FIGURE 9 - uploaded by Junya Watanabe
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Bone surface textures on selected regions of long bones through ontogeny. A) humerus, B) ulna, C), carpometacarpus (Os metacarpale majus for the midshaft region), D) femur, E) tibiotarsus and F) tarsometatarsus . For each bone, proximal, midshaft and distal regions (from top to bottom) in C1, C5, C8, C11, C13, J14 and A17 (from left to right) are shown. Note the occasional presence of periosteum remains, which give fluffy appearance (see white arrowheads in the distal region of ulna and the proximal region of carpometacarpus in C13 for examples).
Source publication
Although the importance of assessing ontogenetic age or developmental stage of fossil materials is widely recognized, information on avian postnatal skeletal ontogeny, which forms a basis for ageing criteria for bird fossils, is seriously lacking. One potentially useful ontogenetic ageing method in avian paleontology is textural ageing, in which su...
Contexts in source publication
Context 1
... textures of long bones showed consider- able variation among developmental stages. They can also vary among elements within a single individual, and even within a single element. Sur- face textures of various regions of long bones are illustrated in Fig. 9, and longitudinal distribution of textural patterns of long bones, measured as described in Materials and Methods, in selected individuals are shown in Fig. 10. Results for individuals not shown did not differ considerably from those shown in the same developmental ...
Context 2
... longitudinally. Generally, loose, stri- ated texture and rough surface (patterns A and B) appear near proximal and distal epiphyses (espe- cially when the epiphysis is not ossified), then they are replaced by less rough fibrous texture diaphysially (typically patterns C and D), and the density of grooves and dimples are least in mid- shaft region (Fig. 9). Specific characteristics of each element are described ...
Context 3
... the shaft, thus classified as pattern D. Longitu- dinal grooves, rather than dimples, are common in the midshaft region. The proximal shaft, espe- cially caudal surface of Crista deltopectoralis, shows rougher surface texture compared to other part. Numerous distinct penetrating pits can be observed in the area proximal to Fossa m. brachi- alis ( Fig. 9A; bottom row). In juveniles, surface texture is overall smooth, but with faint grooves (pattern D). In adults, surface texture is smooth with few grooves or dimples (pattern ...
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by Lakna • 4 min read Main Difference-Condyle vs Epicondyle Bones play a critical role in providing support and aiding the movement of animals. Among the different types of bone in the body, long bones such as femur, tibia, ulna, and humerus are especially involved in the movement of the body. Some surfaces of the long bones are soft and the other...
Citations
... Age estimates are proposed for some of the mammalian remains using the degree of epiphyseal fusion for long bones and usewear on tooth occlusal surfaces. The age of the bird specimens was assessed by analyzing their surface texture and morphology, according to the methodology proposed by Watanabe and Matsuoka (2013). The color of the external (e.g., cortical) and internal (e.g., medullar) surfaces was recorded as this can be indicative of burning. ...
... Age estimates are proposed for some of the mammalian remains using the degree of epiphyseal fusion for long bones and usewear on tooth occlusal surfaces. The age of the bird specimens was assessed by analyzing their surface texture and morphology, according to the methodology proposed by Watanabe and Matsuoka (2013). The color of the external (e.g., cortical) and internal (e.g., medullar) surfaces was recorded as this can be indicative of burning. ...
... Following the comprehensive review of osteological indicators of ontogenetic status presented in [20], I conducted a survey of YPM VP 59473 which revealed its juvenile status (Fig. 5). Features unambiguously indicating ontogenetic immaturity in birds present in this specimen include the presence of unfinished, heavily striated bone surfaces [20][21][22]. Histological sections were not made due to the fragmentary nature of the specimen. Among the characters used to assign YPM VP 59473 to crown Aves and to Galloanserae, several deserve comment because they appear to change during ontogeny in stem and crown birds: the shape of the humeral head, development of the dorsal tubercle, and the depth of the tricipital fossa. ...
... Detailed characterization of the anatomy of bones and bone surfaces free of matrix was carried out using a standard light microscope at the Yale Peabody Museum. Ontogenetically informative characteristics were identified following several papers, especially [20][21][22] as well as via comparisons with juvenile bird skeletons at the YPM. ...
