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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 every kind 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 ...
that are scheduled to be described during 2024, as well as other significant discoveries and events related to the
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 published in 2024.


Pseudosuchians


New pseudosuchian taxa


General pseudosuchian research

* Evidence of the impact of function on the evolution of the lower jaw morphology in crocodile-line archosaurs is presented by Rawson ''et al.'' (2024). * A review of studies on the thermometabolism of crocodile-line archosaurs from the preceding 20 years is published by Faure-Brac (2024). * Sennikov (2024) interprets
ornithosuchids Ornithosuchidae is an extinct family of pseudosuchian archosaurs (distant relatives of modern crocodilians) from the Triassic period. Ornithosuchids were quadrupedal and facultatively bipedal (e.g. like chimpanzees), meaning that they had the abi ...
as macrophagous predators with specialized jaw apparatus, and notes analogs between them and saber-toothed therapsids (including mammals). * A study on the locomotion of '' Riojasuchus tenuisceps'' is published by von Baczko ''et al.'' (2024), who reconstruct ''R. tenuisceps'' as having an erect posture and parasagittal gait, but do not conclusively resolve whether it was bipedal or quadrupedal. * A study on the anatomy of the skull and on the neurology of ''
Tarjadia ruthae ''Tarjadia'' is an extinct genus of erpetosuchid pseudosuchian, distantly related to modern crocodilians. It is known from a single species, ''T. ruthae'', first described in 1998 from the Middle Triassic Chañares Formation in Argentina. Partial ...
'' is published by Desojo ''et al.'' (2024). * A study on the humeral bone histology of ''Benggwigwishingasuchus eremacarminis'' is published by Klein (2024), who finds no evidence of secondary aquatic adaptations, but reports evidence indicative a slower growth rate than in ''
Effigia ''Effigia'' is an extinct genus of shuvosaurid known from the Late Triassic of New Mexico, south-western USA. With a bipedal stance, long neck, and a toothless beaked skull, ''Effigia'' and other shuvosaurids bore a resemblance to the ornithomimi ...
'' and ''
Sillosuchus ''Sillosuchus'' is a genus of shuvosaurid poposauroid archosaur that lived in South America during the Late Triassic period. Shuvosaurids were an unusual family of reptiles belonging to the group Poposauroidea; although their closest modern relati ...
''. * Redescription of the skeletal anatomy of ''
Shuvosaurus inexpectatus ''Shuvosaurus'' (meaning "Shuvo hatterjees lizard") is a genus of beaked, bipedal poposauroid pseudosuchian from the Late Triassic (early to middle Norian) of western Texas. Despite superficially resembling a theropod dinosaur, especially the ...
'' is published by Nesbitt &
Chatterjee Chatterjee (), also known as Chattopadhyay is a Bengali Hindu surname, used by the Kulin group of the Bengali Brahmin caste. Together with Banerjees, Mukherjees, Bhattacharjees, and Gangulys, Chatterjees form the Kulin Brahmins, the highest ...
(2024). * Mastrantonio ''et al.'' (2024) describe the anatomy of the postcranial skeleton of the most complete specimen of ''
Prestosuchus chiniquensis ''Prestosuchus'' (meaning "Prestes crocodile") is an extinct genus of pseudosuchian in the group Loricata, which also includes ''Saurosuchus'' and ''Postosuchus''. It has historically been referred to as a "rauisuchian", and was the defining mem ...
'' reported to date, and revise the diagnosis for ''P. chiniquensis''. * A study on growth patterns of ''Prestosuchus chiniquensis'', as indicated by microstructure of bone tissues of three specimens, is published by Farias ''et al.'' (2024). * Ponce, Cerda & Desojo (2024) describe partial fibula of '' Aetosauroides scagliai'' from the
Ischigualasto Formation The Ischigualasto Formation is a Late Triassic geological formation in the Ischigualasto-Villa Unión Basin of southwestern La Rioja Province, Argentina, La Rioja Province and northeastern San Juan Province, Argentina, San Juan Province in northw ...
and partial tibia of ''
Tarjadia ruthae ''Tarjadia'' is an extinct genus of erpetosuchid pseudosuchian, distantly related to modern crocodilians. It is known from a single species, ''T. ruthae'', first described in 1998 from the Middle Triassic Chañares Formation in Argentina. Partial ...
'' from the
Chañares Formation The Chañares Formation is a Carnian-age geologic formation of the Ischigualasto-Villa Unión Basin, located in La Rioja Province, Argentina. It is characterized by drab-colored fine-grained volcaniclastic claystones, siltstones, and sandstones ...
diagnosed as affected by
periostitis Periostitis, also known as periostalgia, is a medical condition caused by inflammation of the periosteum, a layer of connective tissue that surrounds bone. The condition is generally chronic and is marked by tenderness and swelling of the bone an ...
, representing the first records of periostitis in non-crocodylomorph pseudosuchians reported to date.


Aetosaur research

* Parker ''et al.'' (2024) study the anatomy and bone histology of a specimen of '' Coahomasuchus kahleorum'' from the Triassic Dockum Group (
Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...
,
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 ...
), providing evidence that the studied specimen is not a juvenile form of another known aetosaur, and providing new information on the anatomy of ''C. kahleorum''.


Crocodylomorph research

* Review of adaptations of crocodylomorphs to lifestyles other than semiaquatic (i.e. terrestrial or fully aquatic) throughout their evolutionary history is published by Pochat-Cottilloux (2024). * Pochat-Cottilloux ''et al.'' (2024) report evidence indicating that shape variation of endosseous labyrinths of extant crocodylians is affected by
allometry Allometry (Ancient Greek "other", "measurement") is the study of the relationship of body size to shape, anatomy, physiology and behaviour, first outlined by Otto Snell in 1892, by D'Arcy Thompson in 1917 in ''On Growth and Form'' and by Jul ...
to a greater degree than by phylogenetic relationships of the studied crocodylians, and interpret these results as indicative of problems with inclusion of fossil forms in the studies of the impact of ecology on the evolution of crocodylomorph endosseous labyrinths. * Description of the anatomy and bone histology of the postcranial skeleton of '' Terrestrisuchus gracilis'' is published by Spiekman,
Butler A butler is a person who works in a house serving and is a domestic worker in a large household. In great houses, the household is sometimes divided into departments, with the butler in charge of the dining room, wine cellar, and pantries, pantr ...
& Maidment. * A study on the bone histology and growth patterns of '' Orthosuchus stormbergi'' is published by Weiss ''et al.'' (2024). * Woodward ''et al.'' (2024) note correlation between alligator femur volume and body mass, and use femur volume to determine body mass of goniopholidids, dyrosaurs,
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 ...
ns and
thalattosuchia Thalattosuchia is a clade of mostly marine crocodylomorphs from the Early Jurassic to the Early Cretaceous that had a cosmopolitan distribution. They are colloquially referred to as marine crocodiles or sea crocodiles, though they are not member ...
ns. * A study on the morphological diversity of the pelvic girdle of thalattosuchians and dyrosaurids throughout their evolutionary history is published by Scavezzoni ''et al.'' (2024). * A study on the anatomy and evolution of the pectoral girdles of thalattosuchians and dyrosaurids, an on the implications of the postcranial anatomy of crocodylomorphs for the studies of their phylogenetic relationships, is published by Scavezzoni ''et al.'' (2024). * Young ''et al.'' (2024) provide higher level systematization for Thalattosuchia under both the
PhyloCode The ''International Code of Phylogenetic Nomenclature'', known as the ''PhyloCode'' for short, is a formal set of rules governing phylogenetic nomenclature. Its current version is specifically designed to regulate the naming of clades, leaving the ...
and the
International Code of Zoological Nomenclature The International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN) is a widely accepted Convention (norm), convention in zoology that rules the formal scientific name, scientific naming of organisms treated as animals. It is also informally known as the I ...
, naming new taxa Neothalattosuchia, Euthalattosuchia and Dakosaurina. * A study on the morphology of
osteoderm Osteoderms are bony deposits forming scales, plates, or other structures based in the dermis. Osteoderms are found in many groups of extant and extinct reptiles and amphibians, including lizards, crocodilians, frogs, temnospondyls (extinct amph ...
s of '' Indosinosuchus'' and an unnamed member of
Mesoeucrocodylia Mesoeucrocodylia is the clade that includes Eusuchia and crocodyliforms formerly placed in the paraphyletic group Mesosuchia. The group appeared during the Early Jurassic, and continues to the present day. Diagnosis It was long known that Me ...
from the Late Jurassic Phu Noi excavation site (
Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...
) is published by Bhuttarach ''et al.'' (2024). * A study on the bone microstructure of ''
Macrospondylus bollensis ''Macrospondylus'' is an extinct genus of machimosaurid teleosauroid crocodyliform from the Early Jurassic (Toarcian) of Europe. Fossils are known from the Posidonia Shale of Germany, the Whitby Mudstone of the United Kingdom, and the "'' schi ...
'' is published by Johnson ''et al.'' (2024), who report evidence of growth at a regular rate until the animal reached adult size, of bone compactness values within the range of those of modern crocodilians, and of an amphibious lifestyle of ''M. bollensis'', while retaining the ability to move on land. * Weryński ''et al.'' (2024) identify a
teleosauroid Teleosauroidea is an extinct superfamily of thalattosuchian crocodyliforms living from the Early Jurassic to the Early Cretaceous. It is phylogenetically defined by Mark T. Young and colleagues in 2024 in the ''PhyloCode'' as "the largest clade w ...
rostrum from the Częstochowa Sponge Limestone Formation (
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 ...
) as belonging to a non- machimosaurin machimosaurid feeding on large prey, with morphological similarities to ''
Neosteneosaurus edwardsi ''Neosteneosaurus'' is a genus of machimosaurid, known from the Middle Jurassic Oxford Clay of the UK, and Marnes de Dives, France. The type species, ''N. edwardsi'', was originally named as a species of ''Steneosaurus'' in 1868, but was moved ...
'' and '' Proexochokefalos heberti'', providing evidence that such teleosauroids were present outside of Western Europe during the Oxfordian. * Scheyer ''et al.'' (2024) describe teleosauroid tooth crowns associated with ichthyosaur remains (with scavenging traces also produced by a teleosauroid) from the
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 ...
Hauptrogenstein Formation The Hauptrogenstein Formation is a Formation (geology), geologic formation in Germany and Switzerland. It preserves fossils that date back to the Middle Jurassic Period (geology), period (Bajocian-Bathonian). Paleofauna List as per Miedema ''e ...
(
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 ...
), representing the oldest fossil material of a member of the tribe Machimosaurini reported to date. * Cubo ''et al.'' (2024) interpret '' Pelagosaurus typus'' as an amphibious thalattosuchian likely able to wander over land, with high resting metabolic rate compared to extant
ectotherm An ectotherm (), more commonly referred to as a "cold-blooded animal", is an animal in which internal physiological sources of heat, such as blood, are of relatively small or of quite negligible importance in controlling body temperature.Dav ...
s but unlikely to be an
endotherm An endotherm (from Greek ἔνδον ''endon'' "within" and θέρμη ''thermē'' "heat") is an organism that maintains its body at a metabolically favorable temperature, largely by the use of heat released by its internal bodily functions inst ...
, and interpret its hunting behavior as likely involving slow sustained swimming and rapid sideways movements of the head to capture prey. * A study on the endocranial anatomy of ''
Thalattosuchus superciliosus ''Thalattosuchus'' is an extinct genus of marine crocodyliform that lived in the oceans during the Middle to Late Jurassic. Though the genus ''Thalattosuchus'' itself was named in 2020, its fossils have historically been included under the well ...
'', providing evidence of anatomical differences between geosaurine and non-geosaurine metriorhynchids, is published by Higgins ''et al.'' (2024), who argue that geosaurines and metriorhynchines likely underwent parallel shifts to a pursuit predator
ecomorphology Ecomorphology or ecological morphology is the study of the relationship between the ecological, ecological role of an individual and its morphology (biology), morphological adaptations. The term "morphological" here is in the anatomical context. Bo ...
throughout their evolutionary histories. * The first fossil material of a member or a relative of the genus ''
Plesiosuchus ''Plesiosuchus'' is an extinct genus of geosaurine metriorhynchid crocodyliform known from the Late Jurassic (late Kimmeridgian to early Tithonian stage) of Dorset, England and possibly also Spain. It contains a single species, ''Plesiosuchus m ...
'' from
France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
reported to date is described from the Kimmeridgian strata of the Argiles d'Ecqueville formation in Normandy by Hua (2024). * Hua, Liston & Tabouelle (2024) describe a specimen of ''
Metriorhynchus ''Metriorhynchus'' is an extinct genus of marine crocodyliform that lived in the oceans during the Late Jurassic. The type species, ''M. brevirostris'' was named in 1829 as a species of ''Steneosaurus'' before being named as a separate genus by ...
''
cf. The abbreviation cf. (short for either Latin or , both meaning 'compare') is generally used in writing to refer the reader to other material to make a comparison with the topic being discussed. However some sources offer differing or even contr ...
''superciliosus'' from the
Callovian In the geologic timescale, the Callovian is an age and stage in the Middle Jurassic, lasting between 165.3 ± 1.1 Ma (million years ago) and 161.5 ± 1.0 Ma. It is the last stage of the Middle Jurassic, following the Bathonian and preceding the ...
strata from the "Vaches Noires" cliffs of Villers-sur-Mer (
France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
), preserved with gastric contents that include remains of the gill apparatus of ''
Leedsichthys ''Leedsichthys'' is an extinct genus of pachycormid fish that lived in the oceans of the Middle to Late Jurassic.Liston, JJ (2004). An overview of the pachycormiform ''Leedsichthys''. In: Arratia G and Tintori A (eds) Mesozoic Fishes 3 - Systema ...
'', and interpret the studied specimen as providing evidence of ''Metriorhynchus'' scavenging on the remains of ''Leedsichthys''. * Young ''et al.'' (2024) study the evolution of the paratympanic and paranasal sinuses in Crocodylomorpha (with a focus on thalattosuchians), and argue that the expansive snout sinus system of metriorhynchids likely prevented them from deep diving. * Leardi ''et al.'' (2024) review the phylogenetic nomenclature 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 ...
, define notosuchian clades according to the ''
PhyloCode The ''International Code of Phylogenetic Nomenclature'', known as the ''PhyloCode'' for short, is a formal set of rules governing phylogenetic nomenclature. Its current version is specifically designed to regulate the naming of clades, leaving the ...
'' standards and name a new clade Peirosauria. * A study on the bone histology of '' Araripesuchus buitreraensis'', providing evidence of generally slow, annually interrupted growth rate, is published by Navarro ''et al.'' (2024). * Fernández-Dumont (2024) describes juvenile specimens of ''Araripesuchus'' from the La Buitrera Paleontological Area (Argentina) and provides a list of characters indicating ontogenetic status of specimens of ''Araripesuchus''. * Evidence of a continuous and coordinated tooth replacement in '' Armadillosuchus arrudai'', ensuring that the animal would not lose too many teeth simultaneously and that its feeding abilities were not affected by tooth loss, is presented by Borsoni, Carvalho & Marinho (2024). * Dos Santos ''et al.'' (2024) describe the skeletal anatomy of the most complete juvenile baurusuchid specimen reported to date, and report evidence of differences in skull ornamentation and muscle development between juvenile and adult baurusuchid specimens which might be indicative of
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 ...
niche partitioning. * A study on tooth replacement patterns in members of the genus ''
Caipirasuchus ''Caipirasuchus'' is an extinct genus of sphagesaurid notosuchians known from the Late Cretaceous of northern São Paulo State and western Minas Gerais State, southeastern Brazil. The type species, ''C. paulistanus'', was named in 2011. A seco ...
'' is published by Borsoni & Carvalho (2024). * Redescription of the skull anatomy and a study on the phylogenetic affinities of '' Barreirosuchus franciscoi'' is published by Fachini ''et al.'' (2024). * Fossil material 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 a basal form that shared several anatomical traits with derived members of the group, is described from the Lower Cretaceous
Kitadani Formation The Kitadani Formation ( ''Kitadani-sō'') is a unit of Lower Cretaceous sedimentary rock which crops out near the city of Katsuyama in Fukui Prefecture, Japan, and it is the primary source of Cretaceous-aged non-marine vertebrate fossils in Jap ...
(
Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
) by Obuse & Shibata (2024). * Forêt ''et al.'' (2024) study factors driving
tethysuchia Tethysuchia is an extinct clade of neosuchian mesoeucrocodylian crocodylomorphs from the late Middle Jurassic (Bathonian stage) to the Early Eocene (Ypresian stage) of Asia, Europe, North America and South America. It was named by the French pale ...
n evolution, reporting evidence of a turnover after the
Cenomanian-Turonian boundary event The Cenomanian-Turonian boundary event, also known as the Cenomanian-Turonian extinction, Cenomanian-Turonian Oceanic Anoxic Event ( OAE 2), and referred to also as the Bonarelli Event or Level, was an anoxic extinction event in the Cretaceous p ...
when a dyrosaurid-dominated fauna replaced a
pholidosaurid Pholidosauridae is an extinct Family (biology), family of aquatic neosuchian mesoeucrocodylian crocodylomorphs. Fossils have been found in Europe (Denmark, England, France, Germany, Spain and Sweden), Africa (Algeria, Niger, Mali, Morocco and Tu ...
-dominated one, of increased tethysuchian biodiversity after the
Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event The Cretaceous–Paleogene (K–Pg) extinction event, also known as the K–T extinction, was the extinction event, mass extinction of three-quarters of the plant and animal species on Earth approximately 66 million years ago. The event cau ...
, and of a positive correlation between body length and temperature. * Fossil material of an early-diverging, long-snouted dyrosaurid is described from the Campanian
Quseir Formation The Quseir Formation is a geological formation in the vicinity of the Kharga Oasis in Egypt.
(
Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...
) by Saber ''et al.'' (2024). * Jouve & Rodríguez-Jiménez (2024) describe a dyrosaurid vertebra from the
Thanetian The Thanetian is, in the International Commission on Stratigraphy, ICS Geologic timescale, the latest age (geology), age or uppermost stage (stratigraphy), stratigraphic stage of the Paleocene epoch (geology), Epoch or series (stratigraphy), Serie ...
Cuervos Formation (
Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...
), providing evidence of survival of dyrosaurids in South America until the end of the Paleocene. * Kuzmin ''et al.'' (2024) present the reconstruction of the ''
Kansajsuchus extensus ''Kansajsuchus'' is an extinct genus of paralligatorid mesoeucrocodylian. It is holotype, based on Paleontological Institute of Russian Academy of Sciences, PIN 2399/301, a right premaxilla, one of the bones of the tip of the snout. This spe ...
'' and note the presence of significant differences in the braincase structure of pholidosaurids and dyrosaurids, questioning the close affinity of the two groups. * Redescription of the anatomy of the skull of '' Acynodon adriaticus'' is published by Muscioni ''et al.'' (2024). * Rocchi & Vila (2024) describe fossil material of ''
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 ...
''
cf. The abbreviation cf. (short for either Latin or , both meaning 'compare') is generally used in writing to refer the reader to other material to make a comparison with the topic being discussed. However some sources offer differing or even contr ...
''subjuniperus'' from the lower
Maastrichtian The Maastrichtian ( ) is, in the International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS) geologic timescale, the latest age (geology), age (uppermost stage (stratigraphy), stage) of the Late Cretaceous epoch (geology), Epoch or Upper Cretaceous series (s ...
deposits of the Suterranya-Mina de lignit locality ( La Posa Formation; Lleida,
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 ...
), providing evidence of the presence of a third early Maastrichtian species of ''Allodaposuchus'' (in addition to ''A. palustris'' and ''A. hulki'') in the Tremp Group. * Yates & Stein (2024) interpret '' Ultrastenos willisi'' and ''"Baru" huberi'' as
synonymous A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means precisely or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are a ...
, but maintain ''Ultrastenos'' as a distinct
mekosuchine Mekosuchinae is an extinct clade of crocodilians from the Cenozoic of Australasia. They represented the dominant group of crocodilians in the region during most of the Cenozoic, first appearing in the fossil record in the Eocene of Australia, and ...
genus, resulting in a new combination ''Ultrastenos huberi''. * Purported sebecosuchian teeth from the Pliocene Otibanda Formation (
Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea, officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is an island country in Oceania that comprises the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and offshore islands in Melanesia, a region of the southwestern Pacific Ocean n ...
) are reinterpreted as more likely to be mekosuchine teeth by Ristevski, Molnar & Yates (2024). * Review of the fossil record and
osmoregulation Osmoregulation is the active regulation of the osmotic pressure of an organism's body fluids, detected by osmoreceptors, to maintain the homeostasis of the organism's water content; that is, it maintains the fluid balance and the concentration ...
of members of
Alligatoroidea Alligatoroidea is one of three superfamilies of crocodylians, the other two being Crocodyloidea and Gavialoidea. Alligatoroidea evolved in the Late Cretaceous period, and consists of the alligators and caimans, as well as extinct members m ...
is published by Stout (2024), who argues that fossil members of the group might have been salt-tolerant and more ocean-going than extant alligatoroids. * Redescription of ''
Arambourgia gaudryi ''Arambourgia'' is an extinct monotypic genus of alligatorine crocodylian from Europe. It was named in 1905 as ''Allognathosuchus gaudryi''. It was made a separate genus ''Arambourgia'' in 1940. This was synonymized with '' Allognathosuchus haup ...
'' is published by Conedera ''et al.'' (2024), who recover ''A. gaudryi'' as an
alligatorine Alligatorinae is a subfamily within the family Alligatoridae that contains the alligators and their closest extinct relatives, and is the sister taxon to Caimaninae (the caimans). Many genera in Alligatorinae are described, but only the genus ''A ...
, and interpret it as a semi-terrestrial animal. * Paiva ''et al.'' (2024) recostruct ancestral body sizes across the evolutionary history of caimanines, and interpret evolution of large body sizes in the lineages including ''
Mourasuchus ''Mourasuchus'' is an extinct genus of giant, aberrant caiman from the Miocene of South America. Its skull has been described as duck-like, being broad, flat, and very elongate, superficially resembling '' Stomatosuchus'' from the Late Cretace ...
'' and ''
Purussaurus ''Purussaurus'' is an extinct genus of giant caiman that lived in South America during the Miocene epoch, from the Friasian to the Huayquerian in the SALMA classification. It is known from skull material found in the Brazilian and Peruvian Am ...
'' as related to warmer climatic conditions with less seasonal temperature variation in the western Amazonian region of South America during the Miocene. * A study on the skull anatomy of '' Eosuchus lerichei'' is published by Burke ''et al.'' (2024), who report possible evidence of the presence of salt glands, and interpret ''Eosuchus'' as a
gavialoid Gavialoidea is one of three superfamilies of crocodylians, the other two being Alligatoroidea and Crocodyloidea. Although many extinct species are known, only the gharial ''Gavialis gangeticus'' and the false gharial ''Tomistoma schlegelii'' are ...
that wasn't closely related to "thoracosaurs". * Redescription of ''
Crocodylus palaeindicus ''Crocodylus palaeindicus'' is an extinct species of crocodile from southern Asia. ''C. palaeindicus'' lived from the Miocene to the Pliocene. It may be an ancestor of the living Mugger crocodile. History ''C. palaeindicus'' was first named by ...
'' and a study on the phylogenetic relationships of members of
Crocodyloidea Crocodyloidea is one of three superfamilies of crocodilians, the other two being Alligatoroidea and Gavialoidea, and it includes the crocodiles. Crocodyloidea may also include the extinct Mekosuchinae, native to Australasia from the Eocene to ...
is published by Chabrol ''et al.'' (2024), who consider ''Crocodylus sivalensis'' to be a
junior synonym In taxonomy, the scientific classification of living organisms, a synonym is an alternative scientific name for the accepted scientific name of a taxon. The botanical and zoological codes of nomenclature treat the concept of synonymy differently. ...
of ''C. palaeindicus'', find evidence of a close relationship of '' Crocodylus checchiai'' and ''
Crocodylus falconensis ''Crocodylus falconensis'' is an extinct species of crocodile known from the early Pliocene of the lower part of the Vergel Member of the San Gregorio Formation of Venezuela. ''C. falconensis'' was named in 2013 after Falcón State and is though ...
'' with extant American crocodiles, recover '' Kinyang'' as a crocodyline rather than osteolaemine, recover '' Albertosuchus knudsenii'', '' Prodiplocynodon langi'' and '' "Crocodylus" affinis'' outside Crocodyloidea, and consider an
alligatoroid Alligatoroidea is one of three superfamilies of crocodylians, the other two being Crocodyloidea and Gavialoidea. Alligatoroidea evolved in the Late Cretaceous period, and consists of the alligators and caimans, as well as extinct members more c ...
placement for the clade
Orientalosuchina Orientalosuchina is an extinct clade of alligatoroid crocodylians from Southeast Asia, Southeast and East Asia that lived between Maastrichtian and Eocene. The clade was named as the result of a 2019 study by Massonne ''et al.'' that included se ...
to be highly labile.


