Tracy Ford
I am a self taught paleontologist and paleo-artist. I have had dozens of articles published in scientific publications and have named three dinosaurs (all ankylosaurs or armored dinosaurs). Aletopelta coombsi (with Jim Kirland as a co-author), the only scientifically named dinosaur in all of California
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Tracy Lee Ford, Dino Hunter, PO Box 1171, Poway Ca 92074
For decades whether or not theropods had lips has been a hot topic for paleontology and paleoartists. Did they have lizard like ‘lips’ or were they lipless like an alligator? One of the arguments for lips are the numerous foramina on the premaxilla, maxilla and dentary. These foramina are theorized to have supplied nerves for the lips and muscles. The lips serve several functions; in squamata the ‘lips’ are protecting the labial oral glands, holding food and water retention. In mammals the ‘lips’ are for communication, food manipulation and water retention. Looking at extant animals, we can determine if theropods had lips. Both mammals and squamates have a limited number of foramina on the maxilla and dentary, which supplies nerves for their ‘lips’ and muscles, as well as nutrients. More importantly, the bone texture of the premaxilla, maxilla, and dentary is smooth in both mammals and squamates. This is caused by the constant interaction of soft tissue rubbing against the skull bones. Previous investigations have not taken this bone texture into account. Theropods, have a rugose bony texture and numerous foramina, which indicates a lack of soft tissue for lips and facial muscles. This is best seen in the antorbital fenestra. Bones textures on the inside of the fenestra are smooth, which indicates the soft tissue has some movement, while the outside bone is rugose. There is a groove that extends from each foramina and it extends toward the jaw line. The foramina also have smaller grooves that extend in the opposite direction. This is best seen in older individuals. Crocodilians also have several foramina and a more rugose bone texture. The foramina do supply nerves for the facial region, which makes the face a tactile sense organ. The best use for this tactile face is for feeding/hunting in murky water. Another suggestion is theropods had a rhampotheca. In extant avians, the foramina supplies nutrients for a rhampotheca. Where the rhampotheca attaches in extant avians, the bone texture is smooth, i.e. the beak and claws. Therefore the skull elements in theropods with rough bone texture were incapable of having a rhampotheca. It is the conclusion of this study, using extant taxa as a baseline, that theropods lacked lips/facial muscles and a rhampotheca. This is based on the rough bone texture on the bones surface, which is in contrast to the smooth bone texture of animals with lips/muscles. It is also inferred that theropods had a tactile face similar to that in crocodilians.
Tracy Lee Ford, Dino Hunter, PO Box 1171, Poway Ca 92074
For decades whether or not theropods had lips has been a hot topic for paleontology and paleoartists. Did they have lizard like ‘lips’ or were they lipless like an alligator? One of the arguments for lips are the numerous foramina on the premaxilla, maxilla and dentary. These foramina are theorized to have supplied nerves for the lips and muscles. The lips serve several functions; in squamata the ‘lips’ are protecting the labial oral glands, holding food and water retention. In mammals the ‘lips’ are for communication, food manipulation and water retention. Looking at extant animals, we can determine if theropods had lips. Both mammals and squamates have a limited number of foramina on the maxilla and dentary, which supplies nerves for their ‘lips’ and muscles, as well as nutrients. More importantly, the bone texture of the premaxilla, maxilla, and dentary is smooth in both mammals and squamates. This is caused by the constant interaction of soft tissue rubbing against the skull bones. Previous investigations have not taken this bone texture into account. Theropods, have a rugose bony texture and numerous foramina, which indicates a lack of soft tissue for lips and facial muscles. This is best seen in the antorbital fenestra. Bones textures on the inside of the fenestra are smooth, which indicates the soft tissue has some movement, while the outside bone is rugose. There is a groove that extends from each foramina and it extends toward the jaw line. The foramina also have smaller grooves that extend in the opposite direction. This is best seen in older individuals. Crocodilians also have several foramina and a more rugose bone texture. The foramina do supply nerves for the facial region, which makes the face a tactile sense organ. The best use for this tactile face is for feeding/hunting in murky water. Another suggestion is theropods had a rhampotheca. In extant avians, the foramina supplies nutrients for a rhampotheca. Where the rhampotheca attaches in extant avians, the bone texture is smooth, i.e. the beak and claws. Therefore the skull elements in theropods with rough bone texture were incapable of having a rhampotheca. It is the conclusion of this study, using extant taxa as a baseline, that theropods lacked lips/facial muscles and a rhampotheca. This is based on the rough bone texture on the bones surface, which is in contrast to the smooth bone texture of animals with lips/muscles. It is also inferred that theropods had a tactile face similar to that in crocodilians.
Species of Saurolophus are known from the early-middle Maastrichtian, Late Cretaceous. Saurolophus osborni (Brown, 1912) is from the Horseshoe Canyon Formation, early Maastrichtian (70 mya), Alberta, Canada, and Saurolophus angustirostris (Rozhdestvensky, 1952), Nemegt Formation, middle Maastrichtian (68 mya), Mongolia. Fresno County, California has produced a saurolophine, Augustynolophus morrisi (Prieto-Marquez, et al. 2014), from the Late Maastrichtian (66 mya), Marca Member, Moreno Formation, Rosario Group. The most distinct feature of Saurolophus is a long thin crest. Saurolophus osborni has a shorter, taller adult skull than S. angustirostris, which has a longer, thinner adult skull. Because these two species of Saurolophus are so similar, there had to have been a connection from Mongolia to northern North America (Laramidia). Augustynolophus morrisi, a late Maastrichtian saurolophine shows more similarities to the Mongolian species than the Albertan species, and its lineage had to have crossed over from Mongolia across the Bering Strait to the middle of California. This land bridge also allowed other dinosaurs to interact during the Cretaceous; ankylosaurs, theropods, and hadrosaurs, but oddly, not sauropods.
Species of Saurolophus are known from the early-middle Maastrichtian, Late Cretaceous. Saurolophus osborni (Brown, 1912) is from the Horseshoe Canyon Formation, early Maastrichtian (70 mya), Alberta, Canada, and Saurolophus angustirostris (Rozhdestvensky, 1952), Nemegt Formation, middle Maastrichtian (68 mya), Mongolia. Fresno County, California has produced a saurolophine, Augustynolophus morrisi (Prieto-Marquez, et al. 2014), from the Late Maastrichtian (66 mya), Marca Member, Moreno Formation, Rosario Group. The most distinct feature of Saurolophus is a long thin crest. Saurolophus osborni has a shorter, taller adult skull than S. angustirostris, which has a longer, thinner adult skull. Because these two species of Saurolophus are so similar, there had to have been a connection from Mongolia to northern North America (Laramidia). Augustynolophus morrisi, a late Maastrichtian saurolophine shows more similarities to the Mongolian species than the Albertan species, and its lineage had to have crossed over from Mongolia across the Bering Strait to the middle of California. This land bridge also allowed other dinosaurs to interact during the Cretaceous; ankylosaurs, theropods, and hadrosaurs, but oddly, not sauropods.
Academia won't let me put my co-authors, Larry M. Martin and Alexander O. Averianov.