Abstract
Here we describe multiple pathological skeletal elements in a specimen assigned to a globidensine mosasaur as Prognathodon cf. sectorius. This individual, NHMM 2012 072, was recovered from the upper Lixhe 3 Member (Gulpen Formation, upper Maastrichtian) near Maastricht, the Netherlands. In all likelihood, it was bitten in the snout by a large, possibly conspecific mosasaur - and survived this attack. The specimen described here is among the very few with clear and unambiguous evidence of (very likely intraspecific) agonistic interactions amongst mosasaurs. Despite significant injuries, including partial amputation of the premaxilla, this animal initially recuperated from the encounter, but the subsequent infectious processes as a result of this attack were still ongoing at the time of death. Radiological and morphological features suggest chronic osteomyelitis which led to loss of bone within the left maxilla, which probably hampered the ability to feed, potentially contributing to its demise. This case study illustrates the potential of integrative three-dimensional approaches in palaeopathological studies to provide a much more comprehensive and detailed description of alterations and underlying physiological processes. (C) 2020 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Original language | English |
---|---|
Article number | 104425 |
Number of pages | 14 |
Journal | Cretaceous Research |
Volume | 112 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Aug 2020 |
Keywords
- Trauma
- Palaeopathology
- Mosasaurs
- Osteomyelitis
- Maastrichtian
- Intraspecific agonistic behaviour
- BITE MARKS
- SQUAMATA MOSASAURIDAE
- PALEOPATHOLOGY
- INJURY
- INFECTION
- PATHOLOGY
- REPTILIA
- INSIGHTS
- ALBERTA
- BITTEN
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- 10.1016/j.cretres.2020.104425Licence: CC BY
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In: Cretaceous Research, Vol. 112, 104425, 08.2020.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Academic › peer-review
TY - JOUR
T1 - Cranial palaeopathologies in a Late Cretaceous mosasaur from the Netherlands
AU - Bastiaans, Dylan
AU - Kroll, Jeroen J. F.
AU - Cornelissen, Dirk
AU - Jagt, John W. M.
AU - Schulp, Anne S.
N1 - Funding Information: We owe many thanks to Ernst Smid and the radiology and radiotherapy department of the University Medical Centre Utrecht (UMC, Utrecht, the Netherlands) and the forensic radiology department of the Maastricht University Medical Centre (MUMC+, Maastricht, the Netherlands) for providing the opportunity to scan the dentary and the premaxillary-maxillary section of the upper jaw of the mosasaur, respectively, and helpful comments concerning the diagnosis. Special thanks to Thorsten Plogschties (Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universit?t Bonn) for help with the various three-dimensional reconstructions (Avizo, Meshlab and Polyworks) and helpful feedback. Additional thanks to Bruce M. Rothschild, for new insights into and comments on the preliminary work as presented during the 74th Annual Meeting in Berlin (November 2014). DB was partially funded through the Swiss National Science Foundation (grant no. 31003 A_179401 to T. Scheyer). We owe much gratitude to PD Dr. Torsten Scheyer (Pal?ontologisches Institut und Museum, Universit?t Z?rich) and Dr. Ashley Latimer for providing a scan of the Asian water monitor (Varanus salvator). Furthermore, we are grateful to PD. Dr. Torsten Scheyer and Louis Verding (NHMM, Maastricht, the Netherlands) for helpful discussions on normal and pathological appearance in histological and radiological sections. We would like to thank the former ENCI HeidelbergCement Group for support with the excavation, providing the opportunity and means to secure the specimen. Special thanks to quarry operator Carlo Brauer for having the keen eye to spot and recognise the fossil and for persuading his superiors to postpone quarrying operations at the site. Furthermore, without the dedication, professionalism and effort of all volunteers and others involved in preparation at the Natuurhistorisch Museum Maastricht (NHMM, Maastricht, the Netherlands), the present survey of this new mosasaur specimen would not have been possible. Lastly, we would like to thank Editor-in-Chief Dr. Koutsoukos and two anonymous reviewers for their constructive and helpful comments that have improved this manuscript. Funding Information: We owe many thanks to Ernst Smid and the radiology and radiotherapy department of the University Medical Centre Utrecht (UMC, Utrecht, the Netherlands) and the forensic radiology department of the Maastricht University Medical Centre (MUMC+, Maastricht, the Netherlands) for providing the opportunity to scan the dentary and the premaxillary-maxillary section of the upper jaw of the mosasaur, respectively, and helpful