Dinosaur skull geometry for adaptability + theropod fossils from Lower Cretaceous of Brazil + Nanhsiungoolithus eggs + Late Jurassic volcanism and sauropod radiation in China
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Ben Creisler
Nov 19, 2025, 11:20:06 AM (10 days ago) Nov 19
to DinosaurMa...@googlegroups.com
Ben Creisler
A new paper:
Stephan Lautenschlager, Minnie M. Cione, Grace Cowley, Benjamin J. Creasy, Harrison Everard, Oliver J. Graves, Poppy E. Hawkins, Alisa Plaksina, Helena N. Rowlstone, Austin M. Smith & Lauren M. Steward (2025)
Dinosaur skull geometry does not follow functional optimisation trends but facilitates adaptability
iScience (advance online publication)
doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2025.114115
https://www.cell.com/iscience/fulltext/S2589-0042(25)02376-4
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2589004225023764
Highlights
Dinosaur had variable skull proportions and dimensions
The snout (rostrum) was highly variable and adaptable
Dinosaur skulls did not evolve theoretically optimal skull proportions
The adaptability of the rostrum may have been beneficial during bird evolution
SUMMARY
Dinosaurs exhibited a remarkable array of skull shapes and sizes. However, the geometry of the cranial skeleton and its different functional units (rostrum, orbital region, braincase) has not been quantified biomechanically. Furthermore, it is unclear if skull evolution followed a trend towards optimisation of feeding performance and structural integrity. Here, we used morphometric analyses, theoretical morphospaces, and biomechanical modelling to quantify skull geometry and investigate how skull proportions shaped dinosaur evolution. Our results demonstrate that skull proportions followed a narrowly constrained pattern, with the rostrum showing the largest variability and plasticity. Dinosaur skulls did not evolve towards functional optimality but evolved within a “Goldilocks“ zone that represented a compromise of different functions. Broad adaptability of the rostrum may have been beneficial during the transition from non–avian dinosaurs to birds, with the rostrum serving as a focal point for environmental manipulation due to the loss of forelimb function for flight.
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Rudah Duque, Yumi Asakura, David H. Oliveira, Rizoaldo Barbosa & Alcina M. F. Barreto (2025)
A new theropod dinosaur record and footprints from the Lower Cretaceous of the Triunfo Basin, northeastern Brazil
Historical Biology (advance online publication)
doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/08912963.2025.2584706
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/08912963.2025.2584706
The Triunfo Basin (Uiraúna-Brejo das Freiras Basin) is part of the Rio do Peixe Basin Complex, an extensive megatracksite from the Lower Cretaceous. Hundreds of footprints and trackways of theropods, sauropods, and ornithopods are preserved in the Rio do Peixe Basin. Despite the abundance of ichnofossils, there are only two records of dinosaur somatofossils, both belonging to sauropods. A dorsal rib from Antenor Navarro Formation, collected in Santa Helena Municipality (Paraíba), is presented herein and is the first discovery of theropod bone within the basin complex. Osteohistological analysis indicated that the individual had reached skeletal maturity and maximum size before death. Two new footprints are also identified for the Antenor Navarro Formation, Triunfo Basin, expanding the palaeontological knowledge of this region.
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Xufeng Zhu, Yu Li, Qiang Wang, Rui Qiu, Baopeng Wang, Fei Chang, Li Xu, Diansong Gao, Di Liu & Xiaolin Wang (2025)
Description of a new clutch of Nanhsiungoolithus chuetienensis reveals possible parataxonomic affiliation of dromaeosaurid egg
Historical Biology (advance online publication)
doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/08912963.2025.2586230
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/08912963.2025.2586230
A new clutch of a rarely described oospecies, Nanhsiungoolithus chuetienensis is detailed in this work. The clutch contains 14 eggs radially arranged in two concentric rings, representing the most complete clutch of N. chuetienensis yet described. The morphology and microstructure of this new specimen align with those of the previously studied N. chuetienensis specimens. Notably, the eggshell displays reticulatituberculate ornamentation, introducing a new characteristic for this oospecies. The specimen also reveals microstructural variation along the egg body, including thickness, mammillae shape, and EBSD characteristics. Combining prismatic morphotype, reticulatituberculate ornamentation, and broad mammillae, this study amended the diagnosis of Nanhsiungoolithus. Importantly, Montanoolithus, Reticuloolithus, and Paraelongatoolithus, which were presumed to be putative dromaeosaurid eggs, share this combination and are therefore considered junior synonyms of Nanhsiungoolithus. As a result, the oogenus Nanhsiungoolithus now belongs to the oofamily Montanoolithidae. The similarity of the clutch structure between montanoolithid and elongatoolithid eggs indicates that dromaeosaurids may share a similar clutch structure to that of oviraptorids.
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A new theropod dinosaur record and footprints from the Lower Cretaceous of the Triunfo Basin, northeastern Brazil
Historical Biology (advance online publication)
doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/08912963.2025.2584706
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/08912963.2025.2584706
The Triunfo Basin (Uiraúna-Brejo das Freiras Basin) is part of the Rio do Peixe Basin Complex, an extensive megatracksite from the Lower Cretaceous. Hundreds of footprints and trackways of theropods, sauropods, and ornithopods are preserved in the Rio do Peixe Basin. Despite the abundance of ichnofossils, there are only two records of dinosaur somatofossils, both belonging to sauropods. A dorsal rib from Antenor Navarro Formation, collected in Santa Helena Municipality (Paraíba), is presented herein and is the first discovery of theropod bone within the basin complex. Osteohistological analysis indicated that the individual had reached skeletal maturity and maximum size before death. Two new footprints are also identified for the Antenor Navarro Formation, Triunfo Basin, expanding the palaeontological knowledge of this region.
