Theropod Paleopathology
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Theropod paleopathology is the study of
injury An injury is any physiological damage to living tissue caused by immediate physical stress. An injury can occur intentionally or unintentionally and may be caused by blunt trauma, penetrating trauma, burning, toxic exposure, asphyxiation, o ...
and
disease A disease is a particular abnormal condition that negatively affects the structure or function of all or part of an organism, and that is not immediately due to any external injury. Diseases are often known to be medical conditions that a ...
in theropod
dinosaurs Dinosaurs are a diverse group of reptiles of the clade Dinosauria. They first appeared during the Triassic period, between 243 and 233.23 million years ago (mya), although the exact origin and timing of the evolution of dinosaurs is t ...
. In 2001,
Ralph E. Molnar Ralph E. Molnar is a paleontologist who had been Curator of Mammals at the Queensland Museum and more recently associated with the Museum of Northern Arizona. He is also a research associate at the Texas natural Science Centre. He co-authored descr ...
published a survey of
pathologies Pathology is the study of the causes and effects of disease or injury. The word ''pathology'' also refers to the study of disease in general, incorporating a wide range of biology research fields and medical practices. However, when used in t ...
in theropod dinosaur bone that uncovered pathological features in 21
genera Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nomenclat ...
from 10 theropod
families Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Ideall ...
. Pathologies have been seen on most theropod body parts, with the most common sites of preserved injury and disease being the ribs and
tail vertebrae The vertebral column, also known as the backbone or spine, is part of the axial skeleton. The vertebral column is the defining characteristic of a vertebrate in which the notochord (a flexible rod of uniform composition) found in all chordate ...
. The least common sites of preserved pathology are the weight-bearing bones like the
tibia The tibia (; ), also known as the shinbone or shankbone, is the larger, stronger, and anterior (frontal) of the two bones in the leg below the knee in vertebrates (the other being the fibula, behind and to the outside of the tibia); it connects ...
,
femur The femur (; ), or thigh bone, is the proximal bone of the hindlimb in tetrapod vertebrates. The head of the femur articulates with the acetabulum in the pelvic bone forming the hip joint, while the distal part of the femur articulates with ...
and
sacrum The sacrum (plural: ''sacra'' or ''sacrums''), in human anatomy, is a large, triangular bone at the base of the spine that forms by the fusing of the sacral vertebrae (S1S5) between ages 18 and 30. The sacrum situates at the upper, back part ...
. Most pathologies preserved in theropod fossils are the remains of injuries, but
infections An infection is the invasion of tissue (biology), tissues by pathogens, their multiplication, and the reaction of host (biology), host tissues to the infectious agent and the toxins they produce. An infectious disease, also known as a transmiss ...
and congenital deformities have also been documented. Pathologies are less frequently documented in small theropods, although this may simply be because the larger bones of correspondingly larger animals would be more likely to fossilize in the first place.


Identification

Paleontologist Ralph Molnar has observed that genuine injuries and illnesses in theropod remains can be distinguished from scavenging traces because pathological bones should show signs of
healing With physical trauma or disease suffered by an organism, healing involves the repairing of damaged tissue(s), organs and the biological system as a whole and resumption of (normal) functioning. Medicine includes the process by which the cells i ...
, while damage to a carcass after death would not. He also notes that the location of a potential pathology on the body can help determine whether the apparent injury was inflicted before or after death. He reasons that body parts like hands and feet lacked enough soft tissue to be attractive to scavengers, so apparent injuries to sites like digits and
metapodials Metapodials are long bones of the hand (metacarpals) and feet (metatarsal The metatarsal bones, or metatarsus, are a group of five long bones in the foot, located between the tarsal bones of the hind- and mid-foot and the phalanges of the toes ...
were more likely to be injuries received in life than to be traces of ''
post mortem An autopsy (post-mortem examination, obduction, necropsy, or autopsia cadaverum) is a surgical procedure that consists of a thorough examination of a corpse by dissection to determine the cause, mode, and manner of death or to evaluate any dis ...
'' feeding. Molnar also cautioned fellow researchers that when unusual fusions between, or asymmetry of the skull bones are found it means the individual in question was probably just suffering from advanced age rather than specific illness.


History of research

Scientific documentation of pathologies in theropod bones goes all the way back to the first description of a large theropod. Nevertheless, Ralph Molnar contends that despite the long history of recognized pathologies in theropod dinosaurs the topic had been almost completely overlooked in the scientific literature. For most of the ensuing 200 years paleopathologies were only noted when scientists describing new species were concerned that such abnormalities would complicate comparisons between different kinds of theropod for classification purposes. Even when paleontologists mentioned pathologies in their research they typically didn't try to ascertain their causes. This inattention towards theropod paleopathology kept science in the dark about the subject and many pathological specimens probably went completely unnoticed. By 2001, 13 species in 13 genera had reported pathologies. That year, Ralph Molnar performed a comprehensive review of the subject and found pathologies in 21
genera Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nomenclat ...
from 10 families.


Affected taxa


Primitive saurischians

The '' Herrerasaurus ischigualastensis'' specimen PVSJ 407 had a pit in a skull bone, with two more pits on the lower jaw.
Paul Sereno Paul Callistus Sereno (born October 11, 1957) is a professor of paleontology at the University of Chicago and a National Geographic "explorer-in-residence" who has discovered several new dinosaur species on several continents, including at sites ...
and Novas thought that they were obtained in a fight with another ''
Herrerasaurus ''Herrerasaurus'' is a genus of saurischian dinosaur from the Late Triassic period. This genus was one of the earliest dinosaurs from the fossil record. Its name means "Herrera's lizard", after the rancher who discovered the first specimen in ...
'' due to their size and differing directions of penetration. A short-lived non-fatal infection left the bone around these puncture wounds swollen and porous.


Coelophysoids

One '' Dilophosaurus wetherilli'' specimen has a left humerus that is smaller than its right one. This asymmetry may have been a congenital deformity brought on by environmental stress during development. Another specimen bears both a possible
abscess An abscess is a collection of pus that has built up within the tissue of the body. Signs and symptoms of abscesses include redness, pain, warmth, and swelling. The swelling may feel fluid-filled when pressed. The area of redness often extends b ...
ed humerus and injured vertebra. ''
Coelophysis rhodesiensis ''Megapnosaurus'' (meaning "big dead lizard", from Greek μεγα = "big", 'απνοος = "not breathing", "dead", σαυρος = "lizard") is an extinct genus of coelophysid theropod dinosaur that lived approximately 188 million years ago duri ...
'' specimens, on very rare occasions, show signs of healed fractures in the
tibia The tibia (; ), also known as the shinbone or shankbone, is the larger, stronger, and anterior (frontal) of the two bones in the leg below the knee in vertebrates (the other being the fibula, behind and to the outside of the tibia); it connects ...
and metatarsus. An asymmetrical sacral rib has also been documented in this species. Like the ''D. wetherilli'' specimen mentioned above, this asymmetry was likely a congenital deformity caused by stress experience during development.


