Embryonic skulls of titanosaur sauropod dinosaurs.
Little is known about the cranial anatomy of the taxonomically diverse and geographically widespread titanosaurs, a paucity that has hindered inferences about the genealogical history and evolutionary development of the latest sauropod dinosaurs. Newly discovered fossil eggs containing embryonic remains from the Late Cretaceous of Argentina provide the first articulated skulls of titanosaur dinosaurs. The nearly complete fetal skulls shed light on the evolution of some of the most notable cranial features of sauropod dinosaurs, including the retraction of the external nares, the forward rotation of the braincase, and the abbreviation of the infraorbital region.
Chiappe
L M
LM
Department of Vertebrate Paleontology, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, 900 Exposition Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90007, USA. lchiappe@nhm.org
Salgado
L
L
Coria
R A
RA
D000818:Animals; D001118:Argentina; D005075:Biological Evolution; D004625:Embryo, Nonmammalian / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D005580:Fossils; D009666:Nose / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000196:embryology; D012104:Reptiles / Q000196:embryology*; D012886:Skull / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000196:embryology*