Background
Living birds comprise the most speciose and anatomically diverse clade of flying vertebrates, but their poor early fossil record and the lack of resolution around the relationships of the major clades have greatly obscured extant avian origins.
Results
Here, I describe a Late Cretaceous bird from North America based on a fragmentary skeleton that includes cranial material and portions of the forelimb, hindlimb, and foot and is identified as a juvenile based on bone surface texture. Several features unite this specimen with crown Aves, but its juvenile status precludes the recognition of a distinct taxon. The North American provenance of the specimen supports a cosmopolitan distribution of early crown birds, clashes with the hypothesized southern hemisphere origins of living birds, and demonstrates that crown birds and their closest relatives coexisted with non-avian dinosaurs that independently converged on avian skeletal anatomy, such as the alvarezsaurids and dromaeosaurids.
Conclusions
By revealing the ecological and biogeographic context of Cretaceous birds within or near the crown clade, the Lance Formation specimen provides new insights into the contingent nature of crown avian survival through the Cretaceous-Paleogene mass extinction and the subsequent origins of living bird diversity.
... e.g. Canadian Goose (Branta canadiensis-Anatidae), Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea, Ardeidae), Streaked Shearwater (Calonectris leucomelas, Procellariidae), Japanese Cormorant (Phalacrocorax capillatus, Phalacrocoracidae), Black-tailed Gull (Larus crassirostris, Laridae), Rhinoceros Auklet (Cerorhinca monocerata, Alcidae) and Chinstrap Penguin (Pygoscelis antarcticus, Spheniscidae) (Acosta Hospitaleche& Picasso, 2020;Tumarkin-Deratzian et al., 2006;Watanabe, 2018;Watanabe & Matsuoka, 2013). A general pattern of bone texture can be recognized in all cases: while in adult birds, bones have homogeneous surfaces with very few or even absent pores, juveniles present heterogeneous surfaces due to the presence of abundant pores and grooves. ...
The bone texture of Rhea americana was evaluated through the examination of a postnatal ontogenetic series. The hind limb bone surfaces of specimens of one, three and five months old, and adults were compared to characterize each stage according to the morphological features generated by their differential ossification. The results suggest a similar process of tissue maturation concerning neognathous birds, although with some differences. A spongy or striated surface with abundant pores in the femur and longitudinal grooves in the tibiotarsus and tarsometatarsus characterizes chicks. Vascularity decreases, and the bone texture gradually changes acquiring a more homogeneous surface, to eventually reach the smooth appearance of adult bones. The establishment of particular textures corresponding to different bones and ontogenetic stages permits the accurate interpretation of remains in ecological, archaeological and paleontological contexts in which bones are fragmented and/or incomplete.
... No Komodo dragon tooth marks or anthropogenic marks were observed on any of the stork bones. [32,33]. However, the tibiotarsus and tarsometatarsus are typically among the last elements to mature skeletally [32] and this, in combination with the sizes of LB-Av-155 and -2479, means it is possible that both bones could be associated with one or both of these large female/small male individuals. ...
... [32,33]. However, the tibiotarsus and tarsometatarsus are typically among the last elements to mature skeletally [32] and this, in combination with the sizes of LB-Av-155 and -2479, means it is possible that both bones could be associated with one or both of these large female/small male individuals. Therefore, the total minimum number of L. robustus individuals represented at Liang Bua, based royalsocietypublishing.org/journal/rsos R. Soc. ...
... Fledging takes place after approximately 50 days in smaller stork species, but for larger species like the marabou stork, chicks fledge when they are around 90-110 days of age [42,43], which is an exceptionally long period [44] even though across Ciconiidae growth rate is negatively correlated with body mass [45]. At the time of fledging, chicks are comparable in size to, or even slightly heavier than, adult birds [32,43]. Given that L. robustus almost certainly had a larger average body mass than L. crumenifer, chicks of this extinct species likely fledged well after 110 days of age. ...