Non-avian dinosaurs


New dinosaur taxa


General non-avian dinosaur research

* Review of studies on the phylogenetic relationships of main dinosaur groups from the preceding years is published by Lovegrove, Upchurch & Barrett (2024). * Review of studies on the
macroecology Macroecology is a subfield in ecology that uses a methodological approach that investigates the empirical patterns and mechanistic processes by which the particulate components of complex ecological systems generate emergent structures and dynamics ...
of non-avian dinosaurs from the preceding years is published by Chiarenza (2024). * A study on diversity of Mesozoic dinosaurs throughout their evolutionary history is published by Mannion (2024). * Review of main obstacles in the study of neurology of Mesozoic dinosaurs, and of advances in the study of dinosaur neurology, is published by Balanoff (2024). * Evidence indicating that the evolution of rostral keratin cover was associated with partial tooth reduction throughout the evolutionary history of dinosaurs, but does not explain the complete loss of teeth in dinosaur lineages, is presented by Aguilar-Pedrayes, Gardner & Organ (2024). * A study on the evolutionary rates of biting mechanics in herbivorous dinosaurs is published by Kunz and Sakamoto (2024), who interpret their findings as indicating that biomechanic evolution rates can reveal ecological signatures in different lineages and ontogenetic stages. * Caspar ''et al.'' (2024) present revised estimates of
encephalization Encephalization quotient (EQ), encephalization level (EL), or just encephalization is a relative brain size measure that is defined as the ratio between observed and predicted brain mass for an animal of a given size, based on nonlinear regress ...
and
telencephalic The cerebrum (: cerebra), telencephalon or endbrain is the largest part of the brain, containing the cerebral cortex (of the two cerebral hemispheres) as well as several subcortical structures, including the hippocampus, basal ganglia, and olfac ...
neuron A neuron (American English), neurone (British English), or nerve cell, is an membrane potential#Cell excitability, excitable cell (biology), cell that fires electric signals called action potentials across a neural network (biology), neural net ...
counts in dinosaurs, contesting neuron count and relative brain size estimates presented in the study of Herculano-Houzel (2023), and in particular contesting estimates of exceptional neuron counts and relative brain size in large-bodied theropods compared to other dinosaurs presented by the cited author. * Evidence from the study of an ontogenetic series of endocasts of '' Psittacosaurus lujiatunesis'' and immature specimens of other non-avian dinosaur taxa, interpreted as indicating that non-avian dinosaurs had a distinct developmental trajectory of the brain compared to extant birds and crocodilians, is presented by King ''et al.'' (2024). * Atterholt ''et al.'' (2024) report evidence of widespread presence of bony ridges in the neural canals in the caudal vertebrae of non-avian dinosaurs, and interpret the studied structures as likely bony spinal cord supports. * A study on the evolution of the dinosaurian climatic niche landscape throughout the Mesozoic is published by Chiarenza ''et al.'' (2024), who report that the distribution of sauropodomorphs indicates their preference for warm environments, while ornithischians and theropods explored a broader range of environments with varied climates, and interpret the colonization of areas with colder climates by theropods since the Early Jurassic as likely related to the evolution of endothermy. * Upchurch & Chiarenza (2024) review the studies of the
biogeography Biogeography is the study of the species distribution, distribution of species and ecosystems in geography, geographic space and through evolutionary history of life, geological time. Organisms and biological community (ecology), communities o ...
of non-avian dinosaurs. * Qvarnström ''et al.'' (2024) reconstruct food webs from five tetrapod communities from the Late Triassic and Early Jurassic of
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 ...
on the basis of data from
bromalite Bromalites are the fossilized remains of material sourced from the digestive system of organisms. As such, they can be broadly considered to be trace fossils. The most well-known types of bromalites are fossilized faeces or coprolites. However, ...
s, and interpret changes in bromalite morphologies and their contents as related to shifts in faunal composition, with increased abundance of dinosaurs coinciding with decline of formerly dominant tetrapod groups; the authors also interpret their findings as indicating that early herbivorous dinosaurs had different feeding habits than
dicynodonts Dicynodontia is an extinct clade of anomodonts, an extinct type of non-mammalian therapsid. Dicynodonts were herbivores that typically bore a pair of tusks, hence their name, which means 'two dog tooth'. Members of the group possessed a horny, t ...
and
aetosaur Aetosaurs () are heavily armored reptiles belonging to the extinct order (biology), order Aetosauria (; from Ancient Greek, Greek, (aetos, "eagle") and (, "lizard")). They were medium- to large-sized Omnivore, omnivorous or Herbivore, herbivor ...
s, and interpret the studied fossils as recording stepwise rise of dinosaurs to supremacy across 30 million years of evolution. * Putative bone fragments of large-bodied dinosaurs from
Rhaetian The Rhaetian is the latest age (geology), age of the Triassic period (geology), Period (in geochronology) or the uppermost stage (stratigraphy), stage of the Triassic system (stratigraphy), System (in chronostratigraphy). It was preceded by the N ...
strata in
France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
,
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 ...
and
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 ...
are reinterpreted as fossil material of large-bodied
ichthyosaur Ichthyosauria is an order of large extinct marine reptiles sometimes referred to as "ichthyosaurs", although the term is also used for wider clades in which the order resides. Ichthyosaurians thrived during much of the Mesozoic era; based on fo ...
s by Perillo & Sander (2024). * Romilio ''et al''. (2024) describe dinosaur tracks from the Early Jurassic (
Sinemurian In the geologic timescale, the Sinemurian is an age (geology), age and stage (stratigraphy), stage in the Early Jurassic, Early or Lower Jurassic epoch (geology), Epoch or series (stratigraphy), Series. It spans the time between 199.5 ±0.3 annu ...
) Razorback Beds (Australia), representing the oldest dinosaur tracks from the country to date. * Troiano ''et al.'' (2024) report the discovery of an association of Early Cretaceous dinosaur tracks and
petroglyph A petroglyph is an image created by removing part of a rock surface by incising, picking, carving, or abrading, as a form of rock art. Outside North America, scholars often use terms such as "carving", "engraving", or other descriptions ...
s from the Serrote do Letreiro Site (
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 ...
). * Review of the fossil record of Late Triassic and Jurassic dinosaurs from
India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
is published by Khosla &
Lucas Lucas or LUCAS may refer to: People * Lucas (surname) * Lucas (given name) Arts and entertainment * Luca Family Singers, or the Lucas, a 19th-century African-American singing group * Lucas, a 1960s Swedish pop group formed by Janne Lucas Perss ...
(2024). * Maidment (2024) describes the diversity of dinosaurs from the upper
Morrison Formation The Morrison Formation is a distinctive sequence of Upper Jurassic sedimentary rock found in the western United States which has been the most fertile source of dinosaur fossils in North America. It is composed of mudstone, sandstone, siltston ...
(United States) in time and space, and finds evidence supporting
cladogenesis Cladogenesis is an evolutionary splitting of a parent species into two distinct species, forming a clade. This event usually occurs when a few organisms end up in new, often distant areas or when environmental changes cause several extinctions, ...
as a means of increasing
diplodocine Diplodocinae is an extinct subfamily of diplodocid sauropods that existed from the Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous of North America, Europe, Africa and South America, about 161.2 to 136.4 million years ago. Genera within the subfamily include ' ...
diversity over time, as well as spatial segregation 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 ...
'' and ''
Camarasaurus ''Camarasaurus'' ( ) is a genus of sauropod dinosaur that lived in North America during the Late Jurassic period. Its fossil remains have been found in the Morrison Formation, dating to the Kimmeridgian and Tithonian ages of the Jurassic, betwe ...
'' species. * Tracks of medium to large theropods and small ornithopods are described from the Lower Cretaceous (Valanginian-Aptian) Wonthaggi Formation (Victoria, Australia) by Martin ''et al.'' (2024), confirming the presence of large theropods in the polar regions of Australia during the Early Cretaceous. * Bandeira ''et al.'' (2024) revise dinosaur remains from the Lower Cretaceous Massacará and Ilhas groups (Recôncavo Basin,
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 ...
) collected between 1859 and 1906, and interpret the studied fossils as indicative of the presence of an Early Cretaceous dinosaur assemblage including theropods, sauropods and ornithopods. * New dinosaur tracksite, preserving ornithopod, sauropod and theropod tracks, is described from the Lower Cretaceous (Aptian-Albian) Duoni Formation (Tibet, China) by Li ''et al.'' (2024). * Navarro ''et al.'' (2024) report the discovery of a new tracksite preserving theropod, sauropod and ornithischian footprints from the Cenomanian–Turonian Santo Anastácio Formation (Brazil), representing the first dinosaur ichnofauna from the Bauru Group reported to date and providing evidence of presence of ornithischians in the studied area before environmental changes during the Cenomanian–Turonian interval. * Kirkland ''et al''. (2024) describe the biodiversity of Cretaceous dinosaurs from
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). * Han ''et al.'' (2024) find that rising temperatures and rainfall intensity coincided with decline and eventual disappearance of dinosaurs from the Shanyang Basin (China) during the latest Cretaceous, and argue that the recorded decline of dinosaurs in the studied area was likely caused by increased rainfall that reduced availability of suitable nesting sites for dinosaurs. * A study on the diversification of non-avian dinosaurs, inferred from available dinosaur phylogenies, is published by Allen ''et al.'' (2024), who find it impossible to decisively conclude whether dinosaurs experienced a decline in diversity before the
Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event The Cretaceous–Paleogene (K–Pg) extinction event, also known as the K–T extinction, was the extinction event, mass extinction of three-quarters of the plant and animal species on Earth approximately 66 million years ago. The event cau ...
on the basis of available data, noting the impact of the phylodynamic models used in the study (specifically their assumptions about sampling and changes in the number of species through time) on estimates of dinosaur evolutionary rates.


