#Osteology Q

[hoggle-is-hoggles-friend]

Photos I took as art references/inspiration from The Museum of Osteology

[ID: 1. The nasal cavity and sensory organ folds of a tiger

2. The nasal cavity and sensory organ supports of a harpy seal

3. The cervical vertebrae of a dolphin

4. A display of a variety of carved bone

5. A display on scrimshaw, a style of bone carving

6. A male musk ox skull

7. Roe deer antlers

8. A horse skull with panels of bone cut away to display the roots of the teeth

9. A cassowary skull

10. A hydrocephalic cow skull and a plaque explaining the condition]

[a-dinosaur-a-day]

Mahakala omnogovae

By Ripley Cook

Etymology: Named for Mahakala, one of the eight protector deities of Tibetan Buddhism

First Described By: Turner et al., 2007

Classification: Dinosauromorpha, Dinosauriformes, Dracohors, Dinosauria, Saurischia, Eusaurischia, Theropoda, Neotheropoda, Averostra, Tetanurae, Orionides, Avetheropoda, Coelurosauria, Tyrannoraptora, Maniraptoromorpha, Maniraptoriformes, Maniraptora, Pennaraptora, Paraves, Eumaniraptora, Dromaeosauridae, Halszkaraptorinae

Status: Extinct

Time and Place: 80 million years ago, in the Campanian of the Late Cretaceous

Mahakala is known from the Tögrögiin Shiree of the Djadokhta Formation in Ömnögovi, Mongolia 

Physical Description: Mahakala was a small raptor, about 70 centimeters in length, and it was very similar to the earliest members of the Eumaniraptoran group in general, sharing characteristics with other Eumaniraptorans like Troodontids and Avialans. Mahakala was also a Halszkaraptorine, a group of weird little raptors with a semiaquatic lifestyle. It is uncertain if Mahakala was semiaquatic, but it seems at least possible at this time. Like other raptors, it had a sickle claw on its second toe, and like Troodontids and Avialans, it had an extended third foot bone. It also had very short forelimbs compared to other raptors, but similar in size to those of Halszkaraptor. In Halszkaraptor, the forelimbs are adapted to form flippers, like that of a cormorant. While the wings of Mahakala aren’t quite to that extent, it’s possible that it was a transitional form, or had partly aquatically adapted forelimbs. As a raptor, Mahakala would have been covered in feathers, with wings on its arms and a tail fan on its tail.

By Ashley Patch

Diet: If Mahakala was like its close relative Halszkaraptor and associated with the water found in its environment, it would have most likely been a piscivore.

Behavior: Mahakala probably spent most of its time in or near sources of water, which were a tad hard to come by in its very arid environment. As such, it probably didn’t move about much, but spent its time at the oases and temporary rivers to find food in the water. It probably also swam about in the water, using its wings and legs to help propel it forward. It would have been a secretive sort of animal, being surrounded by many kinds of predators and threats, and wouldn’t have strayed far from its home. Given its rarity, and the uncommon nature of its probable preferred habitat, Mahakala would have probably not lived in social groups. However, it most likely took care of its young in some form.

Ecosystem: The Djadochta Formation was an arid desert environment, with red sand and dirt for miles and very little water for Mahakala to associate with. That being said, there were a decent number of oases in the environment, and temporary rivers called arroyos that would pop up during the wet season. Thus, Mahakala would have been mostly associated with the oases. Because of the red coloration of the ground (giving this area today the name of the Flaming Cliffs), most of the animals in the area would have actually been quite red or reddish, in order to blend in. In the oasis areas where Mahakala would have been found, there were probably horsetails and other water plants, rather than the dry shrubs and arid foliage found elsewhere in the environment. The Tögrögiin environment was not as diverse as the later Ukhaa Tolgod, but was still filled with a variety of animals. Here there were mammals such as Zalambdalestes, Kryptobaatar, and Barunlestes; lizards like Cherminotus, Adamisaurus, Temujinia, Zapsosaurus, Mimeosaurus, Flaviagama, Gurvansaurus, Dzhadochtosaurus, and Isodontosaurus; and other small animals. As for other dinosaurs, there was the Ankylosaur Pinacosaurus, the ceratopsian Protoceratops, the alvarezsaur Parvicursor (and possibly Shuvuuia), the ornithomimosaur Aepyornithomimus, and the raptor Velociraptor. In short, this was an exceptionally fluffy land indeed!

