Timeline of ceratosaur research

Skeletal mount of Ceratosaurus nasicornis

This timeline of ceratosaur research is a chronological listing of events in the history of paleontology focused on the ceratosaurs, a group of relatively primitive, often horned, predatory theropod dinosaurs that became the apex predators of the southern hemisphere during the Late Cretaceous. The nature and taxonomic composition of the Ceratosauria has been controversial since the group was first distinguished in the late 19th century.[1] In 1884 Othniel Charles Marsh described the new genus and species Ceratosaurus nasicornis from the Late Jurassic Morrison Formation of the western United States.[2] He felt that it belonged in a new family that he called the Ceratosauridae. He created the new taxon Ceratosauria to include both the Ceratosauridae and the ostrich-like ornithomimids.[3] The idea of the Ceratosauria was soon contested, however. Later that same decade both Lydekker and Marsh's hated rival Edward Drinker Cope argued that the taxon was invalid.[3]

The idea of the Ceratosauria would regain some support more than thirty years later when Gilmore argued in its favor in 1920. Nevertheless, the validity of Ceratosauria was disputed throughout much of the 20th century by researchers like Romer, Lapparent, Lavocat, Colbert, and Charig. However, in 1986, more than a century after Marsh first coined the name, Jacques Gauthier revived the idea. Three years later, Rowe published a new definition of Ceratosauria, all taxa more closely related to Ceratosaurus than to birds, based on Gauthier's use of the term. This modern use of the term was thought to include the many theropods discovered since the 1880s known as coelophysoids.[3] Ceratosaurus itself had loose joints between bones in the skull whose interpretation has been controversial. Paleontologist Robert T. Bakker has interpreted this condition as an adaptation to swallow prey larger than it would otherwise be able to fit through its jaws.[4]

Since the 1980s, major developments in ceratosaur taxonomy have centered on the discovery of the Abelisauridae, a new family of large ceratosaurs that were among the dominant predators of the southern hemisphere during the Cretaceous.[5] One of the most notable of these was Carnotaurus, an unusual horned theropod with a short face.[4] More recent noteworthy non-abelisaur ceratosaur discoveries include the protruding-toothed noasaurid Masiakasaurus knopfleri, named after the lead guitarist from Dire Straits.[6]

19th century

Ceratosaurus nasicornis skeleton restoration by O.C. Marsh from 1896, depicted in an erroneous upright position

1884

1888

1892

1896

20th century

1900s

1901

Illustration of the type specimen of Genyodectes serus

1910s

1919

1920s

Skeletal restoration of known elements of Elaphrosaurs

1920

1921

Type specimen of Sarcosaurus woodi

1925

1930s

1931

1932

1933

1950s

1955

Neotype specimen of M. crenatissimus (MNHN.MAJ 1), the right dentary of a subadult individual, Muséum national d'histoire naturelle, Paris.

1956

1960s

1964

1966

1970s

1970

1979

The type specimen of "Majungatholus", a Majungasaurus snout bump originally mistaken for a pachycephalosaur skull dome

1980s

1980

1985

1986

1989

1990s

Artistic restoration of Velocisaurus unicus

1990

1991


1994

1995

1996

1998

Restoration of Majungasaurus based on the complete specimen described in 1998.


21st century

2000s

Restored skull of Masiakosaurus knopfleri

2000

2001

2002

Skeletal mount of Aucasaurus garridoi

2003

2004

2006

Artistic restoration of Limusaurus inextricabilis

2007

2008

2009

2010s

Artistic restoration of Eoabelisaurus

2010

2012

2013

Artistic restoration of Arcovenator

2014

2016

See also

Footnotes

  1. Tykoski and Rowe (2004); "Introduction", page 47. Also cf. "Systematics and Evolution", page 64.
  2. 1 2 Tykoski and Rowe (2004); "Table 3.1: Ceratosauria", pages 48–49.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 Tykoski and Rowe (2004); "Systematics and Evolution", page 64.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Tykoski and Rowe (2004); "Paleobiology", page 69.
  5. Holtz (1999); "South American Discoveries: Keys to Dinosaur Evolution", pages 48–49.
  6. Sampson (2009); For description and naming, see "Dramatis Dinosaurae", pages 36–37. For family membership, see "Drifting Continents and Globe-Trotting Dinosaurs" page 59.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Tykoski and Rowe (2004); "Table 3.1: Ceratosauria", page 50.
  8. Tykoski and Rowe (2004); "Table 3.1: Ceratosauria", page 48.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Tykoski and Rowe (2004); "Table 3.1: Ceratosauria", page 49.
  10. Tykoski and Rowe (2004); "Paleobiology", page 70.
  11. Kellner and Campos (2002); "Abstract", page 163.
  12. Wilson et al. (2003); "Abstract", page 1.
  13. Calvo, Rubilar-Rogers and Moreno (2004); "Abstract", page 555.
  14. Sereno, Wilson, and Conrad (2004); "Abstract", page 1325.
  15. Malkani (2006); "Abstract", page 108.
  16. Allain et al. (2007); "Abstract", page 610.
  17. Sereno and Brusatte (2008); "Abstract", page 15.
  18. Xu et al. (2009); "Abstract", page 940.
  19. Canale et al. (2009); "Abstract", page 409.
  20. Ezcurra, Agnolin, and Novas (2010); "Abstract", page 1.
  21. Novas et al. (2010); "Abstract", page 45.
  22. Pol and Rauhut (2012); "Abstract", page 3170.
  23. Farke and Sertich (2013); "Abstract", page 1.
  24. Tortosa et al. (2013); "Abstract", page 63.
  25. Sánchez-Hernández and Benton (2014); "Abstract", page 581.
  26. Dalman (2014); "Abstract", page 181.
  27. Leonardo S. Filippi, Ariel H. Méndez, Rubén D. Juárez Valieri and Alberto C. Garrido (2016). "A new brachyrostran with hypertrophied axial structures reveals an unexpected radiation of latest Cretaceous abelisaurids". Cretaceous Research. 61: 209–219. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2015.12.018.

References


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