Dinosaur neural canal ridges (free pdf)

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Ben Creisler

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Aug 28, 2024, 11:53:51 AM (13 days ago) Aug 28
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Ben Creisler

A new paper:

Free pdf:

Jessie Atterholt, Mathew J. Wedel, Ron Tykoski, Anthony R. Fiorillo, Femke Holwerda, Thierra K. Nalley, Taormina Lepore & John Yasmer (2024)
Neural canal ridges: A novel osteological correlate of postcranial neuroanatomy in dinosaurs
The Anatomical Record (advance online publication)
doi: https://doi.org/10.1002/ar.25558
https://anatomypubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ar.25558




In this article, we document the widespread presence of bony ridges in the neural canals of non-avian dinosaurs, including a wide diversity of sauropods, two theropods, a thyreophoran, and a hadrosaur. These structures are present only in the caudal vertebrae. They are anteroposteriorly elongate, found on the lateral walls of the canal, and vary in size and position both taxonomically and serially. Similar bony projections into the neural canal have been identified in extant teleosts, dipnoans, and urodelans, in which they are recognized as bony spinal cord supports. In most non-mammals, the dura mater that surrounds the spinal cord is fused to the periosteum of the neural canal, and the denticulate ligaments that support the spinal cord can pass through the dura and periosteum to anchor directly to bone. The function of these structures in dinosaurs remains uncertain, but in sauropods they might have stabilized the spinal cord during bilateral movement of the tail and use of the tail as a weapon. Of broader significance, this study emphasizes that important new discoveries at the gross anatomical level can continue to be made in part by closely examining previously overlooked features of known specimens.

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Ben Creisler

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Aug 31, 2024, 9:30:35 PM (10 days ago) Aug 31
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Blog posts with more background details:


New paper: Atterholt et al. (2024) on neural canal ridges in dinosaurs

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Neural canal ridges: the director’s cut
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