By Scott Reid

Other: It is interesting to note that Mahakala and Halszkaraptor not only are shown as closely related in phylogenetic analyses since the latter was described, but that Mahakala actually comes from the same, but earlier environment, as Halszkaraptor. It is entirely possible, therefore, that Mahakala is actually the ancestor of Halszkaraptor, with other members of this weird raptor group splitting off at around the same time as Mahakala began that transition. This is not directly found in studies yet, however, so take that hypothesis with a grain of salt. Regardless, Mahakala was a very basal raptor, and even though it lived late in the fossil record in the group - at a time when many later-derived forms were very common - it still had many similarities to the Troodontids and the Avialans in addition to the raptors.

~ By Meig Dickson

Sources under the Cut 

Cau, A., V. Beyrand, D. F. A. E. Voeten, V. Fernandez, P. Tafforeau, K. Stein, R. Barsbold, K. Tsogtbaatar, P. J. Currie, P. Godefroit. 2017. Synchrotron scanning reveals amphibious ecomorphology in a new clade of bird-like dinosaurs. Nature 552: 395 - 399.

Cau, A., and D. Madzia. 2018. Redescription and affinities of Hulsanpes perlei (Dinosauria, Theropoda) from the Upper Cretaceous of Mongolia. PeerJ 6:e4868:1-19

Chinzorig Tsogtbaatar; Yoshitsugu Kobayashi; Tsogtbaatar Khishigjav; Philip J. Currie; Mahito Watabe; Barsbold Rinchen (2017). “First Ornithomimid (Theropoda, Ornithomimosauria) from the Upper Cretaceous Djadokhta Formation of Tögrögiin Shiree, Mongolia”. Scientific Reports. 7: Article number 5835.

Clarke, Julia A., Norell, Mark A. (2002). “The morphology and phylogenetic position of Apsaravis ukhaana from the Late Cretaceous of Mongolia”. American Museum Novitates, No. 3387, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY.

Delcourt, R., and O. N. Grillo. 2014. On maniraptoran material (Dinosauria: Theropoda) from Vale do Rio do Peixe Formation, Bauru Group, Brazil. Revista Brasileira de Paleontologia 17(3):307-316

Gianechini, F. A., P. J. Makovicky, and S. Apesteguía. 2017. The cranial osteology of Buitreraptor gonzalezorum Makovicky, ApesteguÍa, and AgnolÍn, 2005 (Theropoda, Dromaeosauridae), from the Late Cretaceous of Patagonia, Argentina. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 27(1):e1255639:1-19

Godefroit, Pascal; Currie, Philip J.; Li, Hong; Shang, Chang Yong; Dong, Zhi-ming (2008). “A new species of Velociraptor (Dinosauria: Dromaeosauridae) from the Upper Cretaceous of northern China”. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 28 (2): 432–438.

Hartman, S., M. Mortimer, W. R. Wahl, D. R. Lomax, J. Lippincott, D. M. Lovelace. 2019. A new paravian dinosaur from the Late Jurassic of North America supports a late acquisition of avian flight. PeerJ: e7247.

Jerzykiewicz, Tom (1997). "Djadokhta Formation". In Currie, Phillip J.; Padian, Kevin (eds.). Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs. San Diego: Academic Press. pp. 188–191.

Junchang Lü; Li Xu; Yongqing Liu; Xingliao Zhang; Songhai Jia & Qiang Ji (2010). “A new troodontid (Theropoda: Troodontidae) from the Late Cretaceous of central China, and the radiation of Asian troodontids”. Acta Palaeontologica Polonica. 55 (3): 381–388.

Ksepka, Daniel T.; Norell, Mark A. (2004). “Ornithomimosauria cranial material from Ukhaa Tolgod (Omnogov, Mongolia)”. American Museum Novitates. 3448: 1–4.  

