A new gigantic sauropod, Huabeisaurus allocotus gen. et sp. nov., about 20 m in length and 5 m in height, was discovered in the Upper Cretaceous Huiquanpu Formation, Tianzhen County, Shanxi Province. It is notably dif...A new gigantic sauropod, Huabeisaurus allocotus gen. et sp. nov., about 20 m in length and 5 m in height, was discovered in the Upper Cretaceous Huiquanpu Formation, Tianzhen County, Shanxi Province. It is notably different from Diplodocidae, Titanosauridae and Nemegtosauridae in the following aspects: the teeth are strong, peglike with a length ratio of the tooth crown to tooth root at about 3 to 1; the cervical vertebrae are long with forked spines; the spines in dorsal vertebrae are relatively high, unbifurcated; the caudal vertebrae are amphicoelous, with anterior neural spines and unbifurcated spines and chevrons; the femur is straight and long, narrow and flat and the tibia and fibula are long and flat. These characters show that the described genus should represent a new family, Huabeisauridae fam. nov. The discovery enriches the sauropod dinosaur record in China, and is quite significant to the study of the taxonomy, evolution, migration, extinction and palaeobiogeographic provincialism of the Late Cretaceous sauropod dinosaurs.展开更多
The oldest dinosaur assemblages of Thailand deposit in continental sedimentary rocks of the Nam Phong Formation. Not only Isanosaurus attavipatchi was discovered but at least two more species of basal sauropods were f...The oldest dinosaur assemblages of Thailand deposit in continental sedimentary rocks of the Nam Phong Formation. Not only Isanosaurus attavipatchi was discovered but at least two more species of basal sauropods were found. A partial skeleton from Phu Hin Tan locality refers to sauropod taxon A. It is different from Isanosaurus and shares some characteristics with basal sauropods in the Early Jurassic. The sauropod taxon B was found in Non Sra Ard locality. Base on postcranial skeleton, sauropod taxon B shares some characteristics of the family Vnlcanodontidae. Moreover, several fragments of the sauropods specimen are also found in Pha Khok Wang Yang and Phu Noi localities. All of the evidences above indicate that there are a highly diversity of sauropods in the Nam Phong Formation. At least three sauropod species （including Isanosaurus） were found in the Nam Phong formation. The issue about the age of the Nam Phong has been debated for a long time between the Triassic and Jurassic age. All of sauropodomorphs, in this study, are more likely the Early Jurassic period dinosaurs than the Triassic period dinosaurs. And they have deposited in the upper part of Nam Phong Formation.展开更多
The paper describes an early and primitive sauropod dinosaur, Gongxianosaurus shibeiensis (gen. et sp. nov.), from the Dongyuemiao Member of the Lower Jurassic Ziliujing Formation in Shibei Township, Gongxian County, ...The paper describes an early and primitive sauropod dinosaur, Gongxianosaurus shibeiensis (gen. et sp. nov.), from the Dongyuemiao Member of the Lower Jurassic Ziliujing Formation in Shibei Township, Gongxian County, Sichuan Province, China, which is one of the 5 dinosaur fossils discovered in Gongxian in 1997. Except the skull which is incomplete, the fossils are well preserved. It has some features of both sauropods and prosauropods. It is an intermediate type in the evolution of dinosaurs from prosauropods to sauropods and provides materials for the study of the origin and evolution of the sauropod dinosaur fauna. The discovery of this new sauropod furnishes a way for the stratigraphic correlation between the Early Jurassic Ziliujing Formation in the Sichuan basin and the Lower Jurassic Lufeng Formation in the Central Yunnan basin.展开更多
It was recently postulated that methane production by the giant Mesozoic sauropod dinosaurs was larger than the present-day release of this greenhouse gas by nature and man-induced activities jointly, thus contributin...It was recently postulated that methane production by the giant Mesozoic sauropod dinosaurs was larger than the present-day release of this greenhouse gas by nature and man-induced activities jointly, thus contributing to the warm Mesozoic climate. This conclusion was reached by correct calculations, but these calculations were based on unrealistic assumptions:the researchers who postulated this dinosaur-induced warm climate did take into account neither the biomass production required for the sauropods’ food, nor the constraints for the habitats in which the dinosaurs lived, thus neglecting the palaeogeographic conditions. This underlines the importance of palaeogeography for a good understanding of the Earth’s geological history.展开更多
