[Paleontology • 2013] Eosinopteryx brevipenna • Reduced plumage and flight ability of a new Jurassic paravian theropod (Theropoda: Troodontidae) from China

photo: http://ria.ru/science/20130122/919259293.html

Eosinopteryx brevipenna

Godefroit, Demuynck, Dyke, Hu, Escuillié & Claeys 2013

Feathered theropods were diverse in the Early Cretaceous Jehol Group of western Liaoning Province, China. Recently, anatomically distinct feathered taxa have been discovered in the older Middle-Late Jurassic Tiaojishan Formation in the same region. Phylogenetic hypotheses including these specimens have challenged the pivotal position of Archaeopteryx in bird phylogeny. Here we report a basal troodontid from the Tiaojishan Formation that resembles Anchiornis, also from Jianchang County (regarded as sister-taxa). The feathers of Eosinopteryx are less extensive on the limbs and tail than Anchiornis and other deinonychosaurians. With reduced plumage and short uncurved pedal claws, Eosinopteryx would have been able to run unimpeded (with large foot remiges cursorial locomotion was likely problematic for Anchiornis). Eosinopteryx increases the known diversity of small-bodied dinosaurs in the Jurassic, shows that taxa with similar body plans could occupy different niches in the same ecosystem and suggests a more complex picture for the origin of flight.

Paleontologists have discovered in Liaoning remains small dinosaur with unusually short feathers, lived in China 156 million years ago, which suggests the diversity of species of dinosaurs have feathers in the Jurassic period, according to a paper published in the journal Nature Communications.  

photo: http://ria.ru/science/20130122/919259293.html

http://masahatto2.p2.bindsite.jp/pg175.html

Eosinopteryx brevipenna by ~T-PEKC on @deviantART 

A nocturnal Eosinopteryx with an owl-like facial disk hunting for prey
by ~StygimolochSpinifer on @deviantART 

Eosinopteryx brevipenna Holotype

http://theropoda.blogspot.com/

Godefroit, P.; Demuynck, H.; Dyke, G.; Hu, D.; Escuillié, F. O.; Claeys, P. 2013. Reduced plumage and flight ability of a new Jurassic paravian theropod from China. Nature Communications 4: 1394. doi:10.1038/ncomms2389

[Conservation • 2013] Human–Tiger Conflict in Context: Risks to Lives and Livelihoods in the Bangladesh Sundarbans

Tiger. A new study finds a complex web of factors increases perceived risk of tiger attack in the Sundarbans of Bangladesh.

photo: http://weeklysciencequiz.blogspot.com/

Abstract 

People’s perceptions of the risk posed by wild animals to human lives and/or livelihoods can influence the rate at which people intentionally kill these species. Consequently, human–wildlife conflict (HWC) management strategies may benefit from the inclusion of actions which reduce risk perceptions. This study uses Participatory Risk Mapping (PRM) and semi-structured interviews to explore local perceptions and the wider socio-economic context of human–tiger conflict (HTC) in the Bangladesh Sundarbans area. Of the 24 locally-relevant problems identified by the PRM process, tigers were the only problem to be cited by >50 % of respondents. The ‘tiger problem’ was also perceived by villagers to be of relatively high severity. Negative perceptions of tigers in the Sundarbans communities are exacerbated by other locally-experienced poverty-related problems, as well cyclones, floods and soil erosion. Interactions between the problems experienced by villagers, including HTC, result in a complex ‘risk web’ which detrimentally affects lives and livelihoods and ultimately perpetuates poverty levels in the Sundarbans communities. This research demonstrates that PRM and in-depth, qualitative research can enhance understanding of the perceived magnitude and wider socio-economic context of risks from wildlife and aid the identification of risk perception management actions which may help to reduce the number of animals killed by people.

 Human- Tiger Conflict: Are the Risks Overestimated?