comments concerning the diagnosis. Special thanks to Thorsten Plogschties (Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn) for help with the various three-dimensional reconstructions (Avizo, Meshlab and Polyworks) and helpful feedback. Additional thanks to Bruce M. Rothschild, for new insights into and comments on the preliminary work as presented during the 74th Annual Meeting in Berlin (November 2014). DB was partially funded through the Swiss National Science Foundation (grant no. 31003 A_179401 to T. Scheyer). We owe much gratitude to PD Dr. Torsten Scheyer (Paläontologisches Institut und Museum, Universität Zürich) and Dr. Ashley Latimer for providing a scan of the Asian water monitor (Varanus salvator). Furthermore, we are grateful to PD. Dr. Torsten Scheyer and Louis Verding (NHMM, Maastricht, the Netherlands) for helpful discussions on normal and pathological appearance in histological and radiological sections. We would like to thank the former ENCI HeidelbergCement Group for support with the excavation, providing the opportunity and means to secure the specimen. Special thanks to quarry operator Carlo Brauer for having the keen eye to spot and recognise the fossil and for persuading his superiors to postpone quarrying operations at the site. Furthermore, without the dedication, professionalism and effort of all volunteers and others involved in preparation at the Natuurhistorisch Museum Maastricht (NHMM, Maastricht, the Netherlands), the present survey of this new mosasaur specimen would not have been possible. Lastly, we would like to thank Editor-in-Chief Dr. Koutsoukos and two anonymous reviewers for their constructive and helpful comments that have improved this manuscript. Publisher Copyright: © 2020 The Authors
PY - 2020/8
Y1 - 2020/8
N2 - Here we describe multiple pathological skeletal elements in a specimen assigned to a globidensine mosasaur as Prognathodon cf. sectorius. This individual, NHMM 2012 072, was recovered from the upper Lixhe 3 Member (Gulpen Formation, upper Maastrichtian) near Maastricht, the Netherlands. In all likelihood, it was bitten in the snout by a large, possibly conspecific mosasaur - and survived this attack. The specimen described here is among the very few with clear and unambiguous evidence of (very likely intraspecific) agonistic interactions amongst mosasaurs. Despite significant injuries, including partial amputation of the premaxilla, this animal initially recuperated from the encounter, but the subsequent infectious processes as a result of this attack were still ongoing at the time of death. Radiological and morphological features suggest chronic osteomyelitis which led to loss of bone within the left maxilla, which probably hampered the ability to feed, potentially contributing to its demise. This case study illustrates the potential of integrative three-dimensional approaches in palaeopathological studies to provide a much more comprehensive and detailed description of alterations and underlying physiological processes. (C) 2020 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
AB - Here we describe multiple pathological skeletal elements in a specimen assigned to a globidensine mosasaur as Prognathodon cf. sectorius. This individual, NHMM 2012 072, was recovered from the upper Lixhe 3 Member (Gulpen Formation, upper Maastrichtian) near Maastricht, the Netherlands. In all likelihood, it was bitten in the snout by a large, possibly conspecific mosasaur - and survived this attack. The specimen described here is among the very few with clear and unambiguous evidence of (very likely intraspecific) agonistic interactions amongst mosasaurs. Despite significant injuries, including partial amputation of the premaxilla, this animal initially recuperated from the encounter, but the subsequent infectious processes as a result of this attack were still ongoing at the time of death. Radiological and morphological features suggest chronic osteomyelitis which led to loss of bone within the left maxilla, which probably hampered the ability to feed, potentially contributing to its demise. This case study illustrates the potential of integrative three-dimensional approaches in palaeopathological studies to provide a much more comprehensive and detailed description of alterations and underlying physiological processes. (C) 2020 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
KW - Trauma
KW - Palaeopathology
KW - Mosasaurs
KW - Osteomyelitis
KW - Maastrichtian
KW - Intraspecific agonistic behaviour
KW - BITE MARKS
KW - SQUAMATA MOSASAURIDAE
KW - PALEOPATHOLOGY
KW - INJURY
KW - INFECTION
KW - PATHOLOGY
KW - REPTILIA
KW - INSIGHTS
KW - ALBERTA
KW - BITTEN
U2 - 10.1016/j.cretres.2020.104425
DO - 10.1016/j.cretres.2020.104425
M3 - Article
SN - 0195-6671
VL - 112
JO - Cretaceous Research
JF - Cretaceous Research
M1 - 104425
ER -