The year 2017 in archosaur paleontology was eventful.
Archosaurs
Archosauria () or archosaurs () is a clade of diapsid sauropsid tetrapods, with birds and crocodilians being the only extant taxon, extant representatives. Although broadly classified as reptiles, which traditionally exclude birds, the cladistics ...
include the only living dinosaur group —
birds
Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class (biology), class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the Oviparity, laying of Eggshell, hard-shelled eggs, a high Metabolism, metabolic rate, a fou ...
— and the reptile
crocodilia
Crocodilia () is an order of semiaquatic, predatory reptiles that are known as crocodilians. They first appeared during the Late Cretaceous and are the closest living relatives of birds. Crocodilians are a type of crocodylomorph pseudosuchia ...
ns, plus all extinct
dinosaur
Dinosaurs are a diverse group of reptiles of the clade Dinosauria. They first appeared during the Triassic Geological period, period, between 243 and 233.23 million years ago (mya), although the exact origin and timing of the #Evolutio ...
s, extinct crocodilian relatives, and
pterosaur
Pterosaurs are an extinct clade of flying reptiles in the order Pterosauria. They existed during most of the Mesozoic: from the Late Triassic to the end of the Cretaceous (228 million to 66 million years ago). Pterosaurs are the earli ...
s. Archosaur
palaeontology
Paleontology, also spelled as palaeontology or palæontology, is the scientific study of the life of the past, mainly but not exclusively through the study of fossils. Paleontologists use fossils as a means to classify organisms, measure geo ...
is the scientific study of those animals, especially as they existed before the
Holocene
The Holocene () is the current geologic time scale, geological epoch, beginning approximately 11,700 years ago. It follows the Last Glacial Period, which concluded with the Holocene glacial retreat. The Holocene and the preceding Pleistocene to ...
Epoch began about 11,700 years ago. The year
2017 in paleontology
Flora
Cnidarians
Research
* Ou ''et al.'' (2017) consider early Cambrian species ''Galeaplumosus abilus'' and ''Chengjiangopenna wangii'' to be Synonym (taxonomy), junior synonyms of ''Xianguangia sinica'', interpret fossils attributed to m ...
included various significant developments regarding archosaurs.
This article records new
taxa
In biology, a taxon (back-formation from ''taxonomy''; : taxa) is a group of one or more populations of an organism or organisms seen by taxonomists to form a unit. Although neither is required, a taxon is usually known by a particular name and ...
of
fossil
A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserve ...
archosaur
Archosauria () or archosaurs () is a clade of diapsid sauropsid tetrapods, with birds and crocodilians being the only extant taxon, extant representatives. Although broadly classified as reptiles, which traditionally exclude birds, the cladistics ...
s of every kind that have been described during the year 2017, as well as other significant discoveries and events related to
paleontology
Paleontology, also spelled as palaeontology or palæontology, is the scientific study of the life of the past, mainly but not exclusively through the study of fossils. Paleontologists use fossils as a means to classify organisms, measure ge ...
of archosaurs that occurred in the year 2017.
General research
* A study on the evolution of forelimb anatomy, musculature and joint ranges of motion from early archosaurs to sauropodomorph dinosaurs based on data from ''
Mussaurus
''Mussaurus'' (meaning "mouse lizard") is a genus of herbivorous sauropodomorph dinosaur that lived in southern Argentina during the Sinemurian stage of the Early Jurassic. It receives its name from the small size of the skeletons of juvenile and ...
patagonicus'' and extant
freshwater crocodile
The freshwater crocodile (''Crocodylus johnstoni)'', also known Common name, commonly as the Australian freshwater crocodile, Johnstone's crocodile, and the freshie, is a species of crocodile native to the northern regions of Australia. Unlike ...
is published by Otero ''et al.'' (2017).
Pseudosuchians
Research
* A study on the evolutionary history and ecological correlates of bone ornamentation in extant and extinct
pseudosuchia
Pseudosuchia, from Ancient Greek ψεύδος (''pseúdos)'', meaning "false", and σούχος (''soúkhos''), meaning "crocodile" is one of two major divisions of Archosauria, including living crocodilians and all archosaurs more closely relat ...
ns is published by Clarac ''et al.'' (2017).
* A redescription of the anatomy of the postcranial skeleton of ''
Gracilisuchus
''Gracilisuchus'' (meaning "slender crocodile") is an extinct genus of tiny pseudosuchian (a group which includes the ancestors of crocodilians) from the Late Triassic of Argentina. It contains a single species, ''G. stipanicicorum'', which is pl ...
stipanicicorum'' and a study on the phylogenetic relationships of the species is published by Lecuona, Desojo & Pol (2017).
* Description of partial ribs from the
Late Triassic
The Late Triassic is the third and final epoch (geology), epoch of the Triassic geologic time scale, Period in the geologic time scale, spanning the time between annum, Ma and Ma (million years ago). It is preceded by the Middle Triassic Epoch a ...
Vinita Formation (formerly
Turkey Branch Formation
The Doswell Formation (also known as the Doswell Group) is a geologic unit of Upper Triassic age, part of the Newark Supergroup. The Doswell Formation was originally named to refer to a geological sequence which forms the lower part of the sediment ...
;
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...
,
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
), referred to ''
Euscolosuchus
''Euscolosuchus'' is an extinct genus of suchian archosaurs from the Late Triassic of Virginia. It is probably an aetosauriform, as the sister taxon to ''Acaenasuchus'' and a relative of aetosaurs.
Discovery
Fossils have been found from the To ...
olseni'', is published by Scheyer & Sues (2017).
* A study on the phylogenetic relationships of ''
Luperosuchus
''Luperosuchus'' (meaning "vexing" or "difficult crocodile") is an extinct genus of loricatan pseudosuchian reptile (historically known as a "rauisuchian") which contains only a single species, ''Luperosuchus fractus.'' It is known from the Cha ...
fractus'' is published by Nesbitt & Desojo (2017).
* A study on the bone
histology
Histology,
also known as microscopic anatomy or microanatomy, is the branch of biology that studies the microscopic anatomy of biological tissue (biology), tissues. Histology is the microscopic counterpart to gross anatomy, which looks at large ...
and growth of ''
Batrachotomus
''Batrachotomus'' is a genus of prehistoric archosaur. Fossils of this animal have been found in southern Germany and dated from the Ladinian stage of the Middle Triassic period, around 242 to 237 million years ago. ''Batrachotomus'' was descri ...
kupferzellensis'' is published by Klein, Foth & Schoch (2017).
*
Crocodylomorph
Crocodylomorpha is a group of pseudosuchian archosaurs that includes the crocodilians and their extinct relatives. They were the only members of Pseudosuchia to survive the end-Triassic extinction. Extinct crocodylomorphs were considerably mor ...
eggs and eggshells are described from the
Late Jurassic
The Late Jurassic is the third Epoch (geology), epoch of the Jurassic Period, and it spans the geologic time scale, geologic time from 161.5 ± 1.0 to 143.1 ± 0.8 million years ago (Ma), which is preserved in Upper Jurassic stratum, strata.Owen ...
Lourinhã Formation
The Lourinhã Formation () is a fossil-rich geological formation in western Portugal, named for the municipality of Lourinhã. The formation is mostly Late Jurassic in age (Kimmeridgian/Tithonian), with the top of the formation extending into the ...
(
Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...
) by Russo ''et al.'' (2017), who name new
ootaxa
Egg fossils are the fossilized remains of eggs laid by ancient animals. As evidence of the physiological processes of an animal, egg fossils are considered a type of trace fossil. Under rare circumstances a fossil egg may preserve the remains of t ...
''
Suchoolithus
''Suchoolithus'' is an oogenus (fossil egg genus) of crocodylomorph eggs from the late Jurassic of Portugal. They are notable for their small size, and for being among the oldest known crocodylomorph eggs.
Description
''Suchoolithus'' is known fr ...
portucalensis'' and ''
Krokolithes
''Krokolithes'' is an oogenus of Crocodiloid eggs. These eggs were laid by an extinct species of Crocodylian. It contains three oospecies: ''K. dinophilus'', ''K. wilsoni'' and ''K. helleri''.
1
Fossils of the oogenus have been found in the Oligo ...
dinophilus''.
* Tracks of a
crocodyliform
Crocodyliformes is a clade of Crurotarsi, crurotarsan archosaurs, the group often traditionally referred to as "crocodilians". They are the first members of Crocodylomorpha to possess many of the features that define later relatives. They are the ...
representing the ichnofamily Batrachopodidae are described from the
Early Cretaceous
The Early Cretaceous (geochronology, geochronological name) or the Lower Cretaceous (chronostratigraphy, chronostratigraphic name) is the earlier or lower of the two major divisions of the Cretaceous. It is usually considered to stretch from 143.1 ...
(late
Aptian
The Aptian is an age (geology), age in the geologic timescale or a stage (stratigraphy), stage in the stratigraphic column. It is a subdivision of the Early Cretaceous, Early or Lower Cretaceous epoch (geology), Epoch or series (stratigraphy), S ...
Angola
Angola, officially the Republic of Angola, is a country on the west-Central Africa, central coast of Southern Africa. It is the second-largest Portuguese-speaking world, Portuguese-speaking (Lusophone) country in both total area and List of c ...
) by Mateus ''et al.'' (2017), who name a new ichnotaxon '' Angolaichnus adamanticus''.
* A description of a braincase assigned to ''
Macelognathus
''Macelognathus'' is an extinct genus of sphenosuchian crocodylomorph from the Late Jurassic. Originally it was believed be a turtle and later a dinosaur. It lived in what is now Wyoming, in North America.Moodie, R.L. 1908. The relationship of th ...
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...
,
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
) and a study on the phylogenetic relationships of the species is published by Leardi, Pol & Clark (2017).
* A study on the changes in morphological diversity of the skulls of extinct and extant
crocodyliforms
Crocodyliformes is a clade of crurotarsan archosaurs, the group often traditionally referred to as "crocodilians". They are the first members of Crocodylomorpha to possess many of the features that define later relatives. They are the only pseudo ...
through time is published by Wilberg (2017).
* A study on the impact of sea level variations and sea surface temperatures on the evolution of marine
crocodylomorphs
Crocodylomorpha is a group of pseudosuchian archosaurs that includes the crocodilians and their extinct relatives. They were the only members of Pseudosuchia to survive the end-Triassic extinction. Extinct crocodylomorphs were considerably more ...
published by Martin ''et al.'' (2014) is re-evaluated by Jouve ''et al.'' (2017) on the basis of an updated dataset.
* ''
Razanandrongobe
''Razanandrongobe'' (meaning "ancestor f thelarge lizard" in Malagasy language, Malagasy) is a genus of carnivore, carnivorous ziphosuchian crocodyliformes, crocodyliform from the Middle Jurassic of Madagascar. It contains the type (biology) ...
sakalavae'' from the
Middle Jurassic
The Middle Jurassic is the second Epoch (geology), epoch of the Jurassic Period (geology), Period. It lasted from about 174.1 to 161.5 million years ago. Fossils of land-dwelling animals, such as dinosaurs, from the Middle Jurassic are relativel ...
of
Madagascar
Madagascar, officially the Republic of Madagascar, is an island country that includes the island of Madagascar and numerous smaller peripheral islands. Lying off the southeastern coast of Africa, it is the world's List of islands by area, f ...
is interpreted as a member of
Notosuchia
Notosuchia is a clade of primarily Gondwanan mesoeucrocodylian Crocodylomorpha, crocodylomorphs that lived during the Jurassic and Cretaceous. Some phylogeny, phylogenies recover Sebecosuchia as a clade within Notosuchia, others as a sister group ...
by Dal Sasso ''et al.'' (2017).
* A description of the anatomy of the postcranial skeleton of '' Campinasuchus dinizi'' based on five specimens is published by Cotts ''et al.'' (2017).
* A study on the anatomy of the pectoral girdle and forelimb bones of ''
Montealtosuchus
''Montealtosuchus'' is an extinct genus of terrestrial crocodyliform. It was discovered in 2004 in the Bauru Basin of Brazil, from Campanian-Maastrichtian deposits of the Adamantina Formation. The species was described in 2007, and assigned to t ...
arrudacamposi'', as well as its implications for the locomotion habits of the animal, is published by Tavares ''et al.'' (2017).
* Postcranial remains of a
goniopholidid
Goniopholididae is an extinct family of moderate-sized semi-aquatic neosuchian crocodyliformes. Their bodyplan and morphology are convergent on living crocodilians. They lived across Laurasia (Asia, Europe and North America) between the Middle J ...
, interpreted as remains of the second fossil specimen referable to '' Dakotasuchus kingi'', are described from the
Late Cretaceous
The Late Cretaceous (100.5–66 Ma) is the more recent of two epochs into which the Cretaceous Period is divided in the geologic time scale. Rock strata from this epoch form the Upper Cretaceous Series. The Cretaceous is named after ''cre ...
(
Cenomanian
The Cenomanian is, in the International Commission on Stratigraphy's (ICS) geological timescale, the oldest or earliest age (geology), age of the Late Cretaceous epoch (geology), Epoch or the lowest stage (stratigraphy), stage of the Upper Cretace ...
)
Cedar Mountain Formation
The Cedar Mountain Formation is the name given to a distinctive sedimentary geologic formation in eastern Utah, spanning most of the early and mid-Cretaceous. The formation was named for Cedar Mountain (Utah), Cedar Mountain in northern Emery Cou ...
(
Utah
Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northea ...
,
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
) by Frederickson ''et al.'' (2017).
* Virtual
cranial
Standard anatomical terms of location are used to describe unambiguously the anatomy of humans and other animals. The terms, typically derived from Latin or Greek language, Greek roots, describe something in its standard anatomical position. Thi ...
endocast
An endocast is the internal cast of a hollow object, often referring to the cranial vault in the study of brain development in humans and other organisms. Endocasts can be artificially made for examining the properties of a hollow, inaccessible ...
of ''
Pelagosaurus
''Pelagosaurus'' (meaning "lizard of the open sea") is an extinct genus of thalattosuchian crocodyliform that lived during the Toarcian stage of the Lower Jurassic, around 183 Ma to 176 Ma (million years ago), in shallow epicontinental seas t ...
typus'' is reconstructed by Pierce, Williams & Benson (2017).
* A study on the mode of reproduction of metriorhynchids is published by Herrera ''et al.'' (2017).
* New fossils of a member of the
dyrosaurid
Dyrosauridae is a family (biology), family of extinct neosuchian crocodyliforms that lived from the Campanian to the Eocene. Dyrosaurid fossils are globally distributed, having been found in Africa, Asia, Europe, North America and South America. ...
Paleocene
The Paleocene ( ), or Palaeocene, is a geological epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from about 66 to 56 mya (unit), million years ago (mya). It is the first epoch of the Paleogene Period (geology), Period in the modern Cenozoic Era (geology), ...