Liang Bua (Flores, Indonesia) has yielded remains of a faunal community that included small-bodied and small-brained hominins, dwarf proboscideans, Komodo dragons, vultures and giant marabou storks ( Leptoptilos robustus ). Previous research suggested that L. robustus evolved from a smaller L eptoptilos dubius -like Middle Pleistocene ancestor and may have been flightless. However, analyses of this species' considerably expanded hypodigm ( n = 43, MNI = 5), which includes 21 newly discovered bones described here for the first time, reveals that the wing bones of L. robustus were well-developed and this species was almost certainly capable of active flight. Moreover, L. robustus bones are broadly similar to Leptoptilos falconeri remains from sites in Africa and Eurasia, and its overall size range is comparable to fossils attributed to L. falconeri and similar specimens, as well as those of Leptoptilos lüi (China) and Leptoptilos titan (Java). This suggests that a Pleistocene dispersal of L. falconeri into Island Southeast Asia may have given rise to populations of giant marabou storks in this region. As L. robustus and L. titan are the most recent known representatives of these once plentiful giant marabou storks, Island Southeast Asia likely acted as a refugium for the last surviving members of this lineage.
... Our taxonomic descriptions are based on the osteological nomenclature proposed by Baumel and Witmer (1993), unless stated otherwise. We assessed juvenile status by analyzing the surface texture and morphology of the fossil bones to identify specimens with rough or weak surface texture and/or absent or weakly defined epiphysis morphology, following the methodology proposed by Watanabe and Matsuoka (2013). ...
Several large-bodied hominin and nonhuman primates have coexisted in the Cradle of Humankind in South Africa during the Early Pleistocene. Previous paleoenvironmental studies regarding the Plio-Pleistocene of South Africa have focused heavily on mammal assemblages. Here, we conducted a comprehensive taxonomic analysis of the fossil bird remains from Cooper's D, the most fossiliferous locality of the hominin-bearing Cooper's Cave complex in South Africa. Our taxonomic evaluation of 505 remains reveals the presence of 23 bird taxa, two of which are extinct and already reported from the nearby fossil locality of Kromdraai. The taxonomically diverse bird assemblage is dominated by Francolinus sp. and other species associated with open grassland habitats, followed by rock-dwelling species, including Tyto cf. alba and the extinct Corvus bragai, and by woodland species such as Agapornis sp., Accipiter melanoleucos, and the extinct Glaucidium ireneae. The occurrence of these taxa and their respective proportions in the assemblage, in terms of both numbers of bones and individuals, point to the presence of extensive open grassland and/or savannah with rocky outcrops and woodland. These findings corroborate previous analyses of mammals from Cooper's D, with the exception of aquatic species, which are rare in the bird assemblage. Comparison with older deposits from Kromdraai confirms the definitive establishment of open habitats in the Cradle of Humankind during the Early Pleistocene following a transition from woodier habitats during the Late Pliocene. This study constitutes a further step in investigating the fossil bird diversity in the Cradle of Humankind during the Plio-Pleistocene. Our results add to the larger body of work using avian fossils for paleoenvironmental reconstructions in Africa and support the utility of birds as paleoenvironmental proxies. Similar future studies will refine our understanding of the paleoenvironments and landscape transformation during the Plio-Pleistocene, a critical timeframe for hominin evolution in southern Africa.
... For systematic assignments we used the proposal of Folch et al. (2020) for Rheidae, and Orta (2020) for Phalacrocoracidae, applying also the features described by Causey and Lefèvre (2007) for the species differentiation. Ontogenetic indicators are based on textural aging (Tumarkin-Deratzian et al., 2006;Watanabe and Matsuoka, 2013;Watanabe, 2018) and the fusion degree and development of the elements (Picasso and Barbeito, 2018). Finally, taphonomic attributes described here include the weathering stages of Behrensmeyer (1978), and the presence of cut marks (see for example Politis et al., 2019) and other general observations. ...
... Immature distal tarsometatarsi of Rhea pennata and R. americana show a great amplitude of the incisura intertrochlearis in comparison with the adults (Picasso and Barbeito, 2018). Unfortunately, other ontogenetic indicators such as textural aging, based on the texture of the periosteal bone (Tumarkin-Deratzian et al., 2006;Watanabe and Matsuoka, 2013;Watanabe, 2018), cannot be applied here due to the weathering damage detailed below. ...
