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Subaqueous foraging among carnivorous dinosaurs.

Matteo Fabbri1, Guillermo Navalón2,3,4, Roger B J Benson5

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This summary is machine-generated.

New research reveals that spinosaurid dinosaurs were aquatic specialists, adapting to water environments during the Early Cretaceous. This finding challenges previous beliefs about non-avian dinosaurs and their terrestrial lifestyles.

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Area of Science:

  • Paleontology
  • Vertebrate Zoology
  • Evolutionary Biology

Background:

  • Secondary aquatic adaptations have evolved independently over 30 times in terrestrial vertebrates.
  • Non-avian dinosaurs were long considered an exception, with few hypothesized aquatic species, but evidence remained controversial.
  • Identifying unambiguous aquatic adaptations in extinct animals is challenging.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To establish a reliable method for inferring aquatic habits in extinct species using bone density.
  • To investigate the prevalence of aquatic adaptations among non-avian dinosaurs, specifically spinosaurids.
  • To explore the ecological diversity within aquatic spinosaurids.

Main Methods:

  • Analyzing the relationship between bone density and aquatic ecologies in extant amniotes.
  • Applying this bone density-inferred method to evaluate fossil evidence in non-avian dinosaurs.
  • Comparing observed patterns in spinosaurids with those in other aquatic reptiles and mammals.

Main Results:

  • A strong correlation between increased bone density and aquatic habits was identified in extant species.
  • Spinosaurids exhibit marked increases in bone density, indicating significant aquatic adaptations.
  • Ecological diversity was found within spinosaurids, including subaqueous foraging (Spinosaurus, Baryonyx) and non-diving habits (Suchomimus).

Conclusions:

  • Bone density serves as a reliable indicator of aquatic habits in extinct vertebrates.
  • Spinosaurids were aquatic specialists that evolved these adaptations in the Early Cretaceous.
  • Aquatic adaptation in spinosaurids preceded more obvious anatomical changes, mirroring patterns in other aquatic vertebrates.