Maria Farinha Formation (
Brazil
Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
) by Sena ''et al.'' (2017).
* A study on the bone
histology
Histology,
also known as microscopic anatomy or microanatomy, is the branch of biology that studies the microscopic anatomy of biological tissue (biology), tissues. Histology is the microscopic counterpart to gross anatomy, which looks at large ...
in the
femora
The femur (; : femurs or femora ), or thigh bone is the only bone in the thigh — the region of the lower limb between the hip and the knee. In many four-legged animals the femur is the upper bone of the hindleg.
The top of the femur fits in ...
of two specimens attributed to ''
Iberosuchus
''Iberosuchus'' (meaning "Iberian crocodile") is a genus of extinct sebecosuchian mesoeucrocodylian found in Western Europe from the Eocene. Remains from Portugal was described in 1975 by Antunes as a sebecosuchian crocodilian. This genus has on ...
macrodon'' and its implications for the growth rate and
resting metabolic rate
Resting metabolic rate (RMR) refers to whole-body mammal (or other vertebrate) metabolism during a time period of strict and steady ''resting conditions'' that are defined by a combination of assumptions of physiological homeostasis and List of typ ...
in the species is published by Cubo, Köhler & de Buffrenil (2017).
* A specimen of a
neosuchia
Neosuchia is a clade within Mesoeucrocodylia that includes all modern extant crocodilians and their closest fossil relatives. It is defined as the most inclusive clade containing all Crocodylomorpha, crocodylomorphs more closely related to ''Croc ...
n
crocodylomorph
Crocodylomorpha is a group of pseudosuchian archosaurs that includes the crocodilians and their extinct relatives. They were the only members of Pseudosuchia to survive the end-Triassic extinction. Extinct crocodylomorphs were considerably mor ...
(probably a member of the genus ''
Susisuchus
''Susisuchus'' is an extinct genus of neosuchian mesoeucrocodylian crocodyliform from the Early Cretaceous of Brazil. Fossils have been found from the Nova Olinda Member of the Aptian-age Crato Formation in the Araripe and Lima Campos Basins of ...
'') with extensively preserved
epidermis
The epidermis is the outermost of the three layers that comprise the skin, the inner layers being the dermis and Subcutaneous tissue, hypodermis. The epidermal layer provides a barrier to infection from environmental pathogens and regulates the ...
and limb musculature is described from the Lower Cretaceous (
Aptian
The Aptian is an age (geology), age in the geologic timescale or a stage (stratigraphy), stage in the stratigraphic column. It is a subdivision of the Early Cretaceous, Early or Lower Cretaceous epoch (geology), Epoch or series (stratigraphy), S ...
)
Crato Formation
The Crato Formation is a geologic formation (stratigraphy), formation of Early Cretaceous (Aptian) age in northeastern Brazil's Araripe Basin. It is an important Lagerstätten, Lagerstätte (undisturbed fossil accumulation) for palaeontology, pa ...
(
Brazil
Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
) by Field & Martill (2017).
* An isolated
mandible
In jawed vertebrates, the mandible (from the Latin ''mandibula'', 'for chewing'), lower jaw, or jawbone is a bone that makes up the lowerand typically more mobilecomponent of the mouth (the upper jaw being known as the maxilla).
The jawbone i ...
of a neosuchian possibly belonging or related to the family
Hylaeochampsidae
Hylaeochampsidae is an extinct family of basal eusuchian crocodylomorphs thought to be closely related to the order Crocodylia.
Classification
Hylaeochampsidae was first constructed by Charles William Andrews in 1913 to include just one memb ...
is described from the
Middle Jurassic
The Middle Jurassic is the second Epoch (geology), epoch of the Jurassic Period (geology), Period. It lasted from about 174.1 to 161.5 million years ago. Fossils of land-dwelling animals, such as dinosaurs, from the Middle Jurassic are relativel ...
(
Bathonian
In the geologic timescale the Bathonian is an age (geology), age and stage (stratigraphy), stage of the Middle Jurassic. It lasted from approximately 168.2 ±1.2 annum, Ma to around 165.3 ±1.1 Ma (million years ago). The Bathonian Age succeeds ...
)
Duntulm Formation
The Duntulm Formation is a sedimentary Formation (geology), geologic formation deposited in the Inner Hebrides, Scotland. The formation was previously known as the 'Lower Ostrea Beds', and dates to the Bathonian stage of the Middle Jurassic. The ...
(Isle of
Skye
The Isle of Skye, or simply Skye, is the largest and northernmost of the major islands in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. The island's peninsulas radiate from a mountainous hub dominated by the Cuillin, the rocky slopes of which provide some o ...
,
Scotland
Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
,
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
) by Yi ''et al.'' (2017).
* Revision of the fragmentary
eusuchia
Eusuchia is a clade of neosuchian Crocodylomorpha, crocodylomorphs that first appeared in the Early Cretaceous, which includes modern Crocodilia, crocodilians. Along with Dyrosauridae and Sebecosuchia, they were the only crocodyliformes who survi ...
n fossils from the
Late Cretaceous
The Late Cretaceous (100.5–66 Ma) is the more recent of two epochs into which the Cretaceous Period is divided in the geologic time scale. Rock strata from this epoch form the Upper Cretaceous Series. The Cretaceous is named after ''cre ...
of Western Europe, previously attributed to members of the species ''
Allodaposuchus
''Allodaposuchus'' is an extinct genus of crocodyliforms that lived in what is now southern Europe during the Campanian and Maastrichtian stages, and possibly the Santonian stage, of the Late Cretaceous. Although generally classified as a non-cro ...
precedens'', is published by Narváez ''et al.'' (2017).
* A study of the bone
histology
Histology,
also known as microscopic anatomy or microanatomy, is the branch of biology that studies the microscopic anatomy of biological tissue (biology), tissues. Histology is the microscopic counterpart to gross anatomy, which looks at large ...
of a
humerus
The humerus (; : humeri) is a long bone in the arm that runs from the shoulder to the elbow. It connects the scapula and the two bones of the lower arm, the radius (bone), radius and ulna, and consists of three sections. The humeral upper extrem ...
of a
eusuchia
Eusuchia is a clade of neosuchian Crocodylomorpha, crocodylomorphs that first appeared in the Early Cretaceous, which includes modern Crocodilia, crocodilians. Along with Dyrosauridae and Sebecosuchia, they were the only crocodyliformes who survi ...
n
crocodyliform
Crocodyliformes is a clade of Crurotarsi, crurotarsan archosaurs, the group often traditionally referred to as "crocodilians". They are the first members of Crocodylomorpha to possess many of the features that define later relatives. They are the ...
(possibly a member of the genus ''
Acynodon
''Acynodon'' is an extinct genus of eusuchian crocodylomorph from the Late Cretaceous, with fossils found throughout Southern Europe.
Classification
The genus ''Acynodon'' contains three species: ''A. iberoccitanus'', ''A. adriaticus'', and ''A. ...
'') from the Late Cretaceous (
Campanian
The Campanian is the fifth of six ages of the Late Cretaceous epoch on the geologic timescale of the International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS). In chronostratigraphy, it is the fifth of six stages in the Upper Cretaceous Series. Campa ...
) Laño quarry (northern
Spain
Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
) and its implications for the skeletal growth pattern of the animal is published by Company & Pereda-Suberbiola (2017).
* A study comparing skull shape and inferring dietary preferences of crocodylians known from the Eocene Geiseltal-Fossillagerstätte (
Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
), representing genera ''
Diplocynodon
''Diplocynodon'' is an extinct genus of eusuchian, either an alligatoroid crocodilian or a stem-group crocodilian, that lived during the Paleocene to Middle Miocene in Europe. Some species may have reached lengths of , while others probably did ...
'', ''
Asiatosuchus
''Asiatosuchus'' is an extinct genus of crocodyloid crocodilians that lived in Eurasia during the Paleogene. Many Paleogene crocodilians from Europe and Asia have been attributed to ''Asiatosuchus'' since the genus was named in 1940. These speci ...
'', ''
Boverisuchus
''Boverisuchus'' is an extinct genus of planocraniid crocodyliforms known from the early to middle Eocene (Ypresian to Lutetian stages) of Germany and western North America. It was a relatively small crocodyliform with an estimated total length ...
'' and ''
Allognathosuchus
''Allognathosuchus'' (meaning "other jaw crocodile") is an extinct genus of alligatorine crocodylian with a complicated taxonomic history. It was named in 1921.
Description
''Allognathosuchus'' was a medium-sized predator up to 1.5 m in length. ...
'', is published by Hastings & Hellmund (2017).
* A study on the anatomy of the braincase of ''
Gryposuchus
''Gryposuchus'' is an extinct genus of gavialid crocodilian. Fossils have been found from Argentina, Colombia, Venezuela, Brazil and the Peruvian Amazon. The genus existed during the Miocene epoch (Colhuehuapian to Huayquerian). One recently d ...
neogaeus'' is published by Bona, Carabajal & Gasparini (2017).
* A revision of the fossil material attributed to the
Miocene
The Miocene ( ) is the first epoch (geology), geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and mea ...
caiman
A caiman ( (also spelled cayman) from Taíno language, Taíno ''kaiman'') is an alligatorid belonging to the subfamily Caimaninae, one of two primary lineages within the Alligatoridae family (biology), family, the other being alligators. ...
species '' Melanosuchus fisheri'' is published by Bona ''et al.'' (2017).
* New fossils of ''
Baru
''Baru'', sometimes referred to as the cleaver-headed crocodile, is an extinct genus of Australian mekosuchine crocodilian. Its fossils have been found from various Late Oligocene and Miocene localities from across the Northern Territory and Que ...
wickeni'' and ''Baru darrowi'' are described from the
Oligocene
The Oligocene ( ) is a geologic epoch (geology), epoch of the Paleogene Geologic time scale, Period that extends from about 33.9 million to 23 million years before the present ( to ). As with other older geologic periods, the rock beds that defin ...
and
Miocene
The Miocene ( ) is the first epoch (geology), geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and mea ...
of
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
by Yates (2017).
* A study on the evolution of locomotion of mekosuchines based on
pectoral
Pectoral may refer to:
* The chest region and anything relating to it.
* Pectoral cross, a cross worn on the chest
* a decorative, usually jeweled version of a gorget
* Pectoral (Ancient Egypt), a type of jewelry worn in ancient Egypt
* Pectora ...
and
pelvic girdles
The pelvis (: pelves or pelvises) is the lower part of an anatomical trunk, between the abdomen and the thighs (sometimes also called pelvic region), together with its embedded skeleton (sometimes also called bony pelvis or pelvic skeleton).
...
of mekosuchines recovered from the
Eocene
The Eocene ( ) is a geological epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from about 56 to 33.9 million years ago (Ma). It is the second epoch of the Paleogene Period (geology), Period in the modern Cenozoic Era (geology), Era. The name ''Eocene'' comes ...
to
Miocene
The Miocene ( ) is the first epoch (geology), geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and mea ...
sites in
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
is published by Stein ''et al.'' (2017).
* A review of the taxonomic diversity of the crocodiles from the early
Pliocene
The Pliocene ( ; also Pleiocene) is the epoch (geology), epoch in the geologic time scale that extends from 5.33 to 2.58Kanapoi
Kanapoi is a paleontological site in the Kenyan Rift Valley, to the southwest of Lake Turkana. Fossils were first found at Kanapoi in the 1960s by a Harvard expedition, and later by expeditions from the National Museums of Kenya.
Fossils at Kanapo ...
(
Kenya
Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...
) is published online by Brochu (2017).
New taxa
Non-avian dinosaurs
Research
* Studies on the phylogenetic relationships of the
dinosaur
Dinosaurs are a diverse group of reptiles of the clade Dinosauria. They first appeared during the Triassic Geological period, period, between 243 and 233.23 million years ago (mya), although the exact origin and timing of the #Evolutio ...
s are published by Baron,
Norman
Norman or Normans may refer to:
Ethnic and cultural identity
* The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 9th and 10th centuries
** People or things connected with the Norma ...
& Barrett (2017) and Parry, Baron & Vinther (2017), recovering sister-group relationship between
Ornithischia
Ornithischia () is an extinct clade of mainly herbivorous dinosaurs characterized by a pelvic structure superficially similar to that of birds. The name ''Ornithischia'', or "bird-hipped", reflects this similarity and is derived from the Greek ...
; the study of Baron, Norman & Barrett (2017) is subsequently reexamined by Langer ''et al.'' (2017).
* An investigation into common approaches used to identify
sexual dimorphism
Sexual dimorphism is the condition where sexes of the same species exhibit different Morphology (biology), morphological characteristics, including characteristics not directly involved in reproduction. The condition occurs in most dioecy, di ...
in the fossil record is published by Mallon (2017), who argues that the available evidence precludes the detection of sexual dimorphism in non-avian dinosaurs.
* A study on the possible reasons why sexual dimorphism is rarely detected in non-avian dinosaurs, indicated by body-size data from the American alligator and the
greater rhea
The greater rhea (''Rhea americana'') is a species of flightless bird native to eastern South America. Other names for the greater rhea include the grey, common, or American rhea; ema (Portuguese (language), Portuguese); or ñandú (Guaraní lang ...
, is published by Hone & Mallon (2017).
* A study on the impact of large herbivorous dinosaurs on global
nutrient
A nutrient is a substance used by an organism to survive, grow and reproduce. The requirement for dietary nutrient intake applies to animals, plants, fungi and protists. Nutrients can be incorporated into cells for metabolic purposes or excret ...
availability in the
Cretaceous
The Cretaceous ( ) is a geological period that lasted from about 143.1 to 66 mya (unit), million years ago (Mya). It is the third and final period of the Mesozoic Era (geology), Era, as well as the longest. At around 77.1 million years, it is the ...
as indicated by remnant plant material (
coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other Chemical element, elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen.
Coal i ...
deposits) is published by Doughty (2017).
* A study on changes in morphological and biomechanical diversity of the
mandible
In jawed vertebrates, the mandible (from the Latin ''mandibula'', 'for chewing'), lower jaw, or jawbone is a bone that makes up the lowerand typically more mobilecomponent of the mouth (the upper jaw being known as the maxilla).
The jawbone i ...
s of herbivorous dinosaurs through time, as well as its implications for the relationship between jaw shape, function, and ecological evolutionary drivers in the evolution of herbivorous dinosaurs, is published by MacLaren ''et al.'' (2017).
* A study on the anatomical diversity of the
jugal bone
The jugal is a skull bone found in most reptiles, amphibians and birds. In mammals, the jugal is often called the malar or zygomatic bone, zygomatic. It is connected to the quadratojugal and maxilla, as well as other bones, which may vary by spe ...
in dinosaurs and its evolution is published by Sullivan & Xu (2017).
