Science: Dec 26, 2012

A new study suggests that Therizinosaurids had highly developed Senses

They may look like a dinosaur that was designed by a committee, but a new study by a team of international researchers in the sensory abilities of Therizinosaurs suggests that these feathered theropods had highly developed senses. Using sophisticated computerized tomography (CT) to analyze a skull found in Mongolia Therizinosaur, paleontologists have found that these odd looking members of the Dinosauria had a highly developed sense of smell, most likely an excellent view and a sense of balance.

Therizinosaurids - Bizarre Cretaceous dinosaurs

The Therizinosaurids form a clade Dinosauria rare to whose fossils have been found in North America and Asia. Almost exclusively from materials known Cretaceous dinosaurs are members of the Theropoda but they seem to have adapted to a more sedentary lifestyle herbivores, despite being distantly related to fierce dinosaurs Tyrannosaurus rex and Giganotosaurus as carolini.

Cheloniformis Therizinosaurus

The Therizinosauroids are these dinosaurs that unusual until enough fossil material has been found to prove their affinity with the Dinosauria they were thought by many paleontologists not be all of the dinosaurs. The first family member Therizinosaur be formally named and described was Therizinosaurus (cheloniformis Therizinosaurus). It was named and described in 1954 by the eminent Soviet scientist Evgeny Aleksandrovich Maleev, following an intensive study of some limb bones, claws and strange flattened ribs found by a joint Soviet / Mongolian expedition in a region away from Mongolia in 1948. This genus is also the largest known for Therizinosauroids, with some scientists believing that this creature was more than ten meters long and weigh up to five metric tonnes.

Work on the family tree Dinosaur

Exact taxonomic relationships between different kinds of Therizinosaur is debated by paleontologists is that the affinity groups with the rest of the Theropoda. Therizinosaurs seemed to share certain general characteristics, they have a small head perched on long necks, round, stocky bodies that gave them an almost bulbous, stocky and short legs relatively long arms. Hands claws completed in three fingers, the most famous of autapomorphies Therizinosaur (anatomical specificity), the claws were unusually long Therizinosaurs. The claws of T. cheloniformis example could be up to one meter in length. These claws are not strongly curved, but flat. In the first study of these claws reminded scientists wrong, so with more fossils, the clade of "false" or lizards Therizinosaurs was created. A number of Therizinosaurs as Beipiaosaurus (B. inexpectus), are believed to have been covered with layers of simple downy feathers. These feathers are not like the flight feathers of modern birds, but has helped to insulate these animals and keep them warm. It is believed that these dinosaurs were endothermic (warm-blooded).

Herbivores or omnivores

That these animals eat is also discussed by paleontologists, some believe that these dinosaurs were omnivores, feeding on vegetation, but also catch small lizards, birds and mammals. Others believe that the long flat blade like claws and strong arms were used to break open termite nests and feed on insects inside. Many paleontologists have concluded that their bellies, long beaks moss and small, leaf-shaped, non-serrated teeth and the presence of prominent cheeks, these dinosaurs were herbivores largely, if not entirely vegetarian.

It has been speculated that these animals lived mainly in arboreal environments and filled an ecological niche similar to that completed by Chalicotheres later and giant sloths. Well developed sense are not usually associated with animals that occupy these niches in an ecosystem, so an international team of researchers from the Department of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol (England), assisted by two U.S. universities an associate at the University of Ulan Bator (Mongolia) began to explore the brain Therizinosaurs.

The study of the skull of a dinosaur

It is not possible to study the brain tissue of dinosaurs, such soft tissue is very rarely fossilized and rots quickly when an organism dies, however, by assembling a skull and examine the spaces that were occupied by soft tissues such as the brain and nerves, paleontologists can build a detailed picture of the form and function of the brain of animals extinct. By studying the morphology and size of the openings in the skull nerve orbit and olfactory areas, scientists can infer how well developed some senses were. If the inner ear is available for the study and understanding of the meaning of the animal balance can be achieved.

The use of a beautifully preserved skull and almost total Therizinosaur Cretaceous known Elikosaurus andrewsi a typical Mongolian Therizinosaur who lived about 90 million years (Cretaceous Turonian fauna step), the team been able to develop a picture of the meaning of this dinosaur. Sophisticated computer programs interpreted the data computed tomography of the skull numerous fossils, which allowed the team to develop a three-dimensional image of the internal structure of the head of the dinosaur.

Therizinosaurs had an excellent view and a good sense of smell

The study, whose results were published in the scientific journal online "The Public Library of Science" show that Therizinosaurs had remarkably developed sense of smell, excellent views and a sense of balance. When Therizinosaur skull is considered a large orbit (eye socket) can be clearly seen, and the long nose nostril provides extended that may have contributed to improve the animal's ability to smell. All these data have been interpreted and run by what appears to be a broad forebrain. seems that these slow herbivores with their bellies over-sized claws strange and perhaps had keen senses and a highly developed sense of balance. It is likely that these attributes are retained from which the ancestors of the Therizinosaurs are active predators.

The work of this international team of researchers has important implications for our understanding of how sensory functions evolved and changed in the Dinosauria. It also puts some light on how the sensory organs of birds (closely related to theropod dinosaurs), have evolved.

Pets not mind slow

It is difficult to believe that these dinosaurs "intelligent", their brains were small relative to their size, but this latest study more sophisticated relieves the archaic theory that these reptiles were extremely slow-witted, with reactions and dull compared to mammals modern dinosaurs were poorly adapted to their environment are doomed to final extinction. In reality, the Dinosauria were extremely well adapted to their environment and have evolved into a myriad of forms so that they can exploit a wide range of opportunities in the world of the Mesozoic.

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Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Those Smart Therizinosaur Dinosaurs

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