Ceratosaurs

The
holotype A holotype is a single physical example (or illustration) of an organism, known to have been used when the species (or lower-ranked taxon) was formally described. It is either the single such physical example (or illustration) or one of several ...
specimen of ''
Ceratosaurus nasicornis ''Ceratosaurus'' (from Ancient Greek, Greek κέρας/κέρατος, ' meaning "horn" and wikt:σαῦρος, σαῦρος ' meaning "lizard") was a carnivorous Theropoda, theropod dinosaur in the Late Jurassic Period (geology), period (Kim ...
'', USMN 4735, was found with its second, third, and fourth left metatarsals fused. Whether or not this fusion was pathological or normal for the species became controversial when
Baur Baur can refer to: People * A. C. Baur (1900–1931), American football player and stock broker * Alfred Baur, Swiss collector of Asian art * Eleonore Baur, only woman to participate in Munich Beer Hall Putsch * Erwin Baur, German geneticist and b ...
in
1890 Events January–March * January 1 ** The Kingdom of Italy establishes Eritrea as its colony, in the Horn of Africa. ** In Michigan, the wooden steamer ''Mackinaw'' burns in a fire on the Black River. * January 2 ** The steamship ...
speculated that the fusion was the result of a healed
fracture Fracture is the separation of an object or material into two or more pieces under the action of stress. The fracture of a solid usually occurs due to the development of certain displacement discontinuity surfaces within the solid. If a displa ...
. A later analysis by Darren Tanke and Bruce Rothschild supported Baur's contention. An unidentified species of '' Ceratosaurus'' preserved a broken and subsequently further worn tooth. A stress fracture in a single '' Ceratosaurus'' toe bone has also been discovered.


Megalosauroids

A '' Megalosaurus'' rib figured in
1856 Events January–March * January 8 – Borax deposits are discovered in large quantities by John Veatch in California. * January 23 – American paddle steamer SS ''Pacific'' leaves Liverpool (England) for a transatlantic voyag ...
and
1884 Events January–March * January 4 – The Fabian Society is founded in London. * January 5 – Gilbert and Sullivan's ''Princess Ida'' premières at the Savoy Theatre, London. * January 18 – Dr. William Price atte ...
publications by Sir Richard Owen is swollen at the point where it would have articulated with its vertebra. The ''
Monolophosaurus jiangi ''Monolophosaurus'' ( ; meaning "single-crested lizard") is an extinct genus of tetanuran theropod dinosaur from the Middle Jurassic Shishugou Formation in what is now Xinjiang, China.Holtz, Thomas R. Jr. (2011) ''Dinosaurs: The Most Complete, Up ...
'' specimen IVP 84019 had its 10th and possibly 11th
neural spines The spinal column, a defining synapomorphy shared by nearly all vertebrates,Hagfish are believed to have secondarily lost their spinal column is a moderately flexible series of vertebrae (singular vertebra), each constituting a characteristic ...
fractured. The tenth neural spine is fused to the eleventh. A series of parallel ridges on one of the specimens' dentaries may represent tooth marks.


