A newly recognized ‘Hell hen’ species suggests dinosaurs weren’t sliding towards extinction earlier than the fateful asteroid hit

Had been dinosaurs already on their means out when an asteroid hit Earth 66 million years in the past, ending the Cretaceous, the geologic interval that began about 145 million years in the past? It’s a query that has vexed paleontologists like us for greater than 40 years.

Within the late Nineteen Seventies, debate started about whether or not dinosaurs had been at their peak or in decline earlier than their large extinction. Scientists at the moment famous that whereas dinosaur variety appeared to have elevated within the geologic stage that spanned 83.6 million to 71.2 million years in the past, the number of species on the scene appeared to lower throughout the previous few million years of the Cretaceous. Some researchers have interpreted this sample to imply that the asteroid that struck the Gulf of Mexico was simply the final blow for an already vulnerable group of animals.

Nonetheless, others have argued that what appears like a lower in the diversity of dinosaurs could also be an artifact of how hard it is to accurately count them. Fossil formations would possibly preserve different dinosaurs more or less often based mostly on elements like their favored atmosphere and the way simply their our bodies fossilized there. The accessibility of assorted outcrops may affect what sorts of fossils researchers have thus far discovered. These biases are an issue as a result of fossils are what paleontologists should depend on to conclusively reply how wholesome dinosaur populations had been when the asteroid hit.

At that essential second, what was actually taking place to dinosaur variety? Discovery, identification and outline of recent dinosaurs present very important clues. That is the place our work is available in. Shut examination of what we’d thought was a juvenile specimen of an already recognized species of dinosaur from this time interval revealed that it was really a part of an grownup from a very new species.

Our work specializing in the life stage of our specimen demonstrates that dinosaur variety might not have been declining earlier than the asteroid hit, however relatively that there are extra species from this time interval but to be found – doubtlessly even via reclassification of fossils already in museum collections.

Clues contained in the bones of a birdlike dinosaur

Our new examine centered on 4 hindlimb bones – a femur, a tibia and two metatarsals. They had been unearthed in South Dakota, in rocks of the Hell Creek Formation, and date to the ultimate 2 million years of the Cretaceous.

Once we first examined the bones, we recognized them as belonging to a household of dinosaurs referred to as the caenagnathids – a gaggle of birdlike dinosaurs that had toothless beaks, lengthy legs and quick tails. Direct fossil and inferred evidence indicates these dinosaurs had been covered in complex feathers, a lot like modern birds.

The one recognized species of caenagnathid from this time and region was Anzu, typically known as the “chicken from Hell.” Coated in feathers and sporting wings and a toothless beak, Anzu was between roughly 450 and 750 kilos (200 and 340 kilograms). Regardless of its fearsome nickname, although, its food plan is a matter of debate. It was seemingly an omnivore, consuming each plant materials and small animals.

As a result of our specimen was considerably smaller than Anzu, we merely assumed it was a juvenile. We chalked up the anatomical variations we seen to its juvenile standing and smaller dimension – and figured the animal would have modified had it continued to develop. Anzu specimens are uncommon, and no particular juveniles have been printed within the scientific literature, so we had been excited to doubtlessly study extra about the way it grew and altered all through its lifetime by looking inside its bones.

Similar to with a tree’s rings, bone records rings called lines of arrested growth. Every annual line represents a part of a yr when the animal’s development slowed. They might inform us how previous this animal was, and how briskly or sluggish it was rising.

We minimize via the center of three of the bones in order that we may microscopically look at the interior anatomy of the cross-sections. What we noticed completely uprooted our initial assumptions.

In a juvenile, we’d anticipate traces of arrested development within the bone to be broadly spaced, indicating speedy development, with even spacing between the traces from the within to the skin floor of the bone. Right here, we noticed that the later traces had been spaced progressively nearer collectively, indicating that this animal’s development had slowed and it was practically at its grownup dimension.

This was no juvenile. As an alternative, it was an grownup of a completely new species, which we dubbed Eoneophron infernalis. The identify means “Pharaoh’s hen from Hell,” referencing the nickname of its bigger cousin Anzu. Traits distinctive to this species embody ankle bones fused to the tibia, and a well-developed ridge on considered one of its foot bones. These weren’t includes a younger Anzu would outgrow, however relatively distinctive elements of the smaller Eoneophron.

Increasing the caenagnathid household tree

With this new proof, we began making thorough comparisons with different family members to find out the place Eoneophron infernalis match inside the group.

It additionally impressed us to reexamine different bones beforehand believed to be Anzu, as we now knew that extra caenagnathid dinosaurs lived in western North America throughout that point. One specimen, a partial foot bone smaller than our new specimen, appeared distinct from each Anzu and Eoneophron. The place as soon as there was one “hen from Hell,” now there have been two, and proof for a 3rd: one giant (Anzu), weighing as a lot as a grizzly bear, one medium (Eoneophron), humanlike in weight, and one small and but unnamed, shut in dimension to a German shepherd.

Evaluating Hell Creek with older fossil formations such as the famous Dinosaur Park Formation of Alberta that preserves dinosaurs that lived between 76.5 million and 74.4 million years ago, we discover not solely the identical variety of caenagnathid species, but in addition the identical dimension lessons. There, we have now Caenagnathus, similar to Anzu, Chirostenotes, similar to Eoneophron, and Citipes, similar to the third species we discovered proof for. These parallels in each species rely and relative sizes provide compelling proof that caenagnathids remained steady all through the final a part of the Cretaceous.

Our new discovery means that this dinosaur group was not declining in variety on the very finish of the Cretaceous. These fossils present that there are nonetheless new species to be found, and assist the concept not less than a part of the sample of lowering variety is the results of sampling and preservation biases.

Did giant dinosaurs go extinct the best way a Hemingway character quipped he went broke: “gradually, then suddenly”? Whereas there are many questions nonetheless excellent on this extinction debate, Eoneophron provides proof that caenagnathids had been doing fairly nicely for themselves earlier than the asteroid ruined every part.