Together, these functions suggest that the fenestra was caused by a distressing injury but that the bone was recovery at the time of Big Johns death. The authors recommend that the injury was triggered by the horn of another triceratops, and occurred at least 6 months prior to Big Johns death. Based on these findings, the mechanisms underlying the healing procedure in dinosaurs seems comparable to that in mammals.
Recommendation: “Histological and chemical diagnosis of a fight sore in Triceratops” by Ruggero DAnastasio, Jacopo Cilli, Flavio Bacchia, Federico Fanti, Giacomo Gobbo and Luigi Capasso, 7 April 2022, Scientific Reports.DOI: 10.1038/ s41598-022-08033-2.
(c) Detail of the fenestra: plaquelike deposition of reactive bone (white arrows) and lytic lesions (black arrows) are noticeable on the bony surface area around the sore. The bone surface around the fenestra is irregular and includes plaque-like deposits of bone, which might have resulted from inflammation (possibly from infection). The authors analyzed samples taken from the larger margin of the fenestra, which reveal that the bone tissue around the fenestra is porous with lots of blood vessels compared to bone tissue even more from the fenestra, recommending that this was recently formed bone. Together, these features suggest that the fenestra was triggered by a traumatic injury but that the bone was recovery at the time of Big Johns death.
The Triceratops horridus Big John. The total restored skeleton; the fenestra evaluated here is indicated by the white circle (courtesy of Ferrara A., and Briano I.).
The fossilized remains of the triceratops specimen known as Big John display injuries to the skull that may have taken place during battle with another triceratops, according to new research study published in Scientific Reports.
Triceratops (Triceratops horridus) is a types of horned dinosaurs identified by its large neck frill formed from extended patietal and squamosal skull bones. It has actually been suggested that this bony frill acted as protection against injuries from other triceratops throughout battles.
The Triceratops horridus Big John. (a) The total restored skeleton; the fenestra examined here is shown by the white circle (thanks to Ferrara A., and Briano I.). (b) Detail of the skull (thanks to Ferrara A., and Briano I.). (c) Detail of the fenestra: plaquelike deposition of reactive bone (white arrows) and lytic sores (black arrows) are noticeable on the bony surface around the sore. The area where the sample to be evaluated was taken shows up on the lower margin. Credit: Scientific Reports (2022 ). DOI: 10.1038/ s41598-022-08033-2.
Ruggero DAnastasio and colleagues analyzed the triceratops specimen referred to as Big John, so named for its plus size, which was found in 2014 in the Upper Cretaceous Hell Creek Formation, Montana, USA. They report the presence of a keyhole-shaped opening (a fenestra) in the best squamosal bone. The bone surface around the fenestra is irregular and includes plaque-like deposits of bone, which could have resulted from swelling (potentially from infection). The authors evaluated samples drawn from the larger margin of the fenestra, which reveal that the bone tissue around the fenestra is porous with great deals of blood vessels compared to bone tissue even more from the fenestra, suggesting that this was newly formed bone. The bone also revealed indications of remodeling, as demonstrated by the presence of little pits referred to as Howship lacunae.