Allosauroids

A ''
Poekilopleuron bucklandii ''Poekilopleuron'' (meaning "varied ribs") is a genus of tetanuran dinosaur, which lived during the middle Bathonian of the Jurassic, about 168 to 166 million years ago. The genus has been used under many different spelling variants, although on ...
'' individual preserves three different kinds of documented pathologies. The first is a tail vertebra with an exostosis ankylosing the
chevron Chevron (often relating to V-shaped patterns) may refer to: Science and technology * Chevron (aerospace), sawtooth patterns on some jet engines * Chevron (anatomy), a bone * ''Eulithis testata'', a moth * Chevron (geology), a fold in rock lay ...
of one vertebra to the
centrum (Latin for ''center'') may refer to: Places In Greenland * Nuuk Centrum, a district of Nuuk, Greenland * Centrum Lake, Greenland In the Netherlands * Amsterdam-Centrum, the inner-most borough of Amsterdam, Netherlands * Rotterdam Centrum, a borou ...
of the next. The second is a phalanx, probably belonging to the animal's foot, that shows three low, irregular exostoses. Lastly, a phalanx that probably belong to the animal's hand exhibits a short round callus. A British bombing raid near the end of the Second World War destroyed the specimen, thus it is impossible to study the causes of these pathologies. The '' Allosaurus fragilis'' specimen MOR 693 exhibits at least 14 separate bone pathologies. The animal had multiple broken bones in its hands and feet, including fractures in the first phalanx of the first finger, first and third segments of the first and third toes and the third and fifth metatarsals. The head of the first phalanx of the third toe also contained a possible involucrum. Multiple pathologies were also observed in five ribs and cervical vertebrae 6, thoracics (3rd, 8th, 13th) and chevron of the second tail vertebra. The right scapula, gastralia and ilium were also affected, with the ilial fracture suggesting overhead impact. The left
scapula The scapula (plural scapulae or scapulas), also known as the shoulder blade, is the bone that connects the humerus (upper arm bone) with the clavicle (collar bone). Like their connected bones, the scapulae are paired, with each scapula on eithe ...
and
fibula The fibula or calf bone is a leg bone on the lateral side of the tibia, to which it is connected above and below. It is the smaller of the two bones and, in proportion to its length, the most slender of all the long bones. Its upper extremity is ...
of an ''Allosaurus fragilis'' specimen catalogued as USNM 4734 both have healed fractures. The specimen
USNM 8367 ''Allosaurus'' () is a genus of large carnosaurian theropod dinosaur that lived 155 to 145 million years ago during the Late Jurassic epoch (Kimmeridgian to late Tithonian). The name "''Allosaurus''" means "different lizard" alluding to ...
preserved several pathological gastralia which preserve evidence of healed fractures near their middle. Some of these fractures produced false joints because they didn't heal well. The
Cleveland-Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry Jurassic National Monument, at the site of the Cleveland-Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry, well known for containing the densest concentration of Jurassic dinosaur fossils ever found, is a paleontological site located near Cleveland, Utah, in the San Rafa ...
has produced pathological ''A. fragilis'' specimens; one had a vertebral fusion near the end of the tail fractured ribs while the other just had a fractured rib. In 2001,
Bruce Rothschild The English language name Bruce arrived in Scotland with the Normans, from the place name Brix, Manche in Normandy, France, meaning "the willowlands". Initially promulgated via the descendants of king Robert the Bruce (1274−1329), it has been a ...
and others published a study examining evidence for
tendon avulsions An avulsion fracture is a bone fracture which occurs when a fragment of bone tears away from the main mass of bone as a result of physical trauma. This can occur at the ligament by the application of forces external to the body (such as a fa ...
and stress fractures in theropod dinosaurs and the implications for their behavior. ''Allosaurus'' was one of only two theropods found to show evidence of an avulsion injury, with the second being ''
Tyrannosaurus ''Tyrannosaurus'' is a genus of large theropoda, theropod dinosaur. The species ''Tyrannosaurus rex'' (''rex'' meaning "king" in Latin), often called ''T. rex'' or colloquially ''T-Rex'', is one of the best represented theropods. ''Tyrannosa ...
''. Rothschild and the other researchers observed that seventeen of the 281 toe bones referred to '' Allosaurus'' examined showed signs of stress fractures. Three of the forty-seven finger bones also examined were likewise found to have stress fractures. '' Allosaurus'' had a significantly greater number of bumps on the shafts of its bones (a sign of stress fractures) than the tyrannosaurid '' Albertosaurus'' or the ornithomimids ''
Ornithomimus ''Ornithomimus'' (; "bird mimic") is a genus of ornithomimid dinosaurs from the Late Cretaceous Period of what is now North America. ''Ornithomimus'' was a swift bipedal theropod which fossil evidence indicates was covered in feathers, equipped w ...
'' and '' Archaeornithomimus''. Other pathologies reported in '' Allosaurus'' include: *
Willow breaks A greenstick fracture is a Bone fracture, fracture in a young, soft bone in which the bone bends and breaks. Greenstick fractures occur most often during infancy and childhood when bones are soft. The name is by analogy with green (i.e., fresh) w ...
in two ribs. * Healed fractures in the
humerus The humerus (; ) is a long bone in the arm that runs from the shoulder to the elbow. It connects the scapula and the two bones of the lower arm, the radius and ulna, and consists of three sections. The humeral upper extremity consists of a roun ...
and
radius In classical geometry, a radius ( : radii) of a circle or sphere is any of the line segments from its center to its perimeter, and in more modern usage, it is also their length. The name comes from the latin ''radius'', meaning ray but also the ...
. * Lesions similar to those caused by osteomyelitis in two scapulae. * Distortion of joint surfaces in the foot possibly due to
osteoarthritis Osteoarthritis (OA) is a type of degenerative joint disease that results from breakdown of joint cartilage and underlying bone which affects 1 in 7 adults in the United States. It is believed to be the fourth leading cause of disability in the w ...
or complications in the animal's development. * Similar distortions in the tail vertebrae. * " tensive ' neoplastic' ankylosis of caudals," possibly due to physical
trauma Trauma most often refers to: *Major trauma, in physical medicine, severe physical injury caused by an external source *Psychological trauma, a type of damage to the psyche that occurs as a result of a severely distressing event *Traumatic inju ...
as well as the fusion of chevrons to centra. * Split carinae. *
Amputation Amputation is the removal of a limb by trauma, medical illness, or surgery. As a surgical measure, it is used to control pain or a disease process in the affected limb, such as malignancy or gangrene. In some cases, it is carried out on indi ...
of a chevron and part of a foot, both possibly a result of bites. * " tensive
exostoses An exostosis, also known as bone spur, is the formation of new bone on the surface of a bone. Exostoses can cause chronic pain ranging from mild to debilitatingly severe, depending on the shape, size, and location of the lesion. It is most commonl ...
" of the first phalanx of the third toe. * Coossification of centra in the vertebrae near the end of the tail. * Bone spurs in a premaxilla, claw, and two metacarpals. * Exostosis in a toe bone possibly attributable to an infectious disease. * A metacarpal with a round depressed fracture. The species '' Labrosaurus ferox'' was purportedly distinguishable from ''A fragilis'' by having a toothless region at the front of the mouth. Some experts have thought this toothlessness was the result of physical trauma, rather than being a natural feature distinguishing different species. Both erupted and replacement teeth were removed. The area they previously occupied formed a concavity as bone surrounding the
alveoli Alveolus (; pl. alveoli, adj. alveolar) is a general anatomical term for a concave cavity or pit. Uses in anatomy and zoology * Pulmonary alveolus, an air sac in the lungs ** Alveolar cell or pneumocyte ** Alveolar duct ** Alveolar macrophage * ...
was reabsorbed by the animal's body. The holotype of ''
Neovenator salerii ''Neovenator'' (nee-o-ven-a-tor meaning "new hunter") is a genus of carcharodontosaurian theropod dinosaur. It is known from several skeletons found in the Early Cretaceous (Barremian~130-125 million years ago) Wessex Formation on the south coas ...
'' had many pathologies, including; a fractured scapula, bone spurs in its toes, vertebral fusions near the middle of the tail, healed fractures of vertebral transverse processes in the same region, and healed gastralia fractures (some of which formed false joints). The ''
Sinraptor dongi ''Sinraptor'' is a genus of metriacanthosaurid theropod dinosaur from the Late Jurassic. The name ''Sinraptor'' comes from the Latin prefix "Sino", meaning Chinese, and "raptor" meaning robber. The specific name ''dongi'' honours Dong Zhiming. ...
'' skull IVPP 10600 exhibits a lesion that fully penetrated the bone, gouges, punctures and drag marks left by the teeth of another dinosaur. One rib was broken and later healed by lengthening the shaft connecting it to its vertebra. The skull of the ''
Acrocanthosaurus atokensis ''Acrocanthosaurus'' ( ; ) is a genus of carcharodontosaurid dinosaur that existed in what is now North America during the Aptian and early Albian stages of the Early Cretaceous, from 113 to 110 million years ago. Like most dinosaur genera, ...
'' holotype shows some exostosis on the squamosal. Additionally, the neural spine of the eleventh vertebra was fractured and healed. The third tail vertebra bears a strange hook-shaped projection. More recent research has uncovered another specimen with an even greater number of pathologies. The broken and displaced 16th tail vertebrae has a pit which may be from a bite wound. A thick boney mass at the flexure probably originated with an infection. Healed fractures on five ribs were interpreted by the original describer of the specimens as originating in a single incident. One rib has evidence of a false joint whose components later reconnected. This rib injury occurs at a different location along the length of the rib than the afore mentioned five and probably originated in a separate incident. The five were at the far end and the rejoined pseudoarthoritic pathology near the middle. The near end of the 13th rib was fractured and bore a pit possible originating with a bite. The specimen has other potential pathologies including a belly rib with a false joint and a deviation to the right of the third and fourth neural spines of the neck vertebrae. Harris suggested that the neural spines were curved in life because only the third and fourth ones were curved and the rest were straight. However, Ralph Molnar observed that Harris had an additional vertebra figured with a curved neural spine. Larson reported that a third specimen housed at the North Carolina State Museum of the Natural Sciences had several ribs that had all been broken and later healed. A pathology marking its scapula was either a puncture wound or an area of infection. SGM-Din 1, a '' Carcharodontosaurus saharicus'' skull has a circular puncture wound in the nasal and a pathological bony projection on the rim of its eye socket facing the front of its body. The top third of three '' Becklespinax altispinax'' back vertebrae from Sussex have irregular rugosities. The two spines closest to the skull are ankylosed. The single closest spine is only about two-thirds the height of the others. Injury has deformed one right ilium of a ''
Marshosaurus bicentesimus ''Marshosaurus'' is a genus of medium-sized carnivorous theropod dinosaur, belonging to the Megalosauroidea, from the Late Jurassic Morrison Formation of Utah and possibly Colorado. Description ''Marshosaurus'' was medium-sized for a theropo ...
''. Another ''M. bicentesimus'' specimen has a pathological rib.


