Timeline of ornithomimosaur research

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Ornithomimus edmontonicus

This timeline of ornithomimosaur research is a chronological listing of events in the

Gallimimus bullatus.[3] The formal naming of the Ornithomimosauria itself was performed by Rinchen Barsbold in 1976.[2]

Early research into ornithomimosaur

The juxtaposition of apparent evolutionary affinities to

filter feeders rather than carnivores.[4] In 2001, Mark Norell reported a comb-like structure in the beak of Gallimimus that may have been used for filter feeding, bringing renewed credibility to one of Osborn's 1917 hypotheses. If this interpretation of the evidence is correct, Gallimimus would be the largest terrestrial filter feeder in history.[5]

19th century

Ornithomimus velox

1860s

1865

  • Coelosaurus antiquus.[1]

1890s

1890

1892

  • Marsh described the new species
    Ornithomimus sedens.[1]

20th century

1900s

1902

  • Ornithomimus altus.[1]

1910s

An early restoration of S. altus published in a 1921 issue of the magazine Natural History

1917

  • Henry Fairfield Osborn reported the discovery of a more complete "Ornithomimus" altus specimen in Dinosaur Provincial Park, Alberta. He erected a new genus, Struthiomimus, for this species.[7] Osborn put forth early speculations on the diet of ornithomimosaurs. He considered three possible diets: plants, social insects, and aquatic invertebrates.[4]

1920s

1920

  • Coelosaurus affinis.[1]

1926

  • Struthiomimus brevitertius.[6]

1928

  • Parks described the new species
    Struthiomimus samueli.[6]

1930s

Skeletal mount of "Ornithmomimus" (now Archaeornithomimus) asiaticus

1933

1960s

1960

  • Lapparent described the new species
    Elaphrosaurus gautieri.[1]

1965

  • July: The type specimen of the dinosaur that would later be named Deinocheirus mirificus was discovered by Polish–Mongolian Palaeontological Expedition in Mongolia.[9]

1970s

Deinocheirus mirificus
on display

1970

  • Osmolska and Roniewicz, and Barsbold described the new genus and species
    Deinocheirus mirificus.[6]

1972

  • Russell published a review of the Late Cretaceous ornithomimids from North America. He also described the new genus Dromiceiomimus and classified two different species therein.[3]
  • Russell described the new genus Archaeornithomimus.[6]
  • Russell regarded a Late Jurassic theropod from Tanzania called Elaphrosaurus bambergi to be a primitive ornithomimosaur. This species would later be shown to be a coelophysoid.[3]
  • Russell concluded based on ornithomimid pelvic and leg anatomy that they could achieve similar running speeds to modern ostriches, but would not have been as maneuverable. He also observed that since the ornithomimosaur pelvic canal is wide compared to that of other dinosaur groups they may have laid only a few large eggs or even gave birth to live young.[8]
Life restoration of Gallimimus

1976

  • Barsbold formally named the Ornithomimosauria.[6]

1980s

1981

  • Barsbold described the new genus and species
    Garudimimus brevipes.[6] He added the family Garudimimidae to the ornithomimosaurs.[3]
  • Nicholls and Russell concluded that Dromiceiomimus was the same as Ornithomimus after all.[7]
  • Nicholls and Russell that ornithomimosaurs had little ability to rotate their forearms. This is evidence against the idea that ornithomimosaurs could use their arms to rake or dig. They also thought the first and second digits were somewhat opposable. The researchers concluded that ornithomimosaurs could use their arms to "gras[p] branches and fern fronds."[4]

1982

  • A paper by Galton and others accepted Russell's opinion that the Late Jurassic theropod Elaphrosaurus bambergi of Tanzania was a primitive ornithomimosaur. This species would later be shown to be a coelophysoid.[3]

1984

Harpymimus okladnikovi
  • Barsbold and Perle described the new genus and species
    Harpymimus okladnikovi.[6] Barsbold and Perle added the family Harpymimidae to the ornithomimosauria.[3]

1985

  • Nicholls and Russel noted similarities in the beaks of ornithomimosaurs and modern ratite birds and suggested that ornithomimosaurs may have shared the birds' herbivorous diet.[4]
  • Nicholls and Russell enumerated a list of anatomical traits shared by Deinocheirus and ornithomimosaurs.[3]
  • DeCourten and Russell reported a second specimen of Ornithomimus velox to the scientific literature, this one from the Kaiparowits Formation in Utah.[7]

1988

1990s

The beaks of ornithomimosaurs had deeper tips than ratites like the skull this ostrich.