Saurischian research

* A study on the femoral histology of amniotes from the Triassic
Ischigualasto Formation The Ischigualasto Formation is a Late Triassic geological formation in the Ischigualasto-Villa Unión Basin of southwestern La Rioja Province, Argentina, La Rioja Province and northeastern San Juan Province, Argentina, San Juan Province in northw ...
(
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 ...
), including early dinosaurs '' Chromogisaurus novasi'', '' Eodromaeus murphi'', ''
Eoraptor lunensis ''Eoraptor'' () is a genus of small, lightly built, Basal (phylogenetics), basal sauropodomorpha, sauropodomorph dinosaur. One of the earliest-known dinosaurs and one of the earliest sauropodomorphs, it lived approximately 231 to 228 million yea ...
'', ''
Herrerasaurus ischigualastensis ''Herrerasaurus'' is likely a genus of saurischian dinosaur from the Late Triassic period. Measuring long and weighing around , this genus was one of the earliest dinosaurs from the fossil record. Its name means "Herrera's lizard", after the ...
'' and '' Sanjuansaurus gordilloi'', is published by Curry Rogers ''et al.'' (2024), who find that early dinosaurs known from this formation grew at least as quickly as sauropodomorph and theropod dinosaurs from the later Mesozoic, and that their elevated growth rates did not set them apart from other amniotes living at the same time. * New dinosaur tracksites from the Middle Jurassic Dongdaqiao Formation (China), preserving tracks of large-bodied theropods and small-bodied sauropods, are described by Chen ''et al.'' (2024). * Danison ''et al.'' (2024) redescribe fossil material assigned to ''
Saurophaganax maximus ''Saurophaganax'' ("lord of lizard-eaters") is a dubious, chimeric genus of large saurischian dinosaur, possibly a sauropod, from the Late Jurassic (Kimmeridgian) Morrison Formation of Oklahoma, United States. This taxon was historically cons ...
'' from the Late Jurassic
Morrison Formation The Morrison Formation is a distinctive sequence of Upper Jurassic sedimentary rock found in the western United States which has been the most fertile source of dinosaur fossils in North America. It is composed of mudstone, sandstone, siltston ...
(Oklahoma, United States), and interpret it as a chimeric taxon with the holotype specimen representing a dubious saurischian, and other specimens belonging to a novel species 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 ...
''. * Yuan ''et al.'' (2024) describe new tracks of sauropods and theropods from the Upper Jurassic–Lower Cretaceous Houcheng Formation (Hebei, China), and interpret the studied tracks as suggestive of successive evolution of the
Yanliao Biota The Yanliao Biota is the name given to an assembly of fossils preserved in northeastern China from the Middle to Late Jurassic.Xu, X., Zhou, Z., Sullivan, C. and Wang, Y., 2017. The Yanliao Biota: a trove of exceptionally preserved Middle-Late Ju ...
and the
Jehol Biota The Jehol Biota includes all the living organisms – the ecosystem – of northeastern China between 133 and 120 million years ago. This is the Lower Cretaceous ecosystem which left fossils in the Yixian Formation and Jiufotang Formation. These d ...
, with no evidence of a complete turnover or extinction of biotas, as well as suggesting that the dinosaur diversity in the North China during the earliest Cretaceous was influenced by volcanic activity. * Paio et al. (2024) describe a new
rib In vertebrate anatomy, ribs () are the long curved bones which form the rib cage, part of the axial skeleton. In most tetrapods, ribs surround the thoracic cavity, enabling the lungs to expand and thus facilitate breathing by expanding the ...
fragment from the Campanian–Maastrichtian aged
Marília Formation The Marília Formation is a geological Formation (geology), formation in Minas Gerais state of southeastern Brazil. Its strata date back to the Maastrichtian, and are part of the Bauru Group. The fossil-bearing Serra da Galga and Ponte Alta member ...
(
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 interpret it as representing an indeterminate
saurischian Saurischia ( , meaning "reptile-hipped" from the Greek ' () meaning 'lizard' and ' () meaning 'hip joint') is one of the two basic divisions of dinosaurs (the other being Ornithischia), classified by their hip structure. Saurischia and Ornithis ...
.