Tyrannosaurids

Tyrannosaurids Tyrannosauridae (or tyrannosaurids, meaning "tyrant lizards") is a family (biology), family of coelurosaurian Theropoda, theropod dinosaurs that comprises two subfamilies containing up to thirteen genus, genera, including the eponymous ''Tyrannos ...
are one of the few theropod families with pathologies reported in multiple well known genera. In 2001,
Bruce Rothschild The English language name Bruce arrived in Scotland with the Normans, from the place name Brix, Manche in Normandy, France, meaning "the willowlands". Initially promulgated via the descendants of king Robert the Bruce (1274−1329), it has been a ...
and others published a study examining evidence for stress fractures in theropod dinosaurs. Three of the 105 toe bones from indeterminate tyrannosaurids were found to have stress fractures. One of the five finger bones also examined were found to have stress fractures. An undescribed tyrannosaur stored in the Museum of the Rockies has a fractured humerus that healed in such a way leaving it shorter and with a more pronounced curve than a healthy specimen. Three of its ribs also seem to have been fractured and healed. The specimen
TMP97.12.229 ''Tyrannosaurus'' is a genus of large theropod dinosaur. The species ''Tyrannosaurus rex'' (''rex'' meaning "king" in Latin), often called ''T. rex'' or colloquially ''T-Rex'', is one of the best represented theropods. ''Tyrannosaurus'' live ...
had a fractured and healed
gastralium Gastralia (singular gastralium) are dermal bones found in the ventral body wall of modern crocodilians and tuatara, and many prehistoric tetrapods. They are found between the sternum and pelvis, and do not articulate with the vertebrae. In these ...
. The first phalanx of the first toe in an unidentified tyrannosaur individual is eroded in a manner resembling that attributed to gout in a ''T. rex'' specimen by earlier researchers. In Dinosaur Provincial Park, 29% of collected tyrannosaur teeth were broken and worn after the break, although the abundance of such teeth in the park may be higher than it would have been among living tyrannosaurs. Several pathologies are known from the genus '' Albertosaurus''. Toothmarks have been discovered on the skull of a specimen from an unidentified '' Albertosaurus'' species. Split carinae are also known in ''Albertosaurus'' teeth. Cuts and striation marks in parallel series etched into ''Albertosaurus'' teeth have been interpreted as bite marks. In the Rothschild and others survey of theropod stress fractures, they found that one of the 319 toe bones referred to '' Albertosaurus'' had a stress fracture. None of the four finger bones also examined had any stress fractures. This was significantly fewer than was found in ''Allosaurus''. Two of the five ''Albertosaurus sarcophagus'' specimens with humeri in
1970 Events January * January 1 – Unix time epoch reached at 00:00:00 UTC. * January 5 – The 7.1 Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity scale, Mercalli intensity of X (''Extrem ...
were reported by Russel as having pathological damage to them. The holotype of "''A. arctunguis''", ROM 807, now referred to ''Albertosaurus sarcophagus'' had a 2.5 by 3.5 cm deep hole in the ilium. At the time this now deprecated species was described, however, the author did not recognize the hole as pathological. The specimen also contains some exostosis on the fourth left metatarsal. In the '' Gorgosaurus libratus''
holotype A holotype is a single physical example (or illustration) of an organism, known to have been used when the species (or lower-ranked taxon) was formally described. It is either the single such physical example (or illustration) or one of several ...
NMC 2120 ''Gorgosaurus'' ( ; ) is a genus of tyrannosaurid theropod dinosaur that lived in western North America during the Late Cretaceous Period (Campanian), between about 76.6 and 75.1 million years ago. Fossil remains have been found in the Can ...
the third right back rib, 13th and 14th gastralia, and left fibula all have healed fractures. The fourth left metatarsal bore rough
exostoses An exostosis, also known as bone spur, is the formation of new bone on the surface of a bone. Exostoses can cause chronic pain ranging from mild to debilitatingly severe, depending on the shape, size, and location of the lesion. It is most commonl ...
at its midpoint and near the far end. The third phalanx of the third right toe is deformed and the claw on the digit is "quite small and amorphous". All three pathologies may have been received in a single encounter with another dinosaur. Another specimen catalogued as
TMP94.12.602 ''Gorgosaurus'' ( ; ) is a genus of tyrannosaurid theropod dinosaur that lived in western North America during the Late Cretaceous Period (Campanian), between about 76.6 and 75.1 million years ago. Fossil remains have been found in the Can ...
bears multiple pathologies. A 10 cm fracture runs down the long axis at the midlength of the right fibula. Multiple ribs bear healed fractures and the specimen had a
pseudoarthortic Nonunion is permanent failure of bone healing, healing following a fracture (bone), broken bone unless intervention (such as surgery) is performed. A fracture with nonunion generally forms a structural resemblance to a fibrous joint, and is ther ...
belly rib. Lesions from a bite received to the face were present and showed evidence of healing. TMP91.36.500 is another '' Gorgosaurus'' with preserved face bite injuries and a thoroughly healed fracture in the right fibula. Also present was a healed fracture on the skull and what the authors describing the specimen described as a "mushroom-like" swelling on a right toe. Molnar speculates this may be the same kind of pathology afflicting an unidentified
ornithomimid Ornithomimidae (meaning "bird-mimics") is a family of theropod dinosaurs which bore a superficial resemblance to modern ostriches. Ornithomimids were fast, omnivorous or herbivorous dinosaurs known mainly from the Late Cretaceous Period of Laura ...
specimen. Another ''Gorgosaurus'' specimen has a poorly healed fracture of the right
fibula The fibula or calf bone is a leg bone on the lateral side of the tibia, to which it is connected above and below. It is the smaller of the two bones and, in proportion to its length, the most slender of all the long bones. Its upper extremity is ...