1990

  • Barsbold and Osmolska performed the first phylogenetic analysis of the internal evolutionary relationships of ornithomimosaurs.[10] They also noted that unlike modern ratite birds, the tip of an ornithomimosaur's beak has a "deep edge".[4] Barsbold and Osmolska further observed that ornithomimosaur remains were more common in wetter environments like Iren Debasu and Dinosaur Park Formation than more arid regions.[8]
  • Smith and Galton proposed a redefinition of the ornithomimidae that would include all taxa then regarded as ornithomimosaurian. Most scientists did not follow this suggestion, however.[3]
  • Thulborn noted that estimates for ornithomimosaur running speeds puts them between 35 and 60 km/h.[8]

1991

  • Yacobucci performed a cladistic analysis of ornithomimosaurs.[2]

1993

  • Currie and Eberth suggested that some fossils once thought to belong to Archaeornithomimus were actually Garudimimus remains.[7] They also noted that some fossil eggs discovered at Iren Debasu in China may have been laid by ornithomimosaurs. However, without ornithomimosaur skeletal remains of either adults who could have laid the eggs or embryos inside them there is no solid evidence for this proposal.[8]
Estimated size of Pelecanimimus, compared to a human
The femur of Timimus
  • Sankar Chatterjee described the new genus and species
    Shuvosaurus inexpectatus. He interpreted the unusual reptile as the world's oldest and most primitive ornithomimosaur.[3]

1994

1995

  • Nessov described the new species
    Archaeornithomimus bissektensis.[1]

1997

  • Rauhut rejected Sankar Chatterjee's claim that Shuvosaurus inexpectatus of Late Triassic Texas was the world's oldest and most primitive ornithomimosaur because the anatomy of its braincase and palate were inconsistent with that of an ornithomimosaur.[3]
  • Osmolska published on ornithomimosaur evolutionary relationships.

1998

Elaphrosaurus bambergii
.
  • Sereno proposed a radical redefinition of the Ornithomimosauria as a stem based clade including all dinosaurs more closely related to Ornithomimus than to Shuuvuia. This definition would have vastly expanded the membership of Ornithomimosauria to not only include the ostrich dinosaurs but the alvarezsaurs and therizinosaurs as well.[3]
  • Taquet and Russell noted commonalities in the teeth of Pelecanimimus polyodon with those of spinosaurids and proposed that it may actually be a member of that group rather than an ornithomimosaur. This reclassification met with little support.

1999

  • Padian and other researchers published a paper noting that Paul Sereno's revised definition of the Ornithomimosauria was basically the same as that of a clade proposed in 1996 by Thom Holtz called the Arctometatarsalia. Padian and the others proposed a new redefinition of Ornithomimosauria as the node based clade including those dinosaur descended from the most recent common ancestor shared by Pelecanimimus and Ornithomimus. This definition preserved the classification of the traditional ostrich dinosaurs as members.[3]
  • Paul Sereno performed a cladistic analysis which concluded that Elaphrosaurus bambergi of Late Jurassic Tanzania was actually a coelophysoid rather than a primitive ornithomimosaur as interpreted by Russell.[3] He also drew some conclusions regarding ornithomimosaur biogeography, noting that they apparently crossed the Bering land bridge less readily than hadrosaurs and pachycephalosaurs during the Cretaceous.[11]
  • Kobayashi and others reported the discovery of gastroliths in the dinosaur that would later be named Sinornithomimus. The presence, abundance, and size of the gastroliths were all similar to those of modern herbivorous and filter feeding birds. Likewise there was no evidence for vertebrate prey in the diet of Sinornithomimus, which could have come in the form of bone fragments or apatite in the sediments enclosing the gastroliths.[4] The remains of multiple individuals were recovered from a bonebed in Ulansuhai.[8]

21st century

Skull of Gallimimus

2000s

2001

  • Thom Holtz performed another cladistic analysis which concluded that Elaphrosaurus bambergi of Late Jurassic Tanzania was actually a coelophysoid rather than a primitive ornithomimosaur as interpreted by Russell.[3]
  • Norell and others performed a cladistic analysis of the Coelurosauria. The researchers included five ornithomimosaur taxa in this analysis.[10]
  • Norell and others reported a comb-like structure in the beak of Gallimimus that may have been used for filter feeding. If so, it would be the largest terrestrial filter feeder in history.
    Djadokhta Formation.[8]
  • intramandibular joint would prevent any movement in the front and rear portions of the lower jaw.[12]

2002

Sinornithomimus
  • Xu and others performed a cladistic analysis of the Coelurosauria. The researchers included five ornithomimosaur taxa in this analysis.[10]

2003

2006

  • The Korea-Mongolia International Dinosaur Project discovered a new specimen of the mysterious Mongolian dinosaur Deinocheirus, specimen now catalogued as MPC-D 100/128.[15] This specimen had also been damaged by fossil poachers.[16]

2009

2010s

Skeletal mount of Beishanlong

2010

  • Makovicky and others described the new genus and species
    Beishanlong grandis.[18]

