The first record of a neonatal ornithopod dinosaur from Gondwana

Discrete post-embryonic teeth and bone fragments have been recovered from the matrix with the holotype skeleton (MPM‐10001) of the ornithopod dinosaur, Talenkauen santacrucensis Novas et al., 2004 (Upper Cretaceous, Argentina). The minute tooth crowns are 1 mmapicobasally tall and 1.7 mmmesodistally...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Egerton, Victoria M., Novas, Fernando Emilio, Dodson, Peter, Lacovara, Kenneth
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2013
País:Argentina
Institución:Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
Repositorio:CONICET Digital (CONICET)
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:ri.conicet.gov.ar:11336/8680
Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/11336/8680
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Ornithopod
Cretaceous
Cerro Fortaleza
Santa Cruz Province
Neotanal
https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1.5
https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1
Descripción
Sumario:Discrete post-embryonic teeth and bone fragments have been recovered from the matrix with the holotype skeleton (MPM‐10001) of the ornithopod dinosaur, Talenkauen santacrucensis Novas et al., 2004 (Upper Cretaceous, Argentina). The minute tooth crowns are 1 mmapicobasally tall and 1.7 mmmesodistally wide. The crowns are symmetrical and have a centrally located primary ridge on the lingual surface. Secondary ridges lead to five marginal denticles on both teeth. The tooth morphology is consistent with dentary teeth in euiguanodontids. There is no evidence of transport, suggesting that the material is autochthonous with respect to the adult body block of T. santacrucensis (MPM‐10001). Steeply inclined wear facets on the lingual surface and associated microstriae support the conclusion that the minute teeth were from a post-embryonic euiguanodontid dinosaur rather than early stage replacement teeth. The morphology, size, and wear of the teeth and small bone fragments found in the body block ofMPM‐10001 suggest that this material belongs to a neonatal T. santacrucensis. This is the first record of neonatal ornithopod remains from Gondwana.