, which left a large callus on the bone. A pathological specimen from a possible species of ''
Daspletosaurus ''Daspletosaurus'' ( ; meaning "frightful lizard") is a genus of tyrannosaurid dinosaur that lived in Laramidia between about 79.5 and 74 million years ago, during the Late Cretaceous Period. The genus ''Daspletosaurus'' contains three species ...
'', according to Williamson and Carr, was discovered New Mexico's Kirtland Formation. One of its skull bones received an infection in a puncture wound sustained from a bite. One of its ribs shows signs of a healed fracture. Split carinae are also known from ''
Daspletosaurus ''Daspletosaurus'' ( ; meaning "frightful lizard") is a genus of tyrannosaurid dinosaur that lived in Laramidia between about 79.5 and 74 million years ago, during the Late Cretaceous Period. The genus ''Daspletosaurus'' contains three species ...
''. The holotype of ''
Daspletosaurus torosus ''Daspletosaurus'' ( ; meaning "frightful lizard") is a genus of tyrannosaurid dinosaur that lived in Laramidia between about 79.5 and 74 million years ago, during the Late Cretaceous Period. The genus ''Daspletosaurus'' contains three species ...
'', NMC 8506, has a pathology on the far end of its humerus. The Rothschild and others stress fracture survey found no stress fractures in any of the eighteen toe bones referred to '' Tarbosaurus''. One of the ten finger bones also examined were found to have stress fractures.
Bruce Rothschild The English language name Bruce arrived in Scotland with the Normans, from the place name Brix, Manche in Normandy, France, meaning "the willowlands". Initially promulgated via the descendants of king Robert the Bruce (1274−1329), it has been a ...
and others' 2001 survey for stress fractures found the one of the eighty-one toe bones referred to ''
Tyrannosaurus ''Tyrannosaurus'' is a genus of large theropoda, theropod dinosaur. The species ''Tyrannosaurus rex'' (''rex'' meaning "king" in Latin), often called ''T. rex'' or colloquially ''T-Rex'', is one of the best represented theropods. ''Tyrannosa ...
'' had a stress fracture. None of the ten finger bones also examined were found to have stress fractures. Pathological holes occur in the skulls of some specimens. A ''T. rex'' has a punctured skull with wrinkly-textured bone possibly caused by an infection. This wound may have been received from a bite. Broken and subsequently worn teeth are known from ''
Tyrannosaurus ''Tyrannosaurus'' is a genus of large theropoda, theropod dinosaur. The species ''Tyrannosaurus rex'' (''rex'' meaning "king" in Latin), often called ''T. rex'' or colloquially ''T-Rex'', is one of the best represented theropods. ''Tyrannosa ...
''. One preserved ''T. rex'' jaw bears a strongly tilted tooth crown. This may be the result of the animal biting something hard, like bone, although Molnar says the specimen needs to be examined to rule out ''post mortem'' damage to the carcass. Split carinae are also known from ''
T. rex ''Tyrannosaurus'' is a genus of large theropod dinosaur. The species ''Tyrannosaurus rex'' (''rex'' meaning "king" in Latin), often called ''T. rex'' or colloquially ''T-Rex'', is one of the best represented theropods. ''Tyrannosaurus'' liv ...
''. Some experts have wondered if the split was due to damage to the dentigerous tissue, but paleontologists have generally concluded that the condition was genetic. Extraneous tooth cusps are documented in ''
Tyrannosaurus ''Tyrannosaurus'' is a genus of large theropoda, theropod dinosaur. The species ''Tyrannosaurus rex'' (''rex'' meaning "king" in Latin), often called ''T. rex'' or colloquially ''T-Rex'', is one of the best represented theropods. ''Tyrannosa ...
''. Some teeth show evidence of bite marks by other ''Tyrannosaurus''. The ''Tyrannosaurus rex'' specimen AMNH 5027 has a deformity fusing the centra of the seventh and eighth back vertebrae. The centra of the tenth neck and first back vertebrae are fused in a similar fashion. In
1923 Events January–February * January 9 – Lithuania begins the Klaipėda Revolt to annex the Klaipėda Region (Memel Territory). * January 11 – Despite strong British protests, troops from France and Belgium occupy the Ruhr area, t ...
Moodie reported a ''T. rex'' specimen as having '' spondylitis deformans'', probably referring to the fused vertebrae of this specimens. Molnar still maintains that this is a congenital block vertebra. It had fractured ribs, too. Bruce Rothschild and others also examined the evidence for
tendon avulsions An avulsion fracture is a bone fracture which occurs when a fragment of bone tears away from the main mass of bone as a result of physical trauma. This can occur at the ligament by the application of forces external to the body (such as a fa ...
during their survey of theropod stress fractures. ''Tyrannosaurus'' was one of only two theropods found to have suffered avulsion injuries, with the second being ''Allosaurus''. Sue the ''T. rex'', also known as FMNH PR2081, suffered an avulsion that left a divot and hook-shaped bone spur on "her" right humerus. The divot appears to be located at the origin of the
deltoid Deltoid (delta-shaped) can refer to: * The deltoid muscle, a muscle in the shoulder * Kite (geometry), also known as a deltoid, a type of quadrilateral * A deltoid curve, a three-cusped hypocycloid * A leaf shape * The deltoid tuberosity, a part of ...
or teres major muscles. Some experts have hypothesized that gout caused the formation of small patches of eroded bone discovered on Sue's first and second metacarpals. Five other pathologies have been documented in Sue; a pathology on each side of its skull, a twisted and discolored tooth, two pathological tail vertebrae in series, and a broken and healed
fibula The fibula or calf bone is a leg bone on the lateral side of the tibia, to which it is connected above and below. It is the smaller of the two bones and, in proportion to its length, the most slender of all the long bones. Its upper extremity is ...
with associated abnormal bone growth. The specimen
Stan Stan or STAN may refer to: People * Stan (given name), a list of people with the given name ** Stan Laurel (1890–1965), English comic actor, part of duo Laurel and Hardy * Stan (surname), a Romanian surname * Stan! (born 1964), American author ...
BHI-3033 has pathologies like broken ribs and ankylosed neck vertebrae. Another account mentions the specimen having unnatural holes on the right side of its skull.