  — A new study finds a complex web of factors increases perceived risk of tiger attack in the Sundarbans of Bangladesh. 

 http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/01/130121103331.htm

Chloe Inskip, Martin Ridout, Zubair Fahad, Rowan Tully, Adam Barlow, Christina Greenwood Barlow, Md. Anwar Islam, Thomas Roberts, Douglas MacMillan. 2013. Human–Tiger Conflict in Context: Risks to Lives and Livelihoods in the Bangladesh Sundarbans. Human Ecology. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10745-012-9556-6

[Ichthyology • 2013] Microlepidogaster arachas • a new species of hypoptopomatine catfish (Siluriformes: Loricariidae) from the upper rio Paraná basin, Brazil

Microlepidogaster arachas Martins, Calegari & Langeani 2013

Abstract

Microlepidogaster arachas Martins, Calegari & Langeani, sp. nov., a new Hypoptopomatinae, is described from the upper rio Paraná basin. The new species is distinguished from M. longicolla and M. dimorpha by having the anterior portion of the compound supraneural plus first dorsal-fin proximal radial contacting the neural spine of the ninth vertebra. The new species differs from M. perforatus by having 18–29 dentary teeth; median series of lateral plates complete, reaching caudal-peduncle end, and continuous lateral line; and 20–24 mid-dorsal plates. Microlepidogaster arachas is further distinguished from its congeners by several other osteological features.

Key words: Hypoptopomatinae, Teleostei, Cascudinhos, neotropical, taxonomy, biodiversity

Etymology. The specific epithet arachas is a reference to the native people Arachás who once lived in the area drained by the rio Araguari (rio das Velhas), type-locality of the new species, and were exterminated by the Caiapós in 1750s. In the Tupi language Araxá means high place where sun can be seen first, thus Arachás were the ones that inhabited the highlands of southeastern Minas Gerais State. A noun in apposition.

Distribution. Microlepidogaster arachas is known from tributaries to rio Araguari, rio Perdizes, and rio Dourados, all pertaining to the rio Paranaíba drainage, upper rio Paraná basin.

Remarks. Microlepidogaster arachas is widely distributed at rio Paranaíba basin, its extent of occurrence is about 14.016 sq.km.  (measured by the minimum convex polygon, using GeoCat software – Geospatial Conservation Assessment Tool). The species is common and abundant (known from 15 localities), and we did not recognize any threats that may endanger it. Therefore, following IUCN criteria, we suggest that this species would fit the Least Concern (LC) category.

Martins, Fernanda O., Bárbara B. Calegari & Francisco Langeani. 2013. Microlepidogaster arachas, a new species of hypoptopomatine catfish (Siluriformes: Loricariidae) from the upper rio Paraná basin, Brazil. Zootaxa. 3608(5): 379–388.

http://mapress.com/zootaxa/2013/f/zt03608p388.pdf

[Ichthyology • 2011] Microlepidogaster dimorpha • a new species of Hypoptopomatinae (Siluriformes: Loricariidae) from the upper rio Paraná system, Minas Gerais, Brazil

