Death, decay and disarticulation: Modelling the skeletal taphonomy of marine reptiles demonstrated using Serpianosaurus (Reptilia; Sauropterygia)

Beardmore, Susan R.; Orr, Patrick J.; Manzocchi, Tom; Furrer, Heinz; Johnson, Christopher

doi:10.1016/j.palaeo.2012.03.018

Cited by 32 publications

(41 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…However, as the 'ribs' unit was defined by Beardmore et al (2012b), we have opted to keep it in the intra-unit articulation category.…”

Section: End Of Experiments Articulationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The degree of skeletal articulation for each carcass was recorded using a scoring system for fossil marine reptiles created by Beardmore et al (2012b), who grouped skeletal elements into seven units: head (skull and mandible), neck (cervical vertebrae), trunk (prothoracic, thoracic, lumbar, and sacral vertebrae), tail (caudal vertebrae), ribs (thoracic ribs), left and right forelimbs (including pectoral girdles), and left and right hindlimbs (including hips and each pubis) (refer to schematic interpretation of CR1A in Fig. 8).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Patterns of aquatic decay and disarticulation in juvenile Indo-Pacific crocodiles (Crocodylus porosus), and implications for the taphonomic interpretation of fossil crocodyliform material

Syme

Salisbury

2014

Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology

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High levels of skeletal articulation and completeness in fossil crocodyliforms are commonly attributed to rapid burial, with decreasing articulation and completeness thought to result from prolonged decay of soft tissue and the loss of skeletal connectivity during 'bloat and float'. These interpretations are based largely on patterns of decay in modern mammalian and avian dinosaur carcasses. To address this issue, we assessed the decay of buried and unburied juvenile Crocodylus porosuscarcasses in a controlled freshwater setting. The carcasses progressed through typical vertebrate decay stages (fresh, bloated, active decay, and advanced decay), reaching the final skeletal stage on average 56 days after death. Unburied carcasses commenced floating five days post-mortem during the bloated stage, and one buried carcass only commenced floating 12 days post-mortem. While floating, skeletal elements remained articulated within the still coherent dermis, except for thoracic ribs, ischia and pubic bones. The majority of disarticulation occurred at the sediment--water interface after the carcasses sank during the advanced decay stage, ~ 36 days post-mortem. Based on these results we conclude that fossil crocodyliform specimens displaying high levels of articulation are not the result of prolonged subaerial and subaqueous decay in a low-energy, aqueous environment. Using extant juvenile C. porosus as a proxy for fossil crocodyliforms, rapid burial in an aquatic setting would have to occur prior to the carcass floating, and would also have to continually negate the positive buoyancy associated with bloating. Rapid burial does not have to be the only avenue to preservation of articulation, as other mechanisms such as physical barriers and internal physiological chemistry could prevent carcasses from floating and subsequently disarticulating upon sinking. The inference that a large proportion of skeletal elements could drift from floating carcasses in a low energy setting with minimal scavenging, thereby causing a loss of completeness, seems unlikely.

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“…However, as the 'ribs' unit was defined by Beardmore et al (2012b), we have opted to keep it in the intra-unit articulation category.…”

Section: End Of Experiments Articulationmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Patterns of aquatic decay and disarticulation in juvenile Indo-Pacific crocodiles (Crocodylus porosus), and implications for the taphonomic interpretation of fossil crocodyliform material

Syme

Salisbury

2014

Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology

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“…They suggested that it probably disarticulated prior to the carcass reaching the seafloor, either being removed by a predator or scavenged shortly after death. It could have also been detached during the early stage of the 'bloat and float' phase, an interpretation also suggested for the Pembina and Sharon Spring plesiosaurs (Carpenter 2006) and the Triassic sauropterygian Serpianosaurus (Beardmore et al 2012b). Barnes & Hiller (2010) also suggested that the head and neck could be transported for a distance after it detached from the torso.…”

Section: Floating and Sinkingmentioning

confidence: 83%

The Slottsmøya marine reptile Lagerstätte : depositional environments, taphonomy and diagenesis

Delsett

Novis

Roberts

et al. 2015

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Abstract:The Late Jurassic Slottsmøya Member Lagerstätte on Spitsbergen offers a unique opportunity to study the relationships between vertebrate fossil preservation, invertebrate occurrences and depositional environment. In this study, 21 plesiosaurian and 17 ichthyosaur specimens are described with respect to articulation, landing mode, preservation, and possible predation and scavenging. The stratigraphic distribution of marine reptiles in the Slottsmøya Member is analysed, and a correlation between high total organic content, low oxygen levels, few benthic invertebrates and optimal reptile preservation is observed. A new model for 3D preservation of vertebrates in highly compacted organic shales is explained.

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“…The carcasses became disassociated by decay and scavengers; a process which might have been relatively rapid and efficient because there was a potential for aerobic decomposition (Soares 2003;Beardmore et al 2012b). There are two potential explanations for the observed high frequency of the vertebrae and ribs: 1.…”

Section: Depositional Environment and Taphonomic Processesmentioning

confidence: 99%

First report of Triassic vertebrate assemblages from the Villány Hills (Southern Hungary)

Ősi¹,

Botfalvai²,

Prondvai³

et al. 2013

Central European Geology

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Remains of Triassic vertebrates discovered in the Villány Hills (SW Hungary) are described here. After the well-documented Late Cretaceous Iharkút locality, this material represents the second systematically collected assemblage of Mesozoic vertebrates from Hungary. Fossils were collected from both the classical abandoned road-cut at Templom Hill (Templom-hegy) and a newly discovered site at a construction zone located 200 meters west of the road-cut. Macrofossils of the construction site are mainly isolated bones and teeth of nothosaurs from the Templomhegy Dolomite, including a fragmentary mandible referred to as Nothosaurus sp. and placodont teeth tentatively assigned here to cf. Cyamodus sp. Affinities of these fossils suggest a Middle Triassic (Ladinian) age of these shallow marine deposits.New palynological data prove for the first time a Late Triassic (Carnian) age of the lower part of the Mészhegy Sandstone Formation. Vertebrate remains discovered in this formation clearly represent a typical Late Triassic shallow-marine fauna including both chondrichthyan (Lissodus, Palaeobates, Hybodus) and osteichthyan (cf. Saurichthys, ?Sphaerodus sp.) fish fossils. The presence of reworked nothosaur and placodont tooth fragments as well as of possible archosauriform teeth, suggest an increase of terrestrial influence and the erosion of underlying Triassic deposits during the Late Triassic.A belemnite rostrum collected from the lowermost beds of the Somssichhegy Limestone Formation proves that this Lower Jurassic (Pliensbachian) layer was deposited in a marine environment. Most of the vertebrate remains (nothosaurs, placodonts, hybodont shark teeth, perhaps Palaeobates, Lissodus) recovered from these beds are also reworked Triassic elements strongly supporting an erosive, nearshore depositional environment.

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Death, decay and disarticulation: Modelling the skeletal taphonomy of marine reptiles demonstrated using Serpianosaurus (Reptilia; Sauropterygia)

Cited by 32 publications

References 24 publications

Patterns of aquatic decay and disarticulation in juvenile Indo-Pacific crocodiles (Crocodylus porosus), and implications for the taphonomic interpretation of fossil crocodyliform material

Patterns of aquatic decay and disarticulation in juvenile Indo-Pacific crocodiles (Crocodylus porosus), and implications for the taphonomic interpretation of fossil crocodyliform material

The Slottsmøya marine reptile Lagerstätte : depositional environments, taphonomy and diagenesis

First report of Triassic vertebrate assemblages from the Villány Hills (Southern Hungary)

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