A limping dinosaur in the Late Jurassic: Pathologies in the pes of the neornithischian Othnielosaurus consors from the Morrison Formation (Upper Jurassic, USA)
Registro en:
Cruzado Caballero, Penélope y et al (2020). A limping dinosaur in the Late Jurassic: Pathologies in the pes of the neornithischian Othnielosaurus consors from the Morrison Formation (Upper Jurassic, USA). Taylor & Francis; Historical Biology; 1-8
0891-2963
1029-2381
Autor
Cruzado Caballero, Penélope
Díaz Martínez, Ignacio
Rothschild, Bruce
Bedell, Malcolm
Pereda Suberbiola, Xabier
Institución
Resumen
Fil: Cruzado Caballero, Penélope. CONICET, Universidad Nacional de Río Negro. Instituto de Investigación en Paleobiología y Geología, General Roca; Argentina Fil: Díaz martínez, Ignacio. CONICET, Universidad Nacional de Río Negro. Instituto de Investigación en Paleobiología y Geología; Argentina Fil: Rothschild, Bruce. Carnegie Museum, Pittsburgh, PA, USA Fil: Bedell, Malcolm. Western Interior Paleontological Society, Denver, CO, USA Fil: Pereda Suberbiola, Xabier. Universidad Del País Vasco/Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea (UPV/EHU), Bilbao, Spain true The study of palaeopathology provides valuable information about injury and behaviour in extinct organisms.
Appendicular pathologies are interesting as they directly affect mobility and therefore the ability of an
animal to survive. Here, the injuries recorded in the left pes of the neornithischian Othnielosaurus consors are
described. The implications of these injuries in its behaviour are also discussed. Othnielosaurus shows
pathological features in all its pes digits, with three types of pathologies have been identified: calcium
pyrophosphate deposition disease (CPPD), and pilon and impact fractures. Calcium pyrophosphate deposition
disease is visible on the articular surface of phalange II-3 as a small osseous plaque. A pilon fracture is
evidenced by the growth of callus tissue on the shaft of the phalange I-1 and demonstrates healing before
death. The impact fractures are identified as a focal subsidence on the articular surfaces of phalanges III-1
and IV-4, which are partially healed. Perhaps the suite of palaeopathologies encountered would generate
pain and discomfort when walking, which probably resulted in a limp that would have impacted on its
lifestyle. Finally, the fact that the fractures are in different stages of healing would suggest that impact
fractures could have contributed to the death of the individual.