A relatively small number of tetrapod tracksites from Zhejiang Province fills out the fossil record from that region,which is also known to have yielded both saurischian（titanosauriform, coelurosaur） and ornithisch...A relatively small number of tetrapod tracksites from Zhejiang Province fills out the fossil record from that region,which is also known to have yielded both saurischian（titanosauriform, coelurosaur） and ornithischian（basal ornithopod, ankylosaurian） body fossils as well as dinosaurian eggs. We use photogrammetry and 3 D imaging to reinterpret the sauropod tracks from Lishui City, which revealed the existence of trackways. The track record from three documented sites in Zhejiang Province includes avian and non-avian theropod, sauropod, ornithopod and pterosaur tracks. Previous work showed that the purported new bird ichnospecies Dongyangornipes sinensis is a synonym of Uhangrichnus chuni, while we here consider Pteraichnus dongyangensis as a nomen dubium. Such ＂provincial ichnotaxonomy＂ may mask similarities in the ichnofauna across large regions. In fact, we show that the ichnofauna is similar to that found in the Early Cretaceous elsewhere in China.展开更多
Dinosaurs due to their diverse species and peculiar forms have drawn the interest of both artists and scientists. One way to unlock the unknown life of dinosaurs is to reconstruct dinosaurs through drawings, computer ...Dinosaurs due to their diverse species and peculiar forms have drawn the interest of both artists and scientists. One way to unlock the unknown life of dinosaurs is to reconstruct dinosaurs through drawings, computer animations or sculptures. Following the Introduction on “Dinosaur Reconstruction” by the present authors, where important Paleontological knowledge was presented, the next step is to examine some specific information along with necessary details for dinosaur reconstruction. The first and basic step to be taken for a reconstruction is the posture of the animal;this is the theme of the current paper. Dinosaurs would move either bipedally or quadrupedally depending on their kind and body construction. Based on the available literature, various issues in relation to the posture of an animal at different instances are examined. These are: postures of bipedal dinosaurs during walking, observation of living bipedal animals, postures of quadruped dinosaurs during walking, feeding styles, and dinosaur tails. Theropods had a locomotor behavior like modern birds, with the step width increasing when the animals decreased speed. The general posture and movement of quadrupeds and especially sauropods, remains a subject of great and much controversy. Some scientists believe that sauropod necks were generally held in a neutral or undeflected state during most of the time, while others believe that sauropod necks behaved like all present-day amniote with the mid-cervical region held nearly vertical. Also, there are indications that dinosaurs usually held their tails above ground. For all dinosaurs, the long tail was acting as a counterbalance to the head and body. As a validating example, the case of Amargasaurus is investigated with the help of a model, where the various positions of the animal are examined. A certain posture was chosen for a full-size steel and concrete reconstruction based on the features of the animal.展开更多
文摘A new gigantic sauropod, Huabeisaurus allocotus gen. et sp. nov., about 20 m in length and 5 m in height, was discovered in the Upper Cretaceous Huiquanpu Formation, Tianzhen County, Shanxi Province. It is notably different from Diplodocidae, Titanosauridae and Nemegtosauridae in the following aspects: the teeth are strong, peglike with a length ratio of the tooth crown to tooth root at about 3 to 1; the cervical vertebrae are long with forked spines; the spines in dorsal vertebrae are relatively high, unbifurcated; the caudal vertebrae are amphicoelous, with anterior neural spines and unbifurcated spines and chevrons; the femur is straight and long, narrow and flat and the tibia and fibula are long and flat. These characters show that the described genus should represent a new family, Huabeisauridae fam. nov. The discovery enriches the sauropod dinosaur record in China, and is quite significant to the study of the taxonomy, evolution, migration, extinction and palaeobiogeographic provincialism of the Late Cretaceous sauropod dinosaurs.
基金supported by science achievement scholarship of Thailand(SAST)the National Research Council of Thailand(NRCT)+1 种基金the Thailand Research Fund(TRF)the Palaeontological Research and Education Centre(PRC)
文摘The oldest dinosaur assemblages of Thailand deposit in continental sedimentary rocks of the Nam Phong Formation. Not only Isanosaurus attavipatchi was discovered but at least two more species of basal sauropods were found. A partial skeleton from Phu Hin Tan locality refers to sauropod taxon A. It is different from Isanosaurus and shares some characteristics with basal sauropods in the Early Jurassic. The sauropod taxon B was found in Non Sra Ard locality. Base on postcranial skeleton, sauropod taxon B shares some characteristics of the family Vnlcanodontidae. Moreover, several fragments of the sauropods specimen are also found in Pha Khok Wang Yang and Phu Noi localities. All of the evidences above indicate that there are a highly diversity of sauropods in the Nam Phong Formation. At least three sauropod species （including Isanosaurus） were found in the Nam Phong formation. The issue about the age of the Nam Phong has been debated for a long time between the Triassic and Jurassic age. All of sauropodomorphs, in this study, are more likely the Early Jurassic period dinosaurs than the Triassic period dinosaurs. And they have deposited in the upper part of Nam Phong Formation.