We examine three avian remains from the Última Esperanza cave complex. This site is a Natural Monument situated along the flanks of Cerro Benítez, Magallanes Region of Chile. A tarsometatarsus (MLP 94-VIII-10-12) is assigned to Rhea pennata, and a humerus (MLP 94-VIII-10-111) to Phalacrocorax brasilianus. Both, R. pennata and P. brasilianus, are currently distributed in the Magallanes Region, and their presence within the cave can be easily explained by the cut marks found on the tarsometatarsus, that evidence human consumption. The absence of traces on the humerus is not decisive in this regard, because the wings are not the most fleshy parts of the body and therefore, not the preferred piece by predators. It can represent the waste. A small bill (MLP 94-VIII-10-140) of a passerine bird belongs to a fresh bone and should be treated as contamination.
... Additionally, the distal and caudal faces of the distal end (including those faces of the condyles) are missing, including the articulation for the tibial cartilage. The specimen is interpreted as representing an adult individual, indicated by the completely fused astragalus and calcaneum and a smooth cortical surface [31,32]. The fragmentary and abraded preservation of DPC 24780 is consistent with other avian fossils from the Jebel Qatrani Formation and is not an indication of ontogenetic stage. ...
The relatively extensive fossil record of owls (Aves, Strigiformes) in North America and Europe stands in stark contrast to the paucity of fossil strigiformes from Africa. The first occurrence of a fossil owl from the Paleogene of Africa extends the fossil record of this clade on that continent by as much as 25 million years, and confirms the presence of large-sized owls in Oligocene continental faunas. The new fossil is tentatively referred to the Selenornithinae, a clade of large owls previously restricted to Europe. This new fossil owl was likely similar in size to the extant Eagle Owls of the genus Bubo, and suggests that the niche of large, volant, terrestrial avian predator, although relatively rare throughout avian evolutionary history, may be an ecological role that was more common among extinct owls than previously recognized.
... The heron evolutionary feeding trait of wading (Butler 1999) and the ontogenetic development pattern for their semi-altricial young (Watanabe and Matsuoka 2013) likely provided premortem skeletal biases for this assemblage (Livingston 1989;Behrensmeyer et al. 2003;Cruz 2005). Larger, more robust remains are more common in modern and ancient assemblages suggesting a bias for bone size and structure likely attributable to avian lifestyle (Behrensmeyer et al. 2003). ...
Reports on nesting debris generated by great blue heron (Ardea herodias), arboreal nesting birds with ‘semi-altricial’ young, are limited. In this study, surface and subsurface sampling were conducted in 2012 and 2013 in a heronry near the Missouri River in Montana, including bi-weekly collections in 2013 documenting accumulations over the breeding season. Disarticulated juvenile heron bones with lesser numbers of microvertebrates (fish and small mammals) and invertebrates (crayfish and snails) dominated the assemblage beneath the nests. Eggshell on the surface was present but uncommon (0.85 eggshells/m²) with eggshell orientation varying both by location and fragment size. Eggshell surveys differed with respect to sampled trees and sampling time, but generally favoured concave-up orientation whereas the early season small eggshell survey further from sampled trees favoured concave down. Shallow (10 cm deep) excavation revealed a subsurface assemblage very similar to that on the surface but favouring more resistant elements. Hence, the subsurface assemblage was nearly devoid of eggshell, with a lower representation of invertebrates and fragile bone, but an excess of heron hindlimbs. Our study demonstrates that arboreal nesting sites have the potential for long-term preservation and provides information useful for recognition and reconstruction of arboreal nesting sites from the fossil record.
... Likewise, expanded osteological collections that provide chick to adult specimens of known age are vital to developing ontogenetic measurement tables (Picasso 2012;Watanabe and Matsuoka 2013) and generating sexual dimorphism data, although bone measurements may limit sexual distinctions, taxonomic identifications or phenotypic size distinctions among small birds (Rising and Somers 1989;Hutt 1929). With restrictions on exporting reference specimens and archaeological finds (Lindsay 1990;Renner et al. 2012), the future development of bird osteological collections should incorporate 3D bone scans and other digital resources (Estevez et al. 2002;Causey and Trimble 2005; see Aves 3D at https://aves3d.org). ...