Theropod research

* Manafzadeh ''et al.'' (2024) argue that the knees of early theropod dinosaurs were restricted to hinge-like motion, and that the reduction of the
fibula The fibula (: fibulae or fibulas) or calf bone is a leg bone on the lateral side of the tibia, to which it is connected above and below. It is the smaller of the two bones and, in proportion to its length, the most slender of all the long bones. ...
during the theropod evolution had significant biomechanical consequences for theropod locomotion, freeing the fibula from the ankle joint and ultimately enabling extreme knee long-axis rotation of extant birds. * A study on the femoral shape variation in theropods, providing evidence of evolution of similar adaptations to gigantism in large-bodied theropods regardless of their phylogenetic affinities, is published by Pintore ''et al.'' (2024). * Barker ''et al.'' (2024) identify spinosaurid, tyrannosauroid and dromaeosaurid material in the assemblage of theropod teeth from the
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 ...
Wadhurst Clay Formation The Wadhurst Clay Formation is a geological unit which forms part of the Wealden Group and the middle part of the now unofficial Hastings Beds. These geological units make up the core of the geology of the High Weald in the English counties of West ...
(
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 ...
), and interpret the studied assemblage as likely distinct from other theropod assemblages known from Wealden Supergroup strata. * Dridi ''et al.'' (2024) describe tracks of medium to large-sized theropods from the Lower Cretaceous (
Hauterivian The Hauterivian is, in the geologic timescale, an age in the Early Cretaceous Epoch or a stage in the Lower Cretaceous Series. It spans the time between 132.6 ± 2 Ma and 125.77 (million years ago). The Hauterivian is preceded by the Valangi ...
Barremian The Barremian is an age in the geologic timescale (or a chronostratigraphic stage) between 125.77 Ma (million years ago) and 121.4 ± 1.0 Ma (Historically, this stage was placed at 129.4 million to approximately 125 million years ago) It is a ...
) strata from the Jebel Kebar locality (Bouhedma Formation,
Tunisia Tunisia, officially the Republic of Tunisia, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered by Algeria to the west and southwest, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Tunisia also shares m ...
), extending known geographic range of non-avian theropods to higher latitudes within
Gondwana Gondwana ( ; ) was a large landmass, sometimes referred to as a supercontinent. The remnants of Gondwana make up around two-thirds of today's continental area, including South America, Africa, Antarctica, Australia (continent), Australia, Zea ...
. * A study on the affinities of shed tooth crowns of theropods from the
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), ...
-
Coniacian The Coniacian is an age or stage in the geologic timescale. It is a subdivision of the Late Cretaceous Epoch or Upper Cretaceous Series and spans the time between 89.8 ± 1 Ma and 86.3 ± 0.7 Ma (million years ago). The Coniacian is preceded by ...
Portezuelo Formation The Portezuelo Formation is a geologic formation of Late Cretaceous (Turonian, Late Turonian to Coniacian, Early Coniacian) age, outcropping in the Mendoza Province, Mendoza, Río Negro Province, Río Negro and Neuquén Province, Neuquén provinc ...
(Argentina), providing evidence of a previously undocumented diversity of theropods from this formation, is published by Meso ''et al.'' (2024). * Isasmendi ''et al.'' (2024) describe new and revise known theropod teeth from the
Maastrichtian The Maastrichtian ( ) is, in the International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS) geologic timescale, the latest age (geology), age (uppermost stage (stratigraphy), stage) of the Late Cretaceous epoch (geology), Epoch or Upper Cretaceous series (s ...
strata from the South Pyrenean Basin (
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 ...
), expanding known diversity of theropods from this basin and reporting evidence of theropod turnover during the Maastrichtian. * A partial egg clutch including the smallest non-avian theropod eggs reported to date is described from the Upper Cretaceous Tangbian Formation (China) by Wu ''et al.'' (2024), who name a new ovaloolithid ootaxon '' Minioolithus ganzhouensis''. * McLarty & Esperante (2024) describe theropod tracks from the Maastrichtian strata from the Carreras Pampa tracksite (
Bolivia Bolivia, officially the Plurinational State of Bolivia, is a landlocked country located in central South America. The country features diverse geography, including vast Amazonian plains, tropical lowlands, mountains, the Gran Chaco Province, w ...
) interpreted as likely preserving evidence of the trackmakers pausing during movement, bypassing an obstacle and crouching. * Bugos & McDavid (2024) describe skulls of immature specimens of ''
Coelophysis bauri ''Coelophysis'' ( traditionally; or , as heard more commonly in recent decades) is a genus of coelophysid theropod dinosaur that lived approximately 215 to 201.4 million years ago during the Late Triassic period from the middle Norian to ...
'' from the ''Coelophysis'' Quarry at
Ghost Ranch Ghost Ranch is a retreat and education center in Rio Arriba County in north central New Mexico, United States. It is about 65 miles northwest of Santa Fe and 14 miles from Abiquiu, the nearest community. In the later 20th century, it was the ...
(
New Mexico New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...
,
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 ...
). * Marsh ''et al.'' (2024) describe
post-cranial The postcranium ("behind the cranium"; plural: postcrania) or postcranial skeleton in zoology and vertebrate paleontology is the skeleton apart from the skull. The postcranium encompasses the axial skeleton, which includes the entirety of the verte ...
material from the Lower Jurassic
Kayenta Formation The Kayenta Formation is a geological formation in the Glen Canyon Group that is spread across the Colorado Plateau area of the United States, including northern Arizona, northwest Colorado, Nevada, and Utah. Originally suggested as being Sinemur ...
(Utah, United States) and interpret it as belonging to an intermediate theropod. * Liang, Falkingham & Xing (2024) present a digital skeleton model of ''
Sinosaurus ''Sinosaurus'' (meaning "Chinese lizard") is an extinct genus of basal theropod dinosaur which lived during the Early Jurassic (Hettangian-Sinemurian). Fossils of the animal have been found in the Lufeng Formation, in the Yunnan Province of Chi ...
'', based on data from a new, well-preserved specimen, and provide new body mass estimates for this theropod. * Hendrickx ''et al.'' (2024) restudy the osteology, phylogenetic relationships, and feeding ecology of '' Noasaurus leali'' and name a new clade Berthasauridae. * Mohabey ''et al.'' (2024) review and redescribe '' Laevisuchus indicus'', ''
Jubbulpuria tenuis ''Jubbulpuria'' (" Jubbulpore one") is the name given to a dubious genus of small dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous Lameta Formation of India. Discovery and naming The genus was in 1932 named by Friedrich von Huene.Huene, F. von, (1932), '' ...
'' and '' Compsosuchus solus'', and describe a new noasaurid dentary from central
India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
with procumbent dentition similar to the one present in ''
Masiakasaurus ''Masiakasaurus'' is a genus of small predatory noasaurid theropod dinosaurs from the Late Cretaceous of Madagascar. In Malagasy, ''masiaka'' means "vicious"; thus, the genus name means "vicious lizard". The type species, ''Masiakasaurus knopf ...
''. * A study on the affinities of isolated theropod teeth from the
Kem Kem Group The Kem Kem Group (commonly known as the Kem Kem beds) is a geological group (stratigraphy), group in the Kem Kem region of eastern Morocco, whose strata date back to the Cenomanian stage of the Late Cretaceous. Its strata are subdivided into two ...
(
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 ...
) is published by Hendrickx ''et al.'' (2024), who identify teeth of
abelisaurids Abelisauridae (meaning "Abel's lizards") is a family (biology), family (or clade) of ceratosaurian theropod dinosaurs. Abelisaurids thrived during the Cretaceous Period (geology), period, on the ancient southern supercontinent of Gondwana, and ...
, spinosaurines, carcharodontosaurids and a non-
abelisauroid Ceratosaurs are members of the clade Ceratosauria, a group of dinosaurs defined as all theropods sharing a more recent common ancestor with ''Ceratosaurus'' than with birds. The oldest known ceratosaur, ''Saltriovenator'', dates to the earliest ...
ceratosaur Ceratosaurs are members of the clade Ceratosauria, a group of dinosaurs defined as all theropods sharing a more recent common ancestor with ''Ceratosaurus'' than with birds. The oldest known ceratosaur, ''Saltriovenator'', dates to the earliest ...
or a
megaraptora Megaraptora is a clade of carnivorous theropod dinosaurs. Its derived members, the Megaraptoridae are noted for their large hand claws and powerfully-built forelimbs, which are usually reduced in size in other large theropods. Although undoubt ...
n. * A probable
ceratosaurid Ceratosaurs are members of the clade Ceratosauria, a group of dinosaurs defined as all theropods sharing a more recent common ancestor with ''Ceratosaurus'' than with birds. The oldest known ceratosaur, ''Saltriovenator'', dates to the earliest ...
dentary is described from the
Toarcian The Toarcian is, in the International Commission on Stratigraphy, ICS' geologic timescale, an age (geology), age and stage (stratigraphy), stage in the Early Jurassic, Early or Lower Jurassic. It spans the time between 184.2 Megaannum, Ma (million ...
Cañadón Asfalto Formation The Cañadón Asfalto Formation is a geological formation from the Lower Jurassic, with doubtful layers of Late Jurassic age previously referred to it. The Cañadón Asfalto Formation is located in the Cañadón Asfalto Basin, a rift basin in th ...
(
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 Pradelli, Pol &
Ezcurra Ezcurra is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Alma Ezcurra (born 1986), Spanish politician * Bautista Ezcurra (born 1995), Argentine rugby union player * Encarnación Ezcurra (1795–1838), Argentine political activist * Exequiel ...
(2024), expanding known theropod diversity from this formation. * A study on the affinities of isolated theropod teeth from the Bauru Basin (
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 ...
) is published by Delcourt ''et al.'' (2024), who argue that the geographical distribution of abelisaurids in South America was influenced by climatic conditions. * Ribeiro ''et al.'' (2024) identify a theropod tooth from the Upper Jurassic-Lower Cretaceous
Missão Velha Formation The Missão Velha Formation is a Jurassic, late Jurassic geologic geologic formation, formation in northeastern Brazil's Araripe Basin where the states of Pernambuco, Piauí and Ceará come together. The formation is the middle stratigraphic unit ...
(
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 ...
) as the oldest abelisaurid record in the South America reported to date. * A study in the bone histology of a mid-sized abelisaurid from the Upper Cretaceous
Serra da Galga Formation The Serra da Galga Formation is a geological formation in Minas Gerais state of southeastern Brazil. Its strata date back to the Maastrichtian, and are part of the Bauru Group. It was originally considered a member of the Marília Formation. Di ...
(
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 ...
) is published by Aureliano ''et al.'' (2024), who report that, despite living in a semiarid tropical environment, the studied specimen had a growth rate similar to those of the Patagonian abelisaurids. * Candeiro ''et al.'' (2024) describe abelisaurid teeth from the strata of the
Marília Formation The Marília Formation is a geological Formation (geology), formation in Minas Gerais state of southeastern Brazil. Its strata date back to the Maastrichtian, and are part of the Bauru Group. The fossil-bearing Serra da Galga and Ponte Alta member ...
in the State of
Goiás Goiás () is a Brazilian States of Brazil, state located in the Central-West Region, Brazil, Central-West region. Goiás borders the Federal District (Brazil), Federal District and the states of (from north clockwise) Tocantins, Bahia, Minas Ge ...
(Brazil), representing the northernmost abelisaurid record in the Bauru Basin reported to date. * A study on the skeletal pathologies affecting known specimens of
brachyrostra Brachyrostra (meaning "short snouts") is a clade within the theropod dinosaur family Abelisauridae. It includes the famous genera ''Carnotaurus'', ''Aucasaurus'', potentially ''Abelisaurus'' as well as their close relatives from the Cretaceous Pe ...
n abelisaurids is published by Baiano ''et al.'' (2024), who diagnose the fusion of two caudal vertebrae 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 ''
Aucasaurus garridoi ''Aucasaurus'' is a genus of medium-sized Abelisauridae, abelisaurid theropod dinosaur from Argentina that lived during the Late Cretaceous (Santonian to Campanian faunal stage, stage) of the Anacleto Formation. It was smaller than the related '' ...
'' as
congenital malformation A birth defect is an abnormal condition that is present at childbirth, birth, regardless of its cause. Birth defects may result in disability, disabilities that may be physical disability, physical, intellectual disability, intellectual, or dev ...
and diagnose partial fusion of five caudal vertebrae of the holotype of '' Elemgasem nubilus'' as spondyloraptropathy, in both cases representing the first occurrences of the diagnosed pathologies among non-
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 ...
theropods. * Cerroni, Otero &
Novas A nova ( novae or novas) is a transient astronomical event that causes the sudden appearance of a bright, apparently "new" star (hence the name "nova", Latin for "new") that slowly fades over weeks or months. All observed novae involve white d ...
(2024) present the reconstruction of the pelvic and hindlimb musculature of '' Skorpiovenator bustingorryi''. * Theropod teeth from the upper Campanian–lower Maastrichtian strata from the fossil site of Poyos ( Villalba de la Sierra Formation, Spain) are identified as teeth of an abelisaurid that was likely closely related to ''
Arcovenator ''Arcovenator'' ("Arc hunter") is an extinct genus of abelisaurid theropod dinosaurs hailing from the Late Cretaceous of France and possibly Spain. The Type species, type and only described species is ''Arcovenator escotae''. Description Thoug ...
'' by Malafaia ''et al.'' (2024). * A study on the microarchitecture of bones of the
axial skeleton The axial skeleton is the core part of the endoskeleton made of the bones of the head and trunk of vertebrates. In the human skeleton, it consists of 80 bones and is composed of the skull (28 bones, including the cranium, mandible and the midd ...
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 ...
'' and ''
Rahonavis ''Rahonavis'' is a genus of bird-like theropod from the Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian, from about 72.1 to 66 mya) of what is now northwestern Madagascar. It is known from a partial skeleton ( UA 8656) found by Catherine Forster and colleagues ...
'', providing evidence of increase of
pneumatic Pneumatics (from Greek 'wind, breath') is the use of gas or pressurized air in mechanical systems. Pneumatic systems used in Industrial sector, industry are commonly powered by compressed air or compressed inert gases. A centrally located a ...
complexity in early
paravians Paraves are a widespread group of theropod dinosaurs that originated in the Middle Jurassic period. In addition to the extinct dromaeosaurids, troodontids, anchiornithids, and possibly the scansoriopterygids, the group also contains the avi ...
compared to members of Ceratosauria, is published by Aureliano ''et al.'' (2024). * Cau (2024) reinterprets " compsognathid" theropod specimens as juveniles of members of non-
maniraptoriform Coelurosauria (; from Greek, meaning "hollow-tailed lizards") is the clade containing all theropod dinosaurs more closely related to birds than to carnosaurs. Coelurosauria is a subgroup of theropod dinosaurs that includes compsognathids, tyran ...
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 ...
groups. * Montealegre, Castillo-Visa & Sellés (2024) describe previously unpublished fossil material of theropods (
cf. The abbreviation cf. (short for either Latin or , both meaning 'compare') is generally used in writing to refer the reader to other material to make a comparison with the topic being discussed. However some sources offer differing or even contr ...
''
Protathlitis ''Protathlitis'' (meaning "champion") is a genus of spinosaurid dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous (Barremian) Arcillas de Morella Formation of Castellón, Spain. The type and only species is ''Protathlitis cinctorrensis'', known from a partia ...
'' and a carcharodontosaurid which might be distinct from ''
Concavenator ''Concavenator'' (meaning Cuenca hunter) is a genus of carcharodontosaurian dinosaur that lived in Spain during the Early Cretaceous epoch, about 125 million years ago. The genus contains a single species, ''Concavenator corcovatus'', named and ...
'') from the
Barremian The Barremian is an age in the geologic timescale (or a chronostratigraphic stage) between 125.77 Ma (million years ago) and 121.4 ± 1.0 Ma (Historically, this stage was placed at 129.4 million to approximately 125 million years ago) It is a ...
Arcillas de Morella Formation The Arcillas de Morella Formation is a geological formation in Spain whose strata date back to the Barremian stage of the Early Cretaceous. Dinosaur remains are among the fossils that have been recovered from the formation.Weishampel, David B; et ...
(
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 ...
). * Lacerda ''et al.'' (2024) describe new fossil material of spinosaurids (including a cervical vertebra of ''
Sigilmassasaurus ''Sigilmassasaurus'' ( ; "Sijilmassa lizard") is a controversial genus of spinosaurid dinosaur that lived approximately 100 to 94 million years ago during the Late Cretaceous Period in what is now northern Africa. Named in 1996 by Canadian pal ...
'') and partial ischium of an indeterminate carcharodontosaurid from the
Kem Kem Group The Kem Kem Group (commonly known as the Kem Kem beds) is a geological group (stratigraphy), group in the Kem Kem region of eastern Morocco, whose strata date back to the Cenomanian stage of the Late Cretaceous. Its strata are subdivided into two ...
(
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 ...
). * Yun (2024) identifies convergent similarities in craniodental anatomy between
spinosaur Spinosauridae (or spinosaurids) is a clade or family of tetanuran theropod dinosaurs comprising ten to seventeen known genera. Spinosaurid fossils have been recovered worldwide, including Africa, Europe, South America, and Asia. Their remains have ...
s and
phytosaur Phytosaurs (Φυτόσαυροι in Greek, meaning 'plant lizard') are an extinct group of large, mostly semiaquatic Late Triassic archosauriform or basal archosaurian reptiles. Phytosaurs belong to the order Phytosauria and are sometimes ref ...
s. * D'Amore ''et al.'' (2024) study the morphology of the skull and teeth of spinosaurids, and find no evidence that the diets of spinosaurids were restricted to fish or small aquatic prey. * A study on the diversity of spinosaurid teeth from the
Camarillas Formation The Camarillas Formation is a geological formation in the Teruel Province of Aragón, Spain whose strata date back to the Early Cretaceous (Barremian stage). The sandstones, mudstones and conglomerates of the formation, that due to syn-sedimen ...
(
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 ...
) is published by Cabrera-Argudo, García-Cobeña & Cobos (2024), who report possible evidence of the presence of at least one baryonychine and one spinosaurine in the eastern Iberian Peninsula during the early
Barremian The Barremian is an age in the geologic timescale (or a chronostratigraphic stage) between 125.77 Ma (million years ago) and 121.4 ± 1.0 Ma (Historically, this stage was placed at 129.4 million to approximately 125 million years ago) It is a ...
. * The purported abelisaur ilium from the Upper Cretaceous
Kem Kem Group The Kem Kem Group (commonly known as the Kem Kem beds) is a geological group (stratigraphy), group in the Kem Kem region of eastern Morocco, whose strata date back to the Cenomanian stage of the Late Cretaceous. Its strata are subdivided into two ...
(
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 ...
) described by Zitouni ''et al.'' (2019) is interpreted as a bone of a spinosaurine spinosaurid different from the ilium of the ''Spinosaurus aegyptiacus''
neotype In biology, a type is a particular specimen (or in some cases a group of specimens) of an organism to which the scientific name of that organism is formally associated. In other words, a type is an example that serves to anchor or centralizes ...
by Samathi (2024), who considers the studied fossil to be likely evidence of the presence of two morphotypes of spinosaurines in the Kem Kem Group. * Myhrvold ''et al''. (2024) use statistical analyses to reconsider previous descriptions by Fabbri ''et al''. (2022) of spinosaurs such as ''
Spinosaurus ''Spinosaurus'' (; ) is a genus of large spinosaurid theropod dinosaurs that lived in what now is North Africa during the Cenomanian faunal stage, stage of the Late Cretaceous Period (geology), period, about 100 to 94 annum, million year ...
'' as subaqueous foragers, and provide evidence that ''Spinosaurus'' was likely not an aquatic pursuit predator. * Evidence from the study of patterns in skull shape, interpreted as indicating that ''Spinosaurus'' fed on aquatic prey and likely used the "stand-and-wait" predation strategy, is presented by Smart & Sakamoto (2024). * Buffetaut & Tong (2024) reinterpret a purported ichthyosaur tooth from the
Sao Khua Formation The Sao Khua Formation () is a middle member of the Khorat Group. It consists of an alteration of pale red to yellowish-gray, fine to medium-grained sandstone and grayish-reddish brown siltstone and clay. Rare pale red to light gray conglomerates ...
collected in 1962 and described in 1963 as a spinosaurid tooth and the first finding of a non-avian dinosaur fossil reported from
Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...
. * Evidence of large ranges of extension and flexion of manual joints and limited range of motion of the shoulder joints of ''
Allosaurus fragilis ''Allosaurus'' ( ) is an extinct genus of theropoda, theropod dinosaur that lived 155 to 145 million years ago during the Late Jurassic Geologic time scale, period (Kimmeridgian to late Tithonian Geologic time scale, ages). The first fossil ...
'' is presented by Liang ''et al.'' (2024). * Burigo & Mateus (2024) interpret ''Allosaurus europaeus'' as a valid species more closely related to ''A. jimmadseni'' than to ''A. fragilis'', and interpret purported fossil material of a member of the genus ''Allosaurus'' from the Cretaceous Mifune Group (
Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
) as belonging to a member of the genus ''
Segnosaurus ''Segnosaurus'' is a genus of therizinosaurid dinosaur that lived in what is now southeastern Mongolia during the Late Cretaceous, about 102–86 million years ago. Multiple incomplete but well-preserved specimens were discovered in the Go ...
'' instead. * A dorsal vertebra of an indeterminate carcharodontosaurid with similarities to the vertebrae of ''
Acrocanthosaurus ''Acrocanthosaurus'' ( ; ) is a genus of carcharodontosaurid dinosaurs that existed in what is now North America during the Aptian and early Albian stages of the Early Cretaceous, from 113 to 110 million years ago. Like most dinosaur genera, ...
'' is described from the
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 (2024). * Rolando ''et al.'' (2024) describe a second specimen of '' Taurovenator violantei'', expanding on the known anatomy of this genus. * Rowe &
Rayfield Rayfield is an English surname. Notable people with the name include: People * Dan Rayfield (born 1979), American politician from Oregon * Donald Rayfield (born 1942), British professor and writer * Emily Rayfield, British palaeontologist * Gordon ...
(2024) study the biomechanical capabilities of the skulls of
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 ...
theropods with different body size and skull morphology, and find that larger tyrannosauroids experienced higher absolute stresses in their skulls during feeding compared to their small-bodied relatives, and that wide skulls of
tyrannosaurids 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 i ...
enabled them to better accommodate high stresses during feeding. * A study on tooth replacement pattern of '' Guanlong wucaii'' is published by Ke, Pei & Xu (2024). * Teeth of a probable basal tyrannosauroid are described from the Upper Jurassic
Phu Kradung Formation The Early Cretaceous Phu Kradung Formation is the lowest member of the Mesozoic Khorat Group which outcrops on the Khorat Plateau in Isan, Thailand. This geological formation consists of micaceous, brown to reddish-brown siltstone beds with mino ...
(
Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...
) by Chowchuvech ''et al.'' (2024). * Xing ''et al.'' (2024) describe large tyrannosauroid teeth from the Maastrichtian
Dalangshan Formation The Dalangshan Formation (), also referred to as the Dalangshan Group is a geological formation in the Sanshui District of Guangdong Province, China, the strata of which date back to the Late Cretaceous period. Dinosaur remains are among the foss ...
, representing the southernmost record of tyrannosauroids in China reported to date. * LeBlanc ''et al.'' (2024) report that extant
Komodo dragon The Komodo dragon (''Varanus komodoensis''), also known as the Komodo monitor, is a large reptile of the monitor lizard family Varanidae that is endemic to the Indonesian islands of Komodo (island), Komodo, Rinca, Flores, Gili Dasami, and Gili ...
s maintain cutting edges of their teeth through iron-enriched coatings on their tooth serrations and tips, argue that iron sequestration is probably widespread in reptile enamels, but also find no evidence of iron coatings along theropod dinosaur tooth serrations, report that tyrannosaurids had specialized, wavy enamel along their tooth serrations that likely supported the cutting edges of the teeth, and interpret these findings as either indicative of different feeding strategies of tyrannosaurids and Komodo dragons, or indicating that only large theropods had tooth enamel that was thick enough to significantly influence the mechanical wear of the tooth serrations. * Słowiak, Brusatte & Szczygielski (2024) reevaluate the fossil material attributed to '' Bagaraatan ostromi'', interpreting the holotype as an indeterminate juvenile tyrannosaurid, and reporting that some of the fossils originally attributed to ''B. ostromi'' are actually caenagnathid bones. * Yun (2024) estimates mandibular force profiles of ''
Alioramus altai ''Alioramus'' (; meaning 'different branch') is a genus of tyrannosaurid theropod dinosaurs from the Late Cretaceous period of Asia. It currently contains two species. The type species, ''A. remotus'' is known from a partial skull and three foo ...
'' and ''
Qianzhousaurus sinensis ''Qianzhousaurus'' (meaning "Qianzhou lizard") is a genus of tyrannosaurid dinosaur that lived in Asia during the Maastrichtian age of the Late Cretaceous period. There is currently only one species named, the type species ''Qianzhousaurus sinens ...
'', interpreting the mandibles of the studied theropods as likely unsuited for delivering powerful bites and enduring high stresses caused by capturing, holding and dismembering large prey. * Evidence from the study of skull bones of immature specimens of ''
Daspletosaurus ''Daspletosaurus'' ( ; meaning "frightful lizard") is a genus of tyrannosaurid dinosaur that lived in Laramidia between about 77 and 74.4 million years ago, during the Late Cretaceous Period. The genus ''Daspletosaurus'' contains three named ...
'' from the Dinosaur Park Formation (Alberta, Canada), indicating that skull material of ''Daspletosaurus'' and ''
Gorgosaurus ''Gorgosaurus'' ( ; ) is a genus of tyrannosaurid theropod dinosaur that lived in western North America during the Late Cretaceous Period (Campanian), between about 76.5 and 75 million years ago. Fossil remains have been found in the Ca ...
'' can be confidently identified regardless of ontogenetic stage of the specimens, is presented by Coppock ''et al.'' (2024). * A study on the affinities of tyrannosaurines is published by Warshaw, Barrera Guevara & Fowler (2024), who contest the conclusions of the study of Scherer & Voiculescu-Holvad (2023), recovering recognized ''Daspletosaurus'' species as representing a single
anagenetic Anagenesis is the gradual evolution of a species that continues to exist as an interbreeding population. This contrasts with cladogenesis, which occurs when branching or splitting occurs, leading to two or more lineages and resulting in separate ...
lineage ancestral to ''Tyrannosaurus''-line tyrannosaurines. * Longrich & Saitta (2024) review the taxonomic status of ''
Nanotyrannus ''Tyrannosaurus'' () is a genus of large theropoda, 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 live ...
'' and argue that multiple lines of evidence support it as a distinct, small-bodied, possibly 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 ...
taxon, rather than an immature form 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 ...
''. * Mallon & Hone (2024) estimate that past sampling efforts likely resulted in sampling even the 99th percentile of body mass reached by ''Tyrannosaurus rex'', and that the very largest members of the species might have been up to 70% larger than the largest currently known specimens, reaching approximately 15,000 (± 3750) kg of body mass. * A study on the phylogenetic relationships of ''
Kinnareemimus khonkaenensis ''Kinnareemimus'' (, meaning "Kinnaree mimic", after a figure from Thai folklore) is an extinct genus of ornithomimosaurian theropod dinosaur that was discovered in the Early Cretaceous Sao Khua Formation in what is now Thailand. The genus contai ...
'' is published by Samathi (2024). * A study on the phylogenetic relationships of alvarezsaurians and on the evolution of their body mass is published by Meso ''et al.'' (2024). * Gianechini ''et al.'' (2024) describe and indeterminate alvarezsaurian femur from the
Plottier Formation The Plottier Formation is a geologic formation that outcrops in the Argentine Patagonian provinces of Río Negro and Neuquén. It is the younger of two formations belonging to the Río Neuquén Subgroup within the Neuquén Group of the Neuquén ...
(Argentina), filling a temporal gap (between Coniacian and Santonian) in the fossil record of Late Cretaceous Patagonian alvarezsaurians. * Description of the skeletal anatomy of '' Nothronychus graffami'' and ''N. mckinleyi'', providing evidence of the presence of traits convergent with extant birds, ornithischian dinosaurs and titanosaur sauropods, is published by Smith & Gillette (2024). * A study on the biomechanics of the hindlimbs of ''Nothronychus'' is published by Smith (2024), who infers a waddling gait for the studied theropods. * Park ''et al.'' (2024) propose that early pennaraptorans might have used their
pennaceous feather The pennaceous feather is a type of feather present in most modern birds and in some other species of maniraptoriform dinosaurs. Description A pennaceous feather has a stalk or quill. Its basal part, called a ''calamus'', is embedded in the sk ...
s to flush hiding insects and to generate lift or drag during the pursuit of the flushed insects, and propose that such use of the pennaceous feathers might have contributed to the evolution of larger and stiffer feathers. * A characterization of how number and shape of flight feathers correlate with locomotory style in extant birds is published by Kiat &
O'Connor O'Connor or O'Conor may refer to: People * O'Connor or O'Conor, an Irish clan * O'Connor Sligo, a royal dynasty ruling the northern part of the Kingdom of Connacht * O'Connor (surname), including a list of people with the surname Places * Burdett ...
(2024). Extrapolating these patterns to Mesozoic pennaraptorans, the authors suggest that ''
Caudipteryx ''Caudipteryx'' (meaning "tail feather") is a genus of small oviraptorosaur dinosaurs that lived in Asia during the Early Cretaceous, around 124.6 million years ago. They were feathered and extremely birdlike in their overall appearance, to the ...
'' and anchiornithines may have been secondarily
flightless Flightless birds are birds that cannot fly, as they have, through evolution, lost the ability to. There are over 60 extant species, including the well-known ratites ( ostriches, emus, cassowaries, rheas, and kiwis) and penguins. The smal ...
. * A study on the evolution of the
pectoral girdle The shoulder girdle or pectoral girdle is the set of bones in the appendicular skeleton which connects to the arm on each side. In humans, it consists of the clavicle and scapula; in those species with three bones in the shoulder, it consists o ...
of pennaraptorans is published by Wu ''et al.'' (2024), who report evidence of modifications changing the range of motion of the forelimb that preceded the origin of flight in
paravians Paraves are a widespread group of theropod dinosaurs that originated in the Middle Jurassic period. In addition to the extinct dromaeosaurids, troodontids, anchiornithids, and possibly the scansoriopterygids, the group also contains the avi ...
, as well as evidence of subsequent flight adaptive modifications in
avialans Avialae ("bird wings") is a clade containing the only living dinosaurs, the birds, and their closest relatives. It is usually defined as all theropod dinosaurs more closely related to birds (Aves) than to deinonychosaurs, though alternative defi ...
. * Meade ''et al.'' (2024) report evidence indicating that the ability of the skull to resist large mechanical stresses appeared early in
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 ...
evolution, before the appearance of the highly modified
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 ...
cranial architecture. * The first caenagnathid fossil material from the upper Campanian De-na-zin Member of the
Kirtland Formation The Kirtland Formation (originally the Kirtland Shale) is a Sedimentary rock, sedimentary geological formation. Description The Kirtland Formation is the product of alluvial muds and overbank sand deposits from the many channels draining the ...
(
New Mexico New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...
,
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 described by Funston, Williamson & Brusatte (2024). * Qiu ''et al.'' (2024) describe the skeletal anatomy of the wrist of '' Heyuannia huangi'', providing evidence of a specialized wrist morphology that was functionally convergent with the wrist morphology of extant birds. * Description of the skeletal anatomy of ''
Oksoko avarsan ''Oksoko'' (''Oak-soak-oh''; from '' Öksökö'', a mythical bird of Yakut folklore) is a genus of oviraptorid dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous of Asia, that lived in what is now the Nemegt Formation in Mongolia. It includes the type species '' ...
'' is published by Funston (2024). * Zhu, Wang & Wang (2024) study the microstructural variation of
elongatoolithid Elongatoolithidae is an oofamily of fossil eggs, representing the eggs of oviraptorosaurs (with the exception of the Bird, avian ''Ornitholithus''). They are known for their highly elongated shape. Elongatoolithids have been found in Europe, Asia ...
eggs from China, and interpret the studied variation as indicating that not all elongatoolithid eggshells can be related to oviraptorosaurs. * A study on the skull shape and bite mechanics of
dromaeosaurids Dromaeosauridae () is a family of feathered coelurosaurian theropod dinosaurs. They were generally small to medium-sized feathered carnivores that flourished in the Cretaceous Period. The name Dromaeosauridae means 'running lizards', from Gree ...
is published by Tse, Miller & Pittman (2024), who interpret ''
Deinonychus antirrhopus ''Deinonychus'' ( ; ) is a genus of Dromaeosauridae, dromaeosaurid Theropoda, theropod dinosaur with one described species, ''Deinonychus antirrhopus''. This species, which could grow up to long, lived during the early Cretaceous Period (ge ...
'' as adapted to taking large vertebrate prey, and interpret '' Halszkaraptor escuilliei'' as unlikely to feed on fish, and more likely to have a feeding ecology similar to those of extant waterfowl. * Possible dromaeosaurid eggs are described from the Upper Cretaceous Lianhe Formation (China) by Wu ''et al.'' (2024), who name a new
ootaxon 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 ...
'' Gannanoolithus yingliangi'', and interpret the discovery of paired eggs of ''Gannanoolithus'' as possible evidence that dromaeosaurids had paired functional
oviduct The oviduct in vertebrates is the passageway from an ovary. In human females, this is more usually known as the fallopian tube. The eggs travel along the oviduct. These eggs will either be fertilized by spermatozoa to become a zygote, or will dege ...
s. * Motta ''et al.'' (2024) interpret '' Imperobator antarcticus'' as a member of
Unenlagiidae Unenlagiidae is a proposed family of eumaniraptoran paravians that includes the subfamilies Unenlagiinae and possibly Halszkaraptorinae. Fossils of both subfamilies have been found in both Gondwanan and Laurasian deposits. The biology of the g ...
. * Gianechini, Colli & Makovicky (2024) present a reconstruction of the pelvic and hindlimb musculature of '' Buitreraptor gonzalezorum''. * Dececchi ''et al.'' (2024) interpret two-toed theropod trackway '' Dromaeosauriformipes rarus'' from the Cretaceous
Jinju Formation The Jinju Formation (), also known as the Dongmyeong Formation () in some literature is an Early Cretaceous geologic Formation (geology), formation in South Korea.South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...
) produced by a small microraptorine moving at high speed as evidence of wing-assisted movement of a non-avian theropod; that interpretation of the studied trackway is subsequently contested by Falkingham & Lallensack (2025) and reaffirmed by Dececchi ''et al.'' (2025). * A juvenile specimen of ''
Microraptor ''Microraptor'' (Greek language, Greek, μικρός, ''mīkros'': "small"; Latin language, Latin, ''raptor'': "one who seizes") is a genus of small, four-winged dromaeosaurid dinosaurs. Numerous well-preserved fossil specimens have been recovere ...
'', representing the smallest dromaeosaurid specimen from the
Jehol Biota The Jehol Biota includes all the living organisms – the ecosystem – of northeastern China between 133 and 120 million years ago. This is the Lower Cretaceous ecosystem which left fossils in the Yixian Formation and Jiufotang Formation. These d ...
reported to date and preserving anatomical details that are poorly preserved in the other specimens of ''Microraptor'', is described from the Jiufotang Formation (China) by Wang & Pei (2024), who also introduce the name Serraraptoria for the most inclusive
clade In biology, a clade (), also known as a Monophyly, monophyletic group or natural group, is a group of organisms that is composed of a common ancestor and all of its descendants. Clades are the fundamental unit of cladistics, a modern approach t ...
containing ''Microraptor zhaoianus'' and ''
Velociraptor mongoliensis ''Velociraptor'' (; ) is a genus of small dromaeosaurid dinosaurs that lived in Asia during the Late Cretaceous epoch, about 75 million to 71 million years ago. Two species are currently recognized, although others have been assigned in the ...
'' but not ''
Mahakala omnogovae ''Mahakala'' (from Sanskrit , ) is a genus of halszkaraptorine theropod dinosaur from the Campanian-age (about 80 million years ago) Upper Cretaceous Djadokhta Formation of Ömnögovi, Mongolia. It is based on a partial skeleton found in th ...
'', '' Halszkaraptor escuilliei'' and ''
Unenlagia comahuensis ''Unenlagia'' (meaning "half-bird" in Latinized Mapudungun) is a genus of dromaeosaurid theropod dinosaur that lived in South America during the Late Cretaceous period. The genus ''Unenlagia'' has been assigned two species: ''U. comahuensis'', ...
''. * A study on the biomechanics of the mandible and probable feeding behavior of '' Acheroraptor temertyorum'' is published by Yun (2024). * Based on comparisons to extant birds, joint poses in the foot of ''Deinonychus'' during its
walk cycle In animation, a walk cycle is a series of frames or illustrations drawn in sequence that loop to create an animation of a walking character. The walk cycle is looped over and over, thus avoiding having to animate each step again. Creating a wal ...
are reconstructed by Manafzadeh, Gatesy & Bhullar (2024). * Description of the braincase and cranial
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 '' Sinovenator changii'', interpreted as morphologically intermediate between basal theropods and extant birds, is published by Yu ''et al.'' (2024). * Xing ''et al.'' (2024) describe tracks from the Upper Cretaceous Shaxian Formation (Fujian, China) which might have been produced by a large-bodied (estimated hip height of over 1.8 m)
troodontid Troodontidae is a clade of bird-like theropod dinosaurs from the Late Jurassic to Late Cretaceous. During most of the 20th century, troodontid fossils were few and incomplete and they have therefore been allied, at various times, with many dinos ...
, and name a new ichnotaxon '' Fujianipus yingliangi''. * Description of the anatomy of the skull of ''
Anchiornis huxleyi ''Anchiornis'' is a genus of small, four-winged 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 meaning " ...
'' is published by Wang ''et al.'' (2024).