* A study on a diverse dinosaur ichnofauna from the Lower Cretaceous
Broome Sandstone
The Broome Sandstone, formerly known as the Broome Beds, is an Early Cretaceous geologic formation found in Western Australia, and formerly considered part of Dampier Group. Fossil sauropod tracks, belonging to an unknown ichnotaxon, and steg ...
(
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
), including descriptions of six new
ichnospecies
An ichnotaxon (plural ichnotaxa) is "a taxon based on the fossilized work of an organism", i.e. the non-human equivalent of an artifact. ''Ichnotaxon'' comes from the Ancient Greek (''íchnos'') meaning "track" and English , itself derived from ...
, is published by Salisbury ''et al.'' (2017).
*
Theropod
Theropoda (; from ancient Greek , (''therion'') "wild beast"; , (''pous, podos'') "foot"">wiktionary:ποδός"> (''pous, podos'') "foot" is one of the three major groups (clades) of dinosaurs, alongside Ornithischia and Sauropodom ...
tracks and potential heterodontosaurid tracks are described from the
Lower Jurassic
The Early Jurassic Epoch (in chronostratigraphy corresponding to the Lower Jurassic Series) is the earliest of three epochs of the Jurassic Period. The Early Jurassic starts immediately after the Triassic–Jurassic extinction event, 201.3 Ma&nb ...
Elliot Formation
The Elliot Formation is a geological formation and forms part of the Stormberg Group, the uppermost geological group that comprises the greater Karoo Supergroup. Outcrops of the Elliot Formation have been found in the northern Eastern Cape, so ...
(
Lesotho
Lesotho, formally the Kingdom of Lesotho and formerly known as Basutoland, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Entirely surrounded by South Africa, it is the largest of only three sovereign enclave and exclave, enclaves in the world, t ...
) by Abrahams ''et al.'' (2017).
* Dinosaur footprints are reported from the
Cretaceous
The Cretaceous ( ) is a geological period that lasted from about 143.1 to 66 mya (unit), million years ago (Mya). It is the third and final period of the Mesozoic Era (geology), Era, as well as the longest. At around 77.1 million years, it is the ...
Gabon
Gabon ( ; ), officially the Gabonese Republic (), is a country on the Atlantic coast of Central Africa, on the equator, bordered by Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, Cameroon to the north, the Republic of the Congo to the east and south, and ...
) by M'Voubou, Moussavou & Ligna (2017).
* Dinosaur trackways are reported from the
Cretaceous
The Cretaceous ( ) is a geological period that lasted from about 143.1 to 66 mya (unit), million years ago (Mya). It is the third and final period of the Mesozoic Era (geology), Era, as well as the longest. At around 77.1 million years, it is the ...
(probably
Cenomanian
The Cenomanian is, in the International Commission on Stratigraphy's (ICS) geological timescale, the oldest or earliest age (geology), age of the Late Cretaceous epoch (geology), Epoch or the lowest stage (stratigraphy), stage of the Upper Cretace ...
-
Turonian
The Turonian is, in the International Commission on Stratigraphy, ICS' geologic timescale, the second age (geology), age in the Late Cretaceous epoch (geology), Epoch, or a stage (stratigraphy), stage in the Upper Cretaceous series (stratigraphy), ...
) Mamfe Basin (
Cameroon
Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon, is a country in Central Africa. It shares boundaries with Nigeria to the west and north, Chad to the northeast, the Central African Republic to the east, and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the R ...
) by Martin ''et al.'' (2017).
* A re-evaluation of the purported Triassic dinosaur fossils from
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...
discovered prior to the description of ''
Silesaurus
''Silesaurus'' is a genus of silesaurid dinosauriform from the Late Triassic, of what is now Poland.
Discovery and naming
The Krasiejów claypit near Opole, Poland, was first discovered as a fossil locality in the 1980s after quarrying for ...
opolensis'' is published by Skawiński ''et al.'' (2017), who interpret ''
Velocipes
''Velocipes'' (meaning "quick foot") is a saurischian dinosaur genus from the Late Triassic that may have been a theropod; its fossils were found in the Norian-age Lissauer Breccia of southern Poland.theropod
Theropoda (; from ancient Greek , (''therion'') "wild beast"; , (''pous, podos'') "foot"">wiktionary:ποδός"> (''pous, podos'') "foot" is one of the three major groups (clades) of dinosaurs, alongside Ornithischia and Sauropodom ...
dinosaur.
* A study evaluating whether reported set of unique
collagen
Collagen () is the main structural protein in the extracellular matrix of the connective tissues of many animals. It is the most abundant protein in mammals, making up 25% to 35% of protein content. Amino acids are bound together to form a trip ...
peptide
Peptides are short chains of amino acids linked by peptide bonds. A polypeptide is a longer, continuous, unbranched peptide chain. Polypeptides that have a molecular mass of 10,000 Da or more are called proteins. Chains of fewer than twenty am ...
s of ''
Tyrannosaurus
''Tyrannosaurus'' () is a genus of large theropod dinosaur. The type species ''Tyrannosaurus rex'' ( meaning 'king' in Latin), often shortened to ''T. rex'' or colloquially t-rex, is one of the best represented theropods. It lived througho ...
rex'' and ''
Brachylophosaurus
''Brachylophosaurus'' ( or ) is a genus of hadrosaurid dinosaur that lived during the Late Cretaceous period of western North America. It was first named in 1953 by Charles Mortram Sternberg for a skull and skeleton he discovered in 1936 in th ...
canadensis'' could reflect cross-sample contamination from the modern reference material used is published by Buckley ''et al.'' (2017).
* A study on the relationship between step width and speed (stride length) in
Late Triassic
The Late Triassic is the third and final epoch (geology), epoch of the Triassic geologic time scale, Period in the geologic time scale, spanning the time between annum, Ma and Ma (million years ago). It is preceded by the Middle Triassic Epoch a ...
theropod trackways, its implications for non-avian theropod locomotion and for how it compared to bird and human locomotion is published by Bishop ''et al.'' (2017).
* A description and a study on the phylogenetic affinities of the
theropod
Theropoda (; from ancient Greek , (''therion'') "wild beast"; , (''pous, podos'') "foot"">wiktionary:ποδός"> (''pous, podos'') "foot" is one of the three major groups (clades) of dinosaurs, alongside Ornithischia and Sauropodom ...
fossils recovered from the
Early Cretaceous
The Early Cretaceous (geochronology, geochronological name) or the Lower Cretaceous (chronostratigraphy, chronostratigraphic name) is the earlier or lower of the two major divisions of the Cretaceous. It is usually considered to stretch from 143.1 ...
(
Berriasian
In the geological timescale, the Berriasian is an age/ stage of the Early/Lower Cretaceous. It is the oldest subdivision in the entire Cretaceous. It has been taken to span the time between 143.1 ±0.6 Ma and 137.05 ± 0.2 (million years ago) ...
–
Valanginian
In the geologic timescale, the Valanginian is an age or stage of the Early or Lower Cretaceous. It spans between 137.05 ± 0.2 Ma and 132.6 ± 0.2 Ma (million years ago). The Valanginian Stage succeeds the Berriasian Stage of the Lower Cretac ...
Argentina
Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...
) is published by Canale ''et al.'' (2017).
* Tracks of a giant theropod dinosaur are described from the
Late Jurassic
The Late Jurassic is the third Epoch (geology), epoch of the Jurassic Period, and it spans the geologic time scale, geologic time from 161.5 ± 1.0 to 143.1 ± 0.8 million years ago (Ma), which is preserved in Upper Jurassic stratum, strata.Owen ...
(
Kimmeridgian
In the geologic timescale, the Kimmeridgian is an age in the Late Jurassic Epoch and a stage in the Upper Jurassic Series. It spans the time between 154.8 ±0.8 Ma and 149.2 ±0.7 Ma (million years ago). The Kimmeridgian follows the Oxfordian ...
)
Reuchenette Formation
The Reuchenette Formation is a Jurassic geologic formation in Switzerland. It is Kimmeridgian in age and predominantly consists of well stratified limestone, with lithology variable both laterally and stratigraphically including wackestones, pac ...
(
Switzerland
Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...
) by Marty ''et al.'' (2017), who name a new
ichnotaxon
An ichnotaxon (plural ichnotaxa) is "a taxon based on the fossilized work of an organism", i.e. the non-human equivalent of an artifact. ''Ichnotaxon'' comes from the Ancient Greek (''íchnos'') meaning "track" and English , itself derived from ...
'' Jurabrontes curtedulensis''.
* Tracks of a large theropod dinosaur are described from the
Late Jurassic
The Late Jurassic is the third Epoch (geology), epoch of the Jurassic Period, and it spans the geologic time scale, geologic time from 161.5 ± 1.0 to 143.1 ± 0.8 million years ago (Ma), which is preserved in Upper Jurassic stratum, strata.Owen ...
(
Kimmeridgian
In the geologic timescale, the Kimmeridgian is an age in the Late Jurassic Epoch and a stage in the Upper Jurassic Series. It spans the time between 154.8 ±0.8 Ma and 149.2 ±0.7 Ma (million years ago). The Kimmeridgian follows the Oxfordian ...
)
Reuchenette Formation
The Reuchenette Formation is a Jurassic geologic formation in Switzerland. It is Kimmeridgian in age and predominantly consists of well stratified limestone, with lithology variable both laterally and stratigraphically including wackestones, pac ...
(
Switzerland
Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...
) by Razzolini ''et al.'' (2017), who name a new ichnotaxon ''
Megalosauripus
''Megalosauripus'' is an ichnogenus that has been attributed to dinosaurs. The first ever appearance of this ichnospecies is 201 - 197 million years ago during the Early Jurassic period. The last recorded appearance was 156 - 151 million years ag ...
transjuranicus''.
* Tracks produced by large theropod dinosaurs (estimated body length >8–9 meters) are described from the
Lower Jurassic
The Early Jurassic Epoch (in chronostratigraphy corresponding to the Lower Jurassic Series) is the earliest of three epochs of the Jurassic Period. The Early Jurassic starts immediately after the Triassic–Jurassic extinction event, 201.3 Ma&nb ...
upper
Elliot Formation
The Elliot Formation is a geological formation and forms part of the Stormberg Group, the uppermost geological group that comprises the greater Karoo Supergroup. Outcrops of the Elliot Formation have been found in the northern Eastern Cape, so ...
(
Lesotho
Lesotho, formally the Kingdom of Lesotho and formerly known as Basutoland, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Entirely surrounded by South Africa, it is the largest of only three sovereign enclave and exclave, enclaves in the world, t ...
) by Sciscio ''et al.'' (2017), who name a new ichnotaxon '' Kayentapus ambrokholohali''.
* Description of large dinosaur tracks (previously interpreted as
ornithopod
Ornithopoda () is a clade of ornithischian dinosaurs, called ornithopods (). They represent one of the most successful groups of herbivorous dinosaurs during the Cretaceous. The most primitive members of the group were bipedal and relatively sm ...
tracks) from the
Cretaceous
The Cretaceous ( ) is a geological period that lasted from about 143.1 to 66 mya (unit), million years ago (Mya). It is the third and final period of the Mesozoic Era (geology), Era, as well as the longest. At around 77.1 million years, it is the ...
(
Campanian
The Campanian is the fifth of six ages of the Late Cretaceous epoch on the geologic timescale of the International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS). In chronostratigraphy, it is the fifth of six stages in the Upper Cretaceous Series. Campa ...
)
Cerro del Pueblo Formation
The Cerro del Pueblo Formation is a geological Formation (geology), formation in Saltillo, capital city of the state of Coahuila, Mexico, whose strata date back to the latest Campanian of the Late Cretaceous, just before the Campanian-Maastric ...
(
Coahuila
Coahuila, formally Coahuila de Zaragoza, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Coahuila de Zaragoza, is one of the 31 states of Mexico. The largest city and State Capital is the city of Saltillo; the second largest is Torreón and the thi ...
,
Mexico
Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...
) is published by Rivera-Sylva ''et al.'' (2017), who reinterpret the tracks as produced by
tetanuran
Tetanurae (/ˌtɛtəˈnjuːriː/ or "stiff tails") is a clade that includes most theropod dinosaurs, including megalosauroids, allosauroids, and coelurosaurs (which includes tyrannosauroids, ornithomimosaurs, compsognathids and maniraptoran ...
(possibly
tyrannosaurid
Tyrannosauridae (or tyrannosaurids, meaning "tyrant lizards") is a family of coelurosaurian theropod dinosaurs that comprises two subfamilies containing up to fifteen genera, including the eponymous ''Tyrannosaurus''. The exact number of genera ...
) theropods, and consider the tracks to be likely evidence of a gregarious behaviour of the trackmakers.
* A study on the diversity and phylogenetic relationships of the
Late Jurassic
The Late Jurassic is the third Epoch (geology), epoch of the Jurassic Period, and it spans the geologic time scale, geologic time from 161.5 ± 1.0 to 143.1 ± 0.8 million years ago (Ma), which is preserved in Upper Jurassic stratum, strata.Owen ...
theropod dinosaurs known from the isolated teeth recovered from the Lusitanian Basin (
Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...
) is published by Malafaia ''et al.'' (2017).
* A study on the relations between the tooth size, shape and position on the skull and
mandible
In jawed vertebrates, the mandible (from the Latin ''mandibula'', 'for chewing'), lower jaw, or jawbone is a bone that makes up the lowerand typically more mobilecomponent of the mouth (the upper jaw being known as the maxilla).
The jawbone i ...
and the bite force of theropod dinosaurs is published by Monfroy (2017).
* Small bird-like theropod tracks assigned to the
ichnogenus
An ichnotaxon (plural ichnotaxa) is "a taxon based on the fossilized work of an organism", i.e. the non-human equivalent of an artifact. ''Ichnotaxon'' comes from the Ancient Greek (''íchnos'') meaning "track" and English , itself derived from ...
Middle Jurassic
The Middle Jurassic is the second Epoch (geology), epoch of the Jurassic Period (geology), Period. It lasted from about 174.1 to 161.5 million years ago. Fossils of land-dwelling animals, such as dinosaurs, from the Middle Jurassic are relativel ...
(
Bajocian
In the geologic timescale, the Bajocian is an age and stage in the Middle Jurassic. It lasted from approximately 170.9 ±0.8 Ma to around 168.2 ±1.2 Ma (million years ago). The Bajocian Age succeeds the Aalenian Age and precedes the Bathonia ...
-
Bathonian
In the geologic timescale the Bathonian is an age (geology), age and stage (stratigraphy), stage of the Middle Jurassic. It lasted from approximately 168.2 ±1.2 annum, Ma to around 165.3 ±1.1 Ma (million years ago). The Bathonian Age succeeds ...
Morocco
Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to Algeria–Morocc ...
