada this summer season supply
• You may get an AR mannequin of Scotty the T. rex through the Royal Saskatchewan Museum supply
• The Hongkong Submit is issuing six dinosaur stamps supply

Sponsors:

The dinosaur of the day: Ostafrikasaurus

• Theropod that lived within the Late Jurassic in what’s now Tanzania (Tendaguru Formation)
• Solely tooth have been discovered
• No cranium fossils discovered for Ostafrikasaurus
• However as a spinosaur, Ostafrikasaurus most likely had an extended, slim snout. In all probability additionally had an extended tail, cumbersome physique, and walked on two legs
• Estimated to be about 28 ft (8.4 m) lengthy and weigh 1.15 tonnes
• Arduous to estimate dimension primarily based on the fragmentary fossils
• Fossils discovered between 1909 and 1912
• Throughout the expeditions from 1909 to 1912, 230 remoted theropod tooth had been discovered. One in all them was assigned to Labrosaurus? stechowi in 1920 by Werner Janensch, who tried to determine all of the tooth by classifying them into 5 varieties in a monograph in 1925
• In 2000, James Madsen and Samuel Welles referred the Labrosaurus? stechowi tooth to Ceratosaurus sp.
• Labrosaurus is now thought of to be a synonym of Allosaurus
• In 2007, Denver Fowler prompt the tooth had been spinosaurid tooth. Eric Buffetaut in 2008 additionally prompt they had been spinosaurid tooth
• In 2011, Oliver Rauhut discovered Labrosaurus? stechowi to be doubtful (no distinctive options) and referred the tooth discovered within the Tendaguru Formation as Ceratosaurus? stechowi
• Ostafrikasaurus named in 2012 by Eric Buffetaut, primarily based on two tooth
• One of many two tooth is the holotype
• Holotype tooth is 1.8 in (46 mm) lengthy, and has a curved entrance edge, with massive serrations (bigger than different spinosaurid tooth)
• Tentatively referred a second tooth. Each tooth are curved within the entrance however there are some variations within the ridges (which might be as a consequence of particular person variation) and the 2 tooth got here from totally different elements of the Tendaguru Formation
• Arduous to call dinosaurs primarily based on tooth, however Buffetaut mentioned that theropod tooth, and specifically spinosaurid tooth, can have distinctive sufficient options to call a dinosaur (primarily based on options reminiscent of ornamentation)
• Enamel appeared just like the tooth of Baryonyx
• Ornamentation on the tooth have similarities to numerous totally different theropods, together with Ceratosaurus and Coelophysis
• A 2020 research of tooth from the Tendaguru Formation discovered Ostafrikasaurus to be a ceratosaurid
• Fowler prompt ceratosaur and spinosaur tooth had been related, although Buffetaut didn’t agree
• Buffetaut described Ostafrikasaurus as an early spinosaurid theropod
• Enamel had robust ridges (Baryonyx and shut family members, together with spinosaurid tooth present in Asia, additionally had robust ridges, which is why the tooth are regarded as spinosaurid)
• Kind species is Ostafrikasaurus crassiserratus
• Genus identify comes from [Deutsch]-Ostafrika, which suggests “German East Africa lizard”
• Species identify means “thick” and “serrated” and refers back to the tooth
• Enamel on the tooth is “finely wrinkled”
• Giant serrations on the tooth
• Helps present that spinosaur tooth changing into extra conical and fewer serrated as they developed
• Could imply that earlier spinosaurids had bigger serrations on their tooth and so they developed to have smoother tooth that had been additionally extra straight (much less curved)
• One of many oldest identified spinosaurid fossils
• Helps present spinosaurids could have lived around the globe earlier than Pangaea broke up
• Buffetaut prompt spinosaurids had been widespread early on, primarily based on spinosaurids being present in Asia and Asia most likely was separated from the opposite continents within the Late Jurassic and Early Cretaceous
• Plenty of different spinosaurs described are from the Early Cretaceous, a lot later than Ostafrikasaurus
• In 2016, Alejandro Serrano-Martínez and others described a potential spinosaurid tooth present in Niger. Tooth might be from the Center Jurassic, about 14 million years sooner than Ostafrikasaurus (which might make it the oldest identified spinosaurid fossil)
• Lived in a subtropical to tropical surroundings, with dry and wet seasons
• Different dinosaurs that lived across the similar time and place embrace sauropods reminiscent of Giraffatitan, stegosaurs reminiscent of Kentrosaurus, and different theropods reminiscent of abelisaurids, and probably Torvosaurus
• Different animals that lived across the similar time and place included pterosaurs, crocodyliforms, fish, and mammals

Enjoyable Reality:

Terrestrial animals have returned to the water (to grow to be secondarily aquatic) over 30 instances.

Thanks Patrons!

Your help means a lot to us and retains us going! When you’re a dinosaur fanatic, be part of our rising group on Patreon at patreon.com/iknowdino