Sauropodomorph research

* Frauenfelder ''et al.'' (2024) reevaluate the utility of sauropodomorph tooth measurement indices as proxies for classification of the studied dinosaurs. * Müller, Damke & Terras (2024) find that inclusion of skeletally immature individuals in the phylogenetic analyses of early Late Triassic sauropodomorphs results in the artificial grouping of the immature specimens in the phylogenetic trees. * Damke ''et al.'' (2024) describe fossil material of at least three specimens of '' Saturnalia tupiniquim'' from the Candelária Sequence of the Santa Maria Supersequence (
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 ...
), providing new information on the skeletal anatomy of members of this species (including the first preserved rostrum) and its variation among members of this species. * Silva ''et al.'' (2024) describe fossil material of a member or a relative of the group Bagualosauria from the Vila Botucaraí site (Candelária Sequence of the Santa Maria Supersequence,
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 ...
), representing the first sauropodomorph reported from this site. * Evidence of variability of the pneumacity patterns of the cervical and dorsal vertebrae in ''
Plateosaurus ''Plateosaurus'' (probably meaning "broad lizard", often mistranslated as "flat lizard") is a genus of plateosaurid dinosaur that lived during the Late Triassic period, around 214 to 204 million years ago, in what is now Central and Northern Eu ...
'' is presented by Regalado Fernández (2024). * 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 ...
and a study on the affinities of ''Plateosaurus trossingensis'' is published by Schaeffer (2024). * Schaeffer ''et al.'' (2024) describe pathologies in the
chevrons Chevron (often relating to V-shaped patterns) may refer to: Science and technology * Chevron (aerospace), sawtooth patterns on some jet engines * Chevron (anatomy), a bone * '' Eulithis testata'', a moth * Chevron (geology), a fold in rock la ...
of the tail in two specimens of ''Plateosaurus trossingensis'' from the Obere Mühle locality in Trossingen (
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 ...
), report pathologies in the tail chevrons in further specimens indicating that chevrons were a vulnerable part of the tail, and interpret the affected individuals as able to recover without too many complications as long as there was no severe functional damage inflicted. * Zhao ''et al'' (2024) describe a new juvenile–subadult
massospondylid Massospondylidae is a family (biology), family of early massopod dinosaurs that existed in Asia, Africa, North America, South America and AntarcticaHellert, Spencer M. "A New Basal Sauropodomorph from The Early Jurassic Hanson Formation of Antarc ...
specimen from the Lower Jurassic
Lufeng Formation The Lufeng Formation (formerly Lower Lufeng Series) is a Lower Jurassic sedimentary rock formation found in Yunnan, China. It has two units: the lower Dull Purplish Beds/Shawan Member are of Hettangian age, and Dark Red Beds/Zhangjia'ao Member a ...
(Yunnan, China), increasing known diversity of massospondylids from Asia. * ''"Gyposaurus" sinensis'' is interpreted as a probable
junior synonym In taxonomy, the scientific classification of living organisms, a synonym is an alternative scientific name for the accepted scientific name of a taxon. The botanical and zoological codes of nomenclature treat the concept of synonymy differently. ...
of '' Lufengosaurus huenei'' by Wang, Zhao & You (2024). *
Reisz Reisz may refer to: * Albie Reisz, American professional football quarterback for the Cleveland Rams/Los Angeles Rams *Karel Reisz, Czech-born British filmmaker active in post–war Britain * Kristopher Reisz, American author known for his young ad ...
''et al.'' (2024) report that bone development in the femora of ''Lufengosaurus'' is closer to that of
altricial Precocial species in birds and mammals are those in which the young are relatively mature and mobile from the moment of birth or hatching. They are normally nidifugous, meaning that they leave the nest shortly after birth or hatching. Altricial ...
pigeons than precocious chickens, and argue that ''Lufengosaurus'' hatchlings were likely altricial. * Barrett & Choiniere (2024) redescribe the skeletal anatomy of '' Melanorosaurus readi'' and designate the
lectotype In biology, a type is a particular specimen (or in some cases a group of specimens) of an organism to which the scientific name of that organism is formally associated. In other words, a type is an example that serves to anchor or centralizes ...
of this species. * A study on the histology of teeth and on the evolution of tooth replacement patterns in sauropod dinosaurs is published by D'Emic ''et al.'' (2024). * Kareem, Chakraborty & Wilson Mantilla (2024) report evidence of the presence of
tail club In zoology, a tail club is a bony mass at the end of the tail of some dinosaurs and of some mammals, most notably the Ankylosauridae, ankylosaurids and the glyptodonts, as well as meiolaniid turtles. It is thought that this was a form of defensive ...
s in '' Kotasaurus yamanpalliensis'', sharing morphological similarities with tail clubs of '' Omeisaurus tianfuensis'' and '' Shunosaurus lii''. * Redescription of the skull anatomy of '' Bagualia alba'' is published by Gomez, Carballido & Pol (2024). *Using ''
Spinophorosaurus ''Spinophorosaurus'' is a genus of sauropod dinosaur that lived in what is now Niger during the Middle Jurassic period. The first two specimens were excavated in the 2000s by German and Spanish teams under difficult conditions. The skeletons were ...
'' as an example, Vidal (2024) explains how virtual 3D models of sauropods have enabled an understanding of their biomechanics. * Agustí, Alcalá & Santos-Cubedo (2024) propose that sauropod gigantism was an adaptation that increased the ability of sauropods to travel great distances, necessitated by pronounced seasonal changes. * Santos ''et al.'' (2024) coin a replacement name '' Galinhapodus'' for the ichnogenus ''Polyonyx'' including sauropod tracks from the Middle Jurassic Serra de Aire Formation (
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 ...
). *
Butler A butler is a person who works in a house serving and is a domestic worker in a large household. In great houses, the household is sometimes divided into departments, with the butler in charge of the dining room, wine cellar, and pantries, pantr ...
''et al.'' (2024) describe an assemblage of tracks produced by large-bodied sauropods passing through coastal lagoonal environment from the earliest Cretaceous strata of the
Durlston Formation The Durlston Formation is a geologic formation in England. Particularly in the Isle of Purbeck. It preserves fossils dating back to the Berriasian stage of the Lower Cretaceous. Vertebrate paleobiota Crocodyliformes See also * List of ...
(Dorset,
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 ...
), representing the largest dinosaur track site accessible within the
Purbeck Group The Purbeck Group is an Upper Jurassic to Lower Cretaceous lithostratigraphy, lithostratigraphic group (stratigraphy), group (a sequence of rock strata) in south-east England. The name is derived from the district known as the Isle of Purbeck in ...
reported to date. * Boisvert ''et al.'' (2024) describe a new specimen of ''
Haplocanthosaurus ''Haplocanthosaurus'' (meaning "simple spined lizard") is a genus of diplodocoid sauropod dinosaur. Two species, ''H. delfsi'' and ''H. priscus'', are known from incomplete fossil skeletons. They lived during the Late Jurassic (Kimmeridgian sta ...
'' sp. from the Dry Mesa Dinosaur Quarry (
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 ...
), extending known range of the genus into the true Brushy Basin Member of the
Morrison Formation The Morrison Formation is a distinctive sequence of Upper Jurassic sedimentary rock found in the western United States which has been the most fertile source of dinosaur fossils in North America. It is composed of mudstone, sandstone, siltston ...
, and likely representing the geologically youngest occurrence of ''Haplocanthosaurus'' on the Colorado Plateau. * King ''et al.'' (2024) report evidence of a previously unknown form of pneumaticity in a rib of a member of the genus ''
Apatosaurus ''Apatosaurus'' (; meaning "deceptive lizard") is a genus of herbivorous sauropod dinosaur that lived in North America during the Late Jurassic period. Othniel Charles Marsh described and named the first-known species, ''A. ajax'', in 1877, a ...
'', and propose that rib pneumaticity among apatosaurines is individually variable. * Windholz ''et al.'' (2024) describe a new
rebbachisaurid Rebbachisauridae is a Family (biology), family of sauropod dinosaurs known from fragmentary fossil remains from the Cretaceous of South America, Africa, North America, Europe and possibly Central Asia. Taxonomy In 1990 sauropod specialist Jack M ...
caudal vertebra from the Cenomanian
Candeleros Formation The Candeleros Formation is a geologic formation that outcrop, crops out in the Rio Negro Province, Río Negro, Neuquen Province, Neuquén, and Mendoza Province, Mendoza provinces of northern Patagonia, Argentina. It is the oldest formation in the ...
(
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 ...
), providing new information on the caudal anatomy and pneumaticity in rebbachisaurids. * A study on the morphology of teeth of '' Europasaurus holgeri'' is published by Régent ''et al.'' (2024), who report evidence interpreted as indicative of the presence of a strong connective tissue that partially covered the teeth, and argue that such structure might have been present in other members of
Eusauropoda Eusauropoda (meaning "True Lizard Foot") is a derived clade of sauropod dinosaurs. Eusauropods represent the node-based group that includes all descendant sauropods starting with the basal eusauropods of '' Shunosaurus'', and possibly '' Barapas ...
. * Gomes ''et al.'' (2024) describe a well-preserved trackway of a large sauropod (probably a
titanosauriform Macronaria is a clade of sauropod dinosaurs. Macronarians are named after the large diameter of the nasal opening of their skull, known as the external naris, which exceeded the size of the orbit, the skull opening where the eye is located (hence ...
with a mosaic of basal and derived features) with a unique set of characteristics from the Lower Cretaceous Sousa 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 name a new ichnotaxon '' Sousatitanosauripus robsoni''. * A trackway produced by an early juvenile titanosauriform sauropod is described from the
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 ...
Jindong Formation (
South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...
) by Yoon ''et al.'' (2024), who compare this trackway with other sauropod trackways from the Jindong Formation, and report evidence that trackway gauges got narrower as pes length increased. * Gomez ''et al.'' (2024) describe new titanosauriform fossils from the
Portezuelo Formation The Portezuelo Formation is a geologic formation of Late Cretaceous (Turonian, Late Turonian to Coniacian, Early Coniacian) age, outcropping in the Mendoza Province, Mendoza, Río Negro Province, Río Negro and Neuquén Province, Neuquén provinc ...
(Argentina), expanding known diversity of sauropods from this formation. * A titanosauriform femur belonging to a subadult individual that reached a significantly larger size than other titanosauriform specimens with modified lamellar bone tissue at a similar growth stage is described from the Upper Cretaceous
Bayan Shireh Formation The Bayanshiree Formation (also known as Baynshiree/Baynshire, Baynshirenskaya Svita, Baysheen Shireh, or Bayan Shireh) is a geological formation in Mongolia, that dates to the Cretaceous period. It was first described and established by Vasilie ...
(
Mongolia Mongolia is a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south and southeast. It covers an area of , with a population of 3.5 million, making it the world's List of countries and dependencies by po ...
) by Witasik, Słowiak & Szczygielski (2024), indicating that the characteristic modified laminar bone tissue of titanosauriform did not prevent those sauropods from achieving large body size. * Beeston ''et al.'' (2024) describe new sauropod material from the
Winton Formation The Winton Formation is a Cretaceous Formation (geology), geological formation in central-western Queensland, Australia. It is late Albian to early Turonian in age. The formation blankets large areas of central-western Queensland. It consists 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 ...
), and interpret '' Australotitan cooperensis'' as an indeterminate
diamantinasauria Diamantinasauria is an extinct clade of somphospondylan titanosauriform sauropod dinosaurs with close affinities to the Titanosauria, known from the early Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian-Turonian) of South America and Australia. It was named by Poro ...
n that is likely a
junior synonym In taxonomy, the scientific classification of living organisms, a synonym is an alternative scientific name for the accepted scientific name of a taxon. The botanical and zoological codes of nomenclature treat the concept of synonymy differently. ...
of '' Diamantinasaurus matildae''. * Filippi ''et al.'' (2024) study fossil material of sauropods from the Cerro Overo – La Invernada area (
Bajo de la Carpa Formation The Bajo de la Carpa Formation is a geologic formation of the Neuquén Basin that outcrop, crops out in northern Patagonia, in the provinces of Río Negro Province, Río Negro and Neuquén Province, Neuquén, Argentina. It is the oldest of two for ...
;
Neuquén Province Neuquén () is a Provinces of Argentina, province of Argentina, located in the west of the country, at the northern end of Patagonia. It borders Mendoza Province to the north, Rio Negro Province to the southeast, and Chile to the west. It also me ...
,
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 ...
), interpreted as suggestive of the presence of a diverse fauna of titanosauriforms coexisting in the environment during the
Santonian The Santonian is an age in the geologic timescale or a chronostratigraphic stage. It is a subdivision of the Late Cretaceous Epoch or Upper Cretaceous Series. It spans the time between 86.3 ± 0.7 mya ( million years ago) and 83.6 ± 0.7 m ...
. * A study on the
taphonomy Taphonomy is the study of how organisms decay and become fossilized or preserved in the paleontological record. The term ''taphonomy'' (from Greek language, Greek , 'burial' and , 'law') was introduced to paleontology in 1940 by Soviet scientis ...
of the fossil material of '' Kaijutitan maui'' and on its bone histology is published by Filippi, Previtera & Garrido (2024). * A study on the tail vertebrae of '' Adamantisaurus mezzalirai'' and '' Baurutitan britoi'' is published by Vidal ''et al.'' (2024), who interpret the studied titanosaurs as keeping their tail close to the ground, with their tails likely functioning as the fifth stabilizing member of the body. * Vidal ''et al.'' (2024) study the range of motion of the axial series of '' Trigonosaurus pricei'', and interpret it as capable of high elevation of the neck. * A study on the morphological variability of titanosaur femora from the Campanian-Maastrichtian Ibero-Armorican domain, providing evidence of the presence of
Lirainosaurinae Lirainosaurinae is a subfamily of lithostrotian titanosaur sauropods from the Late Cretaceous of France, Spain, and Romania. Systematics Lirainosaurinae was defined by Díez Díaz ''et al.'' (2018) as comprising "'' Lirainosaurus'', ''Ampelosaur ...
and sauropods with affinities with large-bodied late Maastrichtian titanosaurs, is published by Páramo, Mocho & Ortega (2024). * A study on the extent of the postcranial pneumaticity in saltasaurines and other derived titanosaurs is published by Zurriaguz (2024). * A description and study of the morphological variability of sauropod appendicular remains from Maastrichtian sites of the Hațeg, Transylvanian, and Rusca Montană basins (
Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...
) is published by Mocho, Pérez-García & Codrea (2024), who interpret the studied remains as indicative of the presence of four or five sauropod taxa on the
Hațeg Island Hațeg Island was a large offshore Former island, island in the Tethys Sea which existed during the Late Cretaceous period, probably from the Cenomanian to the Maastrichtian ages. It was situated in an area corresponding to the region around moder ...
during the Maastrichtian, including a titanosaur lineage with an extremely elongated
manus Manus may refer to: Relating to locations around New Guinea *Manus Island, a Papua New Guinean island in the Admiralty Archipelago ** Manus languages, languages spoken on Manus and islands close by ** Manus Regional Processing Centre, an offshore ...
. * An overview of the largest known sauropods from Argentina is published by Calvo (2024).