Microlepidogaster dimorpha Martins & Langeani, 2011

Abstract 

Microlepidogaster dimorpha, new species, is described from tributaries of rio Grande, upper rio Paraná system. Microlepidogaster dimorpha differs from M. perforatus and M. longicolla by having first dorsal-fin proximal radial attached to the neural spine of seventh vertebra, with posterior portion contacting also the eighth centrum (vs. first dorsal-fin proximal radial attached to the neural spine of eighth or ninth vertebra in M. perforatus, and to the neural spine of tenth or eleventh vertebra in M. longicolla); 29-30 vertebrae (vs. 31 in M. perforatus and 31-33 in M. longicolla); 18-21 mid-dorsal plates (vs. 9-13 in M. perforatus, and 13-17 in M. longicolla); deeper caudal peduncle (10.0-11.4% in SL vs. 7.7-8.5% in M. perforatus, and 5.4-7.3% in M. longicolla); greater distance between dorsal-fin origin and anal-fin insertion (19.4-23.8% in SL vs. 16.4-18.8% in M. perforatus, and 14.7-16.2% in M. longicolla); and nostril width markedly wider in males than in females (vs. approximately equivalent in size for both sexes, slightly wider in males than in females in M. perforatus, and equivalent in size for both sexes in M. longicolla). Microlepidogaster dimorpha also differs from M. perforatus by presence of the iris operculum (vs. absence); median plate series complete to caudal peduncle end (vs. median plate series truncated, with last two plates of dorsal and ventral series contacting in midline); greater head depth (43.4-53.1% vs. 40.7-42.3% in HL); greater orbital diameter (13.6-18.5% vs. 11.1-13.5% in HL); pelvic-fin first unbranched ray longer in males than in females (vs. equivalent in size in both sexes); and supraneural without paired anterior processes (vs. processes present). Additionally, M. dimorpha can be distinguished from M. longicolla by having anterior margin of snout with a paired rostral plate (vs. snout with small plates, naked in the anterior margin); by pectoral-fin axillary slit present, even in adult specimens (vs. pectoral-fin axillary slit present only in juvenile specimens); longer pectoral-fin unbranched ray (20.0-23.8% vs. 13.4-16.2% in SL in M. longicolla). 

Key words: Cascudinhos, Microlepidogaster perforatus, Neotropical Region, Sexual dimorphism, Taxonomy.

Etymology. Epithet dimorpha from the Greek di, two, double, and morphe, form, in allusion to the accentuated sexual dimorphism presented by the species. A feminine adjective.

Martins, F. O. & Langeani, F. 2011. Microlepidogaster dimorpha, a new species of Hypoptopomatinae (Siluriformes: Loricariidae) from the upper rio Paraná system. Neotropical Ichthyology. 9(1), 79–86. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S1679-62252011000100005

[Ichthyology • 2010] Microlepidogaster longicolla • A new species of Microlepidogaster (Siluriformes: Loricariidae: Hypoptopomatinae) from the upper rio Paraná basin, Brazil

Microlepidogaster longicolla Calegari & R. E. dos Reis 2010

Abstract

Microlepidogaster longicolla, new species, is described from the rio São João of the upper rio Paraná basin near Brasília, in central Brazil. The new species differs from M. perforatus, the only other species in this genus, by having a continuous lateral line, median lateral plate series reaching, rather than falling short of, the end of the caudal peduncle, a shorter pectoral-fin spine (13.4-16.2 vs. 18.2-21.0% standard length), a smaller interorbital distance (38.9-43.1 vs. 47.7-53.3% head length), and more numerous dentary teeth (16-29 vs. 12-15), in addition to several osteological features. Microlepidogaster longicolla shows a remarkable suite of secondary sexually dimorphic characters, involving the presence of a conical urogenital papilla in males, the presence of a fleshy flap along the dorsal margin of first thickened pelvic-fin ray of males, longer pelvic fin in males, and a more strongly arched first pelvic-fin ray in females. 

Key words: Teleostei, Neotropical, Taxonomy, Catfish, Cascudinhos.

Etymology. The species epithet, longicolla, is from the Latin longus, long and collum, neck, meaning long-necked in allusion to the long predorsal region resulting from the posterior shift of the dorsal fin. An adjective.

Calegari, B.B. & Reis, R.E. 2010 A new species of Microlepidogaster (Siluriformes: Loricariidae: Hypoptopomatinae) from the upper rio Paraná basin, Brazil. Neotropical Ichthyology. 8(3), 625–630.

http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S1679-62252010000300007

[Paleontology • 2012] Cotyledion tylodes Luo & Hu 1999 | A sclerite-bearing stem group entoproct from the early Cambrian and its implications

The Lophotrochozoa includes disparate tentacle-bearing sessile protostome animals, which apparently appeared in the Cambrian explosion, but lack an uncontested fossil record. Here we describe abundant well preserved material of Cotyledion tylodes Luo et Hu, 1999, from the Cambrian (Series 2) Chengjiang deposits, reinterpreted here as a stem-group entoproct. The entoproct affinity is supported by the sessile body plan and interior soft anatomy. The body consists of an upper calyx and a lower elongate stalk with a distal holdfast. The soft anatomy includes a U-shaped gut with a mouth and aboral anus ringed by retractable marginal tentacles. Cotyledion differs from extant entoprocts in being larger, and having the calyx and the stalk covered by numerous loosely-spaced external sclerites. The description of entoprocts from the Chengjiang biota traces the ancestry of yet another lophotrochozoan phylum back to the Cambrian radiation, and has important implications for the earliest evolution of lophotrochozoans.