) by Gierliński ''et al.'' (2017), who interpret ''Trisauropodiscus'' as an ichnotaxon distinct from ''
Anomoepus
''Anomoepus'' is the name assigned to several fossil footprints first reported from Early Jurassic beds of the Connecticut River Valley, Massachusetts, US in 1802.
All four feet have left impressions. The smaller forefeet have five toes, where ...
'' and as a possible predecessor of '' Carmelopodus'' and ornithomimipodid morphotypes.
* A fragmentary theropod egg is described from the
Lower Cretaceous
Lower may refer to:
* ''Lower'' (album), 2025 album by Benjamin Booker
* Lower (surname)
* Lower Township, New Jersey
*Lower Receiver (firearms)
* Lower Wick Gloucestershire, England
See also
* Nizhny
{{Disambiguation ...
Ilek Formation
The Ilek Formation is a Lower Cretaceous geologic Formation (geology), formation in Western Siberia. Many different fossils have been recovered from the formation. It overlies the Late Jurassic Tyazhin Formation and underlies the Albian Kiya Form ...
(
Kemerovo Oblast
Kemerovo Oblast (, ), also known as Kuzbass (, ), after the Kuznetsk Basin, is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Kemerovo is the administrative center and largest city of the oblast. Kemerovo Oblast is one of Rus ...
,
Russia
Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
) by Skutschas ''et al.'' (2017), who name a new ootaxon ''
Prismatoolithus
''Prismatoolithus'' is an oogenus of dinosaur egg from the Cretaceous (Hauterivian-Maastrichtian
The Maastrichtian ( ) is, in the International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS) geologic timescale, the latest age (geology), age (uppermost stag ...
ilekensis''.
* A study on the
ontogenetic
Ontogeny (also ontogenesis) is the origination and development of an organism (both physical and psychological, e.g., moral development), usually from the time of fertilization of the egg to adult. The term can also be used to refer to the stu ...
changes in the skeleton of ''
Limusaurus
''Limusaurus'' is a genus of theropod dinosaur that lived in what is now China during the Late Jurassic, around 161 to 157 million years ago. The type and only species ''Limusaurus inextricabilis'' was described in 2009 from specimens ...
inextricabilis'' as indicated by the anatomy of the skeletons of 19 specimens representing six ontogenetic stages is published by Wang ''et al.'' (2017).
* New description of the
morphology
Morphology, from the Greek and meaning "study of shape", may refer to:
Disciplines
*Morphology (archaeology), study of the shapes or forms of artifacts
*Morphology (astronomy), study of the shape of astronomical objects such as nebulae, galaxies, ...
of '' Pycnonemosaurus nevesi'' and a study of the phylogenetic relationships of the species is published by Delcourt (2017).
* Detailed maps of the musculature of the forelimbs of ''
Majungasaurus
''Majungasaurus'' (; ) is a genus of abelisaurid theropod dinosaur that lived in Madagascar from 70 to 66 million years ago, at the end of the Cretaceous Period, making it one of the last-known non-avian dinosaurs that went extinct during th ...
crenatissimus'' are created by Burch (2017).
* A review of taxonomy and revised definitions of members of the family
Spinosauridae
Spinosauridae (or spinosaurids) is a clade or Family (taxonomy), family of tetanuran theropod dinosaurs comprising ten to seventeen known genera. Spinosaurid fossils have been recovered worldwide, including Africa, Europe, South America, and Asia. ...
, as well as a study on their ecology and behaviour is published by Hone &
Holtz Holtz is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Alexander Holtz (born 2002), Swedish ice hockey player
* Andrew Holtz, American journalist
* Carl Holtz (1920–2006), American rower and farmer
* Eric Holtz (born 1965), American b ...
(2017).
* A partial
spinosaurid
Spinosauridae (or spinosaurids) is a clade or Family (taxonomy), family of tetanuran theropod dinosaurs comprising ten to seventeen known genera. Spinosaurid fossils have been recovered worldwide, including Africa, Europe, South America, and Asia. ...
tooth is described from the Early Cretaceous (Berriasian–Valanginian) Feliz Deserto Formation (
Brazil
Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
) by Sales ''et al.'' (2017), representing the oldest known occurrence of a spinosaurid from South America so far.
* A reappraisal of spinosaurid skull materials from Brazil is published by Sales & Schultz (2017), who interpret the
holotype
A holotype (Latin: ''holotypus'') is a single physical example (or illustration) of an organism used when the species (or lower-ranked taxon) was formally described. It is either the single such physical example (or illustration) or one of s ...
specimens of ''
Irritator
''Irritator'' is a genus of Spinosauridae, spinosaurid dinosaur that lived in what is now Brazil during the Albian Geological stage, stage of the Early Cretaceous Geological period, Period, about 113 to 110 million years ago. It is known from ...
challengeri'' and '' Angaturama limai'' as fossils of different individuals.
* Description of a series of tail vertebrae of ''
Allosaurus
''Allosaurus'' ( ) is an extinct genus of theropod dinosaur that lived 155 to 145 million years ago during the Late Jurassic period ( Kimmeridgian to late Tithonian ages). The first fossil remains that could definitively be ascribed to th ...
fragilis'', preserving
sulci
Sulci or Sulki (in Greek , Stephanus of Byzantium, Steph. B., Ptolemy, Ptol.; , Strabo; , Pausanias (geographer), Paus.), was one of the most considerable cities of ancient Sardinia, situated in the southwest corner of the island, on a small isla ...
interpreted as origin attachment sites of the
caudofemoralis The caudofemoralis (from the Latin ''cauda'', tail and ''femur'', thighbone) is a muscle found in the pelvic limb of mostly all animals possessing a tail. It is thus found in nearly all tetrapods.
Location
The caudofemoralis spans plesiomorphica ...
longus muscle, is published by Cau & Serventi (2017).
* A study on the skull
morphology
Morphology, from the Greek and meaning "study of shape", may refer to:
Disciplines
*Morphology (archaeology), study of the shapes or forms of artifacts
*Morphology (astronomy), study of the shape of astronomical objects such as nebulae, galaxies, ...
of ''
Neovenator
''Neovenator'' ( nˈiːə͡ʊvˌɛne͡ɪtə; "new hunter") is a genus of carcharodontosaurian theropod dinosaur. It is known primarily from several skeletons found in the Early Cretaceous (Hauterivian-Barremian) Wessex Formation on the south co ...
salerii'', indicating presence of a complex network of large,
anastomosing
An anastomosis (, : anastomoses) is a connection or opening between two things (especially cavities or passages) that are normally diverging or branching, such as between blood vessels, leaf veins, or streams. Such a connection may be normal (suc ...
canals in the
premaxilla
The premaxilla (or praemaxilla) is one of a pair of small cranial bones at the very tip of the upper jaw of many animals, usually, but not always, bearing teeth. In humans, they are fused with the maxilla. The "premaxilla" of therian mammals h ...
and
maxilla
In vertebrates, the maxilla (: maxillae ) is the upper fixed (not fixed in Neopterygii) bone of the jaw formed from the fusion of two maxillary bones. In humans, the upper jaw includes the hard palate in the front of the mouth. The two maxil ...
(interpreted as part of the neurovascular system), is published by Barker ''et al.'' (2017).
* A description of the braincase anatomy of ''
Murusraptor
''Murusraptor'' ("wall thief") is a genus of carnivorous megaraptoran theropod dinosaur from the Sierra Barrosa Formation, part of the Neuquén Group of Patagonia, in Argentina, South America. It is known from a single specimen that consists of ...
barrosaensis'' is published by Paulina-Carabajal &
Currie
Currie is a village and suburb on the outskirts of Edinburgh, Scotland, situated south west of the city centre. Formerly within the County of Midlothian, it now falls within the jurisdiction of the City of Edinburgh Council. It is situated be ...
(2017).
* A study on the integumentary structures of ''
Sinosauropteryx
''Sinosauropteryx'' (meaning "Chinese reptilian wing") is an extinct genus of coelurosaurian theropod dinosaurs. Described in 1996, it was the first dinosaur taxon outside of Avialae (birds and their immediate relatives) to be found with eviden ...
'', rejecting their interpretation as degraded collagen fibres, is published by Smithwick ''et al.'' (2017).
* Smithwick ''et al.'' (2017) reconstruct the color patterns of ''Sinosauropteryx'', presenting evidence of presence of
countershading
Countershading, or Thayer's law, is a method of camouflage in which animal coloration, an animal's coloration is darker on the top or upper side and lighter on the underside of the body. This pattern is found in many species of mammals, reptile ...
and a stripe across the eye in this theropod.
* Partial
metatarsus
The metatarsal bones or metatarsus (: metatarsi) are a group of five long bones in the midfoot, located between the tarsal bones (which form the heel and the ankle) and the phalanges ( toes). Lacking individual names, the metatarsal bones are ...
of a non-
tyrannosaurid
Tyrannosauridae (or tyrannosaurids, meaning "tyrant lizards") is a family of coelurosaurian theropod dinosaurs that comprises two subfamilies containing up to fifteen genera, including the eponymous ''Tyrannosaurus''. The exact number of genera ...
tyrannosauroid
Tyrannosauroidea (meaning 'tyrant lizard forms') is a superfamily (or clade) of coelurosaurian theropod dinosaurs that includes the family Tyrannosauridae as well as more basal relatives. Tyrannosauroids lived on the Laurasian supercontinen ...
theropod distinct from ''
Appalachiosaurus
''Appalachiosaurus'' ( ; "Appalachian lizard") is a genus of tyrannosaurian theropod dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous period of what is now eastern North America. It was a basal member of the Eutyrannosauria clade meaning it was rather close i ...
montgomeriensis'' and ''
Dryptosaurus
''Dryptosaurus'' ( ) is a genus of eutyrannosaurian theropod dinosaur that lived on the island continent of Appalachia approximately 67-66 million years ago during the end of the Maastrichtian age of the Late Cretaceous period. ''Dryptosaurus'' ...
aquilunguis'' is described from the
Upper Cretaceous
The Late Cretaceous (100.5–66 Ma) is the more recent of two epochs into which the Cretaceous Period is divided in the geologic time scale. Rock strata from this epoch form the Upper Cretaceous Series. The Cretaceous is named after ''cret ...
(
Campanian
The Campanian is the fifth of six ages of the Late Cretaceous epoch on the geologic timescale of the International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS). In chronostratigraphy, it is the fifth of six stages in the Upper Cretaceous Series. Campa ...
)
Merchantville Formation
The Merchantville Formation is a geological formation in the northeastern United States whose strata date back to the Late Cretaceous, around the time of the Santonian and Campanian age. Dinosaur remains are among the fossils that have been reco ...
(
Delaware
Delaware ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic and South Atlantic states, South Atlantic regions of the United States. It borders Maryland to its south and west, Pennsylvania to its north, New Jersey ...
,
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
) by Brownstein (2017) and Dalman, Jasinski & Lucas (2017).
* A description of the preserved fossil integument of
tyrannosaurid
Tyrannosauridae (or tyrannosaurids, meaning "tyrant lizards") is a family of coelurosaurian theropod dinosaurs that comprises two subfamilies containing up to fifteen genera, including the eponymous ''Tyrannosaurus''. The exact number of genera ...
theropods, confirming presence of scaly skin, is published by Bell ''et al.'' (2017).
* A study on the lateral grooves in the dentaries of albertosaurine tyrannosaurids is published by Rothschild & Naples (2017), who interpret the grooves as indicating that albertosaurines had a sensory organ analogous to the
lateral line
The lateral line, also called the lateral line organ (LLO), is a system of sensory organs found in fish, used to detect movement, vibration, and pressure gradients in the surrounding water. The sensory ability is achieved via modified epithelia ...
of fish, which might have helped in determining the direction of the wind (and thus determining the origin of a detected smells).
* A study on the feeding behaviour of ''
Tyrannosaurus
''Tyrannosaurus'' () is a genus of large theropod dinosaur. The type species ''Tyrannosaurus rex'' ( meaning 'king' in Latin), often shortened to ''T. rex'' or colloquially t-rex, is one of the best represented theropods. It lived througho ...
rex'' and the factors that enabled members of this species to pulverize bones before eating them is published by Gignac & Erickson (2017).
* A study on the running abilities of ''Tyrannosaurus rex'' is published by Sellers ''et al.'' (2017).
* A description of
Early Cretaceous
The Early Cretaceous (geochronology, geochronological name) or the Lower Cretaceous (chronostratigraphy, chronostratigraphic name) is the earlier or lower of the two major divisions of the Cretaceous. It is usually considered to stretch from 143.1 ...
Maryland
Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...
,
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
) is published by Brownstein (2017), who also reinterprets '' Nedcolbertia justinhofmanni'' as a basal member of Ornithomimosauria; the author's interpretation of the fossils as indicative of the presence of two ornithomimosaur taxa in the Arundel is subsequently criticized by McFeeters, Ryan & Cullen (2018).
* Fossils of an ornithomimosaur considered to be a member of the genus ''
Qiupalong
''Qiupalong'' (IPA: International Phonetic Alphabet, ; ) is an extinct genus of ornithomimosaurian theropod that was discovered in the Late Cretaceous Qiupa Formation of Henan, China. The genus contains a single species, ''Q. henanensis'', the s ...
'' of uncertain specific assignment are described from the
Late Cretaceous
The Late Cretaceous (100.5–66 Ma) is the more recent of two epochs into which the Cretaceous Period is divided in the geologic time scale. Rock strata from this epoch form the Upper Cretaceous Series. The Cretaceous is named after ''cre ...
(
Campanian
The Campanian is the fifth of six ages of the Late Cretaceous epoch on the geologic timescale of the International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS). In chronostratigraphy, it is the fifth of six stages in the Upper Cretaceous Series. Campa ...
)
Belly River Group
The Belly River Group is a stratigraphic unit of Late Cretaceous age in the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin.
It takes the name from the Belly River, a tributary of the Oldman River in southern Alberta, and was first described in outcrop on t ...
strata in
Dinosaur Provincial Park
Dinosaur Provincial Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site situated 220 kilometres (137 mi) east of Calgary, Alberta, Canada; or northeast of Brooks.
The park is situated in the Red Deer River valley, which is noted for its striking badland topo ...
(
Alberta
Alberta is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Canada. It is a part of Western Canada and is one of the three Canadian Prairies, prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to its west, Saskatchewan to its east, t ...
,
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
) by McFeeters ''et al.'' (2017), representing the first North American occurrence of a member of this genus.
*
Alvarezsaurid
Alvarezsauridae is a family of small, long-legged dinosaurs. Although originally thought to represent the earliest known flightless birds, they are now thought to be an early diverging branch of maniraptoran theropods. Alvarezsaurids were highly ...
fossils are described from the
Upper Cretaceous
The Late Cretaceous (100.5–66 Ma) is the more recent of two epochs into which the Cretaceous Period is divided in the geologic time scale. Rock strata from this epoch form the Upper Cretaceous Series. The Cretaceous is named after ''cret ...