Ornithischian research

* A study on the phylogenetic relationships of ornithischians is published by Fonseca ''et al.'' (2024), who name the new clades Pyrodontia and Tenontosauridae. * A study on the taxonomic affinities of isolated ornithischian teeth from
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 ...
microvertebrate sites in the
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 ...
, providing evidence of the presence of a previously unknown, diverse ornithischian fauna, is published by Wills, Underwood & Barrett (2024). * A study on tooth replacement pattern in '' Jeholosaurus shangyuanensis'', providing evidence that teeth replacement rate slowed during ontogeny, is published by Hu ''et al.'' (2024). * Redescription of the skeletal anatomy and a study on the affinities of '' Oryctodromeus cubicularis'' is published by Krumenacker ''et al.'' (2024). * An osteology and phylogenetic analysis on '' Ajkaceratops kozmai'', suggesting the initial classification of the species as a
ceratopsian Ceratopsia or Ceratopia ( or ; Greek: "horned faces") is a group of herbivorous, beaked dinosaurs that thrived in what are now North America, Asia and Europe, during the Cretaceous Period, although ancestral forms lived earlier, in the Late Ju ...
as uncertain and thus regarded as an enigmatic ornithischian, was published by Czepiński and Madzia (2024). * Lee et al., (2024) described the single pedal phalanx of the basal neornithischian (NHCG 10972) from the Lower Cretaceous Tando beds of South Korea, which is most similar to
Jeholosauridae Jeholosauridae is an extinct group of herbivorous neornithischian dinosaurs from the Cretaceous Period (Aptian The Aptian is an age (geology), age in the geologic timescale or a stage (stratigraphy), stage in the stratigraphic column. It is a ...
.


Thyreophoran research

* Satchell (2024) reidentified the proximal femur fragment (BELUM K3998) from the
Lias Group The Lias Group or Lias is a lithostratigraphic unit (a sequence of rock strata) found in a large area of western Europe, including the British Isles, the North Sea, the Low Countries and the north of Germany. It consists of marine limestones, ...
of
Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...
as an indeterminate dinosaur remain, not a potential specimen of ''
Scelidosaurus ''Scelidosaurus'' (; with the intended meaning of "limb lizard", from Greek / meaning 'rib of beef' and ''sauros''/ meaning 'lizard')Liddell & Scott (1980). Greek-English Lexicon, Abridged Edition. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. is a ge ...
'' or an ornithischian. * Castanera, Mampel & Cobos (2024) describe new stegosaur tracks from the Upper Jurassic
Villar del Arzobispo Formation The Villar del Arzobispo Formation is a Late Jurassic to possibly Early Cretaceous geologic formation in eastern Spain. It is equivalent in age to the Lourinhã Formation of Portugal. It was originally thought to date from the Late Tithonian-Mid ...
(
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 ...
), providing evidence of gregarious behavior in stegosaurs. * Sánchez-Fenollosa, Escaso & Cobos (2024) describe a new specimen of '' Dacentrurus armatus'' from the Upper Jurassic
Villar del Arzobispo Formation The Villar del Arzobispo Formation is a Late Jurassic to possibly Early Cretaceous geologic formation in eastern Spain. It is equivalent in age to the Lourinhã Formation of Portugal. It was originally thought to date from the Late Tithonian-Mid ...
(
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 ...
), propose a new diagnosis for this species, and interpret ''
Miragaia longicollum ''Miragaia'' is a long-necked Stegosauria, stegosaurid dinosaur. Its fossils have been found in Upper Jurassic rocks in Portugal (Lourinhã Formation, Sobral Unit) and possibly also Wyoming, United States (Morrison Formation). ''Miragaia'' has th ...
'' as a
junior synonym In taxonomy, the scientific classification of living organisms, a synonym is an alternative scientific name for the accepted scientific name of a taxon. The botanical and zoological codes of nomenclature treat the concept of synonymy differently. ...
of ''D. armatus''. * Lategano, Conti & Lozar (2024) study the stress resistance of the tail of ''Miragaia longicollum'', interpret its tail as capable of achieving high speed and pressure, but also interpret its tail spines as less robust than those of ''
Stegosaurus stenops ''Stegosaurus'' (; ) is a genus of herbivorous, four-legged, armored dinosaur from the Late Jurassic, characterized by the distinctive kite-shaped upright plates along their backs and spikes on their tails. Fossils of the genus have been foun ...
'', and consider their findings to be indicative of a defensive strategy that prioritized intimidation over direct physical combat. * The first stegosaurian fossil material from Gansu (
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 ...
), assigned to ''Stegosaurus'' sp., is described from the Lower Cretaceous
Hekou Group The Hekou Group is a geological group in Gansu Province, China. It is Early Cretaceous in age. Many dinosaur fossils have been recovered from the Hekou Group, including iguanodonts, large sauropods, and Thyreophora, armored dinosaurs. Fossil eggs ...
by Li ''et al.'' (2024). * Cross and
Arbour Arbor(s) or Arbour(s) may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Arbor (installation), ''Arbor'' (installation), a 2013 public artwork in Indianapolis, Indiana, US * Arbor, a counterweight-carrying device found in theater fly system#Arbors, fly syste ...
(2024) describe an ankylosaur femur from the Cenomanian
Dunvegan Formation The Dunvegan Formation is a stratigraphic unit of Cenomanian Geochronology, age in the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin. It takes the name from the settlement of Dunvegan, Alberta, and was first described in an outcrop on Peace River (Canada), ...
(
British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...
, Canada). * Soto Acuña, Vargas & Kaluza (2024) redescribe the holotype specimen of ''
Antarctopelta ''Antarctopelta'' (; meaning 'Antarctic shield') is a genus of ankylosaurian dinosaur, a group of large, quadrupedal herbivores, that lived during the Maastrichtian stage of the Late Cretaceous period on what is now James Ross Island, Antarctica ...
'' from the
Snow Hill Island Formation The Snow Hill Island Formation is an Maastrichtian, Early Maastrichtian geologic Formation (geology), formation found on James Ross Island, James Ross Island group, Antarctica. Remains of a Paraves, paravian Theropoda, theropod ''Imperobator anta ...
(Antarctica), and provide support for its phylogenetic position within the
Parankylosauria Parankylosauria is a group of Basal (phylogenetics), basal ankylosaurian dinosaurs known from the Cretaceous of South America, Antarctica, and Australia. It is thought the group split from other ankylosaurs during the mid-Jurassic period, despite ...
. * A study on the microstructure and probable developmental origin of small ossicles forming between osteoderms of ''Antarctopelta oliveroi'' is published by Sanchez ''et al.'' (2024).