Figure 1: Cotyledion tylodes Luo & Hu 1999
from the Cambrian Stage 3 Chengjiang fauna (Yunnan, China).

doi:10.1038/srep01066

Ancient Entoproct Community

 For a long time, scientists thought that some small tentacled fossils were early ancestors of jellyfish. But a new study has found that these ancient animals are actually related to an entirely different group of animals: the entoprocts, which are still alive today. The new fossil (Cotyledion tylodes) lived during the Cambrian period (around 520 million years ago), along with the ancestors of almost every group of animals alive today. It is larger than modern entoprocts: the fossils were 8-56 millimeters tall, while entoprocts alive today reach a maximum of 7 millimeters in height.

http://ocean.si.edu/ocean-photos/ancient-entoproct-community

http://www.dn.pt/inicio/ciencia/interior.aspx?content_id=3000722

Zhang, Z.; Holmer, L. E.; Skovsted, C. B.; Brock, G. A.; Budd, G. E.; Fu, D.; Zhang, X.; Shu, D. et al. 2013. A sclerite-bearing stem group entoproct from the early Cambrian and its implications. Scientific Reports. 3. doi:10.1038/srep01066

[Conservation • 2012] Brazil's National Action Plan for the Conservation of Endangered Lear's Macaw or Indigo Macaw Anodorhynchus leari

Brazil's National Action Plan for the Conservation of Endangered Lear's Macaw or Indigo Macaw Anodorhynchus leari

Plano de Ação Nacional para a Conservação da Arara-Azul-de-Lear

 is aiming to keep the population growth of Lear's Macaw until 2017, ensuring and enhancing habitat quality and involving communities in the area of occurrence of species in conservation

http://www.icmbio.gov.br/portal/images/stories/docs-plano-de-acao/pan-arara-de-lear/pan-arara-azul-de-lear.pdf

http://facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=460757897310907 

[News 2013] The first known nest of one of the world's rarest birds - the Critically Endangered Stresemann's Bristlefront Merulaxis stresemanni - has been discovered in Brazil

 One of the only known photos of a Stresemann's Bristlefront (female)

by Ciro Ginez Albano, NE Brazil Birding

Stresemann's Bristlefront | Merulaxis stresemanni

The first known nest of one of the world's rarest birds - the Critically Endangered Stresemann's Bristlefront - has been discovered in Brazil. Of perhaps equal significance is that strong evidence of active nestlings was also found.

http://www.abcbirds.org/abcprograms/international/StresemannsBristlefront.html

 First Nest Ever Discovered of One of the World's Most Endangered Birds :  http://www.theoutdoorwire.com/story/1358500746xu9npxnp0fq

http://facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=459917827394914

photo: http://ibc.lynxeds.com/

[Cetology • 2013] The pygmy right whale Caperea marginata: the last of the cetotheres (Family Cetotheriidae) | Elusive pygmy right whale found to be member of long thought extinct group

The pygmy whale, a mysterious cetacean that looks radically different from all living whales, is actually the last living member of a group thought to have gone extinct 2 million years ago

photo: Darryl Wilson, University of Otago

Abstract 

The pygmy right whale, Caperea marginata, is the most enigmatic of the living baleen whales (Mysticeti). Its highly disparate morphology and the virtual absence of a described fossil record have made it extremely difficult to place Caperea into a broader evolutionary context, and molecular and morphological studies have frequently contradicted each other as to the origins and phylogenetic relationships of the species. Our study of a wealth of material from New Zealand collections, representing a wide range of ontogenetic stages, has identified several new features previously unreported in Caperea, which suggest that the pygmy right whale may be the last survivor of the supposedly extinct family Cetotheriidae. This hypothesis is corroborated by both morphology-based and total evidence cladistic analyses, including 166 morphological characters and 23 taxa, representing all the living and extinct families of toothless baleen whales. Our results allow us to formally refer Caperea to Cetotheriidae, thus resurrecting the latter from extinction and helping to clarify the origins of a long-problematic living species.

