Project 985: C. M. Brown, D. C. Evans, M. J. Ryan, A. P. Russell. 2013. New data on the diversity and abundance of small-bodied ornithopods (Dinosauria, Ornithischia) from the Belly River Group (Campanian) of Alberta. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 33 (3):495-520.
Specimen: † Hypsilophodon (unvouchered)
View: tooth

Abstract

Relative to large-bodied dinosaurs, the diversity of small-bodied dinosaurs from the Campanian of North America is poorly understood due to a lack of well-preserved skeletons. We document the first articulated remains, as well as the first cranial bones, of non-iguanodontian ornithopods from the Belly River Group of Alberta. The geologically oldest specimen consists of the posterior half of an articulated skeleton from the middle unit of the Oldman Formation and shares many anatomical features with the contemporaneous Orodromeus makelai and the older Oryctodromeus cubicularis. A second, younger specimen from the upper Oldman Formation is distinct from other ornithopods in having a reduced distal portion of the fibula that is fused to the anterior surface of the tibia; it is designated as the type of a new taxon, Albertadromeus syntarsus, gen. et sp. nov. Numerous isolated elements from small ornithopods from the Dinosaur Park Formation are also identified, but cannot be assigned to the generic level with confidence. Although small-bodied ornithopod material is rare, their known postcranial material outnumbers those of taphonomically equivalent and contemporaneous pachycephalosaurs, which are known to be abundant and diverse due to their robust and frequently recovered cranial domes. These findings suggest considerable undiscovered diversity of small-bodied ornithopods, and highlight biases against the preservation of small taxa in this system.


Read the article »

Article DOI: 10.1080/02724634.2013.746229

Project DOI: 10.7934/P985, http://dx.doi.org/10.7934/P985
This project contains
  • 4 Media
  • 2 Documents
  • 19 Taxa
  • 5 Specimens
Total size of project's media files: 487.2k

Download Project SDD File
Currently Viewing:
MorphoBank Project 985
  • Creation Date:
    08 July 2013
  • Publication Date:
    27 April 2022
  • Project views: 6998

    Authors' Institutions

    • University of Calgary

    • University of Toronto

    • Royal Ontario Museum

    • Cleveland Museum of Natural History



    Members

    member name taxa specimens media
    MorphoBank Curator
    Project Administrator
    1954


    Project has no matrices defined.



    Project views

    type number of views Individual items viewed (where applicable)
    Total project views6998
    Project overview377
    Media views1638Media search (992 views); M844471 (182 views); M844473 (146 views); M844474 (161 views); M844475 (157 views);
    Documents list257
    Bibliography217
    Views for media list734
    Specimen list1469
    Taxon list2306




    Project downloads

    type number of downloads Individual items downloaded (where applicable)
    Total downloads from project2
    Document downloads1Brown et al Matrix (1 download);
    Project downloads1