Cerapod research

* Evidence of increase of total tooth volume and rates of tooth wear throughout the evolutionary history of
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 ...
dinosaurs is presented by Ősi ''et al.'' (2024), who interpret early-diverging ornithopods as likely browsers or frugivores, and that the diets of derived ornithopods likely involved bulk feeding on more resistant, less nutritious forage. * Alarcón-Muñoz ''et al.'' (2024) describe a vertebra of a non-
hadrosauroid Hadrosauroidea is a clade or superfamily of ornithischian dinosaurs that includes the "duck-billed" dinosaurs, or Hadrosauridae, and all dinosaurs more closely related to them than to ''Iguanodon''. Their remains have been recovered in Asia, Euro ...
iguanodontia 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 ...
n from the Lower Cretaceous Quebrada Monardes Formation (
Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...
), providing evidence of the presence of such ornithopods in the southwestern margin of
Gondwana Gondwana ( ; ) was a large landmass, sometimes referred to as a supercontinent. The remnants of Gondwana make up around two-thirds of today's continental area, including South America, Africa, Antarctica, Australia (continent), Australia, Zea ...
since at least the Early Cretaceous. *A review of Early Cretaceous Spanish styracosterns from the Maestrat Basin published by Santos-Cubedo (2024). * Escanero-Aguilar ''et al.'' (2024) describe skull material of a
hadrosauriform Ankylopollexia is an extinct clade of ornithischian dinosaurs that lived from the Late Jurassic to the Late Cretaceous. It is a derived clade of iguanodontian ornithopods and contains the subgroup Styracosterna. The name stems from the Greek word ...
ornithopod from the Lower Cretaceous
Castrillo de la Reina Formation The Castrillo de la Reina Formation is a geological formation in Spain. It is late Barremian to early Aptian in age. It interpreted as a fluvial deposit. It primarily consists of red clay, with ribbon shaped sandstone channel fills. The rebbachisa ...
(
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 ...
), interpreted as more derived than ''
Iguanodon ''Iguanodon'' ( ; meaning 'iguana-tooth'), named in 1825, is a genus of iguanodontian dinosaur. While many species found worldwide have been classified in the genus ''Iguanodon'', dating from the Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous, Taxonomy (bi ...
'' but more basal than ''
Proa The ProA is the German basketball league system, second-tier Sports league, league of professional club basketball in Germany. The league comprises 16 teams. Officially the ProA is part of the ''2. Basketball Bundesliga'', which consists of the t ...
'', and expanding known diversity of ornithopods from the Cameros Basin. * Hayashi ''et al.'' (2024) report the discovery of a probable hadrosauroid vertebra from the Upper Cretaceous Hiketa Formation (Izumi Group) in Sanuki, Kagawa Prefecture, providing additional evidence of dispersal of hadrosauriforms into the area of present-day
Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
by 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 ...
. * Nikolov, Dochev, & Brusatte (2024) test 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 ...
age of small hadrosauroid bones from the Late Cretaceous (
Maastrichtian The Maastrichtian ( ) is, in the International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS) geologic timescale, the latest age (geology), age (uppermost stage (stratigraphy), stage) of the Late Cretaceous epoch (geology), Epoch or Upper Cretaceous series (s ...
)
Kaylaka Formation The Kaylaka Formation,' also known as the Kajlâka Formation, is a Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) geologic formation located within Zandana, Bisserna Cave, Shumen, and Labirinta Cave, Vratsa Province, both in Bulgaria.' History Most of ...
(Bulgaria), and determine that the specimen likely belonged to a late juvenile or young subadult, rather than a dwarved adult, and suggest that large terrestrial animals were able to populate some European islands via a cyclically appearing or short-lived dispersal route. * Van der Linden ''et al.'' (2024) describe spheroolithid eggshells from the Maastrichtian
Argiles et Grès à Reptiles Formation Argiles et Grès à Reptiles Formation (meaning Reptile Clay and Sandstone) also known as the Argiles Rutilantes FormationTabuce et al., 2013 is an early MaastrichtianWeishampel et al., 2004, pp.588-593 France, French geologic formation in the Depa ...
, probably representing the first hadrosauroid eggshells reported from
France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
, and name a new ootaxon '' Paraspheroolithus porcarboris''. * A study on the morphological variability of hadrosaurid teeth, and on their utility for the studies of phylogenetic relationships of hadrosaurids, is published by Dudgeon, Gallimore &
Evans Evans or Evan's may refer to: People * Evans (surname) * List of people with surname Evans * Evans Welch, Trinidad and Tobago politician Places United States * Evans Island, an island of Alaska * Evans, Colorado * Evans, Georgia * Evans County ...
(2024). * The first described hadrosaurid footprints from the
Horseshoe Canyon Formation The Horseshoe Canyon Formation is a stratigraphic unit of the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin in southwestern Alberta. It takes its name from Horseshoe Canyon, an area of badlands near Drumheller. The Horseshoe Canyon Formation is part of th ...
are described by Powers ''et al.'' (2024), who assign them to the ichnospecies '' Hadrosauropodus langstoni''. * A study on three bonebeds from the Upper Cretaceous
Oldman Formation The Oldman Formation is a stratigraphic unit of Late Cretaceous (Campanian stage) age that underlies much of southern Alberta, Canada. It consists primarily of sandstones that were deposited in fluvial channel and floodplain environments. It was ...
(Alberta, Canada) and
Two Medicine Formation The Two Medicine Formation is a geological formation, or rock body, in northwestern Montana and southern Alberta that was deposited between 82.4 Ma and 74.4 Ma, during Campanian (Late Cretaceous) time. It crops out to the east of the Rocky Mountai ...
(Montana, United States) preserving remains of specimens of '' Hypacrosaurus stebingeri'' is published by Joubarne, Therrien & Zelenitsky (2024), who interpret the studied assemblages as indicating that ''H. stebingeri'' individuals lived in age-segregated groups until into their fourth year of life. * Evidence from the study of a skull of a juvenile hadrosaurine from the Campanian
Dinosaur Park Formation The Dinosaur Park Formation is the uppermost member of the Belly River Group (also known as the Judith River Group), a major geologic unit in southern Alberta. It was deposited during the Campanian stage of the Late Cretaceous, between about 7 ...
(Alberta, Canada), interpreted as indicative of differences in the dental battery development between hadrosaurid species which might have been related to dietary differences during early ontogeny, is presented by Warnock-Juteau ''et al.'' (2024). * Sharpe ''et al.'' (2024) describe fossil material of a probable immature specimen of ''
Edmontosaurus regalis ''Edmontosaurus regalis'' is a species of comb-crested hadrosaurid dinosaur. Fossils of ''E. regalis'' have been found in rocks of western North America that date from the late Campanian age of the Cretaceous Geologic time scale#Terminology, Peri ...
'' from the
Horseshoe Canyon Formation The Horseshoe Canyon Formation is a stratigraphic unit of the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin in southwestern Alberta. It takes its name from Horseshoe Canyon, an area of badlands near Drumheller. The Horseshoe Canyon Formation is part of th ...
, and interpret its similarities to '' Ugrunaaluk kuukpikensis'' as supporting the referral of the Alaskan saurolophine material to ''Edmontosaurus''
cf. The abbreviation cf. (short for either Latin or , both meaning 'compare') is generally used in writing to refer the reader to other material to make a comparison with the topic being discussed. However some sources offer differing or even contr ...
''regalis''. * Wick & Lehman (2024) describe fossil material of a juvenile pachycephalosaur specimen belonging to the genus ''
Stegoceras ''Stegoceras'' is a genus of Pachycephalosauria, pachycephalosaurid (dome-headed) dinosaur that lived in what is now North America during the Late Cretaceous Period (geology), period, about 77.5 to 74 million years ago (mya). The first specim ...
'' from the Campanian
Aguja Formation The Aguja Formation is a geological formation in North America, exposed in Texas, United States and Chihuahua and Coahuila in Mexico, whose strata date back to the Late Cretaceous. Dinosaur remains are among the fossils that have been recovered ...
(Texas, United States), providing new information on the ontogeny of members of this genus, and 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 ...
of '' Texacephale langstoni'' as a probable adult individual belonging to the genus ''Stegoceras''. * Hu ''et al.'' (2024) reconstruct
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 ...
s of ''
Yinlong ''Yinlong'' (, meaning "hidden dragon") is a genus of basal ceratopsian dinosaur from the Late Jurassic Period of China. By far the earliest known ceratopsian, it was a small, primarily bipedal herbivore. Discovery and species A coalition of ...
'', ''
Liaoceratops ''Liaoceratops'', meaning "Liaoning horned face", is a ceratopsian dinosaur believed to be an early relative of the horned ceratopsids. It lived in the Early Cretaceous, 126 million years ago. It was discovered in China by a team of American and ...
'' and ''
Psittacosaurus ''Psittacosaurus'' ( ; "parrot lizard") is a genus of extinct ceratopsian dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous of what is now Asia, existing between 125 and 105 million years ago. It is notable for being the most species-rich non-avian dinosaur ...
'', and interpret early ceratopsians as having more sensitive sense of smell and as adapted to hearing higher frequencies than their late-diverging relatives. * A study on the bone histology of ''Yinlong downsi'' is published by Han ''et al.'' (2024), who report evidence indicating that ''Y. downsi'' reached sexual maturity earlier than ''Psittacosaurus'' but later than ceratopsids, and evidence of growth rates higher than those of extant squamates and crocodiles but lower than those of large-sized dinosaurs and extant mammals and birds. * Description of the morphology of the skull and endocranium of ''Psittacosaurus sibiricus'', based on the study of both juvenile and adult specimens, is published by Podlesnov ''et al.'' (2024). *A description endocranial anatomy of the '' Psittacosaurus lujiatunensis'' published by Sakagami ''et al.'' (2024). * Yang ''et al.'' (2024) describe a well-preserved scaled skin of a specimen of ''Psittacosaurus'' from the Early Cretaceous Jehol Biota of China, providing evidence of preservation of epidermal layers, corneocytes and melanosomes, and interpret the studied specimen as indicative of co-occurrence of feathers and reptile-type skin in non-feathered regions of the skin in ''Psittacosaurus''. * Witton & Hing (2024) argue that there is no compelling evidence indicating that the development of the idea of the
griffin The griffin, griffon, or gryphon (; Classical Latin: ''gryps'' or ''grypus''; Late and Medieval Latin: ''gryphes'', ''grypho'' etc.; Old French: ''griffon'') is a -4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk ...
was inspired by the discovery of fossils of ''
Protoceratops ''Protoceratops'' (; ) is a genus of small protoceratopsid dinosaurs that lived in Asia during the Late Cretaceous, around 75 to 71 million years ago. The genus ''Protoceratops'' includes two species: ''P. andrewsi'' and the larger ''P. hellenik ...
''. * Demers-Potvin & Larsson (2024) describe fossil material of ''
Centrosaurus apertus ''Centrosaurus'' ( ; ) is a genus of centrosaurine ceratopsian dinosaur from Campanian age of Late Cretaceous Canada. Their remains have been found in the Dinosaur Park Formation, dating from 76.5 to 75.5 million years ago. Discovery and nami ...
'' from the strata of the Campanian
Dinosaur Park Formation The Dinosaur Park Formation is the uppermost member of the Belly River Group (also known as the Judith River Group), a major geologic unit in southern Alberta. It was deposited during the Campanian stage of the Late Cretaceous, between about 7 ...
in
Saskatchewan Landing Provincial Park Saskatchewan Landing Provincial Park (often shortened to Sask Landing) is a List of protected areas of Saskatchewan#Provincial parks, provincial park in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It is in the v ...
(Canada), expanding known geographical range of this species. * Barrera Guevara ''et al.'' (2024) reinterpret fossil material of ''Coahuilaceratops, Coahuilaceratops magnacuerna'' as derived from Cerro Huerta Formation (and representing the first dinosaur taxon described from this formation) rather than from Cerro del Pueblo Formation.


Birds


New bird taxa


Avian research

* A study performing quantitative functional imaging of the brain during rest and flight in rock doves with implications for the evolution of avian flight is published by Balanoff ''et al.'' (2024). They found increased neural activity in the cerebellum during flight, and through comparisons with cranial
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 ...
s of extinct theropods, suggest that cerebellar expansion underlying such activity occurred at the base of Maniraptora, prior to the origin of avian flight. * The Cretaceous fossil record of avialans from
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 reviewed by Zhou & Wang (2024). * Evidence of gradual and sequential moult of wing flight feathers in two probable members of Confuciusornithiformes from the Lower Cretaceous Yixian Formation (China) is presented by Wang ''et al.'' (2024). * A Morphometrics, morphometric study of a large sample of specimens of ''Confuciusornis, Confuciusornis sanctus'' is published by Zhou ''et al.'' (2024), who interpret their findings as indicative of the presence of sexual dimorphism in this species. * The fossil record of avialans from the Upper Cretaceous Maastricht Formation (Belgium and the Netherlands) is reviewed by Field ''et al.'' (2024), who additionally present new data on the bone histology and hindlimb length of ''Asteriornis maastrichtensis''. * Stoicescu ''et al.'' (2024) describe partial femur of an avialan belonging or related to the species ''Elopteryx, Elopteryx nopcsai'' from the Maastrichtian strata at the Nălaț-Vad locality (
Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...
), interpret ''E. nopcsai'' as a probable secondarily flightless avialan, and argue that ''Balaur bondoc'' might be a
junior synonym In taxonomy, the scientific classification of living organisms, a synonym is an alternative scientific name for the accepted scientific name of a taxon. The botanical and zoological codes of nomenclature treat the concept of synonymy differently. ...
of ''E. nopcsai''. * A study the relationship between the morphology of cervical vertebrae and dietary modes in extant and extinct birds is published by Liu ''et al.'' (2024), who report that ''Bohaiornis'', ''Brevirostruavis'' and ''Longipteryx'' had cervical morphologies resembling those of extant insectivorous or raptorial birds, while ''Yanornis'' and ''Iteravis'' had cervical morphologies closer to those of extant generalist or herbivorous birds, falling into the ecological niches of aquatic or semiaquatic birds. * New information on the development of the skeletons of members of Enantiornithes throughout their ontogeny, based on the study of two early immature specimens from the Lower Cretaceous Jiufotang Formation (China), is presented by
O'Connor O'Connor or O'Conor may refer to: People * O'Connor or O'Conor, an Irish clan * O'Connor Sligo, a royal dynasty ruling the northern part of the Kingdom of Connacht * O'Connor (surname), including a list of people with the surname Places * Burdett ...
''et al.'' (2024). * O'Connor ''et al.'' (2024) report the discovery of gymnosperm seeds within the abdominal cavities of two specimens of ''Longipteryx'', providing evidence of Frugivore, frugivory of ''Longipteryx''. * A study aiming to determine the diets of members of the family Bohaiornithidae is published by Miller ''et al.'' (2024), who interpret their findings as indicating that the family included taxa adapted to diverse diets, and predict the ancestral member of Enantiornithes to have been a generalist which ate a wide variety of foods. * A study on the limb bone histology and growth dynamics of ''Musivavis, Musivavis amabilis'' is published by Kundrát ''et al.'' (2024). * The Cretaceous fossil record of avialans from Antarctica is reviewed by Acosta Hospitaleche ''et al.'' (2024). * Álvarez-Herrera & Agnolín (2024) compare Maastrichtian bird assemblages from Santa Cruz Province, Argentina and from Antarctica, note that the asseblanges differ in composition (only members of Neornithes and kin are present in Antarctica, unlike in Argentina), and interpret those differences as possibly caused by accelerated growth and high metabolism of members of Neornithes compared to more basal birds. * A study on the antiquity of the crown group of birds is published by Brocklehurst & Field (2024), who argue that the crown group originated between 110.5 and 90.3 million years ago, and that the majority of higher-order diversification within the crown group either spanned or postdated the Cretaceous-Paleogene transition. * A study on patterns of avian molecular evolution is published by Berv ''et al.'' (2024), who interpret their findings as indicating that the
Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event The Cretaceous–Paleogene (K–Pg) extinction event, also known as the K–T extinction, was the extinction event, mass extinction of three-quarters of the plant and animal species on Earth approximately 66 million years ago. The event cau ...
influenced the evolution of bird genomes, physiology and life history traits that in turn influenced the diversification of modern birds. * Widrig, Navalón & Field (2024) describe the external and internal morphology of the braincase of ''Lithornis, Lithornis vulturinus'', interpret its neuroanatomy as likely similar to the neuroanatomy of the ancestral crown bird, and interpret ''L. vulturinus'' as a diurnal bird that likely was reliant on visual cues and had a well-developed sense of smell. * The histochemistry of an ostrich eggshell from the Miocene Liushu 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 examined by Wu ''et al.'' (2024). * Martin Pickford, Pickford, Russell & Day (2024) designate a
lectotype In biology, a type is a particular specimen (or in some cases a group of specimens) of an organism to which the scientific name of that organism is formally associated. In other words, a type is an example that serves to anchor or centralizes ...
for the oospecies ''Psammornis, Psammornis rothschildi''. * Schroeter (2024) presents a characterization of diagenetiforms in a moa proteome. * Review of moa tracks and other traces is published by Hunt & Lucas (2024), who name new ichnotaxa ''Turanganuipus, Turanganuipus worthyi'',''Moapus, Moapus tennysoni'', ''Dinornipus, Dinornipus oweni'', ''Gisbornepus, Gisbornepus angustus'', ''Tutaenuipus, Tutaenuipus woodi'' and ''Aotearoapus, Aotearoapus lockleyorum''. * Pickford (2024) revises fossil eggshells from the Miocene strata from the Karingarab aeolianite succession (Namibia), originally described as ''Struthio karingarabensis'', and transfers this oospecies to the genus ''Diamantornis''. * A draft genome of the little bush moa is presented by Edwards ''et al.'' (2024). * Tomlinson ''et al.'' (2024) reconstruct the range and extinction dynamics of six species of moa, and interpret their findings as indicating that the studied species likely had similar spatial patterns of geographic range collapse, and that their final populations persisted in cold, mountainous areas that continue to function as sanctuaries for New Zealand's remaining flightless birds. * Fossil material of a possible member of Galloanserae is described from the Upper Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) Lance Formation (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 ...
) by Brownstein (2024), who interprets this finding as supporting a cosmopolitan distribution of early crown birds. * Crane ''et al.'' (2024) reevalute the anatomy of the mandible of ''Asteriornis maastrichtensis'' and find that no retroarticular process (a trait originally interpreted as supporting the placement of ''A. maastrichtensis'' within Galloanserae) is preserved in 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 ...
, which does not preserve the caudal extremities of the mandibles; however, the authors do not rule out the possibility that the studied bird originally had robust retroarticular processes comparable to those of extant members of Galloanserae, and their phylogenetic analysis supports the placement of ''Asteriornis'' within Galloanserae. * Mayr ''et al.'' (2024) describe a new skull of a gastornithiform bird from Geiseltal (fossil deposit), Geiseltal (
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 ...
) and assign it to the species ''Diatryma, Diatryma geiselensis'', interpreted by the authors as distinctly different from ''Gastornis, Gastornis parisiensis'', and advocate reestablishment of ''Diatryma'' as a genus distinct from ''Gastornis''. * McInerney, Blokland & Trevor Worthy, Worthy (2024) redescribe the skull morphology of ''Genyornis, Genyornis newtoni'' and study its phylogenetic affinities, recovering the family Dromornithidae as more likely to be members of Anseriformes related to screamers than close relatives of the family Gastornithidae. * A study on the vertebral column of ''Annakacygna, Annakacygna hajimei'' is published by Matsuoka, Seoka & Hasegawa (2024), who reconstruct the neck of this bird with a curve at its base that increased the buoyancy and stability of the bird's body when it was in the water by helping it to put the base of the neck with its air sacs below the water surface. * A case for the validity of ''Miotadorna, Miotadorna catrionae'' is presented by Tennyson ''et al.'' (2024), in response to Worthy ''et al.'' (2022) considering it a junior synonym of ''Miotadorna sanctibathansi''. * Evidence from the study of mitogenomes of the extant Brazilian merganser and extinct Auckland Island merganser, interpreted as indicating that the studied mergansers are not sister taxa and that their ancestors moved into the Southern Hemisphere in two separate colonization events at least 7 million years ago, is presented by Rawlence ''et al.'' (2024). * A study on the evolutionary history of Neoaves, neoavians, as indicated by genomic data, is published by Wu ''et al.'' (2024), who argue that the initial diversification of the crown group of birds was correlated with the rise of flowering plants in the Cretaceous, that modern birds survived the
Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event The Cretaceous–Paleogene (K–Pg) extinction event, also known as the K–T extinction, was the extinction event, mass extinction of three-quarters of the plant and animal species on Earth approximately 66 million years ago. The event cau ...
relatively well, and that the Paleocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum had a significant impact on the diversification of the seabirds; Claramunt ''et al.'' (2024) subsequently considered these results to be questionable, arguing that the study has problems with their choices of fossils and calibration strategy, while Wu ''et al.'' (2024) rejected these criticisms. * A study on the impression of the skeleton of a small flamingo described from the late Cenozoic Pie de Vaca site (Mexico) is published by Galicia-Coleote, Cruz & Eduardo Corona-M (2024), who interpret the studied imprint as representing an adult flamingo different from known the American extant and extinct species, providing evidence of the presence of a group of small flamingos in the late Cenozoic of North America. * Revision of the systematics and nomenclature of the dodo, the Rodrigues solitaire and the family-group nomina based upon them is published by Young ''et al.'' (2024), who name the new subtribe Raphina (subtribe), Raphina for the two taxa. * Zelenkov (2024) describes a fragmentary humerus of a buttonquail from the Lower Pleistocene strata from the Taurida Cave (Crimea), representing the first record of a member of the family Turnicidae from Eurasia from the Pliocene to Middle Pleistocene interval. * Goodman & Rasolonjatovo (2024) study the carpal Spur (zoology), spur of the Malagasy lapwing, find it to be larger than wing spurs of living lapwings, and interpret it as likely used for defence against predators. * Abbassi ''et al.'' (2024) describe an assemblage of vertebrate footprints from the Oligocene Lower Red Formation (Iran), including footprints of small shorebirds and possible herons and storks. * Mayr & Kitchener (2024) describe a tarsometatarsus and an associated Pes (anatomy), pedal Phalanx bone, phalanx from the Eocene London Clay (United Kingdom), showing similarities to bones of frigatebirds and interpreted as possible fossil material of ''Marinavis, Marinavis longirostris''. * Guilherme ''et al.'' (2024) report the first discovery of the left tibiotarsus of ''Macranhinga, Macranhinga ranzii'' from the Miocene Solimões 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 estimate the body mass of the studied darter as ranging from 14.39 to 19.1 kg. * Zelenkov ''et al.'' (2024) describe fossil material of a large marine bird from the Eocene Tavda Formation (Tyumen Oblast, Russia), interpreted as evidence of a worldwide distribution of Crown group#Stem groups, stem albatrosses or similar large Procellariiformes, procellariiforms as early as the Eocene. * A study on the internal structure and resistance to bending forces of Tarsometatarsus, tarsometatarsi of extant and Eocene penguins is published by Jadwiszczak, Krüger & Mörs (2024). * A new specimen of ''Palaeeudyptes'' is described by Xia, Pei & Li (2024). * A study on the long limb bone microstructure of extant king penguins throughout their ontogeny is published by Canoville, Robin & de Buffrénil (2024), who find evidence of substantial intraspecific variability regardless of the ontogenetic stage, and evidence indicating that limb bones of king penguins reach adult size early in the development while their microstructure continues to change until adulthood; on the basis of their findings the authors do not consider the conclusions of Cerda, Tambussi & Degrange (2014) and Ksepka ''et al.'' (2015) about the paleobiology of fossil penguins to be properly supported by their data. * The evolutionary dynamics of microsatellites in Adélie penguins based on both modern and ancient genetic samples (up to 46.5 thousand years old) are studied by McComish ''et al.'' (2024). * Torres Etchegorry & Degrange (2024) reconstruct
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 ''Argentavis, Argentavis magnificens'', and interpret its probable brain morphology as suggesting that ''Argentavis'' was a scavenger or even a Kleptoparasitism, kleptoparasitic bird, living in open areas without much vegetation. * Leoni ''et al.'' (2024) describe the first fossil material of a turkey vulture from cave deposits in northeastern Brazil, which preserves trace marks likely produced by a felid and indicating that the vulture died in the cave it was discovered in. * A study on the age of remains of California condors from the Mule Ears Peak Cave (
Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...
, United States) is published by Emslie (2024), who find evidence of the presence of condors at the studied site beginning at ~15,000 calendar years before present and evidence of definite nesting ~13,000 calendar years before present, reports evidence from stable isotope analysis of bone collagen interpreted as indicating that the studied condors fed on megafauna living in a desert grassland ecosystem, and interprets these findings as indicating that the disappearance of the California condor from the inland west of North America as related to the extinctions of megafauna the end of the Pleistocene. * The colonization of the Mediterranean Basin by Bonelli's eagle is studied by Moleón ''et al.'' (2024), drawing on data from environmental favorability, genetic structure, the fossil record, and ecological relationships with golden eagles. * Acosta Hospitaleche & Jones (2024) describe fossil material of a large-bodied (with an estimated body mass of around 100 kg) Phorusrhacidae, phorusrhacid or phorusrhacid-like bird from the Eocene La Meseta Formation (Seymour Island, Antarctica), interpreted by the authors as likely apex predator of Antarctica during the Eocene. * A study on the phylogenetic relationships and on the evolution of body size and cursoriality in phorusrhacids, providing evidence of niche partitioning and competitive exclusion that controlled phorusrhacid diversity, is published by LaBarge, Gardner & Organ (2024). * Acosta Hospitaleche & Jones (2024) describe partial tibiotarsus of a Psilopterinae, psilopterine phorusrhacid from the Eocene (Lutetian) Sarmiento Formation (Argentina), interpreted as belonging to a bird with an estimated body mass of approximately 5 kg. * Partial tibiotarsus of an indeterminate phorusrhacid, possibly representing the largest member of the family reported to date, is described from the La Victoria Formation (
Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...
) by Degrange ''et al.'' (2024). * A carpometacarpus of a Cuban macaw is described from the Pleistocene of El Abrón Cave (Cuba) by Zelenkov (2024). * A study on the phylogenetic relationships of ''Wieslochia, Wieslochia weissi'', ''Crosnoornis, Crosnoornis nargizia'', ''Jamna (bird), Jamna szybiaki'', ''Resoviaornis, Resoviaornis jamrozi'' and an unnamed passerine from the Oligocene of France described by Riamon, Tourment & Louchart (2020) is published by Lowi-Merri ''et al.'' (2024). * De Pietri ''et al.'' (2024) report evidence of the presence of 10 and 17 passerine species in the Miocene St Bathans fauna (New Zealand), including a honeyeater larger than extant tūī, tui and a Cracticinae, cracticid comparable in size to extant Australian magpie. * Pöllath & Peters (2024) study the composition of early Holocene bird assemblages from southeast Turkey, northern Syria and northern Iraq, providing evidence of changes of bird species ranges related to climatic changes during the Pleistocene-Holocene transition, aridification during the Holocene and human activities. * Evidence of disproportionate loss of global bird diversity resulting from extinction caused by human activities since the Late Pleistocene is presented by Matthews ''et al.'' (2024).