Longrich, N. R., and P. J. Currie. 2009. A microraptorine (Dinosauria–Dromaeosauridae) from the Late Cretaceous of North America. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 106 (13): 5002 - 5007.

Longrich, N. R., P. J. Currie, and Z.-M. Dong. 2010. A new oviraptorid (Dinosauria: Theropoda) from the Upper Cretaceous of Bayan Mandahu, Inner Mongolia. Palaeontology 53(5):945-960

Montague, R. (2006). “Estimates of body size and geological time of origin for 612 dinosaur genera (Saurischia, Ornithischia)”. Florida Scientist. 69 (4): 243–257.

Nesbitt, S. J., J. A. Clarke, A. H. Turner and M. A. Norell. 2011. A small alvarezsaurid from the Eastern Gobi Desert offers insight into evolutionary patterns in the Alvarezsauroidea. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 31(1):144-153

Norell, Mark A.; Clark, James M.; Dashzeveg, Demberelyin; Barsbold, Rhinchen; Chiappe, Luis M.; Davidson, Amy R.; McKenna, Malcolm C.; Perle, Altangerel; Novacek, Michael J. (November 4, 1994). “A theropod dinosaur embryo and the affinities of the Flaming Cliffs dinosaur eggs”. Science. 266 (5186): 779–782.

Norell, M.A.; Clark, J.M.; Turner, A.H.; Makovicky, P.J.; Barsbold, R.; Rowe, T. (2006). “A new dromaeosaurid theropod from Ukhaa Tolgod (Omnogov, Mongolia)”. American Museum Novitates. 3545: 1–51.

Norell, M.A., Makovicky, P.J. & Clark, J.M., 2000, “A new troodontid theropod from Ukhaa Tolgod, Mongolia”, Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 20(1): 7-11

Novacek, M.J., Norell, M.A, McKenna, M.C. and Clark, J.M, 1994, “Fossils of the Flaming Cliffs”, Scientific American 271(6), 60-69

Pei, R., Q. Li, Q. Meng, K.-Q. Gao, and M. A. Norell. 2014. A New Specimen of Microraptor (Theropoda: Dromaeosauridae) from the Lower Cretaceous of Western Liaoning, China. American Museum Novitates 3821:1-28

Prieto-Marquez, A., M. Bolortsetseg, and J. R. Horner. 2012. A diminutive deinonychosaur (Dinosauria: Theropoda) from the Early Cretaceous of Oosh (Ovorkhangai, Mongolia). Alcheringa 36(1):117-136

Turner, A. H., D. Pol, J. A. Clarke, G. M. Erickson, and M. A. Norell. 2007. A basal dromaeosaurid and size evolution preceding avian flight. Science 317:1378-1381

Turner, A.H.; Nesbitt, S.J.; Norell, M.A. (2009). “A Large Alvarezsaurid from the Cretaceous of Mongolia”. American Museum Novitates. 3648: 1–14.

Varricchio, D.J.; Barta, D.E. (2015). “Revisiting Sabath’s "Larger Avian Eggs” from the Gobi Cretaceous". Acta Palaeontologica Polonica. 60 (1): 11–25.

Weishampel, David B.; Dodson, Peter; and Osmólska, Halszka (eds.): The Dinosauria, 2nd, Berkeley: University of California Press. 861 pp.

Williamson, T. E., and S. L. Brusatte. 2014. Small theropod teeth from the Late Cretaceous of the San Juan Basin, northwestern New Mexico and their implications for understanding latest Cretaceous dinosaur evolution. PLoS ONE 9(4):e93190:1-23

[inkofamethyst]

May 18, 2020

Day 139 of the Cute Campaign: look, it’s my first Monday off, okay?  let me be.

Day 67 of The Q: so, technically I think the stay at home orders are gradually being lifted in my state/county?  Alright, just looked it up: my county is remaining under a state of emergency.  Well, guess it’s time to start writing that script.

GUESS WHAT I’M HERE TO TELL Y’ALL THO

100% ON MY CALC 3 FINAL WOO!!

I’VE GOT AN A+ OVERALL IN THE CLASS!!!