(
Turonian
The Turonian is, in the International Commission on Stratigraphy, ICS' geologic timescale, the second age (geology), age in the Late Cretaceous epoch (geology), Epoch, or a stage (stratigraphy), stage in the Upper Cretaceous series (stratigraphy), ...
)
Bissekty Formation
The Bissekty Formation (sometimes referred to as Bissekt) is a formation (geology), geologic formation and Lagerstätte which outcrop, crops out in the Kyzyl Kum desert of Uzbekistan, and dates to the Late Cretaceous Period (geology), Period. Laid ...
(
Uzbekistan
, image_flag = Flag of Uzbekistan.svg
, image_coat = Emblem of Uzbekistan.svg
, symbol_type = Emblem of Uzbekistan, Emblem
, national_anthem = "State Anthem of Uzbekistan, State Anthem of the Republ ...
) by Averianov & Sues (2017), representing the oldest record of the family in the
Northern Hemisphere
The Northern Hemisphere is the half of Earth that is north of the equator. For other planets in the Solar System, north is defined by humans as being in the same celestial sphere, celestial hemisphere relative to the invariable plane of the Solar ...
reported so far.
* A study on the feeding behavior and
niche differentiation
In ecology, a niche is the match of a species to a specific environmental condition.
Three variants of ecological niche are described by
It describes how an organism or population responds to the distribution of resources and competitors (for e ...
in
therizinosaur
Therizinosaurs (; once called segnosaurs) are an extinct group of large herbivorous theropod dinosaurs whose fossils have been mainly discovered from Cretaceous deposits in Asia and North America. Potential fragmentary remains have also been foun ...
s as indicated by the
morphology
Morphology, from the Greek and meaning "study of shape", may refer to:
Disciplines
*Morphology (archaeology), study of the shapes or forms of artifacts
*Morphology (astronomy), study of the shape of astronomical objects such as nebulae, galaxies, ...
of their
mandible
In jawed vertebrates, the mandible (from the Latin ''mandibula'', 'for chewing'), lower jaw, or jawbone is a bone that makes up the lowerand typically more mobilecomponent of the mouth (the upper jaw being known as the maxilla).
The jawbone i ...
s is published by Lautenschlager (2017).
* Putative therizinosaur tracks are described from the Late Cretaceous of
Morocco
Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to Algeria–Morocc ...
by Masrour, Lkebir & Pérez-Lorente (2017).
* A study on the
histology
Histology,
also known as microscopic anatomy or microanatomy, is the branch of biology that studies the microscopic anatomy of biological tissue (biology), tissues. Histology is the microscopic counterpart to gross anatomy, which looks at large ...
of the teeth of ''
Suzhousaurus
''Suzhousaurus'' (meaning "Suzhou lizard") is a genus of large therizinosauroid dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous of China. The genus is known from two specimens discovered on the Xiagou Formation and Zhonggou Formation—which are situated in t ...
megatherioides'' and ''
Falcarius
''Falcarius'' (meaning "sickle cutter") is a genus of primitive therizinosaur dinosaur that lived during the Early Cretaceous period in what is now North America. Its remains were first collected in the Cedar Mountain Formation in 1999, with subs ...
utahensis'', as well as on its implications for the evolution of therizinosaur teeth, is published by Button ''et al.'' (2017).
* A specimen of the
tick
Ticks are parasitic arachnids of the order Ixodida. They are part of the mite superorder Parasitiformes. Adult ticks are approximately 3 to 5 mm in length depending on age, sex, and species, but can become larger when engorged. Ticks a ...
species '' Cornupalpatum burmanicum'' entangled in a pennaceous feather of an early bird or non-avian pennaraptoran theropod is described from the Cretaceous amber from
Myanmar
Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and has ...
by Peñalver ''et al.'' (2017).
* Wang ''et al.'' (2017) identify the truncation of tooth development during postnatal
ontogeny
Ontogeny (also ontogenesis) is the origination and development of an organism (both physical and psychological, e.g., moral development), usually from the time of fertilization of the ovum, egg to adult. The term can also be used to refer to t ...
in a
caenagnathid
Caenagnathidae is a family of derived caenagnathoid dinosaurs from the Cretaceous of North America and Asia. They are a member of the Oviraptorosauria, and relatives of the Oviraptoridae. Like other oviraptorosaurs, caenagnathids had specialized ...
oviraptorosaur
Oviraptorosaurs ("egg thief lizards") are a group of feathered maniraptoran dinosaurs from the Cretaceous Period of what are now Asia and North America. They are distinct for their characteristically short, beaked, parrot-like skulls, with or wi ...
and the
Early Cretaceous
The Early Cretaceous (geochronology, geochronological name) or the Lower Cretaceous (chronostratigraphy, chronostratigraphic name) is the earlier or lower of the two major divisions of the Cretaceous. It is usually considered to stretch from 143.1 ...
bird ''
Sapeornis
''Sapeornis'' is a monotypic genus of avialan dinosaurs which lived during the early Cretaceous period ( late Barremian to early Aptian, roughly 125-120 mya). ''Sapeornis'' contains only one species, ''Sapeornis chaoyangensis''.
Description
...
'', and interpret it as indicative of links between dental reduction and beak evolution in theropod dinosaurs.
* A study on the incubation temperature of
oviraptorosaur
Oviraptorosaurs ("egg thief lizards") are a group of feathered maniraptoran dinosaurs from the Cretaceous Period of what are now Asia and North America. They are distinct for their characteristically short, beaked, parrot-like skulls, with or wi ...
eggs recovered from the
Upper Cretaceous
The Late Cretaceous (100.5–66 Ma) is the more recent of two epochs into which the Cretaceous Period is divided in the geologic time scale. Rock strata from this epoch form the Upper Cretaceous Series. The Cretaceous is named after ''cret ...
Nanxiong Formation
The Nanxiong Formation (also known as Yuanpu Formation) is a Late Cretaceous geologic Formation (geology), formation in Guangdong Province. Dinosaur remains are among the fossils that have been recovered from the formation.
Description
It cons ...
(
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
) is published by Amiot ''et al.'' (2017).
* A study on the skull
morphology
Morphology, from the Greek and meaning "study of shape", may refer to:
Disciplines
*Morphology (archaeology), study of the shapes or forms of artifacts
*Morphology (astronomy), study of the shape of astronomical objects such as nebulae, galaxies, ...
of ''
Avimimus
''Avimimus'' ( ), meaning "bird mimic" (Latin ''avis'' = bird + ''mimus'' = mimic), is a genus of oviraptorosaurian theropod dinosaur, named for its bird-like characteristics, that lived in the late Cretaceous in what is now Mongolia, around 85 t ...
portentosus'' based on a new specimen is published by Tsuihiji ''et al.'' (2017).
* A description of the anatomy of the
mandible
In jawed vertebrates, the mandible (from the Latin ''mandibula'', 'for chewing'), lower jaw, or jawbone is a bone that makes up the lowerand typically more mobilecomponent of the mouth (the upper jaw being known as the maxilla).
The jawbone i ...
of ''
Gigantoraptor
''Gigantoraptor'' () is a genus of large oviraptorosaur dinosaur that lived in Asia during the Late Cretaceous period. It is known from the Iren Dabasu Formation of Inner Mongolia, where the first remains were found in 2005.
''Gigantoraptor'' w ...
erlianensis'' is published by Ma ''et al.'' (2017).
* Wiemann ''et al.'' (2017) report the discovery of eggshell pigments in the eggs of
Late Cretaceous
The Late Cretaceous (100.5–66 Ma) is the more recent of two epochs into which the Cretaceous Period is divided in the geologic time scale. Rock strata from this epoch form the Upper Cretaceous Series. The Cretaceous is named after ''cre ...
oviraptorid
Oviraptoridae is a group of bird-like, herbivorous and omnivorous maniraptoran dinosaurs. Oviraptorids are characterized by their toothless, parrot-like beaks and, in some cases, elaborate crests. They were generally small, measuring between one ...
ootaxon ''
Macroolithus
''Macroolithus'' is an oogenus (fossil-egg genus) of dinosaur egg belonging to the oofamily Elongatoolithidae. The Type (biology), type oospecies, ''M. rugustus'', was originally described under the now-defunct oogenus name ''Oolithes''. Three o ...
yaotunensis'', which belonged to ''
Heyuannia
''Heyuannia'' ("from Heyuan") is a genus of oviraptorid dinosaur that lived in Asia during the Late Cretaceous epoch, in what is now China and Mongolia. It was the first oviraptorid found in China; most others were found in neighbouring Mongolia ...
huangi''.
* An
osteological
Osteology () is the scientific study of bones, practiced by osteologists . A subdiscipline of anatomy, anthropology, archaeology and paleontology, osteology is the detailed study of the structure of bones, skeletal elements, teeth, microbone morp ...
description of the skull of the
holotype
A holotype (Latin: ''holotypus'') is a single physical example (or illustration) of an organism used when the species (or lower-ranked taxon) was formally described. It is either the single such physical example (or illustration) or one of s ...
specimen of ''
Buitreraptor
''Buitreraptor'' (meaning "La Buitrera seizer") is a genus of dromaeosaurid dinosaurs that lived during the Late Cretaceous of Argentina at the Candeleros Formation. ''Buitreraptor'' was described in 2005 and the type species is ''Buitreraptor g ...
gonzalezorum'' is published by Gianechini, Makovicky & Apesteguía (2017).
* Description of the anatomy of the skeleton of '' Neuquenraptor argentinus'' is published by Brissón Egli ''et al.'' (2017).
* Wang ''et al.'' (2017) reconstruct the body outline of ''
Anchiornis
''Anchiornis'' is a genus of small, four-winged Paraves, paravian dinosaurs, with only one known species, the type species ''Anchiornis huxleyi'', named for its similarity to modern birds. The Latin name ''Anchiornis'' derives from a Greek word m ...
huxleyi'' based on the data on soft tissues revealed by laser-stimulated fluorescence imaging.
* Description of four new specimens of ''Anchiornis huxleyi'' and a study on the phylogenetic relationships of the species is published by Pei ''et al.'' (2017).
* A study on the evolution of the Sauropodomorpha, sauropodomorph feeding apparatus is published by Button, Barrett & Emily Rayfield, Rayfield (2017).
* A study on the bone microstructure of sauropodomorph dinosaurs and on its implications for the growth patterns of basal sauropodomorphs is published by Cerda ''et al.'' (2017).
* A study on the shape differences among Sauropodomorpha, sauropodomorph Humerus, humeri and
femora
The femur (; : femurs or femora ), or thigh bone is the only bone in the thigh — the region of the lower limb between the hip and the knee. In many four-legged animals the femur is the upper bone of the hindleg.
The top of the femur fits in ...
and their implications for the posture and limb mobility of Titanosauriformes, titanosauriform Sauropoda, sauropods is published by Ullmann, Bonnan & Lacovara (2017).
* Sauropodomorph (including possible sauropod) tracks are described from the Upper Triassic Fleming Fjord Formation (Greenland) by Lallensack ''et al.'' (2017).
* A revision of the biostratigraphy and morphological and taxonomic diversity of the sauropodomorph fauna from the
Elliot Formation
The Elliot Formation is a geological formation and forms part of the Stormberg Group, the uppermost geological group that comprises the greater Karoo Supergroup. Outcrops of the Elliot Formation have been found in the northern Eastern Cape, so ...
(South Africa) is published by Mcphee ''et al.'' (2017), who interpret ''Antetonitrus ingenipes'' as an Early Jurassic taxon (rather than Triassic one as originally assumed).
* An isolated sauropodomorph tooth with a combination of features present in non-sauropod sauropodomorphs and sauropods is described from the Jurassic Cañadón Asfalto Formation (
Argentina
Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...
) by Becerra, Gomez & Pol (2017).
* Reconstruction of the braincase of ''Saturnalia (genus), Saturnalia tupiniquim'', based on a specimen preserving skull elements (including the bones that form the braincase), is presented by Bronzati ''et al.'' (2017).
* Protein remains preserved in skeletal elements of an Early Jurassic Sauropodomorpha, sauropodomorph dinosaur ''Lufengosaurus'' are described by Lee ''et al.'' (2017).
* A Sauropoda, sauropod tooth is described from the Santonian Csehbánya Formation (Hungary) by Ősi, Csiki-Sava & Prondvai (2017), representing the first known sauropod body fossil from the Santonian of Europe.
* Plant remains found in the
Late Cretaceous
The Late Cretaceous (100.5–66 Ma) is the more recent of two epochs into which the Cretaceous Period is divided in the geologic time scale. Rock strata from this epoch form the Upper Cretaceous Series. The Cretaceous is named after ''cre ...
(Maastrichtian) Lameta Formation, Lameta sediments and associated Sauropoda, sauropod coprolites from the Nand-Dongargaon basin (Maharashtra, India) are described by Sonkusare, Samant & Mohabey (2017), providing information on the diet of sauropod dinosaurs.
* A study on the maximum vertical reach of Sauropoda, sauropod necks is published by Gregory S. Paul, Paul (2017).
* A study on the Condyle (anatomy), condyle convexity and range of motion of the joints situated between the vertebrae of the Sauropoda, sauropod dinosaurs as indicated by comparison with extant alligators is published by Fronimos & Jeffrey A. Wilson, Wilson (2017).
* A study evaluating the utility of secondary osteons in inferring the
ontogenetic
Ontogeny (also ontogenesis) is the origination and development of an organism (both physical and psychological, e.g., moral development), usually from the time of fertilization of the egg to adult. The term can also be used to refer to the stu ...
stages of sauropod specimens is published by Mitchell, Sander & Stein (2017).
* Skin impression preserved in a sauropod footprint from the
Cretaceous
The Cretaceous ( ) is a geological period that lasted from about 143.1 to 66 mya (unit), million years ago (Mya). It is the third and final period of the Mesozoic Era (geology), Era, as well as the longest. At around 77.1 million years, it is the ...
(Albian) Haman Formation (South Korea) is described by Paik ''et al.'' (2017).
* New sauropod fossil material is described from the
Lower Jurassic
The Early Jurassic Epoch (in chronostratigraphy corresponding to the Lower Jurassic Series) is the earliest of three epochs of the Jurassic Period. The Early Jurassic starts immediately after the Triassic–Jurassic extinction event, 201.3 Ma&nb ...
Nam Phong Formation (Thailand) by Laojumpon ''et al.'' (2017).
* A study on the complexity pattern of the neurocentral Suture (anatomy), sutures in the vertebrae of ''Spinophorosaurus nigerensis'' and its implications for the stress distribution in the vertebrae of this sauropod is published by Fronimos & Wilson (2017).