=====
Xufeng Zhu, Yu Li, Qiang Wang, Rui Qiu, Baopeng Wang, Fei Chang, Li Xu, Diansong Gao, Di Liu & Xiaolin Wang (2025)
Description of a new clutch of Nanhsiungoolithus chuetienensis reveals possible parataxonomic affiliation of dromaeosaurid egg
Historical Biology (advance online publication)
doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/08912963.2025.2586230
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/08912963.2025.2586230
A new clutch of a rarely described oospecies, Nanhsiungoolithus chuetienensis is detailed in this work. The clutch contains 14 eggs radially arranged in two concentric rings, representing the most complete clutch of N. chuetienensis yet described. The morphology and microstructure of this new specimen align with those of the previously studied N. chuetienensis specimens. Notably, the eggshell displays reticulatituberculate ornamentation, introducing a new characteristic for this oospecies. The specimen also reveals microstructural variation along the egg body, including thickness, mammillae shape, and EBSD characteristics. Combining prismatic morphotype, reticulatituberculate ornamentation, and broad mammillae, this study amended the diagnosis of Nanhsiungoolithus. Importantly, Montanoolithus, Reticuloolithus, and Paraelongatoolithus, which were presumed to be putative dromaeosaurid eggs, share this combination and are therefore considered junior synonyms of Nanhsiungoolithus. As a result, the oogenus Nanhsiungoolithus now belongs to the oofamily Montanoolithidae. The similarity of the clutch structure between montanoolithid and elongatoolithid eggs indicates that dromaeosaurids may share a similar clutch structure to that of oviraptorids.
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Free pdf:
Xin-xin Ren, Xu-ri Wang, Yi-chuan Liu & Shu-bin Ju (2025)
Late Jurassic tectono-volcanic evolution and sauropod radiation of eastern Jiangnan orogen: Evidence from Tunxi Formation, China
China Geology 8(4): 779-796
doi: https://doi.org/10.31035/cg2023087
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2096519225001120
A prevailing theory suggests that volcanic eruptions triggered environmental changes, which compelled dinosaurs to migrate in search of new habitats. Compelling evidence for this hypothesis has now been discovered in the Tunxi Basin of eastern China. During the Late Mesozoic, the subduction of the Pacific Plate beneath southeastern China led to multi-stage volcanic activity. The Tunxi Formation in the basin, the first reported Upper Jurassic volcanic unit in the eastern Jiangnan orogen. It overlies the stratum bearing the easternmost mamenchisaurids, which is the dominant Asian sauropod lineage. Geochemical analyses suggest its affinity with coeval magmatism in southeastern China, while new rhyolite zircon U-Pb dating yields an age of 151.6 ± 2.2 Ma, further indicating a transition from arc magmatism to back-arc extension driven by Paleo-Pacific subduction during the Late Jurassic. These studies also confirm that, as early as 156 Ma, the Tunxi Basin was already a key habitat for mamenchisaurids. The Late Jurassic subduction of the Paleo-Pacific Plate caused extensive magmatism across eastern China. This intense tectonic shift likely induced abrupt environmental changes in relative basins. Severe volcanic activity drastically reduced the habitat of mamenchisaurids, prompting a northwestward and southward radiation trend —presents a coherent scene of volcanic eruptions, environmental catastrophe, and dinosaurs migrating.
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Xin-xin Ren, Xu-ri Wang, Yi-chuan Liu & Shu-bin Ju (2025)
Late Jurassic tectono-volcanic evolution and sauropod radiation of eastern Jiangnan orogen: Evidence from Tunxi Formation, China
China Geology 8(4): 779-796
doi: https://doi.org/10.31035/cg2023087
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2096519225001120
A prevailing theory suggests that volcanic eruptions triggered environmental changes, which compelled dinosaurs to migrate in search of new habitats. Compelling evidence for this hypothesis has now been discovered in the Tunxi Basin of eastern China. During the Late Mesozoic, the subduction of the Pacific Plate beneath southeastern China led to multi-stage volcanic activity. The Tunxi Formation in the basin, the first reported Upper Jurassic volcanic unit in the eastern Jiangnan orogen. It overlies the stratum bearing the easternmost mamenchisaurids, which is the dominant Asian sauropod lineage. Geochemical analyses suggest its affinity with coeval magmatism in southeastern China, while new rhyolite zircon U-Pb dating yields an age of 151.6 ± 2.2 Ma, further indicating a transition from arc magmatism to back-arc extension driven by Paleo-Pacific subduction during the Late Jurassic. These studies also confirm that, as early as 156 Ma, the Tunxi Basin was already a key habitat for mamenchisaurids. The Late Jurassic subduction of the Paleo-Pacific Plate caused extensive magmatism across eastern China. This intense tectonic shift likely induced abrupt environmental changes in relative basins. Severe volcanic activity drastically reduced the habitat of mamenchisaurids, prompting a northwestward and southward radiation trend —presents a coherent scene of volcanic eruptions, environmental catastrophe, and dinosaurs migrating.
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