Keywords: pygmy right whale, Caperea marginata, Cetotheriidae, baleen whales, taxonomy, phylogenetics

Figure 3. The evolutionary relationships of C. marginata

2013 doi: 10.1098/rspb.2012.2645 

Pygmy Right Whale | Caperea marginata

Researchers in New Zealand have found that the pygmy right whale (Caperea marginata) is not a right whale at all but is instead a member of the cetotheres family of baleen whales, which until now have been believed to be extinct. The team reports on its finding in a paper they've had published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B.

Pygmy right whales live in the southern hemispheric oceans far from land and are rarely seen, thus compared to other whales, very little is known about them. They're also small, growing to a length of just 21 feet and have a very unique arched snout and mouth; appearing as if an upside down grin. Scientists had previously thought the whale was a member of the humpback or bowhead family, as its appearance more resembled those than other baleens. 

Helping to clarify things, was a pygmy right whale carcass found on a beach in New Zealand in 2002. This new research is based on those remains and on the limited number of other bone samples that have been obtained. A DNA analysis made along with head measurements showed that the whale is in fact a member of the Cetotheriidae family of whales which scientists believed had been extinct for perhaps 2 million years. Because of that the researchers refer to the pygmy right whale as a "living fossil." 

The whale is the smallest of the baleen family, and the most reclusive. So much so that scientists know very little about its habits such as what they eat, mate, how they behave etc. and can't even guess as to how many of them there are alive today. The DNA analysis revealed that the whales evolved approximately nine million years ago, during a time when several other species of the family existed. It's not known why the others died out while the pygmy was able to survive, but its existence today offers scientists a unique opportunity to study an animal that exists today much as did it and its relatives millions of years ago – if they can find some live specimens to study, of course. 

Elusive pygmy right whale found to be member of long thought extinct group http://phys.org/news/2012-12-elusive-pygmy-whale-member-thought.html via @physorg_com

Fordyce, R. E.; Marx, F. G. 2013. The pygmy right whale Caperea marginata: the last of the cetotheres. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 280 (1753): 1-6. doi: 10.1098/rspb.2012.2645 

[Cetology • 2012] Possible neobalaenid from the Miocene of Australia implies a long evolutionary history for the pygmy right whale Caperea marginata (Cetacea, Mysticeti)

Phylogenetic position and stratigraphic range of neobalaenids

DOI: 10.1080/02724634.2012.669803

http://coastalpaleo.blogspot.com/

The Pygmy Right Whale (Caperea marginata) is the oddball of the whale world. The bizarre anatomy of this species has confounded researchers for years – even its common name demonstrates our historical lack of understanding. Its arched upper jaw and skim-feeding behaviour is similar to the right whales however DNA analysis shows that Pygmy Right Whales are more closely related to the rorquals (family Balaenopteridae) than the true right whales (family Balaenidae).

The puzzle of the evolutionary history of this species was not helped by the fact that it appeared completely absent from the fossil record. Palaeontologist and whale expert Erich Fitzgerald was therefore extremely pleased to identify a lone fossil specimen in the Museum Victoria as a partial periotic (the bone that surrounds the inner ear) of an ancient relative of the Pygmy Right Whale.

One theory about this group, explains Erich, is that "the bizarre features of the Pygmy Right Whale evolved rapidly within the last three to four million years. But this fossil suggests that they're much older than that." The specimen, which Erich describes as "looking like a coconut," is larger than the periotic of the living Pygmy Right Whale and dates to the late Miocene. This makes it six million years old, which will help calibrate the whale phylogenies (evolutionary trees) that are based on DNA sequences.