* A study on the bifurcated spines in the neck vertebrae of diplodocid sauropods, their implications for the reconstruction of soft tissues associated with bifurcated spines and on the neck posture of diplodocid sauropods, is published by Woodruff (2017).
* A study on the morphological and Histology, histological features of the skeleton that can be used to determine maturity in diplodocid sauropods is published by Woodruff, Fowler & Jack Horner (paleontologist), Horner (2017).
* Five partial vertebrae of a subadult specimen of ''Barosaurus'' are described from the
Late Jurassic
The Late Jurassic is the third Epoch (geology), epoch of the Jurassic Period, and it spans the geologic time scale, geologic time from 161.5 ± 1.0 to 143.1 ± 0.8 million years ago (Ma), which is preserved in Upper Jurassic stratum, strata.Owen ...
(
Kimmeridgian
In the geologic timescale, the Kimmeridgian is an age in the Late Jurassic Epoch and a stage in the Upper Jurassic Series. It spans the time between 154.8 ±0.8 Ma and 149.2 ±0.7 Ma (million years ago). The Kimmeridgian follows the Oxfordian ...
) Morrison Formation (the Carnegie Quarry of Dinosaur National Monument;
Utah
Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northea ...
,
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
) by Hanik, Lamanna & Whitlock (2017).
* A study on the postcranial skeletal pneumaticity in Rebbachisauridae, rebbachisaurid sauropods, based primarily on the vertebrae of ''Katepensaurus goicoecheai'', is published by Ibiricu ''et al.'' (2017), who report a form of pneumaticity that has not previously been observed in sauropods.
* A revision of the sauropod fossil material from the
Lower Cretaceous
Lower may refer to:
* ''Lower'' (album), 2025 album by Benjamin Booker
* Lower (surname)
* Lower Township, New Jersey
*Lower Receiver (firearms)
* Lower Wick Gloucestershire, England
See also
* Nizhny
{{Disambiguation ...
(Barremian) Arcillas de Morella Formation (
Spain
Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
), indicating presence of at least three sauropod taxa, is published by Mocho ''et al.'' (2017).
* A study on the anatomy of the teeth of a specimen of ''Camarasaurus'' recovered from the Howe-Stephens Quarry (Bighorn Basin, Wyoming,
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
) is published by Wiersma & Sander (2017).
* Partial skeleton of ''Camarasaurus'' is described from the Little Snowy Mountains (Montana,
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
) by Woodruff & Foster (2017), representing the northernmost occurrence of a sauropod in the Morrison Formation reported so far.
* New information on the anatomy of the lectotype specimen of ''Lusotitan atalaiensis'' and a study on the phylogenetic relationships of the species is published by Mocho, Royo-Torres & Ortega (2017).
* Description of new fossils referrable to the type individual of ''Austrosaurus mckillopi'' and reassessment of the fossil material attributed to members of this species is published by Poropat ''et al.'' (2017).
* A study on the
histology
Histology,
also known as microscopic anatomy or microanatomy, is the branch of biology that studies the microscopic anatomy of biological tissue (biology), tissues. Histology is the microscopic counterpart to gross anatomy, which looks at large ...
of the bony structures found with the
holotype
A holotype (Latin: ''holotypus'') is a single physical example (or illustration) of an organism used when the species (or lower-ranked taxon) was formally described. It is either the single such physical example (or illustration) or one of s ...
specimen of ''Agustinia ligabuei'' is published by Bellardini & Cerda (2017), who argue that these structures are not osteoderms and that there is no evidence of the presence of dermal armor in ''Agustinia''.
* Tail vertebrae of a titanosaur Sauropoda, sauropod affected by osteomyelitis is described from the
Late Cretaceous
The Late Cretaceous (100.5–66 Ma) is the more recent of two epochs into which the Cretaceous Period is divided in the geologic time scale. Rock strata from this epoch form the Upper Cretaceous Series. The Cretaceous is named after ''cre ...
(
Campanian
The Campanian is the fifth of six ages of the Late Cretaceous epoch on the geologic timescale of the International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS). In chronostratigraphy, it is the fifth of six stages in the Upper Cretaceous Series. Campa ...
) Anacleto Formation (
Argentina
Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...
) by de García ''et al.'' (2017).
* Bone abnormalities (interpreted as pathologies) present in the skeleton of the type specimen of ''Bonitasaura salgadoi'' are described by Gonzalez, Gallina & Cerda (2017).
* A study on the internal anatomy of the titanosaur osteoderms recovered from the
Late Cretaceous
The Late Cretaceous (100.5–66 Ma) is the more recent of two epochs into which the Cretaceous Period is divided in the geologic time scale. Rock strata from this epoch form the Upper Cretaceous Series. The Cretaceous is named after ''cre ...
site of Lo Hueco (
Spain
Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
) and the function of titanosaur dermal armor is published by Vidal ''et al.'' (2017).
* A description of new fossil material of ''Alamosaurus sanjuanensis'' (an articulated series of cervical vertebrae from Big Bend National Park, Texas) and a study of phylogenetic relationships of this species is published by Tykoski & Anthony Fiorillo, Fiorillo (2017).
* A study on the osteology and positional assignment of the dorsal vertebrae of ''Dreadnoughtus schrani'' is published by Voegele, Lamanna & Lacovara (2017).
* A study on pathologic titanosaurian eggs from several
Upper Cretaceous
The Late Cretaceous (100.5–66 Ma) is the more recent of two epochs into which the Cretaceous Period is divided in the geologic time scale. Rock strata from this epoch form the Upper Cretaceous Series. The Cretaceous is named after ''cret ...
basins in southwestern Europe is published by Sellés, Vila & Galobart (2017), who interpret the abundance of abnormal eggs as probably caused by a dinosaur faunal replacement at the end of early Maastrichtian (circa 71-70 million years ago).
* A redescription of the postcranial material of ''Lesothosaurus diagnosticus'' is published by Baron,
Norman
Norman or Normans may refer to:
Ethnic and cultural identity
* The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 9th and 10th centuries
** People or things connected with the Norma ...
& Barrett (2017), who argue that ''Stormbergia dangershoeki'' is most likely a junior synonym of ''L. diagnosticus''.
* A
mandible
In jawed vertebrates, the mandible (from the Latin ''mandibula'', 'for chewing'), lower jaw, or jawbone is a bone that makes up the lowerand typically more mobilecomponent of the mouth (the upper jaw being known as the maxilla).
The jawbone i ...
recovered from the Lower Jurassic upper
Elliot Formation
The Elliot Formation is a geological formation and forms part of the Stormberg Group, the uppermost geological group that comprises the greater Karoo Supergroup. Outcrops of the Elliot Formation have been found in the northern Eastern Cape, so ...
(South Africa), assigned to ''Lesothosaurus diagnosticus'', is digitally reconstructed in 3D by Sciscio ''et al.'' (2017).
* A study on the phylogenetic relationships of the stegosaurians is published by Raven & Maidment (2017).
* A study on the purported stegosaur fossils from the
Middle Jurassic
The Middle Jurassic is the second Epoch (geology), epoch of the Jurassic Period (geology), Period. It lasted from about 174.1 to 161.5 million years ago. Fossils of land-dwelling animals, such as dinosaurs, from the Middle Jurassic are relativel ...
(Aalenian-
Bajocian
In the geologic timescale, the Bajocian is an age and stage in the Middle Jurassic. It lasted from approximately 170.9 ±0.8 Ma to around 168.2 ±1.2 Ma (million years ago). The Bajocian Age succeeds the Aalenian Age and precedes the Bathonia ...
) Inferior Oolite Group (
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
) is published by Peter Galton, Galton (2017).
* A study on the purported stegosaurian dermal plate from the
Upper Cretaceous
The Late Cretaceous (100.5–66 Ma) is the more recent of two epochs into which the Cretaceous Period is divided in the geologic time scale. Rock strata from this epoch form the Upper Cretaceous Series. The Cretaceous is named after ''cret ...
(Maastrichtian) Kallamedu Formation (India) is published by Galton & Ayyasami (2017).
* A well-preserved stegosaurian sacrum with paired Ilium (bone), ilia, referred to the species ''Wuerhosaurus ordosensis'' and providing new information on the anatomy of the pelvic girdle of the taxon, is described from the
Lower Cretaceous
Lower may refer to:
* ''Lower'' (album), 2025 album by Benjamin Booker
* Lower (surname)
* Lower Township, New Jersey
*Lower Receiver (firearms)
* Lower Wick Gloucestershire, England
See also
* Nizhny
{{Disambiguation ...
Luohandong Formation (
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
), is described by Hou & Ji (2017), who interpret the finding as confirming that ''Wuerhosaurus ordosensis'' and ''Wuerhosaurus homheni'' are different species.
* Limitations of animal running speed#Muscle moment arm, Moment arms of muscles of ''Stegosaurus stenops'' are calculated by Brassey, Maidment & Barrett (2017).
* A study on the anatomical features related to feeding and the mechanisms of food processing in ankylosaurian dinosaurs is published by Ősi ''et al.'' (2017).
* Description of a new specimen of ''Crichtonpelta benxiensis'' (nearly completely preserved skull) from the
Cretaceous
The Cretaceous ( ) is a geological period that lasted from about 143.1 to 66 mya (unit), million years ago (Mya). It is the third and final period of the Mesozoic Era (geology), Era, as well as the longest. At around 77.1 million years, it is the ...
(late Albian–
Turonian
The Turonian is, in the International Commission on Stratigraphy, ICS' geologic timescale, the second age (geology), age in the Late Cretaceous epoch (geology), Epoch, or a stage (stratigraphy), stage in the Upper Cretaceous series (stratigraphy), ...
) Sunjiawan Formation (
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
) and a study on the phylogenetic relationships of the species is published by Yang ''et al.'' (2017).
* A study on the skeletal anatomy of ''Ankylosaurus magniventris'', reinterpreting previously established aspects of the anatomy of members of the species, is published by Arbour & Mallon (2017).
* A study on the length of the Egg incubation, incubation period in ''Hypacrosaurus stebingeri'' and ''Protoceratops andrewsi'' is published by Erickson ''et al.'' (2017).
* A study on the ornithischian teeth known from the Upper Cretaceous Csehbánya Formation (Hungary) is published by Virág & Ősi (2017), attributing some of the teeth to the genus ''Mochlodon'' and some to the genus ''Ajkaceratops'' (the first teeth that can provisionally be referred to the latter genus).
* A naturally occurring brain
endocast
An endocast is the internal cast of a hollow object, often referring to the cranial vault in the study of brain development in humans and other organisms. Endocasts can be artificially made for examining the properties of a hollow, inaccessible ...
of an iguanodontian
ornithopod
Ornithopoda () is a clade of ornithischian dinosaurs, called ornithopods (). They represent one of the most successful groups of herbivorous dinosaurs during the Cretaceous. The most primitive members of the group were bipedal and relatively sm ...
(possibly ''Barilium'' or ''Hypselospinus''), preserving mineralized brain soft tissues, is described from the
Early Cretaceous
The Early Cretaceous (geochronology, geochronological name) or the Lower Cretaceous (chronostratigraphy, chronostratigraphic name) is the earlier or lower of the two major divisions of the Cretaceous. It is usually considered to stretch from 143.1 ...
(
Valanginian
In the geologic timescale, the Valanginian is an age or stage of the Early or Lower Cretaceous. It spans between 137.05 ± 0.2 Ma and 132.6 ± 0.2 Ma (million years ago). The Valanginian Stage succeeds the Berriasian Stage of the Lower Cretac ...
) Tunbridge Wells Sand Formation (
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
) by Brasier ''et al.'' (2017).
* A study on the Amelogenesis, formation of tooth enamel in ''Lanzhousaurus magnidens'' is published by Suarez ''et al.'' (2017).
* A study on the individual variation in the
morphology
Morphology, from the Greek and meaning "study of shape", may refer to:
Disciplines
*Morphology (archaeology), study of the shapes or forms of artifacts
*Morphology (astronomy), study of the shape of astronomical objects such as nebulae, galaxies, ...
of the postcranial skeleton of ''Iguanodon bernissartensis'' is published by Verdú ''et al.'' (2017), who consider ''Delapparentia turolensis'' to be impossible to distinguish from ''Iguanodon'' species based on the available material.
* Description of the osteology of the skeleton of a specimen of ''Ouranosaurus nigeriensis'' exhibited at the Museo di Storia Naturale di Venezia, Natural History Museum of Venice is published by Bertozzo, Dalla Vecchia & Fabbri (2017).
* A description of a new specimen of ''Eolambia caroljonesa'' and a study on the phylogenetic relationships of the species is published by McDonald ''et al.'' (2017).
* A redescription of the skull anatomy of ''Edmontosaurus regalis'' and a study on the phylogenetic relationships of hadrosaurids is published by Xing, Mallon & Currie (2017).
* A study on the taphonomy of the Standing Rock Hadrosaur Site, a vast ''Edmontosaurus annectens'' bone bed from the Upper Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) Hell Creek Formation (South Dakota,
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
) is published by Ullmann ''et al.'' (2017).
* Redescription of a specimen of ''Gryposaurus notabilis'' from the
Upper Cretaceous
The Late Cretaceous (100.5–66 Ma) is the more recent of two epochs into which the Cretaceous Period is divided in the geologic time scale. Rock strata from this epoch form the Upper Cretaceous Series. The Cretaceous is named after ''cret ...
Dinosaur Park Formation (
Alberta
Alberta is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Canada. It is a part of Western Canada and is one of the three Canadian Prairies, prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to its west, Saskatchewan to its east, t ...
,
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
) housed at the Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Milano, Milan Natural History Museum and a Paleopathology, paleopathological analysis of the specimen is published by Bertozzo ''et al.'' (2017).
* Schroeter ''et al.'' (2017) reevaluate collagen I
peptide
Peptides are short chains of amino acids linked by peptide bonds. A polypeptide is a longer, continuous, unbranched peptide chain. Polypeptides that have a molecular mass of 10,000 Da or more are called proteins. Chains of fewer than twenty am ...
s recovered from a specimen of ''
Brachylophosaurus
''Brachylophosaurus'' ( or ) is a genus of hadrosaurid dinosaur that lived during the Late Cretaceous period of western North America. It was first named in 1953 by Charles Mortram Sternberg for a skull and skeleton he discovered in 1936 in th ...
canadensis'' in 2009 and recover additional eight peptide sequences of collagen I from the same specimen.
* An isolated dentary and postcranial skeleton from
Dinosaur Provincial Park
Dinosaur Provincial Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site situated 220 kilometres (137 mi) east of Calgary, Alberta, Canada; or northeast of Brooks.
The park is situated in the Red Deer River valley, which is noted for its striking badland topo ...
(
Alberta
Alberta is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Canada. It is a part of Western Canada and is one of the three Canadian Prairies, prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to its west, Saskatchewan to its east, t ...
