Newly discovered baby Titanosaur sheds light on dinosaurs' early lives

NSF | APRIL 24, 2016

Long-necked sauropod dinosaurs include the largest animals ever to walk on land, but they hatched from eggs no bigger than a soccer ball.

Research at Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota, sheds the first light on the life of a young Rapetosaurus. Credit: National Science Foundation/Macalester College

Research at Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota, sheds the first light on the life of a young Rapetosaurus, a titanosaurian sauropod buried in the Upper Cretaceous Maevarano Formation of Madagascar.

The baby behemoths were active, capable of a wider array of maneuvers than adult members of their species, and didn't need parental care after hatching.

This baby’s limbs at birth were built for its later adult mass; as an infant, however, it weighed just a fraction of its future size.

The detailed microscopic features of the Rapetosaurus bones revealed patterns similar to those of living animals and made it possible for the scientists to reconstruct the beginning of the dinosaur's post-hatching life.

The team looked at the preserved patterns of blood supply, growth cartilages at the ends of limb bones, and at bone remodeling. These features indicate that Rapetosaurus grew as rapidly as a newborn mammal and was only a few weeks old when it died.

The team also observed microscopic zones deep within the bones. They proved similar to the hatching lines in today's reptiles, and to neonatal growth lines in extant mammals. The zones indicate the time of hatching in Rapetosaurus, and allowed the scientists to estimate the weight of the newly hatched Rapetosaurus -- around 7.7 pounds.

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE

Three New Species of Fish Found at Bottom of Pacific Ocean

Three new species of fish, aptly named Pink, Purple and Blue for their coloring, have been found at the bottom of one of the deepest parts of the Pacific Ocean.

Magnetic Field Sensor Unearthed in Worms

Researchers identified a sensor that detects the Earth’s magnetic field in nerve cells of tiny worms.

Fossil genome shows hybrid of two extinct species of human

A team of scientists has announced remains of a human girl from about 50 thousand years ago had one Neanderthal parent and one Denisovan parent, two different species of humans, both species now extinct.

Scientists deepen understanding of magnetic fields that surround Earth

Vast rings of electrically charged particles encircle the Earth and other planets. Now, a team of scientists has conducted research into waves that travel through this magnetic, electrically charged environment, known as the magnetosphere, deepening understanding of the region.

Daily low-dose aspirin found to have no effect on healthy life span in older people

In a large clinical trial to determine the risks and benefits of daily low-dose aspirin in healthy older adults without previous cardiovascular events, aspirin did not prolong healthy, independent living (life free of dementia or persistent physical disability).

First-ever octopus genome sequenced

In the first-ever sequencing of the entire octopus genome, researchers discovered unusual features that shed light on octopus evolution and biology, and set the stage for future studies on complex nervous system development.