Abdominal contents reveal Cretaceous crocodyliforms ate dinosaurs

White, Matt A.; Bell, Phil R.; Campione, Nicolás E.; Sansalone, Gabriele; Brougham, Tom; Bevitt, Joseph J.; Molnar, Ralph E.; Cook, Alex G.; Wroe, Stephen; Elliott, David A.

doi:10.1016/j.gr.2022.01.016

Cited by 6 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 58 publications

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“…Although fossil remains of testudinatans (possibly chelids) are seemingly fairly common near both Winton and Eromanga [ 9 , 34 ], the only described evidence for their presence constitutes possible ichnites from near Winton [ 42 ]. Crocodyliforms are well represented near both Isisford and Winton, with the former region producing Isisfordia duncani [ 58 , 59 ], and the latter producing Confractosuchus sauroktonos [ 60 ], as well as several trackways made by swimming or underwater-walking crocodyliforms [ 42 ]. Pterosaurs are rare, with the anhanguerid Ferrodraco lentoni and an isolated anhanguerian femur from near Winton being the only specimens described to date [ 61 – 63 ].…”

Section: Geological Settingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Ankylosaurian dinosaurs are also uncommon, the only published specimens constituting three teeth from near Winton [64]. The ornithopod body fossil record is restricted to a single tooth from near Winton [65,66], a partial skeleton found within the body cavity of Confractosuchus sauroktonos [60], and undescribed specimens from near Isisford [67]. Conversely, the ornithopod ichnofossil record is extensive, with both Lark Quarry and the Snake Creek Tracksite providing evidence of small-to medium-sized ornithopods [42,[68][69][70][71][72][73][74][75].…”

Section: Geological Settingmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A nearly complete skull of the sauropod dinosaurDiamantinasaurus matildaefrom the Upper Cretaceous Winton Formation of Australia and implications for the early evolution of titanosaurs

et al. 2023

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Titanosaurian sauropod dinosaurs were diverse and abundant throughout the Cretaceous, with a global distribution. However, few titanosaurian taxa are represented by multiple skeletons, let alone skulls. Diamantinasaurus matildae , from the lower Upper Cretaceous Winton Formation of Queensland, Australia, was heretofore represented by three specimens, including one that preserves a braincase and several other cranial elements. Herein, we describe a fourth specimen of Diamantinasaurus matildae that preserves a more complete skull—including numerous cranial elements not previously known for this taxon—as well as a partial postcranial skeleton. The skull of Diamantinasaurus matildae shows many similarities to that of the coeval Sarmientosaurus musacchioi from Argentina (e.g. quadratojugal with posterior tongue-like process; braincase with more than one ossified exit for cranial nerve V; compressed-cone–chisel-like teeth), providing further support for the inclusion of both taxa within the clade Diamantinasauria. The replacement teeth within the premaxilla of the new specimen are morphologically congruent with teeth previously attributed to Diamantinasaurus matildae , and Diamantinasauria more broadly, corroborating those referrals. Plesiomorphic characters of the new specimen include a sacrum comprising five vertebrae (also newly demonstrated in the holotype of Diamantinasaurus matildae ), rather than the six or more that typify other titanosaurs. However, we demonstrate that there have been a number of independent acquisitions of a six-vertebrae sacrum among Somphospondyli and/or that there have been numerous reversals to a five-vertebrae sacrum, suggesting that sacral count is relatively plastic. Other newly identified plesiomorphic features include: the overall skull shape, which is more similar to brachiosaurids than ‘derived' titanosaurs; anterior caudal centra that are amphicoelous, rather than procoelous; and a pedal phalangeal formula estimated as 2-2-3-2-0. These features are consistent with either an early-branching position within Titanosauria, or a position just outside the titanosaurian radiation, for Diamantinasauria, as indicated by alternative character weighting approaches applied in our phylogenetic analyses, and help to shed light on the early assembly of titanosaurian anatomy that has until now been obscured by a poor fossil record.

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Section: Geological Settingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Geological Settingmentioning

confidence: 99%

A nearly complete skull of the sauropod dinosaurDiamantinasaurus matildaefrom the Upper Cretaceous Winton Formation of Australia and implications for the early evolution of titanosaurs

et al. 2023

Self Cite

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“…We will make things as favorable for the large theropods as possible by assuming that all of the meat produced by the megaherbivores, of whatever individual herbivore size, whether killed or scavenged, is taken by the large theropods (unrealistically ignoring losses to small-bodied theropod species, crocodyliforms [cf. White et al, 2022], or any other small predators). We further assume (again, unrealistically) that all of the megaherbivore secondary productivity ingested by the theropods is in the form of meat, thus excluding egg production.…”

Section: The Basic Modelmentioning

confidence: 99%

“Dragons” on the landscape: Modeling the abundance of large carnivorous dinosaurs of the Upper Jurassic Morrison Formation (USA) and the Upper Cretaceous Dinosaur Park Formation (Canada)

Farlow

Coroian

Currie

et al. 2022

The Anatomical Record

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Counts of the number of skeletal specimens of "adult" megaherbivores and large theropods from the Morrison and Dinosaur Park formations-if not biased by taphonomic artifacts-suggest that the big meat-eaters were more abundant, relative to the number of big plant-eaters, than one would expect on the basis of the relative abundance of large carnivores and herbivores in modern mammalian faunas. Models of megaherbivore population density (number of individuals per square kilometer) that attempt to take into account ecosystem productivity, the size structure of megaherbivore populations, and individual megaherbivore energy requirements, when combined with values of the large theropod/megaherbivore abundance ratio, suggest that large theropods may have been more abundant on the landscape than estimates extrapolated from the population density versus body mass relationship of mammalian carnivores. Models of the meat production of megaherbivore populations and the meat requirements of "adult" large theropods suggest that herbivore productivity would have been insufficient to support the associated number of individuals of "adult" large theropods, unless the herbivore production/biomass ratio was substantially higher, and/or the large theropod meat requirement markedly lower, than expectations based on modern mammals. Alternatively, or in addition to one or both of these other factors, large theropods likely included dinosaurs other than megaherbivores as significant components of their diet.

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New anhanguerian pterosaur remains from the Lower Cretaceous of Queensland, Australia

Pentland¹,

Poropat²,

White³

et al. 2022

Alcheringa: An Australasian Journal of Palaeontology

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Abdominal contents reveal Cretaceous crocodyliforms ate dinosaurs

Cited by 6 publications

References 58 publications

A nearly complete skull of the sauropod dinosaurDiamantinasaurus matildaefrom the Upper Cretaceous Winton Formation of Australia and implications for the early evolution of titanosaurs

A nearly complete skull of the sauropod dinosaurDiamantinasaurus matildaefrom the Upper Cretaceous Winton Formation of Australia and implications for the early evolution of titanosaurs

“Dragons” on the landscape: Modeling the abundance of large carnivorous dinosaurs of the Upper Jurassic Morrison Formation (USA) and the Upper Cretaceous Dinosaur Park Formation (Canada)

New anhanguerian pterosaur remains from the Lower Cretaceous of Queensland, Australia

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