Evidence of Combat in Triceratops

Background: The horns and frill of Triceratops and other ceratopsids (horned dinosaurs) are interpreted variously as display structures or as weapons against conspecifics and predators. Lesions (in the form of periosteal reactive bone, healing fractures, and alleged punctures) on Triceratops skulls have been used as anecdotal support of intraspecific combat similar to that in modern horned and antlered animals. If ceratopsids with different cranial morphologies used their horns in such combat, this should be reflected in the rates of lesion occurrence across the skull. Methodology/Principal Findings: We used a G-test of independence to compare incidence rates of lesions in Triceratops (which possesses two large brow horns and a smaller nasal horn) and the related ceratopsid Centrosaurus (with a large nasal horn and small brow horns), for the nasal, jugal, squamosal, and parietal bones of the skull. The two taxa differ significantly in the occurrence of lesions on the squamosal bone of the frill (P = 0.002), but not in other cranial bones (P.0.20). Conclusions/Significance: This pattern is consistent with Triceratops using its horns in combat and the frill being adapted as a protective structure for this taxon. Lower pathology rates in Centrosaurus may indicate visual rather than physical use o

2020 Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Trauma Surgery Technology in Giessen

The 3 rd event of the Giessen International Conference on Trauma Surgery Technology on October, the 17th 2020 was hosted on Zoom in accordance with the worldwide corona situation. Dr Mieczakowski, Dr Yu, and Wolfram drafted in 2018 from Jan’s apartment in Bremen the manuscript which was submitted to and approved for funding by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG). At that time, we had no idea what substantial changes the conferencing concept would require. This is why we would like to thank again Michele. She first planned this year’s event after the 2019 date and then in the spring of 2020 had to replan for the new situation

First Report of Gout in an Ornithomimid (Dinosauria: Theropoda) from the Horseshoe Canyon Formation, Alberta

A spherical lesion on a pedal phalanx of an ornithomimid from the Scollard Formation of Alberta is diagnosed as gout. Gout is recognized in the absence of urate crystals by the presence of periarticular spherical lesions and smooth perilesional bone growth forming a characteristic overhanging "lip." This finding identifies gout in the Ornithomimosauria for the first time, confirming gout was present in theropods outside of the Tyrannosauridae

Tyrannosauroid integument reveals conflicting patterns of gigantism and feather evolution

Recent evidence for feathers in theropods has led to speculations that the largest tyrannosaurids, including 'Tyrannosaurus rex', were extensively feathered. We describe fossil integument from 'Tyrannosaurus' and other tyrannosaurids ('Albertosaurus', 'Daspletosaurus', 'Gorgosaurus' and 'Tarbosaurus'), confirming that these large-bodied forms possessed scaly, reptilian-like skin. Body size evolution in tyrannosauroids reveals two independent occurrences of gigantism; specifically, the large sizes in 'Yutyrannus' and tyrannosaurids were independently derived. These new findings demonstrate that extensive feather coverings observed in some early tyrannosauroids were lost by the Albian, basal to Tyrannosauridae. This loss is unrelated to palaeoclimate but possibly tied to the evolution of gigantism, although other mechanisms exist

R code for body mass and integument data from Tyrannosauroid integument reveals conflicting patterns of gigantism and feather evolution

R code for Tyrannosauroidea body mass estimates and integument data