Tyrannosaur Paleobiology: New Research on Ancient Exemplar Organisms
Stephen L. BrusatteMark A. NorellThomas D. CarrGregory M. EricksonJohn R. HutchinsonAmy M. BalanoffGabe S. BeverJonah N. ChoinierePeter J. MakovickyXing Xu
210
Citation
62
Reference
10
Related Paper
Citation Trend
Abstract:
Tyrannosaurs, the group of dinosaurian carnivores that includes Tyrannosaurus rex and its closest relatives, are icons of prehistory. They are also the most intensively studied extinct dinosaurs, and thanks to large sample sizes and an influx of new discoveries, have become ancient exemplar organisms used to study many themes in vertebrate paleontology. A phylogeny that includes recently described species shows that tyrannosaurs originated by the Middle Jurassic but remained mostly small and ecologically marginal until the latest Cretaceous. Anatomical, biomechanical, and histological studies of T. rex and other derived tyrannosaurs show that large tyrannosaurs could not run rapidly, were capable of crushing bite forces, had accelerated growth rates and keen senses, and underwent pronounced changes during ontogeny. The biology and evolutionary history of tyrannosaurs provide a foundation for comparison with other dinosaurs and living organisms.Keywords:
Paleobiology
Fossil Record
Earth history
Deep time
Fossil Record
Paleobiology
Misnomer
Cite
Citations (0)
Dyer B. D., & Obar R. A., 1994. Tracing the History of Eukaryotic Cells. The Enigmatic Smile. Critical Moments in Paleobiology and Earth History Series. xiii+259 pp. New York: Columbia University Press. Price £12.95 (paperback). ISBN 0 231 07593 6. - Volume 132 Issue 6
Earth history
Paleobiology
Columbia university
Evolution of mammals
Cite
Citations (0)
Ornithomimosaurs have unusual characters among theropod dinosaurs, and many records of these animals have been reported previously from Asia and North America. However, the fossil record of ornithomimosaurs is limited and was not known from the Upper Cretaceous in Japan despite its many dinosaur discoveries. Here, the first fossil of an ornithomimosaurian dinosaur from the Upper Cretaceous in Japan is described from the Upper Formation of the Mifune Group in Kumamoto Prefecture, Southwest Japan. This new discovery indicates the existence of ornithomimosaurs in the Late Cretaceous coastal areas of East Asia under a semi-arid climate. The occurrences of ornithomimosaur fossils described here are consistent with the presence of many fossil records from a dry climate rather than the humid conditions in the Cretaceous deposits of Asian mainland today.
Fossil Record
Mainland
Cite
Citations (4)
ARCHIBALD, J. D. 1996. Dinosaur Extinction and the End of an Era. What the Fossils Say. Critical Moments in Paleobiology and Earth History Series. xviii + 237 pp. New York: Columbia University Press. Price US $49.50 (hard covers), US $25.00 (paperback). ISBN 0 231 07624 X; 0 231 07625 8 (pb). - Volume 135 Issue 1
Earth history
Paleobiology
Extinction (optical mineralogy)
Columbia university
Cite
Citations (0)
The early Cambrian radiation of metazoans is one of the most crucial events in the history of the Earth system. Assessment of its extent and magnitude relies on the fossil record, which is deeply b ...
Fossil Record
Deep time
Earth system science
Earth history
Cite
Citations (0)
An abstract is not available for this content so a preview has been provided. Please use the Get access link above for information on how to access this content.
Paleobiology
Deep time
Cite
Citations (0)
Time is so fundamental to the everyday thinking of paleobiologists and geologists that it is seldom given close critical attention. Many of the currently debated issues in evolutionary history—catastrophic extinctions and punctuated vs. gradual morphological change, for instance—include assumptions about time and rate which are seldom made explicit. Methods now exist for calibrating evolutionary patterns through estimates of time components in the fossil and sedimentological records. There is a growing realization that increased precision in defining time frameworks can greatly clarify evolutionary problems. This has helped to stimulate renewed interest in the traditional topic of time and how it is represented in the biological and geological record.
Punctuated equilibrium
Paleobiology
Fossil Record
Deep time
Realization (probability)
Geologic record
Geologic time scale
Anthropocene
Cite
Citations (35)
The Sauropods . Evolution and Paleobiology. Kristina A. Curry Rogers and Jeffrey A. Wilson, Eds. . University of California Press, Berkeley, CA, 2005. 359 pp. $65, £41.95. ISBN 0-520-24623-3. The contributors offer a scholarly overview of the biology and evolutionary history of the clade that contains the largest terrestrial vertebrates in Earth's history.
Paleobiology
Earth history
Cite
Citations (2)
Learning from the Fossil Record is a title carefully chosen for it conveys multiple concepts. Paleontologists, geologists, biologists, and others use the fossil record to learn about the past history of the Earth. Using this knowledge, we have gained an understanding of geologic processes that continue today, biodiversity past and present, species origination and extinction, past and present climates, oceans, and atmospheres among others. In fact, we have been able to piece together the fascinating story of our dynamic Earth for the past 3.5 billion years.
Origination
Fossil Record
Earth history
Extinction (optical mineralogy)
Deep time
Geologic record
Cite
Citations (0)