,
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
) is interpreted as likely representing the same skeleton as the holotype skull of ''Corythosaurus excavatus'' by Bramble ''et al.'' (2017).
* A study on the
histology
Histology,
also known as microscopic anatomy or microanatomy, is the branch of biology that studies the microscopic anatomy of biological tissue (biology), tissues. Histology is the microscopic counterpart to gross anatomy, which looks at large ...
of two hadrosaurid dentary dental batteries from the
Upper Cretaceous
The Late Cretaceous (100.5–66 Ma) is the more recent of two epochs into which the Cretaceous Period is divided in the geologic time scale. Rock strata from this epoch form the Upper Cretaceous Series. The Cretaceous is named after ''cret ...
of
Dinosaur Provincial Park
Dinosaur Provincial Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site situated 220 kilometres (137 mi) east of Calgary, Alberta, Canada; or northeast of Brooks.
The park is situated in the Red Deer River valley, which is noted for its striking badland topo ...
(
Alberta
Alberta is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Canada. It is a part of Western Canada and is one of the three Canadian Prairies, prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to its west, Saskatchewan to its east, t ...
,
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
) and its implications for inferring the tooth movement within the hadrosaurid dental battery is published by Bramble ''et al.'' (2017).
* A study on the fossilized feces (coprolites) recovered from the Cretaceous Kaiparowits Formation (
Utah
Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northea ...
,
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
), produced by large herbivorous dinosaurs (most likely hadrosaurs), is published by Karen Chin, Chin, Feldmann & Tashman (2017), who report evidence indicating that the dinosaurs that produced the coprolites consumed crustaceans and rotted wood.
* A study on the morphological diversity of the snouts and frills of the ceratopsians, as well as on the skull and jaw shape changes in the evolution of the group is published by Maiorino ''et al.'' (2017).
* New specimen of ''Liaoceratops yanzigouensis'' is described from the Lujiatun Bed of the
Lower Cretaceous
Lower may refer to:
* ''Lower'' (album), 2025 album by Benjamin Booker
* Lower (surname)
* Lower Township, New Jersey
*Lower Receiver (firearms)
* Lower Wick Gloucestershire, England
See also
* Nizhny
{{Disambiguation ...
Yixian Formation (
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
) by Yang ''et al.'' (2017), who describe the postcranial skeleton of ''L. yanzigouensis'' for the first time.
* An isolated Ceratopsidae, ceratopsid tooth is described from the
Late Cretaceous
The Late Cretaceous (100.5–66 Ma) is the more recent of two epochs into which the Cretaceous Period is divided in the geologic time scale. Rock strata from this epoch form the Upper Cretaceous Series. The Cretaceous is named after ''cre ...
(late Maastrichtian) Owl Creek Formation (Mississippi,
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
) by Farke & Phillips (2017), representing the first reported occurrence of a ceratopsid from eastern North America.
* A study on correlating the microstructure and nanostructure from femoral bones of ''Koreanosaurus'' through electron microscopy is published by Kim ''et al.'' (2017).
* A study on the microstructure and chemistry of a fossil rib of ''Koreanosaurus boseongenesis'', its hosting mudstone, and the boundary in-between, intending to establish the factors that contributed to diagenesis and the preservation of fossil bone, is published by Kim ''et al.'' (2017).
* A study on Dinosaur Park troodonts concludes that ''Troodon'' is a ''nomen dubium'', revives ''Stenonychosaurus'' and names a new genus, ''Latenivenatrix''.
* ''Chilesaurus diegosuarezi'', considered to be a
theropod
Theropoda (; from ancient Greek , (''therion'') "wild beast"; , (''pous, podos'') "foot"">wiktionary:ποδός"> (''pous, podos'') "foot" is one of the three major groups (clades) of dinosaurs, alongside Ornithischia and Sauropodom ...
dinosaur by the authors of its description, is reinterpreted as a basal ornithischian by Baron & Barrett (2017).
* A study on the forelimb posture of four articulated specimens of ''Chilesaurus diegosuarezi'' from the
Late Jurassic
The Late Jurassic is the third Epoch (geology), epoch of the Jurassic Period, and it spans the geologic time scale, geologic time from 161.5 ± 1.0 to 143.1 ± 0.8 million years ago (Ma), which is preserved in Upper Jurassic stratum, strata.Owen ...
Toqui Formation (Chile) is published by Chimento ''et al.'' (2017).
* Closely associated theropod and probable hadrosaur eggs are described from the Upper Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) St. Mary River Formation (Montana,
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
) by Jackson & Varricchio (2017), who name a new theropod ootaxon ''Tetonoolithus nelsoni''.
New taxa
Birds
Research
* A study on the method allowing estimation of wing loading and Aspect ratio (aeronautics), aspect ratio in Mesozoic birds and on flight modes that were possible for Mesozoic birds is published by Serrano ''et al.'' (2017).
* A study on whether sternal keel length and ilium length were correlated in bird evolution, based on data from extant birds and Mesozoic birds, is published by Zhao, Liu and Li (2017).
* A study on the impact of varying oxygen concentrations, global temperatures and air densities on the flight performance of extinct birds and on major diversification events which took place during the evolution of birds is published by Serrano ''et al.'' (2017).
* A study on the Shoulder girdle, pectoral girdle
morphology
Morphology, from the Greek and meaning "study of shape", may refer to:
Disciplines
*Morphology (archaeology), study of the shapes or forms of artifacts
*Morphology (astronomy), study of the shape of astronomical objects such as nebulae, galaxies, ...
of Mesozoic birds and its implications for the evolution of the avian flight musculature (specifically the Bird anatomy#Muscular system, supracoracoideus muscle) is published by Gerald Mayr, Mayr (2017).
* A study on the morphological characteristics and evolution of the pygostyle and tail feathers in Early Cretaceous birds and closely related non-avian theropods is published by Wang & O'Connor (2017).
* A study on the postnatal skeletal development of limb bones in four species of extant aquatic birds (the streaked shearwater, the Japanese cormorant, the black-tailed gull and the rhinoceros auklet) and its implications for the assessment of ontogenetic stage of fossil and skeletal bird specimens is published by Watanabe (2017).
* A study estimating values of body weight, wing span and wing area of the trackmakers of the Cretaceous Ichnotaxon, ichnotaxa ''Archaeornithipus meijidei'', ''Hwangsanipes choughi'' and ''Yacoraitichnus avis'' is published by Tanaka (2017).
* The presence of the Atlas (anatomy), atlas rib in ''Archaeopteryx'' is reported for the first time by Tsuihiji (2017).
* A tooth attributed to an Archaeopterygidae, archaeopterygid bird is described from the
Early Cretaceous
The Early Cretaceous (geochronology, geochronological name) or the Lower Cretaceous (chronostratigraphy, chronostratigraphic name) is the earlier or lower of the two major divisions of the Cretaceous. It is usually considered to stretch from 143.1 ...
of France by Louchart & Pouech (2017).
* A well-preserved skull of a juvenile specimen of ''
Sapeornis
''Sapeornis'' is a monotypic genus of avialan dinosaurs which lived during the early Cretaceous period ( late Barremian to early Aptian, roughly 125-120 mya). ''Sapeornis'' contains only one species, ''Sapeornis chaoyangensis''.
Description
...
chaoyangensis'' is described by Wang ''et al.'' (2017), preserving what the authors consider to be the complete dentition.
* A study on the flight capabilities of ''Sapeornis chaoyangensis'' is published by Serrano & Luis M. Chiappe, Chiappe (2017).
* A study on the relationship between the oxygen isotope composition of bird bone phosphate and that of the drinking water of birds, as well as on implications of applying the discovered equation to ''Confuciusornis'' and to the
Miocene
The Miocene ( ) is the first epoch (geology), geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and mea ...
and
Pliocene
The Pliocene ( ; also Pleiocene) is the epoch (geology), epoch in the geologic time scale that extends from 5.33 to 2.58morphological diversity of
Early Cretaceous
The Early Cretaceous (geochronology, geochronological name) or the Lower Cretaceous (chronostratigraphy, chronostratigraphic name) is the earlier or lower of the two major divisions of the Cretaceous. It is usually considered to stretch from 143.1 ...
Enantiornithes, enantiornithines is published by Zelenkov (2017), who argues that members of the family Pengornithidae might be more closely related to Ornithuromorpha than to enantiornithines.
* A complete description of the skeletal anatomy of ''Chiappeavis magnapremaxillo'', suggesting that rectricial bulbs were present in basal members of the enantiornithines, is published by O'Connor ''et al.'' (2017).
* A specimen of the enantiornithine ''Pterygornis dapingfangensis'' with a completely fused carpometacarpus and pelvis is described by Wang, Li & Zhou (2017), who also study the evolution of the manus and pelvis fusions in nonavian theropods, enantiornithines and Ornithuromorpha, ornithuromorphs.
* A Bohaiornithidae, bohaiornithid enantiornithine specimen with exceptionally preserved feathers, providing information on the colouration of the bird, is described from the
Early Cretaceous
The Early Cretaceous (geochronology, geochronological name) or the Lower Cretaceous (chronostratigraphy, chronostratigraphic name) is the earlier or lower of the two major divisions of the Cretaceous. It is usually considered to stretch from 143.1 ...
Jiufotang Formation (
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
) by Peteya ''et al.'' (2017).
* Nearly half of a hatchling of an enantiornithine with preserved soft tissue is described from the Cretaceous Burmese amber by Xing ''et al.'' (2017).
* Description of the fossilized outer Cone cell, cones, Rod cell, rods, oil droplets and pigment epithelium preserved in an eye of an enantiornithine specimen from the Lower Cretaceous of
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
, and a study on their implications for inferring enantiornithine vision, is published by Tanaka ''et al.'' (2017).
* A new specimen of the Early Cretaceous species ''Archaeorhynchus spathula'' is described by Wang and Zhou (2017).
* An isolated tibiotarsus of a bird Morphology (biology), morphologically similar to ''Ichthyornis'' is described from the Late Cretaceous (
Cenomanian
The Cenomanian is, in the International Commission on Stratigraphy's (ICS) geological timescale, the oldest or earliest age (geology), age of the Late Cretaceous epoch (geology), Epoch or the lowest stage (stratigraphy), stage of the Upper Cretace ...
) of
Russia
Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
by Zelenkov, Averianov & Popov (2017).
* Description of new remains of Hesperornithidae, hesperornithids from several
Cretaceous
The Cretaceous ( ) is a geological period that lasted from about 143.1 to 66 mya (unit), million years ago (Mya). It is the third and final period of the Mesozoic Era (geology), Era, as well as the longest. At around 77.1 million years, it is the ...
(
Campanian
The Campanian is the fifth of six ages of the Late Cretaceous epoch on the geologic timescale of the International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS). In chronostratigraphy, it is the fifth of six stages in the Upper Cretaceous Series. Campa ...
) localities of the Lower Volga Region (European
Russia
Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
) and a revision of the systematics of Eurasian hesperornithiforms is published by Zelenkov, Panteleyev & Yarkov (2017).
* Delphine Angst ''et al.'' find ''Gargantuavis philoinos'' in Spain, in Laño.
* A study on the species richness, taxonomic diversity and presumed ecological characteristics of the Eocene avifauna of the Messel pit, Messel fossil site is published by Gerald Mayr, Mayr (2017).
* Revision of bird fauna from the
Miocene
The Miocene ( ) is the first epoch (geology), geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and mea ...
locality of Rudabànya (Hungary) is published by Zelenkov (2017).
* Worthy ''et al.'' (2017) provide an overview of the recent advances in avian palaeobiology in New Zealand.
* A review of the Neogene birds of continental Asia is provided by Nikita V. Zelenkov, Zelenkov (2017).
* Passerine and Anatidae, anatid fossils are described from the
Miocene
The Miocene ( ) is the first epoch (geology), geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and mea ...
Tsurevsky Formation (Krasnodar Krai,
Russia
Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
) by Zelenkov (2017), representing the earliest known Miocene birds from European Russia reported so far.
* A study on the isolated contour feather from the
Eocene
The Eocene ( ) is a geological epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from about 56 to 33.9 million years ago (Ma). It is the second epoch of the Paleogene Period (geology), Period in the modern Cenozoic Era (geology), Era. The name ''Eocene'' comes ...
Fur Formation (Denmark), indicating presence of melanosomes similar in size and
morphology
Morphology, from the Greek and meaning "study of shape", may refer to:
Disciplines
*Morphology (archaeology), study of the shapes or forms of artifacts
*Morphology (astronomy), study of the shape of astronomical objects such as nebulae, galaxies, ...
to those of extant parrots, is published by Gren ''et al.'' (2017).
* A study on the nuclear genome fragments recovered from extinct elephant birds and a reconstruction of the Phylogenomics, phylogenomic timetree for the group Palaeognathae is published by Yonezawa ''et al.'' (2017).
* Ancient DNA, including mitochondrial DNA and nuclear DNA, is recovered from elephant bird eggshell by Grealy ''et al.'' (2017).
* Results of palaeontological surveys of King Island (Tasmania), King and Flinders Islands (
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
) undertaken in 2014 and 2015, searching for remains of the King Island emu, are presented by Hume ''et al.'' (2017).
* A revision of ratite museum fossil specimens from
Argentina
Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...
, indicating presence of non-Rheidae, rheid ratites in South America during Paleogene and Miocene, is published by Agnolin (2017).
* A study on ancient DNA recovered from late Pleistocene ratite eggshell samples from India is published by Jain ''et al.'' (2017), providing the first molecular evidence for the presence of ostriches in India.
* A study on the phylogenetic relationships of fossil birds, focusing on resolving the relationships of giant flightless members of Galloanseres, is published by Trevor H. Worthy, Worthy ''et al.'' (2017).
* A study on the phylogenetic relationships of ''Vegavis iaai'', ''Polarornis gregorii'' and ''Australornis lovei'' is published by Agnolín ''et al.'' (2017), who name a new Anseriformes, anseriform family Vegaviidae.
* New skeletal elements (limb bones) of ''Garganornis ballmanni'' are described from the
Miocene
The Miocene ( ) is the first epoch (geology), geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and mea ...
of Italy by Pavia ''et al.'' (2017).
* A tarsometatarsus of a member of the anseriform genus ''Paranyroca'' is described from the late
Oligocene
The Oligocene ( ) is a geologic epoch (geology), epoch of the Paleogene Geologic time scale, Period that extends from about 33.9 million to 23 million years before the present ( to ). As with other older geologic periods, the rock beds that defin ...
/early
Miocene
The Miocene ( ) is the first epoch (geology), geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and mea ...
of the Saint-Gérand-le-Puy area (France) by Mayr & Smith (2017), representing the first known record of the genus from the Old World.