Ornithomimosaurs

In the holotype of ''
Deinocheirus mirificus ''Deinocheirus'' ( ) is a genus of large ornithomimosaur that lived during the Late Cretaceous around 70 million years ago. In 1965, a pair of large arms, shoulder girdles, and a few other bones of a new dinosaur were first discovered in the Ne ...
'', ZPALNo.Mgd-I/6, an injury to the joint between the first and second phalanges of its third finger may be responsible for pits scientists have observed there. A toe bone from an unidentified ornithomimid has a pathology on its far end, causing the joint to appear "mushroomed" compared to healthy specimens. The same pathology may have been found in a specimen of the tyrannosaurid '' Gorgosaurus''. Remains of an unidentified theropod, which may one day turn out to be ''
Timimus hermani ''Timimus'' is a genus of small coelurosaurian theropod dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous of Australia. It was originally identified as an ornithomimosaur, but now it is thought to be a different kind of theropod, possibly a tyrannosauroid. ...
'' or a relative, were recovered from the
Strzelecki Group The Halibut Field, is an oil field, within the Gippsland Basin. The oil field is located approximately 64 km offshore of southeastern Australia. The total area of this field is 26.9 km2 and is composed of 10 mappable units. Geologic h ...
near Inverloch, Victoria. This specimen had a depressed fracture on the bottom of the first phalanx of its third toe. In a 2001 survey of stress fractures in theropods, one toe bone from indeterminate ornithomimids out of fifteen examined was found to have a stress fracture. None of the eight finger bones examined was found to have a stress fracture. ''
Ornithomimus ''Ornithomimus'' (; "bird mimic") is a genus of ornithomimid dinosaurs from the Late Cretaceous Period of what is now North America. ''Ornithomimus'' was a swift bipedal theropod which fossil evidence indicates was covered in feathers, equipped w ...
'' and '' Archaeornithomimus'' showed a significantly lower number of stress fractures than '' Allosaurus''. In the arms of a specimen referred to "''
Struthiomimus currelli ''Struthiomimus'' (meaning "ostrich mimic", from the Greek στρούθειος/''stroutheios'' meaning "of the ostrich" and μῖμος/''mimos'' meaning "mimic" or "imitator") is a genus of ornithomimid dinosaurs from the late Cretaceous of N ...
''", the right radius is only about 80% as long as the left. The right ulna is shorter than the left ulna by a similar amount.


Oviraptorosaurs

The brooding oviraptorid specimen IGM 100/979 showed a callus and possible
longitudinal Longitudinal is a geometric term of location which may refer to: * Longitude ** Line of longitude, also called a meridian * Longitudinal engine, an internal combustion engine in which the crankshaft is oriented along the long axis of the vehicle, ...
groove left over from a healed fracture of the right ulna. Other oviraptorids have had pathological features reported in their phalanges but by 2001 these had not been described in detail for the scientific literature. In 2001,
Bruce Rothschild The English language name Bruce arrived in Scotland with the Normans, from the place name Brix, Manche in Normandy, France, meaning "the willowlands". Initially promulgated via the descendants of king Robert the Bruce (1274−1329), it has been a ...
and others published a study examining evidence for stress fractures in theropod dinosaurs. They found one phalanx referred to '' Chirostenotes'' was found to have a stress fracture out of the fifteen they examined.


Deinonychosaurs

A specimen of '' Troodon formosus'' bears a pathological opening. Competing explanations for this pathology include a cyst or bite wound. One hatchling specimen may have suffered from a congenital defect resulting in the front part of its lower jaw being twisted. An undescribed immature
dromaeosaurid Dromaeosauridae () is a family of feathered theropod dinosaurs. They were generally small to medium-sized feathered carnivores that flourished in the Cretaceous Period. The name Dromaeosauridae means 'running lizards', from Greek ('), meaning ...
from Tugrugeen Shireh has been reported with a split belly rib. In 2001,
Bruce Rothschild The English language name Bruce arrived in Scotland with the Normans, from the place name Brix, Manche in Normandy, France, meaning "the willowlands". Initially promulgated via the descendants of king Robert the Bruce (1274−1329), it has been a ...
and others published a study examining evidence for stress fractures in theropod dinosaurs. They found four toe bones from unidentifiable dromaeosaurids out of seventeen examined had stress fractures. Four of the twelve finger bones they also examined were likewise found to have stress fractures. Dromaeosaurids were the only theropods in Ralph Molar's 2001 survey to have pathologies of their claws. Fifty percent of lesions in dromaeosaurid's hands were such pathologies of the claws. The second phalanx of the second toe of YPM 5205, a '' Deinonychus antirrhopus'' specimen, has a healed fracture. A '' Velociraptor mongoliensis'' skull bears two parallel rows of small punctures matching the spacing of teeth in ''Velociraptor'', so the injury was probably received in combat with another ''V. mongoliensis''. Because there was no sign of healing, the researchers who first reported the injury concluded it killed the afflicted animal. Two of the eighty-two toe bones referred to ''
Saurornitholestes ''Saurornitholestes'' ("lizard-bird thief") is a genus of carnivorous dromaeosaurid theropod dinosaur from the late Cretaceous of Canada (Alberta) and the United States (Montana, New Mexico, Alabama, North Carolina, and South Carolina). Two spec ...
'' were found to have stress fractures in the Rothschild and others study mentioned above. Two of the nine finger bones also examined were found to have stress fractures.


