Whats New

  • Applications open for the Marine Institute’s Summer Bursary Scholarship Programme 2023
  • Careful Now! Official programme announced for TedFest 2023
  • Truma BatteryPack now available in Europe
  • Experts warn how van conversions can VOID your insurance, as demand soars +125% in Ireland
  • The Ocean Race – Team Holcim-PRB lead into Cabo Verde to win Leg 1
  • Home
  • News
  • Notice Board
  • Multimedia
    • Audio
    • Book Reviews
    • T.V.
    • Video
  • Tow Car Reports
  • CARAVAN PARK REVIEWS
  • Contact
  • follow
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Pinterest
    • RSS Feed
    • Linked
    • Youtube

Iconic Dinosaur’s injuries come to light through Queen’s-led research

Dec 05, 2020 News 0


Iconic Dinosaur’s injuries come to light through Queen’s-led research
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
The first Parasaurolophus discovered – the same species which features in the popular Netflix series Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous – is likely to have been injured by a falling tree, a study led by a researcher from Queen’s University Belfast has discovered.

Filippo Bertozzo, a PhD student from the School of Natural and Built Environment at Queen’s University Belfast, examined the skeleton of the Parasaurolophus which has been on display at the Royal Ontario Museum, since being discovered in Alberta, Canada in 1920.

He and his research collaborators from institutions in Canada, Italy and Liverpool found that the duck-billed dinosaur – known as ROM 768 – suffered several major injuries before its death.

The shape of the dinosaur’s neck has been a source of intrigue to palaeo-artists, who attempt to depict prehistoric life according to scientific evidence, over the decades. In Disney’s 1940 film Fantasia it is shown as having a thin neck with a frill, while later artists portrayed it with a graceful, swan-like neck. More recently, discovery of partially mummified dinosaurs suggested that the dinosaur had a much bulkier neck.

Mr Bertozzo explained: “Our research using paleopathological markers – which help us study the diseases of ancient humans and fossil animals – means we are now fairly certain how this iconic dinosaur would have really looked.

“The ROM 768 suffered numerous injuries which suggest a major incident of trauma before its death and we think a heavy object such as a tree may have fallen on top of the animal, perhaps during a storm.

“Damage to the muscles resulted in a disc-shaped overgrowth on the tip on the bony part of one its vertebrae in its neck.

“We interpreted the disc as a secondary enlargement of the base of the nuchal ligament, a large elastic structure that supports the neck and the head.

“This enabled us to reconstruct the anatomical structure of the neck, revealing that it was strong and muscular to support its head.”

Mr Bertozzo’s research has also shown that ornithopods, medium to large plant eating dinosaurs, including Parasaurolophus, iguanodons and other smaller species, were prone to a range of injuries and diseases.

“In the case of the ROM 768, torn muscles and broken bones were also evident in the pelvis, ribs and spine, while a lesion in the mouth may have been caused through the heavy object falling on it.

“The injuries were well-healed, however, demonstrating the resilience of the dinosaur who survived for several months or perhaps even some years after the event.”

Professor Eileen Murphy, a bioarchaeologist in Queen’s, commented: “Palaeopathology has been a relatively neglected aspect of palaeontology until recent years. The study of ROM 768 clearly demonstrates the value of this approach for reconstructing the quality of life of dinosaurs and the threats from the natural environment they may have faced on a daily basis.”

This study was funded by the SPaRK Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under the MSCA? grant agreement with Queen’s, with support from the Dinosaur Research Institute (Canada).

Institutions involved in the research study were the Royal Ontario Museum and the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Paleontology in Canada, the Associazione Paleontologica Paleoartistica Italiana in Italy, and the University of Liverpool.

Tweet

Related Posts :

Applications open for the Marine Institute’...
Careful Now! Official programme announced fo...
Truma BatteryPack now available in Europe
Experts warn how van conversions can VOID you...

  • tweet
Luxury ‘Belmond Grand Hibernian’ touring train bows out of Ireland Inland Fisheries Ireland Prosecutes Arrabawn Dairies for pollution to Deerpark River

More in this category
  • Applications open for the Marine Institute’s Summer Bursary Scholarship Programme 2023
    Applications open for the Marine...

    0

  • Careful Now! Official programme announced for TedFest 2023
    Careful Now! Official programme...

    0

  • Truma BatteryPack now available in Europe
    Truma BatteryPack now available in...

    0

  • Experts warn how van conversions can VOID your insurance, as demand soars +125% in Ireland
    Experts warn how van conversions can...

    0


Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Caravan Cruise

Magazine

Newsletter

News

  • Applications open for the Marine Institute’s Summer Bursary Scholarship Programme 2023
  • Careful Now! Official programme announced for TedFest 2023
  • Truma BatteryPack now available in Europe
  • Experts warn how van conversions can VOID your insurance, as demand soars +125% in Ireland
  • The Ocean Race – Team Holcim-PRB lead into Cabo Verde to win Leg 1
  • FIAT Professional Ducato – “Best Motorhome Base Vehicle 2023” by Promobil for 15th time in a row!
  • Port of Cork Company announces 2023 Cruise Schedule, set to top pre-pandemic levels 
  • Changes to Calor cylinder range
  • America’s Cup & Marina Port Vell Barcelona sign partnership to become the Preferred Marina for Superyachts Barcelona during regatta 2024
  • Spectacular start day for The Ocean Race in Alicante
  • Make touring in the great outdoors more fun with the Caravan and Motorhome Club’s competition
  • ‘Brown Tags’ conservation regulations come into force for Salmon Anglers on Lower River Lee in Cork
  • Subway’s new Plant-based Teriyaki Steak Footlong Sub
  • Wanderlust, Wellness & Adventure in the Great Outdoors at Wander Wild Festival in Killarney this March
  • Reading Matters: Book Review – Road Life – Win an edition!
  • Race legend Niki Lauda’s Airstream motorhome from the film ‘Rush’ & other ‘Weird & Wonderful’ Items: Winebagoes, Hydroplane at CCA auction
  • Passengers will return to Le Havre in 2023 on Brittany Ferries
  • Age-old tradition returns to Hook Lighthouse this New Year’s Day
  • Make the most of the great outdoors with pop up camping sites with the Caravan & Motorhome Club
  • Hymer wins 2023 German Design Award in 2 categories
Copyright 2013 Caravancruise / All rights reserved