Comparison of the incomplete fossil specimen (left) with a complete earbone of a juvenile Pygmy Right Whale.

Image: Erich Fitzgerald
DOI: 10.1080/02724634.2012.669803

It is the peculiar skeleton of the Pygmy Right Whale, particularly of its ear bones, that allowed Erich to identify such an odd and incomplete fossil. "Baleen whales in general have strange skulls but in Pygmy Right Whales the ear bones are particularly strange because the back end, of the periotic, is enormous and bulbous. This fossil has no features that would ally it with any other family."

The strangeness of this whale doesn't end with its skull. First up, there is its size; at just 6.5 metres long, it's the smallest living baleen whale. Compare this with its colossal distant relatives, such as the 33 metre Blue Whale. But there's more, says Erich. "If we look beyond the head, there are some really strange things. In particular, the Pygmy Right Whale has ribs that are flattened and expanded. It almost looks like the ribs have formed a shield over the organs." This may relate to their unusual way of swimming which requires a stiffer trunk. "A young animal filmed underwater in South Africa shows that they flex their entire body not just the tail. It's thought that the ribs may be expanded to help keep the body rigid during this movement."

Until this footage, almost all knowledge of the species came from stranded individuals. Recent aerial photographs of a pod of Pygmy Right Whales off the coast near Portland showed some kind of social behaviour but exactly what it is – feeding, reproducing or something else – is still unknown.

Fitzgerald, E.M.G. 2012. Possible neobalaenid from the Miocene of Australia implies a long evolutionary history for the pygmy right whale Caperea marginata (Cetacea, Mysticeti). Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 32:976-980. DOI: 10.1080/02724634.2012.669803

The first fossil pygmy right whale: late Miocene of Australia

http://coastalpaleo.blogspot.com/2012/07/first-fossil-pygmy-right-whale-late.html

http://museumvictoria.com.au/about/mv-blog/aug-2012/first-fossil-of-pygmy-right-whale/

[Paleomammalogy • 2013] A Reevaluation of the Morphology, Paleoecology, and Phylogenetic Relationships of the Enigmatic Walrus Pelagiarctos thomasi | New fossil suggests giant ‘killer walrus’ was just a toothy fish-eater

Artist’s restoration of Pelagiarctos

Art: Robert Boessenecker

Sea lions, otters, humpback whales and harbor seals are familiar sights to most native Californians today, but the waters off this coastline once harbored a much stranger fauna: giant bony-toothed birds, sharks the size of whales, flightless penguin-like auks, sea cows and giant predatory sperm whales.

Several species of walruses also lived among these animals, but only one survived to the present-day. Robert Boessenecker, author of a paper published in PLOS ONE today, explains what one rare fossil of an extinct walrus reveals about life on Sharkstooth Hill about 15 million years ago

: New fossil suggests giant ‘killer walrus’ was just a toothy fish-eater  http://blogs.plos.org/everyone/2013/01/16/new-fossil-suggests-giant-killer-walrus-was-just-a-toothy-fish-eater/

Pelagiarctos thomasi Holotype

Abstract

Background:

A number of aberrant walruses (Odobenidae) have been described from the Neogene of the North Pacific, including specialized suction-feeding and generalist fish-eating taxa. At least one of these fossil walruses has been hypothesized to have been a specialized predator of other marine mammals, the middle Miocene walrus Pelagiarctos thomasi from the Sharktooth Hill Bonebed of California (16.1–14.5 Ma).