Pterosaurs


New pterosaur taxa


Pterosaur research

* A study on the morphological diversity of hands and feet of pterosaurs throughout their evolutionary history is published by Smyth ''et al.'' (2024), who find evidence of changes of the hand and foot morphologies that were related to the shift from climbing lifestyles of early pterosaurs to primarily terrestrial lifestyles with more ground-based locomotion of later, short-tailed pterosaurs in the Middle Jurassic. * A study on the cervical osteology of ''Anhanguera (pterosaur), Anhanguera piscator'', ''Azhdarcho, Azhdarcho lancicollis'' and ''Rhamphorhynchus, Rhamphorhynchus muensteri'', aiming to reconstruct the cervical arthrology of pterosaurs and the position of the pterosaur neck at rest, is published by Buchmann & Rodrigues (2024). * A study on the palate structure in ''Kunpengopterus'', ''Hongshanopterus'', ''Hamipterus'' and ''Dsungaripterus'', providing new information on the relations between the Palatine bone, palatine, ectopterygoid, maxilla and Pterygoid bone, pterygoid in the studied pterosaurs resulting in reinterpretation of the main palatal openings, and identifying an opening bordered anteriorly by the maxilla and posteriorly by the palatine that is unique within Diapsida and might be a Apomorphy and synapomorphy, synapomorphy of Pterosauria, is published by Chen ''et al.'' (2024). * A study aiming to determine the aerodynamic impact of large heads and head crests of pterosaurs is published by Henderson (2024). * Schade & Ansorge (2024) describe a fragmentary bone from the lower
Toarcian The Toarcian is, in the International Commission on Stratigraphy, ICS' geologic timescale, an age (geology), age and stage (stratigraphy), stage in the Early Jurassic, Early or Lower Jurassic. It spans the time between 184.2 Megaannum, Ma (million ...
strata of the Ciechocinek Formation, Grimmen Formation (Mecklenburg-Vorpommern,
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 ...
), interpret as probable fused tibia and fibula of a pterosaur and the first record of a pterosaur from the studied strata. * Yun (2024) uses geometric morphometric analyses to investigate the relationships of pterosaur specimens from the Early Cretaceous Jinju Formation, Jinju and Hasandong Formation, Hasandong formations (South Korea), and suggests that the material likely cannot be assigned to the Boreopteridae, as had previously been assumed. * Cooper, Smith & Martill (2024) study fossilized gut contents of specimens of ''Dorygnathus, Dorygnathus banthensis'' and ''Campylognathoides, Campylognathoides zitteli'' from the Posidonia Shale (
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 ...
), reporting evidence of ''Dorygnathus'' feeding on fishes and evidence of ''Campylognathoides'' feeding on belemnites. * Habib & Hone (2024) study the variation seen in elements and body parts of specimens of ''Rhamphorhynchus, Rhamphorhynchus muensteri'', providing evidence of high levels of constraint throughout the appendicular and Axial skeleton, axial elements that were likely important for flight, and evidence of increased variability of tails of larger individuals, possibly related to the signalling function of the tail. * Evidence from the study of tail vanes of specimens of ''Rhamphorhynchus muensteri'' from the Solnhofen Limestone (
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 ...
), providing evidence of the presence of thicker tube-like structures criss-crossing with thinner fibres, is presented by Jagielska ''et al.'' (2024), who interpret the studied structures as likely used to maintain stiffness of the tail vane during flight. * So, Kim & Won (2024) describe a nearly complete skeleton of a probable member of the genus ''Jeholopterus'' from the Lower Cretaceous Sinuiju Formation, representing the first pterosaur recond from North Korea reported to date. * An incomplete hollow bone (possibly an ulna) of a possible Pterodactyloidea, pterodactyloid pterosaur with an estimated 3.5–4 m wingspan is described from the
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 ...
Greetwell Member of the Lincolnshire Limestone Formation (Rutland,
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 Withers ''et al.'' (2024). * Heredia ''et al.'' (2024) describe new tracks of pterodactyloid pterosaurs from the
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 ...
Candeleros Formation The Candeleros Formation is a geologic formation that outcrop, crops out in the Rio Negro Province, Río Negro, Neuquen Province, Neuquén, and Mendoza Province, Mendoza provinces of northern Patagonia, Argentina. It is the oldest formation in the ...
(Argentina) with a different morphology from previously recorded tracks from this formation, interpreted as more likely produced by individuals of different ages rather than different species. * Smyth & Unwin (2024) interpret ''Pterodactylus, Pterodactylus antiquus'' and ''Diopecephalus, Diopecephalus kochi'' as distinct pterodactyloid taxa that were not closely related. * Partial finger Phalanx bone, phalanx of a member of Ctenochasmatoidea with an estimated wingspan of at least 3 m, representing one of the first records of Jurassic pterodactyloids from the
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, is described from the Kimmeridge Clay of Abingdon, Oxfordshire by Etienne ''et al.'' (2024). * Description of the anatomy of the ankle of ''Pterodaustro, Pterodaustro guinazui'' is published by Burlot ''et al.'' (2024). * Redescription and a study on the affinities of ''Haopterus, Haopterus gracilis'' is published by Xu, Jiang & Wang (2024), who recover ''H. gracilis'' as a member of Istiodactyliformes. * Hone ''et al.'' (2024) report that the fossil material assigned to ''Luchibang, Luchibang xingzhe'' is a composite including remains of two pterosaurs, restrict 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 ...
to the rostrum and anterior mandible and consider this fossil material to be sufficient to confirm that ''L. xingzhe'' was a valid Istiodactylidae, istiodactylid taxon, and interpret the purported postcranial material of ''L. xingzhe'' as remains of an indeterminate member of Azhdarchomorpha. * Ciaffi & Bellardini (2024) describe isolated teeth of indeterminate members of Ornithocheiriformes from the Lohan Cura Formation (
Neuquén Province Neuquén () is a Provinces of Argentina, province of Argentina, located in the west of the country, at the northern end of Patagonia. It borders Mendoza Province to the north, Rio Negro Province to the southeast, and Chile to the west. It also me ...
,
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 ...
), providing evidence of a more abundant and diversified ornithocheiriform fauna in the south of the Neuquén Basin (at least in the Albian) than previously known. * A study evaluating the ability of different proposed take-off motions of pterosaurs to produce leverage during the launch phase, as indicated by tests using a musculoskeletal model based on an indeterminate ornithocheiraean pterosaur with a 5 m wingspan, is published by Griffin ''et al.'' (2024). * Cadena, Atuesta-Ortiz & Wilson Mantilla (2024) describe pterosaur fossil material from the
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 ...
Rosablanca Formation and the
Barremian The Barremian is an age in the geologic timescale (or a chronostratigraphic stage) between 125.77 Ma (million years ago) and 121.4 ± 1.0 Ma (Historically, this stage was placed at 129.4 million to approximately 125 million years ago) It is a ...
Paja Formation (
Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...
), including fossil material of an ''Anhanguera (pterosaur), Anhanguera''-like specimen extending known fossil record of such pterosaurs into the earliest part of the Cretaceous. * Redescription of the anatomy of the postcranial skeleton of ''Dsungaripterus, Dsungaripterus weii'' is published by Song, Jiang & Wang (2024). * Large pterosaur footprints, likely produced by ''Dsungaripterus weii'', are described from the Lower Cretaceous strata from the Junggar Basin (Xinjiang, China) by Li ''et al.'' (2024), who name a new ichnotaxon ''Pteraichnus, Pteraichnus junggarensis'' and study the relationship between pes length and hip height in pterosaurs. * Jung & Huh (2024) describe pterosaur tracks from the
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), ...
Jangdong Formation (
South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...
), interpreted as likely produced by small-bodied or immature Azhdarchidae, azhdarchids and as probable evidence of gregariousness of the trackmakers.


Other archosaurs


Other new archosaur taxa


Other archosaur research

* Garcia ''et al.'' (2024) describe two new Lagerpetidae, lagerpetid specimens from the Carnian strata of the upper Santa Maria 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 ...
), interpreted as indicative of a Sympatry, sympatric occurrence of lagerpetids representing different morphotypes. * Agnolín ''et al.'' (2024) revise the anatomy of the pelvic girdle of ''Lagerpeton, Lagerpeton chanarensis'', reinterpreting it as likely to have a sprawling gait. * A study on the anatomy of the skeleton and musculature of the hindlimbs of ''Lagosuchus, Lagosuchus talampayensis'' is published by Otero, Bishop & Hutchinson (2024), who find that the fossil material of ''L. talampayensis'' is curated with skeletal elements of members of other taxa, and estimate moment-generating capacities of reconstructed musculature.


General research

* A study on the evolution of locomotion in Archosauromorpha, archosauromorph reptiles is published by Shipley ''et al.'' (2024), who interpret their findings as indicative of greater range in limb form and locomotor modes of dinosaurs compared to other archosauromorph groups, and argue that the ability to adopt a wider variety of limb forms and modes might have given dinosaurs a competitive advantage over pseudosuchians. * A study on the body size evolution of non-avian dinosaurs and Mesozoic birds is published by Wilson ''et al.'' (2024), who find no evidence that Bergmann's rule applied to the studied taxa. * Knoll, Ishikawa & Kawabe (2024) present a new method which can be used to determine the brain volume of extinct archosaurs on the basis their endocranial cavity volume. * Malafaia ''et al.'' (2024) revise fossils from
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that were historically assigned to ''Megalosaurus'', and find that the majority of this fossil material represents bones of members of different theropod groups, but also that the studied material includes stegosaurian, iguanodontian, sauropod and thalattosuchian bones. * Dinosaur and probable crocodylomorph tracks, including some of the largest sauropod tracks worldwide, are described from the
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 ...
strata in the El Mers area (
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 Amzil ''et al.'' (2024). * MacLennan ''et al.'' (2024) interpret exceptional preservation of fossils (including early birds and feathered non-avian dinosaurs) from the Lower Cretaceous Yixian Formation (China) as unlikely to be linked to violent volcanic eruptions.


References

{{reflist Archosaurs 2024 in paleontology