(unfortunately, an A+ is no more useful than an A to my GPA, but it is nice to see on a transcript)

I guess the elective really did work out for me overall: I’ve got an A+ in the class and can claim that I have a strong math background because of it.  So the average for this exam (the final) was actually the highest of any of the exams we’d taken in the class: 88%, meaning that a ton of people probably saw quite a boost to their grade after it was put in this morning.  

I will say that if we’re online (for some reason) next semester, there should probably be a bit more standardization when it comes to classes especially in the math department.  I’ve seen (on reddit) stories about some math professors allotting an hour for an exam while other professors give three or twelve.  I know professors have a lot of leeway when it comes to the creation of their classes and syllabus, but I don’t think it’s particularly fair for students if online accommodations are so wildly different between them.

Ah well.  Next semester I’ll be taking one large freshman class (evolutionary and ecological biology) which has three different sections/professors teaching it, so we’ll see how that goes.  I don’t anticipate the class being particularly difficult though.  Oh, and I’m also taking Orgo 2 which has three different profs, so we’ll see how that goes.  I’m not taking the major’s version by the way.  I had the option and honestly I think I prefer the prof I chose.

I think I’m a little worried about the reaction to my four-year plan.  I plan to double major (possibly earning a dual degree because I’m almost positive that I’ll have enough credits) in biology and anthropology, right?  It’s just that I’ll barely be fitting in both majors even if I do the anthro study abroad and even with my anthro class this summer.  Like, in my last semester I’ve got three anthro courses I’m taking that are required to complete the major.  One summer I will have to take a 6-credit archaeology class (I just checked and the class is required for the archaeology specialization and is only offered during the summer), whether it’s the study abroad or a class that I commute to.  What this means is that I will actually end up with an abundance of anthropology credits and pretty much just the bare minimum for my biology major.  I’m probably worried for no reason whatsoever, but I don’t want either advisor to think that I’m just trying to squeeze in one major or the other just for the sake of it because that’s not at all what I’m doing.  I honestly think that I will enjoy both majors equally, but since I’m more interested in archaeology as a career then it makes sense that I would take more anthro class, you know?

Like I said, I’m probably worried for nothing.  I just don’t want my motives to be questioned.

Yo if I don’t get into that study abroad next summer, this could be very bad.  Like, technically I could take it the following summer or technically I could do the home version the following summer, but I’d really honestly rather not have to deal with either of those options.

Well, lucky for me is that taking the anth course this summer and taking the field methods course another summer (worth 6 credits and 3 of those credits will be applied as anthropology elective credits) will open up two 3-credit classes worth of space for me to fill with whatever during a regular semester.  It provides me with a bit more wiggle room to either take courses outside of both majors or to take more specialization courses inside either major.  Like, there’s an osteology course (study of bones) offered some semesters by the anthropology department that I’m kind of interested in, for example.  And there are a ton of biology courses dealing with evolution that I’d be interested in taking (just have to get through the initial weed-outs lol).  

By the way, I’m not specializing in evolutionary and ecological biology (or at least I don’t plan to) mostly because cell biology and genetics sounds more impressive and because I know I’m interested in those topics as well.  My planned specialization requires that I take biology enrichment courses outside of the specialization anyway, so I’ll be ok.

Honestly, I’m curious as to how many bio/anth doubles there are.  Like, there’s so much overlap that (5 courses + required gen-eds) it seems like a really easy double to do.  Also it would probably look pretty good on a resume to have an anthropology major in addition to whatever science a person might take (in the same way that a philosophy major might look good, anyway).  I don’t know, I just feel like I’ve hit the jackpot, and not a moment too soon.  

Today I’m thankful that I discovered that sneaky little clause about the archaeology focus in the requirements for an anthropology major.  I should now how two classes freed up during the semester because of it.  Maybe I could take a history class in one of the areas I’m interested in for excavations.  Classical archaeology or something.  I don’t know.  Or I could use it to take another biology class.  We’ll just have to wait and see, won’t we?

