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Shuvuuia hearing + strontium, calcium isotopes in Late Cretaceous dinosaur teeth (free pdfs)
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Ben Creisler
May 6, 2025, 11:40:43 PMMay 6
to DinosaurMa...@googlegroups.com
Ben Creisler
Geoffrey A. Manley and Christine Köppl (2025)
When dinosaurs hear like barn owls: pitfalls and caveats in assessing hearing in dinosaurs
Biology Letters 21(5): 20240680
doi: https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2024.0680
https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsbl.2024.0680
Free pdf:
https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/epdf/10.1098/rsbl.2024.0680
Computer tomographic scanning is now a standard technique for studying the internal features of fossil structures. This enables comparisons with related modern species and speculation concerning function and even behaviour. We express here a concern that inferences about dinosaur hearing and further implications about, e.g. communication or hunting skills, are sometimes stretched beyond what can reasonably be gleaned from fossil data. We summarize current knowledge about structure–function relationships in the avian auditory inner ear and provide guidance for evidence-based inference of hearing capabilities from bony features. In particular, we point out limitations and caveats regarding inferences that are based on one isolated feature alone, typically cochlear length. As an example illustrating some of these pitfalls, we use a recent analysis (Choiniere et al. 2021 Science 372, 610–613 (doi:10.1126/science.abe7941)) that concluded that Shuvuuia deserti, a theropod dinosaur, showed pronounced sensory specializations, including ‘specialized hearing acuity, rivalling that of today’s barn owl’. We re-analysed the skeletal features of Shuvuuia’s inner ear and argue that the analogy between hearing in Shuvuuia and the extant barn owl was based on an ill-chosen metric in assessing the relative length of the cochlear duct and a questionable assumption concerning inner-ear structure.
Mateusz M. Michailow, Federico Lugli, Anna Cipriani, Francesco Della Giustina, Annalisa Ferretti, Daniele Malferrari, Denver Fowler, Elizabeth Freedman Fowler, Michael Weber & Thomas Tütken (2025)
Combined Ca, Sr isotope and trace element analyses of Late Cretaceous dinosaur teeth: assessing diet versus diagenesis
Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta (advance online publication)
doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gca.2025.05.006
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S001670372500239X
The Sr and Ca isotope composition, along with trace element content in fossil teeth, provides valuable insights into biogenic and diagenetic processes. Identifying pristine biological signals is crucial for reconstructing the diet and trophic levels of extinct taxa. We present novel geochemical data from Tyrannosauridae and Ceratopsidae teeth of the Late Cretaceous, using radiogenic Sr (87Sr/86Sr), stable Sr (δ88/86Sr), and Ca (δ44/42Ca) isotopes, along with trace elements abundances to differentiate biogenic signals from diagenetic alteration.
Our results reveal potential taxon-specific diagenetic effects, likely influenced by enamel microstructure. Tyrannosaurid enamel contains lower concentrations of rare earth elements (REE) and uranium (U) than dentine, whereas ceratopsid teeth typically exhibit higher REE and U compared to both the enamel and dentine of tyrannosaurids. Enamel δ44/42Ca values differ significantly between herbivorous ceratopsids and carnivorous tyrannosaurids, reflecting trophic level effects seen in modern mammals and reptiles. A positive correlation between δ44/42Ca and δ88/86Sr suggests partial preservation of biological fractionation along the trophic chain. Yet, the lack of negative δ88/86Sr values in our dataset – typically expected in biologic tissues – suggests alteration by diagenetic processes of both stable and radiogenic Sr. While δ44/42Ca in enamel likely remains a reliable dietary proxy, Sr isotope composition of our samples appears then to be significantly altered. The presence of high δ88/86Sr in terrestrial fossil teeth could serve as a novel diagenetic proxy to assess habitat related 87Sr/86Sr values, aiding provenance and mobility studies in fossil ecosystems.
New papers:
Free pdf:
Geoffrey A. Manley and Christine Köppl (2025)
When dinosaurs hear like barn owls: pitfalls and caveats in assessing hearing in dinosaurs
Biology Letters 21(5): 20240680
doi: https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2024.0680
https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsbl.2024.0680
Free pdf:
https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/epdf/10.1098/rsbl.2024.0680
Computer tomographic scanning is now a standard technique for studying the internal features of fossil structures. This enables comparisons with related modern species and speculation concerning function and even behaviour. We express here a concern that inferences about dinosaur hearing and further implications about, e.g. communication or hunting skills, are sometimes stretched beyond what can reasonably be gleaned from fossil data. We summarize current knowledge about structure–function relationships in the avian auditory inner ear and provide guidance for evidence-based inference of hearing capabilities from bony features. In particular, we point out limitations and caveats regarding inferences that are based on one isolated feature alone, typically cochlear length. As an example illustrating some of these pitfalls, we use a recent analysis (Choiniere et al. 2021 Science 372, 610–613 (doi:10.1126/science.abe7941)) that concluded that Shuvuuia deserti, a theropod dinosaur, showed pronounced sensory specializations, including ‘specialized hearing acuity, rivalling that of today’s barn owl’. We re-analysed the skeletal features of Shuvuuia’s inner ear and argue that the analogy between hearing in Shuvuuia and the extant barn owl was based on an ill-chosen metric in assessing the relative length of the cochlear duct and a questionable assumption concerning inner-ear structure.
====
Free pdf:
Mateusz M. Michailow, Federico Lugli, Anna Cipriani, Francesco Della Giustina, Annalisa Ferretti, Daniele Malferrari, Denver Fowler, Elizabeth Freedman Fowler, Michael Weber & Thomas Tütken (2025)
Combined Ca, Sr isotope and trace element analyses of Late Cretaceous dinosaur teeth: assessing diet versus diagenesis
Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta (advance online publication)
doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gca.2025.05.006
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S001670372500239X
The Sr and Ca isotope composition, along with trace element content in fossil teeth, provides valuable insights into biogenic and diagenetic processes. Identifying pristine biological signals is crucial for reconstructing the diet and trophic levels of extinct taxa. We present novel geochemical data from Tyrannosauridae and Ceratopsidae teeth of the Late Cretaceous, using radiogenic Sr (87Sr/86Sr), stable Sr (δ88/86Sr), and Ca (δ44/42Ca) isotopes, along with trace elements abundances to differentiate biogenic signals from diagenetic alteration.
Our results reveal potential taxon-specific diagenetic effects, likely influenced by enamel microstructure. Tyrannosaurid enamel contains lower concentrations of rare earth elements (REE) and uranium (U) than dentine, whereas ceratopsid teeth typically exhibit higher REE and U compared to both the enamel and dentine of tyrannosaurids. Enamel δ44/42Ca values differ significantly between herbivorous ceratopsids and carnivorous tyrannosaurids, reflecting trophic level effects seen in modern mammals and reptiles. A positive correlation between δ44/42Ca and δ88/86Sr suggests partial preservation of biological fractionation along the trophic chain. Yet, the lack of negative δ88/86Sr values in our dataset – typically expected in biologic tissues – suggests alteration by diagenetic processes of both stable and radiogenic Sr. While δ44/42Ca in enamel likely remains a reliable dietary proxy, Sr isotope composition of our samples appears then to be significantly altered. The presence of high δ88/86Sr in terrestrial fossil teeth could serve as a novel diagenetic proxy to assess habitat related 87Sr/86Sr values, aiding provenance and mobility studies in fossil ecosystems.
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