Episode 370 is all about Asylosaurus, a Late Triassic sauropodomorph that lived in what is now Clifton, Bristol, England.
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In this episode, we discuss:
News:
- Evidence of cannibalism in tyrannosaurids (333) source
- Hadrosaur lumps and splits (350) source
- Baby dinosaurs living at the poles (344) source
- Best nickname: “Beautiful Nightmare” (363) source
- World’s largest Triceratops: Big John (362) source
- Youngest footprint finder: Lily (349) source
- Chrome Dinosaur game with an Olympic twist (video) source
- India’s youngest paleontologist: Aswatha Biju (360) source
- Best Spinosaurids: Ceratosuchops and Riparovenator (358) source
- Longest time coming: Kholumolumo (320) source
- Honorable Mention — Longest time coming: Riabininohadros (321) source
- Best abelisaurid: Spectrovenator (322) source
- Best dromaeosaurid: Shri devi (328) source
- Honorable Mention — Best dromaeosaurid: Kansaignathus (347) source
- Best ceratopsian: Menefeeceratops (338) source
- Best hadrosaur: Tlatolophus (340) source
- Best sauropod: Australotitan (342) source
- Oldest titanosaur: Ninjatitan (335) source
- Best ankylosaur: Spicomellus (357) source
- Honorable Mention — Best ankylosaur: “resting posture” ankylosaur (330) source
- Best allosauroid: Ulughbegsaurus (355) source
- Jurassic World: Dominion news (323, 324, 341, 343, 345, 349, 354, 357, 358, 359, 360, 361, 366, 367) source
- Massachusetts state dinosaur (320, 324, 326, 356, 361) source
- Status of Ubirajara (356, 358, 365) source
- Total number of T. rex individuals that lived (335) source
The dinosaur of the day: Asylosaurus
- Basal sauropodomorph that lived in the Late Triassic in what is now Clifton, Bristol, England
- Walked on two legs and had a long tail
- Had short neural spines
- Estimated to be about 6.7 ft (2 m) long and weigh 55 lb (25 kg)
- Fossils found in 1834. Fossils include part of the torso, back vertebrae, ribs, gastralia, shoulder girdle, humeri, part of the forearm, hand (more bones referred to Asylosaurus include bones from the neck, tail, pelvis, arm, and leg, and may belong to the holotype)
- Described in 1836 by Henry Riley and Samuel Stutchbury, originally as Thecodontosaurus
- A description of the fossils in 1836 said they were obtained by Capt. Cautley, and “found partly lying on the slopes among the ruins of fallen cliffs, and partly in situ in the sandstone”
- OC Marsh brought the fossils to Yale University between 1888 and 1890
- Survived WWII (the holotype of Thecodontosaurus was destroyed in 1940 during the Bristol Blitz)
- Described as Asylosaurus in 2007 by Peter Galton
- Type species is Asylosaurus yalensis
- Genus name means “unharmed or sanctuary lizard”
- Genus name refers to the fossils not being destroyed in WWII
- Species name refers to Yale
- Galton found the fossils had three autapomorphies to be its own genus (differences in the deltopectoral crest, humerus/manus, and ischia)
- Also had some plesiomorphic (ancestral traits) like basal sauropodomorphs, like the structure of the manus and humerus, and the shape of the braincase
- In 2020 Antonio Ballell and others redescribed Thecodontosaurus antiquus based on new material found in Tytherington, England
- Discussed “the questionable validity of Asylosaurus yalensis”
- Said the deltopectoral crest autapomorphy wasn’t valid because most Thecodontosaurus and Pantydraco (formerly Thecodontosaurus) specimens had incomplete crests, and the tip of the crest is susceptible to being distorted from taphonomy. Therefore, the autapomorphy in Asylosaurus could be because of the way it was fossilized
- Same issue with the humerus, plus the way the manus looks in Asylosaurus is similar to other basal sauropodomorphs like Eoraptor and Sarahsaurus
- Said the third character was “based on ischium fragments that were tentatively referred to Asylosaurus, without any evidence”
- Concluded none of the three characters were enough for Asylosaurus to be a valid genus, and said Asylosaurus yalensis was a “taxon of highly questionable validity”
- Also doubted the validity of Pantydraco
- Other animals that live around the same time and place include theropods, phytosaurs, sharks, fish, crocodylomorphs, lizards
Fun Fact: There is a Nanotyrannus equivalent of Tarbosaurus (330). Stegosaurus had alternating plates but other stegosaurs have been found with pairs of plates (334).
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