[vaenire]

15 minutes browsing r/osteology

question: what kind of skull is this? 

answer: that’s a pelvis

q: i have a test on the entire human skeleton tomorrow. any tips? 

a: tip: study your class material

q: is this human? 

a: yes. please call the police

[killthenaughtyboy]

4, 14 (or fic), 21

4. Movie of the year? 

I watched a TON of movies this year. But for me it would probably have to be Get Out. It certainly lived up to and deserved every ounce of the praise it got. Really excited about going to a screening/Q&A with Jordan Peele this Thursday!!

14. Read a bunch of really great books this year, but maybe my favorite is Women in Antiquity: Real Women Across the Ancient World. It’s a brand spankin’ new MASSIVELY huge work that finally FINALLY updates a lot of what we know about women in antiquity. The best thing about it is that we’re finally seeing more historians utilize other disciplines like bioarchaeology & osteology, sociology, etc to provide a more clear and realistic picture of ancient peoples. It highlights the agency women did have instead of dwelling on the fact that the ancient world was highly patriarchal, something that I’m very interested in. Something else I love is that this book dedicates significant amount of space to the Ancient Near East and North Africa. I love Greece and Rome as much as the next classicist, but studying them in isolation is pretty much useless. SORRY I’m rambling.

My favorite fic is probably “Suit & Jacket” by @linkslipssinkships but there were SO many other amazing fics this year, holy crap how are you guys so talented, please teach me everything you know. 

21. What’s something new about your place of residence (room, home, or general location) now vs the start of the year?

WELL there’s a giant burned out hole in the roof of my apartment building from the fire that took out a few units a week or so ago. The stench of burned and melted plastic and carpet is new and PERSISTENT and the worst. There’s also broken glass and burned out debris everywhere which I really hope they take care of soon, it looks like a freaking war zone over here (which let’s be honest, isn’t much different from the rest of the year in DTLA).  

[ossaflores]

My instagram reach seems really low at the moment! I'm getting new followers (I reached 12,000 followers today!😱) but the number of views and likes of my recent posts is down quite a bit, I'm not sure why! I hope people are still seeing my posts. Anyway, these are two new budgie skull mini pendant necklaces 🙂 There is a mole skull one too! And a bunch of other cool jewellery all on my etsy. I'm still really not well so haven't been able to do any work or list my remaining items yet, I'm getting super frustrated! There are still over 100 listings on my etsy though ready to be bought 😉 I am attempting a Q&A on my Stories now though to celebrate 12K followers if you want to ask me something! #budgieskull #birdskulls #naturedisplays #miniature #uniquejewellery #naturejewellery #bonejewellery #bonejewelry #skeletons #skulls #animalskulls #animalbones #osteology #naturalart #naturefinds #naturalhistory #craftskulls #skullcollection #skullcollecting #skullcollector #taxidermy #oddities #curiosities #wunderkammer #itwasdeadwhenwemet #vultureculture #onlineshop #etsyshop #ehlersdanlossyndrome #ossaflores https://ift.tt/2oIca6N

[hoggle-is-hoggles-friend]

Some favorite animals or facts from The Museum of Osteology

[ID: 1. A display of hominid skulls arranged by age

2. A plaque explaining sclerotic ossicles

3. A display of seahorse skeletons

4. A beaded lizard skull

5. A taxidermied pink fairy armadillo

6. A display of two pangolin skeletons and a taxedermied pangolin

7. An echidna skeleton and quills

8. An argali sheep skull with very large horns

9. A tufted deer skull

10. The horns of a four-horned antelope]

[hoggle-is-hoggles-friend]

A handful of photos from my trip to The Museum of Osteology that I felt were tumblr-worthy.

[ID: 1. A broad-footed mole skeleton with a plaque behind it

2. A raccoon skeleton arranged to appear that it is tearing into a Milk Duds container

3. A mouse skeleton, the plaque in front of it reads “Mouse (Lunch!)”

4. A primate skull signed by Jane Goodall next to a framed photo of her

5. A plaque that reads “What is a Baculum?” with a paragraph explaining

6. A giant slippery frog skeleton

7. A sun bear skeleton

8. A walrus skull

9. A tawny frogmouth skeleton

10. A platypus skeleton]