Documented conditions

Molnar's 2001 review found that most theropod pathologies reported in the scientific literature had not or could not be attributed to a specific cause. Most pathologies preserved in theropod fossils are the remains of injuries, even taking into consideration gaps in paleontology's knowledge of most pathologies' causes, but some provide evidence of
infections An infection is the invasion of tissue (biology), tissues by pathogens, their multiplication, and the reaction of host (biology), host tissues to the infectious agent and the toxins they produce. An infectious disease, also known as a transmiss ...
or congenital deformities. Injuries found on theropod dinosaur bones tended to be fractures, pits, and punctures, often likely originating with bites. Damage left by infections tended to be concentrated in relatively small areas. * Abscesses * Amputations * Ankylosis * Asymmetrically sized body parts. *
Avulsion injuries In medicine, an avulsion is an injury in which a body structure is torn off by either trauma or surgery (from the Latin ''avellere'', meaning "to tear off"). The term most commonly refers to a surface trauma where all layers of the skin have been ...
*
Block vertebrae Congenital vertebral anomalies are a collection of malformations of the vertebral column, spine. Most, around 85%, are not clinically significant, but they can cause compression of the spinal cord by deforming the vertebral canal or causing instab ...
* Broken teeth * Bone spurs * Co-Ossification *
Cysts A cyst is a closed sac, having a distinct envelope and division compared with the nearby tissue. Hence, it is a cluster of cells that have grouped together to form a sac (like the manner in which water molecules group together to form a bubble) ...
* Exostosis * Fractured bones * Fused bones * Gout * Greenstick fractures * Holes in bones * Infections * Involucra * Lesions * Osteoarthritis * Osteomyelitis *
Pseudoarthrosis Nonunion is permanent failure of healing following a broken bone unless intervention (such as surgery) is performed. A fracture with nonunion generally forms a structural resemblance to a fibrous joint, and is therefore often called a "false joi ...
* Puncture wounds * Split carinae in teeth * Spondylitis * Stress fractures * Supernumerary tooth crowns * Twisted body parts


Trace fossil pathologies

Fossil tracks can be informative about theropod pathologies but apparently pathological traits may also be due to unusual behaviors. Pathologies observed in foot bones are similar those reported from track fossils. An '' Anchisauripus'' trackway preserved in
Norian The Norian is a division of the Triassic Period. It has the rank of an age (geochronology) or stage (chronostratigraphy). It lasted from ~227 to million years ago. It was preceded by the Carnian and succeeded by the Rhaetian. Stratigraphic defi ...
aged sandstone was discovered in southern Wales that had its third toe consistently flexed throughout the trackway. The bend in the toe may have been a deformity, but this apparent pathology could also have been caused by the animal rotating the tip of that digit when lifting the foot with each step. A trackway attributed to the ichnogenus '' Eubrontes'' had a missing second digit on the right foot. The animal could have either lost the toe due to injury or it was deformed. A '' Sauroidichnites abnormis'' trackway has been found with one toe consistently in an abnormal position. This could be a result of physical injury or represent the effect of behavior on the way the foot is positioned or lifted from the substrate. A small theropod track from Jurassic Morocco shows a specimen with a limp inferrable from its alternating step length. Its third and fourth toe were held unusually close to each other, possibly because of the injury that caused the limp. However, several non-pathological causes for alternating step length are possible.


Anatomical distribution

The most common sites of preserved injury and disease in theropod dinosaur in the ribs and
tail vertebrae The vertebral column, also known as the backbone or spine, is part of the axial skeleton. The vertebral column is the defining characteristic of a vertebrate in which the notochord (a flexible rod of uniform composition) found in all chordate ...
. The least common sites of preserved injury are the
cranium The skull is a bone protective cavity for the brain. The skull is composed of four types of bone i.e., cranial bones, facial bones, ear ossicles and hyoid bone. However two parts are more prominent: the cranium and the mandible. In humans, the ...
and forelimb in about equal frequency. The least common sites of preserved pathology are the weight-bearing bones like the
tibia The tibia (; ), also known as the shinbone or shankbone, is the larger, stronger, and anterior (frontal) of the two bones in the leg below the knee in vertebrates (the other being the fibula, behind and to the outside of the tibia); it connects ...
,
femur The femur (; ), or thigh bone, is the proximal bone of the hindlimb in tetrapod vertebrates. The head of the femur articulates with the acetabulum in the pelvic bone forming the hip joint, while the distal part of the femur articulates with ...
and
sacrum The sacrum (plural: ''sacra'' or ''sacrums''), in human anatomy, is a large, triangular bone at the base of the spine that forms by the fusing of the sacral vertebrae (S1S5) between ages 18 and 30. The sacrum situates at the upper, back part ...
. The lack of preserved injuries in skeletal elements like femora suggests that they were selected by evolution for resistance to breakage. Forelimb pathologies tended to be close to the body, occurring in bones like the scapula or humerus. Toe bone fractures were usually located near the base of toes, but occurred across all three major digits in a roughly equal frequency. Pathologies of the claws were only noted among
dromaeosaurids Dromaeosauridae () is a family of feathered theropod dinosaurs. They were generally small to medium-sized feathered carnivores that flourished in the Cretaceous Period. The name Dromaeosauridae means 'running lizards', from Greek ('), meaning ...
, where they represented 50% of lesions afflicting one or more hands. Pathological vertebrae were most common in the tail. * Head: 18% * Forelimb: 17% * Vertebrae and ribs: 40% * Hindlimb: 25%


Implications


Anatomical

Preserved pathologies are less common among small theropods. This may be due to the tendency of larger animals to leave better preserved and more complete remains. Fractures, specifically, are less than a fifth as common in small theropods as large ones. Molnar has tentatively speculated that size may be a factor in determining which theropods suffered fractures. The location of avulsion injuries in theropod scapulae as evidenced by the tendon avulsion in Sue the ''T. rex'' suggests that theropods may have had a musculature more complex and functionally different from those of birds.