文摘The paper describes an early and primitive sauropod dinosaur, Gongxianosaurus shibeiensis (gen. et sp. nov.), from the Dongyuemiao Member of the Lower Jurassic Ziliujing Formation in Shibei Township, Gongxian County, Sichuan Province, China, which is one of the 5 dinosaur fossils discovered in Gongxian in 1997. Except the skull which is incomplete, the fossils are well preserved. It has some features of both sauropods and prosauropods. It is an intermediate type in the evolution of dinosaurs from prosauropods to sauropods and provides materials for the study of the origin and evolution of the sauropod dinosaur fauna. The discovery of this new sauropod furnishes a way for the stratigraphic correlation between the Early Jurassic Ziliujing Formation in the Sichuan basin and the Lower Jurassic Lufeng Formation in the Central Yunnan basin.
文摘It was recently postulated that methane production by the giant Mesozoic sauropod dinosaurs was larger than the present-day release of this greenhouse gas by nature and man-induced activities jointly, thus contributing to the warm Mesozoic climate. This conclusion was reached by correct calculations, but these calculations were based on unrealistic assumptions:the researchers who postulated this dinosaur-induced warm climate did take into account neither the biomass production required for the sauropods’ food, nor the constraints for the habitats in which the dinosaurs lived, thus neglecting the palaeogeographic conditions. This underlines the importance of palaeogeography for a good understanding of the Earth’s geological history.
基金funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 41790455, 41772008)the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (Grant No. 2652017215)the State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy (Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences) (Grant No. 173127)
文摘A relatively small number of tetrapod tracksites from Zhejiang Province fills out the fossil record from that region,which is also known to have yielded both saurischian（titanosauriform, coelurosaur） and ornithischian（basal ornithopod, ankylosaurian） body fossils as well as dinosaurian eggs. We use photogrammetry and 3 D imaging to reinterpret the sauropod tracks from Lishui City, which revealed the existence of trackways. The track record from three documented sites in Zhejiang Province includes avian and non-avian theropod, sauropod, ornithopod and pterosaur tracks. Previous work showed that the purported new bird ichnospecies Dongyangornipes sinensis is a synonym of Uhangrichnus chuni, while we here consider Pteraichnus dongyangensis as a nomen dubium. Such ＂provincial ichnotaxonomy＂ may mask similarities in the ichnofauna across large regions. In fact, we show that the ichnofauna is similar to that found in the Early Cretaceous elsewhere in China.
文摘Dinosaurs due to their diverse species and peculiar forms have drawn the interest of both artists and scientists. One way to unlock the unknown life of dinosaurs is to reconstruct dinosaurs through drawings, computer animations or sculptures. Following the Introduction on “Dinosaur Reconstruction” by the present authors, where important Paleontological knowledge was presented, the next step is to examine some specific information along with necessary details for dinosaur reconstruction. The first and basic step to be taken for a reconstruction is the posture of the animal;this is the theme of the current paper. Dinosaurs would move either bipedally or quadrupedally depending on their kind and body construction. Based on the available literature, various issues in relation to the posture of an animal at different instances are examined. These are: postures of bipedal dinosaurs during walking, observation of living bipedal animals, postures of quadruped dinosaurs during walking, feeding styles, and dinosaur tails. Theropods had a locomotor behavior like modern birds, with the step width increasing when the animals decreased speed. The general posture and movement of quadrupeds and especially sauropods, remains a subject of great and much controversy. Some scientists believe that sauropod necks were generally held in a neutral or undeflected state during most of the time, while others believe that sauropod necks behaved like all present-day amniote with the mid-cervical region held nearly vertical. Also, there are indications that dinosaurs usually held their tails above ground. For all dinosaurs, the long tail was acting as a counterbalance to the head and body. As a validating example, the case of Amargasaurus is investigated with the help of a model, where the various positions of the animal are examined. A certain posture was chosen for a full-size steel and concrete reconstruction based on the features of the animal.