Methodology/Principal Findings:

A new specimen of Pelagiarctos from the middle Miocene “Topanga” Formation of southern California (17.5–15 Ma) allows a reassessment of the morphology and feeding ecology of this extinct walrus. The mandibles of this new specimen are robust with large canines, bulbous premolars with prominent paraconid, metaconid, hypoconid cusps, crenulated lingual cingula with small talonid basins, M2 present, double-rooted P3–M1, single-rooted P1 and M2, and a P2 with a bilobate root. Because this specimen lacks a fused mandibular symphysis like Pelagiarctos thomasi, it is instead referred to Pelagiarctos sp. This specimen is more informative than the fragmentary holotype of Pelagiarctos thomasi, permitting Pelagiarctos to be included within a phylogenetic analysis for the first time. Analysis of a matrix composed of 90 cranial, dental, mandibular and postcranial characters indicates that Pelagiarctos is an early diverging walrus and sister to the late Miocene walrus Imagotaria downsi. We reevaluate the evidence for a macropredatory lifestyle for Pelagiarctos, and we find no evidence of specialization towards a macrophagous diet, suggesting that Pelagiarctos was a generalist feeder with the ability to feed on large prey.

Conclusions/Significance:

This new specimen of Pelagiarctos adds to the knowledge of this problematic taxon. The phylogenetic analysis conclusively demonstrates that Pelagiarctos is an early diverging walrus. Pelagiarctos does not show morphological specializations associated with macrophagy, and was likely a generalist predator, feeding on fish, invertebrates, and the occasional warm-blooded prey item.

Boessenecker RW, Churchill M. 2013. A Reevaluation of the Morphology, Paleoecology, and Phylogenetic Relationships of the Enigmatic Walrus Pelagiarctos. PLoS ONE. 8(1): e54311. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0054311

Was Pelagiarctos a “killer” walrus? Part 1: Sharktooth Hill Pinnipeds

http://coastalpaleo.blogspot.com/2013/01/was-pelagiarctos-killer-walrus-part-1.html

New fossil suggests giant ‘killer walrus’ was just a toothy fish-eater  http://blogs.plos.org/everyone/2013/01/16/new-fossil-suggests-giant-killer-walrus-was-just-a-toothy-fish-eater/

http://fundaciondinosaurioscyl.blogspot.com.es/2013/01/un-craneo-descubierto-en-tunez.html

[Cetology] Whale fall communities of the deep sea | The stage of scavengers

Whale fall communities of the deep sea 

- The stage of scavengers by Michael Rothman 

“In the first stage the soft tissues of the carcass are removed by scavengers, such as sharks, hagfish, and dozens of other species of invertebrates and vertebrates, capable of removing up to 60 kg per day of soft tissues.” 

http://scientificillustration.tumblr.com/post/40536363383/whale-fall-communities-of-the-deep-sea-the-stage

#ocean #marine #Cetacean 

http://facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=459218384131525

[Paleontology • 2010] Banji long | 'Striped crest Dragon' • A new oviraptorid dinosaur (Theropoda: Oviraptorosauria) from the Upper Cretaceous of China

Banji long

Art: ~Dinomaniac on http://dinomaniac.deviantart.com/

Abstract

Here we report a new oviraptorid taxon based on a specimen possibly collected from the Upper Cretaceous Nanxiong Formation of Ganzhou, Jiangxi, China. This new taxon is distinguishable from other species based on the following features: a crest formed by the premaxillae and nasals having a step-wise posterior end and bearing two longitudinal grooves and numerous oblique striations on each of its lateral surfaces, an extremely elongate external naris that is posteriorly situated and close to the orbit, a deep fossa on the dorsal surface of the palatal ramus of the pterygoid, several longitudinal grooves along the posterior part of the dorsal margin of the dentary, and several tubercles along the lateral shelf at the dorsal margin of the surangular. This new taxon possesses some palatal and mandibular features not seen in other oviraptorids but similar to those in more basal oviraptorosaurs, suggesting a relatively basal position for this taxon within the Oviraptoridae. This systematic hypothesis is supported by a numerical cladistic analysis. This discovery not only adds to the known diversity of Late Cretaceous oviraptorids, but provides significant new information on the evolution of some oviraptorid features.

Key words: China; Late Cretaceous; Oviraptoridae, Theropoda


Etymology: Genus name from 'ban', speckle, but sometimes referring to stripes in Chinese, and 'ji', crest; refers to the animal's bearing a crest with distinctive striations over the snout. The species name 'long' is a transliteration of the Chinese word for dragon.

