Monthly Archives: November 2010

Two dinosaurs become one

Earlier this year a paper was published (Scannella and Horner 2010) on one of the most well-known dinosaurs of the Late Cretaceous, Triceratops, updating our understanding of not only this dinosaur species, but also maybe influencing our view of many other dinosaur species as well.

Triceratops

Triceratops as mounted at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History

Triceratops was first described in 1889 by O. C. Marsh, and has become one of the best represented dinosaur species in terms of numbers of fossils recovered. Their remains are very common in the Hell Creek Formation of Montana and the Dakotas. And, Triceratops has been known by practically every kid for the last 100 years, being well represented in dinosaur movies and dinosaur toys the world over.

Triceratops is best known for its three horns and neck frill of bone. Torosaurus, another dinosaur that is obviously related to Triceratops because of its similar appearance, was also first named by Marsh in 1891. It is found in the same geologic units in the same region, but is much less commonly found. Torosaurus was much larger than Triceratops, and had large openings in the neck frill, and its horns pointed more anteriorly.

So, for over 100 years paleontologists thought there were at least two species of horned dinosaurs in these beds. But scientific understanding makes progress. In the early “bone rush” days of the nineteenth century the game was naming new species. Today, there is a trend of relooking at those species to see if they are in fact different.

Torosaurus

"Torosaurus" mount at the Milwaulkee Museum, now should be called Triceratops.

This is where the new study comes in. The authors examined Triceratops and Torosaurus and questioned whether they might not be the same species, but at different life stages. It has become apparent that individuals of a species can change a great deal over their lifetimes. A newborn human does not look much like an adult in body proportions, for example. If past species also changed significantly over their lifetimes, the different stages could easily be mistaken as completely different species. And that seems to be the case here.

By looking closely at the trends of skull shape and indicators of maturity, Scannella and Horner believe that in fact Torosaurus individuals are older and more mature individuals of Triceratops. This means that later in their development individual Triceratops specimens changed significantly as they reached maturity, developing the large openings in the neck frill and increasing in overall size.

The implications for other dinosaur species are clear. If individuals can change dramatically during their lifetimes as they mature, perhaps there are many named dinosaurs that are not truly different and unique species, and we need to match youngsters with adults. No doubt this will keep paleontologists busy for the next 100 years.

And in case you are worried, the name Triceratops will remain, since it was the first name given to the species that we now realize includes those individuals that one were called “Torosaurus.” So, despite some headlines Triceratops did (and still does) exist!

Scannella, J. B., and J. R. Horner. 2010. Torosaurus Marsh, 1891, is Triceratops Marsh, 1889 (Ceratopsidae: Chasmosaurinae): synonymy through ontogeny. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 30(4):1157 – 1168.

Essential Equipment For Family Holiday Camping Trips

Most families have been camping together at one time or another. For some it was a first and last time. Not everyone enjoys the outdoors. But for those families that do take to the natural world of camping they tend to find every opportunity to get outdoors again. Holiday seasons are particularly popular times for family camping trips. The ease of making arrangements while school is out and the range of activities on offer from Park Rangers is inviting. The key to any family camping adventure is to make sure you have all the necessary equipment to enjoy all weather conditions and to be comfortable away from home.

Of course the most essential part of any camping equipment inventory is a tent. There are tents to suit every family, as well as single person or twin hiking domes. Depending on the size of your family and your tent you could find a tent that one person could carry while hiking. Alternatively you could find a secure structure that you could leave up while you spend the day exploring the trails. Large family tents commonly have two rooms that both open onto a corridor down the center. This in turn has two openings at either side. The advantages of corridor tents is that they avoid letting dirt and sand into the sleeping quarters. There are other, slightly smaller tents, with only one room that have an entry ‘foyer’ where you can come in and take off your shoes comfortably before going into the main sleeping areas.

Apart from a tent you’ll also need some warm sleeping bags that are going to stay dry in any weather. Because of the advances in technology most sleeping bags easily fit the bill. Unless you are planning a snow camping expedition a standard sleeping bag should be sufficient. Also, make sure you have good quality packs for hiking, a quality cooking stove and utensils, a tarpaulin to create shade and possibly a fold-out table and chairs. It is also advisable to invest in a fully stocked first aid kit. Because you are going to be away from emergency services it’s essential to make sure you can respond to any injuries with first aid. Finally, it’s advisable to have some old towels, fuel, ropes, torches and a radio.

Unfortunately, camping equipment can be an expensive investment, particularly for families on a tight budget. In my experience if you want to build up a good supply of quality equipment (it’s always best to buy something that will stand the test of time rather than save money and run into maintenance or replacement problems later on) you should discuss as a family the idea of each member of the family devoting their gift giving and receiving to building up a camping inventory for 24 months. Everyone can buy some things and contribute this way and with Sear’s coupons and several stock-take sales during this time you’ll have a great supply of equipment in no time.