* A study establishing criteria for assessing presence or absence of flight ability in fossil Anatidae, anatids, as well as assessing flight abilities of fossil anatids based on the constructed rules, is published by Watanabe (2017).
* Rawlence ''et al.'' (2017) interpret extinct New Zealand swan as a member of a distinct swan lineage divergent from modern black swan, based on ancient DNA and
osteological
Osteology () is the scientific study of bones, practiced by osteologists . A subdiscipline of anatomy, anthropology, archaeology and paleontology, osteology is the detailed study of the structure of bones, skeletal elements, teeth, microbone morp ...
data.
* The first Cenozoic avian body fossil from the Korean Peninsula (partial tibiotarsus of a member of the clade Galloanserae more closely related to Galliformes, galliforms than to Anseriformes, anseriforms) is described from the
Miocene
The Miocene ( ) is the first epoch (geology), geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and mea ...
Bukpyeong Formation (South Korea) by Park & Park (2017).
* Two parallel trackways produced by a guineafowl or a member of the family Phasianidae, rendered visible by the layer of biofilm, are described from the Pleistocene Waenhuiskrans Formation (South Africa) by Helm ''et al.'' (2017), representing the longest identified fossil avian trackways in the region.
* A revision of non-Passerine, passeriform birds belonging to the group Neoaves known from the
Miocene
The Miocene ( ) is the first epoch (geology), geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and mea ...
locality of Polgárdi (Hungary) is published by Zelenkov (2017).
* A study on the bone
histology
Histology,
also known as microscopic anatomy or microanatomy, is the branch of biology that studies the microscopic anatomy of biological tissue (biology), tissues. Histology is the microscopic counterpart to gross anatomy, which looks at large ...
of the dodo (''Raphus cucullatus'') and its implications for the life history of members of this species is published by Angst ''et al.'' (2017).
* A study estimating the mass of the dodo is published by van Heteren ''et al.'' (2017).
* A study on the genetic diversity of the passenger pigeons based on the analysis of Mitochondrial DNA, mitochondrial and Nuclear DNA, nuclear genomes of members of the species is published by Murray ''et al.'' (2017).
* A study on lipid Residue (chemistry), residues recovered from the uropygial gland of an early
Eocene
The Eocene ( ) is a geological epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from about 56 to 33.9 million years ago (Ma). It is the second epoch of the Paleogene Period (geology), Period in the modern Cenozoic Era (geology), Era. The name ''Eocene'' comes ...
bird (possibly a Messelirrisoridae, messelirrisorid or a close relative of the family) from the Messel pit (
Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
) is published by O'Reilly ''et al.'' (2017).
* A study on the diet and Trophic level, trophic position of the South Island adzebill (''Aptornis defossor'') as indicated by bone stable isotope data is published by Wood ''et al.'' (2017).
* Partial tibiotarsus of a member of Cariamae belonging or related to the family Ameghinornithidae is described from the
Eocene
The Eocene ( ) is a geological epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from about 56 to 33.9 million years ago (Ma). It is the second epoch of the Paleogene Period (geology), Period in the modern Cenozoic Era (geology), Era. The name ''Eocene'' comes ...
strata in Inner Mongolia (
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
) correlative to the Irdin Manha Formation by Stidham & Wang (2017).
* A study on the morphological adaptations linked to substrate preference and locomotory mode in the hindlimbs of Phorusrhacidae, phorusrhacids is published by Degrange (2017).
* Limb elements of a single specimen of a middle-sized terror bird are described from the Miocene of northwestern
Argentina
Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...
by Vezzosi & Noriega (2017), who interpret this specimen as a member of the genus ''Mesembriornis'' belonging or related to the species ''M. milneedwardsi''.
* Restudy of the
holotype
A holotype (Latin: ''holotypus'') is a single physical example (or illustration) of an organism used when the species (or lower-ranked taxon) was formally described. It is either the single such physical example (or illustration) or one of s ...
specimen of the putative
Miocene
The Miocene ( ) is the first epoch (geology), geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and mea ...
seriema ''Noriegavis santacrucensis'' is published by Noriega & Mayr (2017), who reinterpret this specimen as a member of the Falconidae, falconid genus ''Thegornis'' of uncertain specific assignment.
* Fossils of at least eight species of Pleistocene passerines are described from the Liang Bua cave on the island of Flores (Indonesia) by Meijer ''et al.'' (2017).
* A study on the paleoecology of the late Pleistocene populations of the eastern bluebird (''Sialia sialis'') and the Hispaniolan crossbill (''Loxia megaplaga'') from the The Bahamas, Bahamian island of Abaco Islands, Abaco is published by Steadman & Franklin (2017).
* Darter fossils are described from the late
Pliocene
The Pliocene ( ; also Pleiocene) is the epoch (geology), epoch in the geologic time scale that extends from 5.33 to 2.58Pliocene
The Pliocene ( ; also Pleiocene) is the epoch (geology), epoch in the geologic time scale that extends from 5.33 to 2.58Paleocene
The Paleocene ( ), or Palaeocene, is a geological epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from about 66 to 56 mya (unit), million years ago (mya). It is the first epoch of the Paleogene Period (geology), Period in the modern Cenozoic Era (geology), ...
Waipara Greensand (New Zealand) by Gerald Mayr, Mayr, De Pietri & Scofield (2017).
* An incomplete left tarsometatarsus of a penguin from the Late Eocene La Meseta Formation of Seymour Island, Antarctica is described by Piotr Jadwiszczak, Jadwiszczak & Thomas Mörs, Mörs, (2017). they report on a recently collected large-sized tarsometatarsus from this formation that represents a new morphotype. They are convinced that the morphotype corresponds to a new species, but the material is too scarce for a taxonomic act.
* A new skull of a medium-sized penguin is described from the late Eocene Submeseta Formation of Seymour Island, Antarctica by Haidr & Acosta Hospitaleche (2017), who also study the differences in proportions between skull and postcranial skeletons of Eocene and modern penguins.
* Description of new penguin fossils from different levels of the Eocene La Meseta and Submeseta formations, including the most complete beak of a penguin from Antarctica, and a study on the dietary habits of these penguins as indicated by the
morphology
Morphology, from the Greek and meaning "study of shape", may refer to:
Disciplines
*Morphology (archaeology), study of the shapes or forms of artifacts
*Morphology (astronomy), study of the shape of astronomical objects such as nebulae, galaxies, ...
of the
mandible
In jawed vertebrates, the mandible (from the Latin ''mandibula'', 'for chewing'), lower jaw, or jawbone is a bone that makes up the lowerand typically more mobilecomponent of the mouth (the upper jaw being known as the maxilla).
The jawbone i ...
s and
maxilla
In vertebrates, the maxilla (: maxillae ) is the upper fixed (not fixed in Neopterygii) bone of the jaw formed from the fusion of two maxillary bones. In humans, the upper jaw includes the hard palate in the front of the mouth. The two maxil ...
ry remains, is published by Haidr & Acosta Hospitaleche (2017).
* A study on the locomotion of ''Brontornis'' and the Phorusrhacidae, phorusrhacids ''Paraphysornis'' and ''Kelenken'', identifying them as adapted for slow walking rather than fast running locomotion, and evaluating possible ecology of these taxa, is published by Angst & Anusuya Chinsamy-Turan, Chinsamy (2017).
* A study on the fossil bird remains from the
Pliocene
The Pliocene ( ; also Pleiocene) is the epoch (geology), epoch in the geologic time scale that extends from 5.33 to 2.58Kanapoi
Kanapoi is a paleontological site in the Kenyan Rift Valley, to the southwest of Lake Turkana. Fossils were first found at Kanapoi in the 1960s by a Harvard expedition, and later by expeditions from the National Museums of Kenya.
Fossils at Kanapo ...
(
Kenya
Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...
), indicating presence of many aquatic birds, is published online by Field (2017).
* Description of
Holocene
The Holocene () is the current geologic time scale, geological epoch, beginning approximately 11,700 years ago. It follows the Last Glacial Period, which concluded with the Holocene glacial retreat. The Holocene and the preceding Pleistocene to ...
bird remains from the archaeological site at Tula Village (Tutuila, American Samoa) is published by Tennyson, Rieth & Cochrane (2017).
New taxa
Pterosaurs
Research
* A study on the body size evolution in
pterosaur
Pterosaurs are an extinct clade of flying reptiles in the order Pterosauria. They existed during most of the Mesozoic: from the Late Triassic to the end of the Cretaceous (228 million to 66 million years ago). Pterosaurs are the earli ...
s, especially on whether Bergmann's rule can be shown to apply to pterosaurs, is published by Villalobos ''et al.'' (2017).
* A study on the occurrence of competition and ecological separation between pterosaurs and birds as indicated by analyses of functionally equivalent morphological characters of lower jaw, fore- and hindlimbs is published by Chan (2017).
* A study on the differences between soft-tissue structure and attachments articulating skeletal joints of ''Rhamphorhynchus'' and ''Pterodactylus'' as indicated by known skeletons of members of both taxa is published by Beardmore, Lawlor & Hone (2017).
* Pterosaur Manus (anatomy), manus tracks are described from the
Late Cretaceous
The Late Cretaceous (100.5–66 Ma) is the more recent of two epochs into which the Cretaceous Period is divided in the geologic time scale. Rock strata from this epoch form the Upper Cretaceous Series. The Cretaceous is named after ''cre ...
of
Morocco
Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to Algeria–Morocc ...
by Masrour ''et al.'' (2017).
* A study on the systematic relationships of ''Parapsicephalus purdoni'' is published by O'Sullivan & Martill (2017).
* A study on the differences in the anatomy of the skull crests in Wukongopteridae, wukongopterid pterosaur specimens and its implications for the function of these crests is published by Cheng ''et al.'' (2017).
* New specimen of ''Kunpengopterus sinensis'', providing new information on the anatomy of members of the species, is described from the Upper Jurassic Tiaojishan Formation (
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
) by Cheng ''et al.'' (2017).
* An accumulation of hundreds of eggs (some of which contain embryonic remains) of ''Hamipterus tianshanensis'' is reported from the Lower Cretaceous of
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
by Wang ''et al.'' (2017), who interpret the finding as evidence of colonial nesting and potential nesting site fidelity in pterosaurs, and argue that the hatchlings might have been flightless and not as precocial as previously thought.
* Isolated teeth belonging to indeterminate members of the clade Anhangueria are described from the
Early Cretaceous
The Early Cretaceous (geochronology, geochronological name) or the Lower Cretaceous (chronostratigraphy, chronostratigraphic name) is the earlier or lower of the two major divisions of the Cretaceous. It is usually considered to stretch from 143.1 ...
(Albian) Griman Creek Formation (
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
) by Brougham, Smith & Bell (2017).
* A study on the morphological diversity of the skulls of Anhangueridae, anhanguerids from the Lower Cretaceous Romualdo Formation (
Brazil
Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
) and its implications for the taxonomy of members of the genus ''Anhanguera (pterosaur), Anhanguera'' is published by Pinheiro & Rodrigues (2017).
* A redescription of the holotype specimen of ''Dawndraco kanzai'' is published by Martin-Silverstone ''et al.'' (2017), who consider this species to be a Synonym (taxonomy), junior synonym of ''Geosternbergia, Pteranodon sternbergi''.
* A redescription of the
holotype
A holotype (Latin: ''holotypus'') is a single physical example (or illustration) of an organism used when the species (or lower-ranked taxon) was formally described. It is either the single such physical example (or illustration) or one of s ...
specimen of ''Jidapterus edentus'' and a study on the taxonomic validity, phylogenetic relationships and paleoecology of the species is published by Wu, Zhou & Andres (2017).
* Funston, Martin-Silverstone &
Currie
Currie is a village and suburb on the outskirts of Edinburgh, Scotland, situated south west of the city centre. Formerly within the County of Midlothian, it now falls within the jurisdiction of the City of Edinburgh Council. It is situated be ...
(2017) describe a fossil specimen from the
Upper Cretaceous
The Late Cretaceous (100.5–66 Ma) is the more recent of two epochs into which the Cretaceous Period is divided in the geologic time scale. Rock strata from this epoch form the Upper Cretaceous Series. The Cretaceous is named after ''cret ...
(
Campanian
The Campanian is the fifth of six ages of the Late Cretaceous epoch on the geologic timescale of the International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS). In chronostratigraphy, it is the fifth of six stages in the Upper Cretaceous Series. Campa ...
) Dinosaur Park Formation (
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
), interpreted as a partial pterosaur pelvis (tentatively referred to Azhdarchidae), which if confirmed would represent the first described pelvic material from a North American azhdarchid; however, this specimen is subsequently reinterpreted as a broken
tyrannosaurid
Tyrannosauridae (or tyrannosaurids, meaning "tyrant lizards") is a family of coelurosaurian theropod dinosaurs that comprises two subfamilies containing up to fifteen genera, including the eponymous ''Tyrannosaurus''. The exact number of genera ...
Squamosal bone, squamosal.
* A description of a neck vertebra of a probable member of the genus ''Hatzegopteryx'' recovered from the Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) Sebeş Formation (Romania) and a study on the implications of the vertebra's anatomy for the neck length and ecology of ''Hatzegopteryx'' is published by Darren Naish, Naish & Witton (2017).
* Fragments of neck vertebra of a gigantic pterosaur are described from the
Upper Cretaceous
The Late Cretaceous (100.5–66 Ma) is the more recent of two epochs into which the Cretaceous Period is divided in the geologic time scale. Rock strata from this epoch form the Upper Cretaceous Series. The Cretaceous is named after ''cret ...
Nemegt Formation (Mongolia) by Tsuihiji ''et al.'' (2017).
* Leal ''et al.'' (2017) describe a chaoyangopterid pterosaur based on remains found in the
Crato Formation
The Crato Formation is a geologic formation (stratigraphy), formation of Early Cretaceous (Aptian) age in northeastern Brazil's Araripe Basin. It is an important Lagerstätten, Lagerstätte (undisturbed fossil accumulation) for palaeontology, pa ...
(Brazil), providing further support for the presence of these types of pterosaurs in the
Early Cretaceous
The Early Cretaceous (geochronology, geochronological name) or the Lower Cretaceous (chronostratigraphy, chronostratigraphic name) is the earlier or lower of the two major divisions of the Cretaceous. It is usually considered to stretch from 143.1 ...
of Brazil. The phylogenetic position of ''Lacusovagus'' is also reviewed in this study.
New taxa
Other archosaurs
Research
* A study on the morphological differences between the
femora
The femur (; : femurs or femora ), or thigh bone is the only bone in the thigh — the region of the lower limb between the hip and the knee. In many four-legged animals the femur is the upper bone of the hindleg.
The top of the femur fits in ...
of ''Dromomeron romeri'' and ''Tawa (dinosaur), Tawa hallae'' is published by Müller (2017), who rejects the hypothesis that the two species are synonymous.