Ben Creisler
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Christophe Ferrante, ÂLionel Cavin, ÂTorsten W. Vennemann and ÂRossana Martini (2021)
Histology and geochemistry of Allosaurus (Dinosauria: Theropoda) from the Cleveland-Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry (Late Jurassic, Utah): Paleobiological implications
The Late Jurassic Allosaurus is one of the better-studied dinosaurs. A histological and geochemical study of a tibia and a femur of A. fragilis recovered in the Upper Jurassic Cleveland-Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry, Utah, USA has been done in order to address growth characteristics of this species. The two bones, probably belonging to separate individuals, are among the largest known for this species, which make them suitable to address such issues. The inclusion of our data on femur growth markings in the previously published data reflects a range of growth variability rather than two distinct growth strategies. The tibia has a well-developed external fundamental system indicating somatic maturity achievement. Using a quantitative method of superimposition to retrocalculate missing lines of arrested growth, the tibia appears to correspond to an individual that reached its skeletal maturity at 22 years and died at approximately 26 years. In the tibia, the concentration of zinc, a potential biomarker associated with bone formation, displays a higher concentration in zones of rapid growth compared to annuli. There is no direct relationship between the values of Î18Op and the lines of arrested growth distribution. The absence of relations between the histological organization and an enrichment in REE of the bone, indicates that the variations of Î18Op likely represent a diagenetic process rather than a primordial, biologic composition. However, the geochemical composition of the bones is not homogeneous along the sections, indicating that the signal variations have not been completely erased by diagenesis.
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A well preserved, but isolated metatarsal III of a tyrannosaurid dinosaur, originating probably from the Dinosaur Park Formation of Alberta, Canada, is tentatively referred to Daspletosaurus torosus. The size of the specimen suggests that it likely comes from a large juvenile, since the width of the distal end is about 63 % of that of a much larger individual. The morphology of the specimen supports the recently suggested hypotheses that apomorphies of tyrannosaurid taxa may have developed at young growth stages, and that juveniles of albertosaurines and tyrannosaurines may be easier to distinguish from one another than previously thought. Additionally, the specimen reported here is important in that it provides an addition to the very poor juvenile fossil record of Daspletosaurus.