Fig.1: Holotype of Banji long gen. et sp. nov., IVPP V 16896,
in left (A) and right (B) lateral view (Courtesy of Dr. XU Xing)

New Oviraptorid Dinosaur (Theropoda: Oviraptorosauria) Found in China

http://english.ivpp.cas.cn/rh/rp/201007/t20100713_56377.html

Xu, X. and Han, F.-L. 2010. A new oviraptorid dinosaur (Theropoda: Oviraptorosauria) from the Upper Cretaceous of China. Vertebrata PalAsiatica, 48(1): 11–18.

http://www.ivpp.cas.cn/cbw/gjzdwxb/xbwzxz/201002/P020100202389233908112.pdf

[Paleontology • 2009] Luoyanggia liudianensis • a new oviraptorid (Theropoda: Oviraptorosauria) from Henan Province of central China | A preliminary report on the new dinosaurian fauna from the Cretaceous of the Ruyang Basin

Luoyanggia is a genus of oviraptorid dinosaur first reported from the Ruyang Basin, Henan Province of central China in 2009. The formation dates to the Cenomanian stage of the late Cretaceous period, around 96 million years ago. The type species is L. liudianensis.

 Lü., J., Xu, L., Jiang, X., Jia, S., Li, M., Yuan, C., Zhang, X. and Ji, Q. 2009. A preliminary report on the new dinosaurian fauna from the Cretaceous of the Ruyang Basin, Henan Province of central China. Journal of the Palaeontological Society of Korea, 25: 43-56.

http://www.dinosaures-web.com/sites/default/files/publications/Luoyanggia%20&%20Xianshanosaurus-1.pdf

[Paleontology • 2007] Gigantoraptor erlianensis • A gigantic bird-like dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous of China | A new oviraptorid (Theropoda: Oviraptorosauria) from the Late Cretaceous Iren Dabasu Formation of Nei Mongol, China

Gigantoraptor erlianensis 

Xu, Tan, Wang, Zhao & Tan 2007

An evolutionary trend of decreasing size is present along the line to birds in coelurosaurian theropod evolution, but size increases are seen in many coelurosaurian subgroups, in which large forms are less bird-like. Here we report on a new non-avian dinosaur, Gigantoraptor erlianensis, gen. et sp. nov., from the Late Cretaceous Iren Dabasu Formation of Nei Mongol, China. Although it has a body mass of about 1,400 kg, a phylogenetic analysis positions this new taxon within the Oviraptorosauria, a group of small, feathered theropods rarely exceeding 40 kg in body mass. A histological analysis suggests that Gigantoraptor gained this size by a growth rate considerably faster than large North American tyrannosaurs such as Albertosaurus and Gorgosaurus. Gigantoraptor possesses several salient features previously unknown in any other dinosaur and its hind limb bone scaling and proportions are significantly different from those of other coelurosaurs, thus increasing the morphological diversity among dinosaurs. Most significantly, the gigantic Gigantoraptor shows many bird-like features absent in its smaller oviraptorosaurian relatives, unlike the evolutionary trend seen in many other coelurosaurian subgroups.

3,000-Pound Gigantoraptor Dinosaur in Nei Mongolia, China 

Wired Science | http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2007/06/scientists_disc/

Skeletal anatomy of Gigantoraptor holotype (LH V0011)

doi:10.1038/nature05849

the largest known member of the oviraptorids, Gigantoraptor erlianensis, did not find direct evidence of feathers associated with the fossils of Gigantoraptor, other members of the group demonstrate such integumentary structures, and Gigantoraptor is oddly more birdlike in its anatomy than its smaller relatives.

http://csotonyi.com/Gigantoraptor_erlianensis.html

   

Gigantoraptor erlianensis 

by *TopGon http://topgon.deviantart.com/

Xu, X.; Tan, Q.; Wang, J.; Zhao, X.; Tan, L. 2007. A gigantic bird-like dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous of China. Nature. 447 (7146): 844–847. doi:10.1038/nature05849