Developmental

The presence of pathologies attributable to congenital deformities offers science a powerful tool for inferring the evolutionary history of the processes involved in animal development. For instance, the presence of a congenital
block vertebra Congenital vertebral anomalies are a collection of malformations of the spine. Most, around 85%, are not clinically significant, but they can cause compression of the spinal cord by deforming the vertebral canal or causing instability. This condi ...
in ''T. rex'' suggests that the basic development pattern of vertebrae goes at least as far back as the most recent common ancestor of archosaurs and mammals. Fluctuating
asymmetry Asymmetry is the absence of, or a violation of, symmetry (the property of an object being invariant to a transformation, such as reflection). Symmetry is an important property of both physical and abstract systems and it may be displayed in pre ...
is a congenital deformity that results from developmental disturbances and is more common in populations under stress. Consequently, it can be informative about the quality of conditions the animals lived under. Examples of fluctuating asymmetry are too rare among theropod fossils to observe any patterns, but during periods of extinction, if the cause was gradual and sustained, asymmetries should be seen more frequently.


Behavioral

In 2001,
Bruce Rothschild The English language name Bruce arrived in Scotland with the Normans, from the place name Brix, Manche in Normandy, France, meaning "the willowlands". Initially promulgated via the descendants of king Robert the Bruce (1274−1329), it has been a ...
and others published a study examining evidence for stress fractures in theropod dinosaurs and the implications for their behavior. Stress fractures are more useful than other paleopathologies for providing evidence for theropod behavior because they are caused by repeated strain rather than individual injuries. The lower end of a theropod's third metatarsal would contact the ground first while a theropod was running, which means it would have borne the most stress and should be most predisposed to suffer stress factors. The lack of such a bias in the examined fossils indicates an origin for stress fractures from a source other than running. The authors concluded that these fractures occurred during interaction with prey. They suggested that such injuries could occur as a result of the theropod trying to hold struggling prey with its feet. Unlike injuries in the feet, which could be caused by running or migration, injuries to the hand are most likely be due to prey items resisting attack. The presence of stress fractures or tendon avulsions provide evidence for very active predatory rather than scavenging diets in the theropods. Crocodilians like '' Crocodylus niloticus'' or '' Crocodylus porosus'' show more extensive injuries than theropod dinosaurs and so may have been more aggressive with other members of the same species than theropods were. Ralph Molnar has speculated that depressed fractures on the feet may be a result of toe biting, a behavior common in modern parrots.


Evolutionary

Congenital deformities can be used to infer the evolutionary history of developmental processes.


Extinctionary

Fluctuating
asymmetry Asymmetry is the absence of, or a violation of, symmetry (the property of an object being invariant to a transformation, such as reflection). Symmetry is an important property of both physical and abstract systems and it may be displayed in pre ...
results from developmental disturbances and is more common in populations under stress. Therefore, it can be informative about the quality of conditions the animals lived under. Examples of fluctuating asymmetry occur too infrequently to have provided much information to science so far, but during periods of extinction if the cause was gradual and sustained they should be more frequently.


See also

* Paleopathology *
Osteology Osteology () is the scientific study of bones, practised by osteologists. A subdiscipline of anatomy, anthropology, and paleontology, osteology is the detailed study of the structure of bones, skeletal elements, teeth, microbone morphology, funct ...
* List of pathological dinosaur specimens * List of pathological conditions reported in Mesozoic dinosaurs


Footnotes

{{Reflist, colwidth=30em, refs= Molnar (2001); "Abstract," page 337. Molnar (2001); "Introduction," page 338. Molnar (2001); "Herrerasauridae," page 339. Molnar (2001); "Ceratosauridae," page 339. Molnar (2001); "Ceratosauridae," pages 339-340. Molnar (2001); "Ceratosauridae," page 340. Molnar (2001); "Megalosauridae," page 340. Molnar (2001); "Allosauridae," page 340. Molnar (2001); "Allosauridae," pages 340-341. Molnar (2001); "Allosauridae," page 341. Molnar (2001); "Neovenatoridae," page 341. Molnar (2001); "Neovenatoridae," page 341-342. Molnar (2001); "Acrocanthosauridae fam. nov.," page 342. Molnar (2001); "Dromaeosauridae," page 342. Molnar (2001); "Dromaeosauridae," pages 342-343. Molnar (2001); "Oviraptoridae," page 343. Molnar (2001); "Ornithomimidae," page 343. Molnar (2001); "Deinocheiridae," page 343. Molnar (2001); "Troodontidae," page 343. Molnar (2001); "Tyrannosauridae," page 343. Molnar (2001); "Tyrannosauridae," pages 343-344. Molnar (2001); "Tyrannosauridae," page 344. Molnar (2001); "Tyrannosauridae," pages 344-345. Molnar (2001); "Tyrannosauridae," page 345. Molnar (2001); "Family incertae sedis," page 345. Molnar (2001); "Family incertae sedis," pages 345-346. Molnar (2001); "Family incertae sedis," page 346. Molnar (2001); "Ceratosauridae," page 346. Molnar (2001); "Allosauridae," page 346. Molnar (2001); "Tyrannosauridae," page 346. Molnar (2001); "Tyrannosauridae," page 347. Molnar (2001); "Tracks," page 347. Molnar (2001); "''Anchisauripus''," pages 347-348. Molnar (2001); "''Anchisauripus''," page 348. Molnar (2001); "''Eubrontes''," page 348. Molnar (2001); "''Sauroidichnites''," page 348. Molnar (2001); "'Coelurosaur'," page 348. Molnar (2001); "Discussion," page 348. Molnar (2001); "Discussion," page 352. Molnar (2001); "Discussion," page 353. Molnar (2001); "Discussion," pages 353-354. Molnar (2001); "Discussion," page 354. Molnar (2001); "Discussion," page 356. Molnar (2001); "Discussion," page 357. Molnar (2001); "Discussion," pages 357-358. Molnar (2001); "Discussion," page 358. Rothschild, et al., et al. (2001); "Abstract," page 331. Rothschild, et al. (2001); "Introduction," page 332. Rothschild, et al. (2001); "Results," page 332. Rothschild, et al. (2001); "Results," page 334. Rothschild, et al. (2001); "Discussion," page 334. Rothschild, et al. (2001); "Discussion," page 335. Rothschild, et al. (2001); "Table 23.1," page 333.


References

* Molnar, R. E., 2001
Theropod paleopathology: a literature survey
In: Mesozoic Vertebrate Life, edited by Tanke, D. H., and Carpenter, K., Indiana University Press, p. 337-363. * Rothschild, B., Tanke, D. H., and Ford, T. L., 2001
Theropod stress fractures and tendon avulsions as a clue to activity
In: Mesozoic Vertebrate Life, edited by Tanke, D. H., and Carpenter, K., Indiana University Press, p. 331-336.


External links


What Tales do ''Albertosaurus'' Injuries Tell?
Dinosaur paleopathology Theropods