Researchers have found new ornithomimosaur fossils in Mississippi, shedding light on the poorly understood dinosaur environments of Late Cretaceous eastern North America and exposing trends of huge body sizes and numerous types cohabiting across North America and Asia. These ostrich-like dinosaurs, known as “bird-mimic” dinosaurs, lived in the ancient eastern North America landmass of Appalachia. The findings provide crucial insights into the badly comprehended dinosaur communities of Late Cretaceous eastern North America, as well as ornithomimosaur evolution, including recurring trends of giant body sizes and multiple types cohabiting across North America and Asia.
They likewise shed light on ornithomimosaur development; huge body sizes and several species living side-by-side are recurring patterns for these dinosaurs across North America and Asia.
During the Late Cretaceous Period, North America was split by a seaway into 2 landmasses: Laramidia to the west and Appalachia to the east. However fossils from Appalachia are unusual, and therefore ancient communities from this area are improperly comprehended. In this study, Chinzorig and coworkers explain new fossils of ornithomimosaur dinosaurs from the Late Cretaceous Eutaw Formation of Mississippi.
Paleohistological transverse sections of choose elements of (A) big- and (B) medium-bodied individuals of the Eutaw ornithomimosaurs, and (C) relative body-size of the Eutaw ornithomimosaurs within known ornithomimosaur taxa through a geological time. Credit: Tsogtbaatar et al., CC-BY 4.0
Ornithomimosaurs, the so-called “bird-mimic” dinosaurs, were superficially ostrich-shaped with small heads, long arms, and strong legs. The brand-new fossils, including foot bones, are around 85 million years old, making them an unusual glimpse into a badly understood interval of North American dinosaur evolution
By comparing the percentages of these fossils and the patterns of growth within the bones, the authors figured out that the fossils likely represent two different types of ornithomimosaurs, one reasonably small and one very big. They estimate the larger species to have weighed over 800kg (1760 pounds), and the individual analyzed was likely still growing when it passed away. This makes it among the biggest ornithomimosaurs understood.
These fossils offer valuable insights into the otherwise inadequately comprehended dinosaur environments of Late Cretaceous eastern North America. They likewise clarified ornithomimosaur advancement; huge body sizes and multiple types living side-by-side are recurring trends for these dinosaurs throughout North America and Asia. Further study will ideally illuminate the factors behind the success of these life methods.
The authors include: “The co-existence of medium- and large-bodied ornithomimosaur taxa during the Late Cretaceous Santonian of North America does not only offer crucial info on the variety and circulation of North American ornithomimosaurs from the Appalachian landmass, however it likewise recommends wider evidence of multiple cohabiting species of ornithomimosaurian dinosaurs in Late Cretaceous environments of Laurasia.”
Recommendation: “Large-bodied ornithomimosaurs occupied Appalachia throughout the Late Cretaceous of North America” by Chinzorig Tsogtbaatar, Thomas Cullen, George Phillips, Richard Rolke and Lindsay E. Zanno, 19 October 2022, PLOS ONE.DOI: 10.1371/ journal.pone.0266648.
This is an illustration of Ornithomimus based upon the findings of maintained tail plumes and soft tissue. Scientists have actually found new ornithomimosaur fossils in Mississippi, clarifying the poorly understood dinosaur communities of Late Cretaceous eastern North America and exposing trends of giant body sizes and numerous species cohabiting across North America and Asia. Credit: Julius Csotonyi
Findings likewise boost understanding of dinosaur environments in eastern North America.
A clinical study exposes the discovery of new ornithomimosaur fossils from the Late Cretaceous Eutaw Formation of Mississippi. These ostrich-like dinosaurs, known as “bird-mimic” dinosaurs, resided in the ancient eastern North America landmass of Appalachia. The scientists recognized two different species, one small and one extremely big, with the bigger types weighing over 800kg. The findings supply essential insights into the inadequately comprehended dinosaur communities of Late Cretaceous eastern North America, along with ornithomimosaur development, including repeating trends of huge body sizes and numerous types cohabiting throughout North America and Asia.
Ostrich-like dinosaurs called ornithomimosaurs grew to enormous sizes in ancient eastern North America, according to a study released in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Chinzorig Tsogtbaatar of the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences and associates.