2011

  • French fossil dealer François Escuillié noticed some unusual fossils kept by a private collector in Europe. He alerted Belgian paleontologist Pascal Godefroit about the strange finds. Godefroit realized that these fossils might be those poached from the Deinocheirus specimens recently excavated by the joint Korean-Mongolian team in the Gobi Desert.[19] He contacted the researchers and it was found that the strange, privately owned fossils fit together with the 2009 specimen like puzzle pieces.[20] The collector was willing to part with the specimens after being informed of their scientific value.[21] After obtaining the specimens, Escuillié donated them to the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences where Godefroit worked.[19]
  • May 1st: Escuillié and Godefroit returned the recovered poached Deinocheirus remains to the Mongolian government.[19]
  • Xu and others described the new genus and species
    Qiupalong henanensis.[22]

2012

Artist's restoration of Deinocheirus
Artist's restoration of Tototlmimus
  • Jin, Chen and Godefroit described the new genus and species
    Hexing qingyi.[23]

2014

  • Yuong-Nam Lee and others described the life appearance and paleobiology of Deinocheirus, characterizing it as follows:

    Deinocheirus was a heavily built, non-cursorial animal with an elongate snout, a deep jaw, tall neural spines, a pygostyle, a U-shaped furcula, an expanded pelvis for strong muscle attachments, a relatively short hind limb and broad-tipped pedal unguals. Ecomorphological features in the skull, more than a thousand gastroliths, and stomach contents (fish remains) suggest that Deinocheirus was a megaomnivore that lived in mesic environments.

    — Lee et al.[24]

2015

  • Serrano-Brañas and others described the new genus and species
    Tototlmimus packardensis
    .
  • Alifanov and Saveliev describe the new theropod dinosaur,
    Lepidocheirosaurus natatilis from the Upper Jurassic deposits of the Transbaikal Area, Russia.[25]

2017

  • Tsogtbaatar and others described the new genus and species
    Aepyornithomimus tugrikinensis
    .
  • Sereno described the new genus and species
    Afromimus tenerensis
    .

2018

  • Hunt and Quinn described the new genus and species
    Arkansaurus fridayi.[26]

2019

2020s

2020

  • Serrano-Brañas and others describe Paraxenisaurus normalensis, the first deinocheirid ornithomimosaur from the Cerro del Pueblo Formation of Coahuila, Mexico.[28]


2022

  • Tsogtbaatar and others describe ornithomimosaur materials from the Upper Cretaceous Santonian Eutaw Formation of Appalachia. [29]
  • Nottrodt describes the first articulated ornithomimid remains found from the Scollard Formation, TMP 1993.104.1, which represent a juvenile specimen, extending the stratigraphic range of Ornithomimus within Alberta.[30]
  • Allian and others describe the Berriasian age Angeac-Charente Lagerstätte of France, which is dominated by an ornithomimosaur herd of at least 70 individuals.[31]

See also

Footnotes

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Makovicky, Kobayashi, and Currie (2004); "Table 6.1: Ornithomimosauria", page 139.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Makovicky, Kobayashi, and Currie (2004); "Introduction", page 137.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u Makovicky, Kobayashi, and Currie (2004); "Systematics and Evolution", page 146.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Makovicky, Kobayashi, and Currie (2004); "Paleobiology", page 149.
  5. ^ Makovicky, Kobayashi, and Currie (2004); "Paleobiology", pages 149-150.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Makovicky, Kobayashi, and Currie (2004); "Table 6.1: Ornithomimosauria", page 138.
  7. ^ a b c d Makovicky, Kobayashi, and Currie (2004); "Systematics and Evolution", page 147.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h Makovicky, Kobayashi, and Currie (2004); "Paleobiology", page 150.
  9. ^ For date, see Khan (2014). For expedition, see Lee et al. (2014); "Abstract," page 257.
  10. ^ a b c d e Makovicky, Kobayashi, and Currie (2004); "Systematics and Evolution", page 148.
  11. ^ Makovicky, Kobayashi, and Currie (2004); "Biogeography", page 149.
  12. ^ a b Hurum (2001); "Abstract," page 34.
  13. ^ Hurum (2001); "Abstract," page 35.
  14. ^ Hurum (2001); "Conclusions," page 40.
  15. ^ a b For date and catalogue number, see Lee et al. (2014); "Abstract," page 257. For expedition, see Hecht (2014).
  16. ^ a b Khan (2014).
  17. ^ Buffetaut, Suteethorn, and Tong (2009); "Abstract", page 229.
  18. ^ Makovicky et al. (2010); "Abstract", page 191.
  19. ^ a b c Hecht (2014); "Fossil smugglers".
  20. ^ Joyce (2014).
  21. ^ Jiji (2014).
  22. ^ Xu et al. (2011); "Abstract", page 213.
  23. ^ Jin, Chen, and Godefroit (2012); "Abstract", page 467.
  24. ^ Lee et al. (2014); "Abstract," page 257.
  25. S2CID 131199807
    .
  26. .
  27. .
  28. .
  29. .
  30. .
  31. .

References

External links