DINOSAUR DEATH PITS FROM THE JURASSIC OF CHINA

IVPP-IR > 中科院古脊椎所（2000年以后）

	DINOSAUR DEATH PITS FROM THE JURASSIC OF CHINA
	Eberth, David A.; Xing, Xu; Clark, James M.; david.eberth@gov.ab.ca
	2010
发表期刊	PALAIOS
ISSN	0883-1351
卷号	25 页码:112—125
摘要	Three newly discovered bonebeds from the Shishugou Formation of Xinjiang, China, are unusual in preserving vertically stacked and articulated to associated skeletons of at least 18 small, non-avian theropod dinosaurs in pits that are 1-2 m deep. The pits host a soft sediment-deformed mixture of alluvial and volcanic mudstone and sandstone. There is no evidence that the pits were discrete depressions in the topography that filled through time. Rather, they appear to have been highly localized areas of liquefaction caused by large-dinosaur (possibly sauropod) trampling of saturated sediments. Evidence indicates that the small theropods, and some other small vertebrates, became mired and died in these mud-filled pits. High quality skeletal preservation suggests that most individuals were buried within days to months after their deaths. Carcasses were buried successively, coming to rest above previously buried individuals. In some cases, skeletal body parts became separated or were removed, probably during scavenging. Given the large sizes of the pits relative to the small body sizes of the vertebrates contained within them, we conclude that small vertebrates (<3 m long and <1 m tall) were particularly susceptible to miring at these sites. Although the small, presumably herbivorous ceratosaur, Limusaurus inextricabilis, dominates the combined small theropod assemblage from these bonebeds (minimum number of individuals [MNI] = 15), there is no evidence that any biological features other than its small size and a large, and possibly, gregarious local population were responsible for its becoming mired in large numbers. A bias for small theropods in these bonebeds, compared to their relatively low abundance in the overall Shishugou Formation fauna, underscores that small theropods are underrepresented in Mesozoic fossil assemblages collected from other ancient alluvial and paludal settings.
关键词	Republic-of-china Junggar Basin Shishugou Formation Northwest China Taphonomy Deposits Posture Tracks Assemblage Xinjiang
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收录类别	SCI收录
文献类型	期刊论文
条目标识符	http://119.78.100.205/handle/311034/4661
专题	中科院古脊椎所（2000年以后）
通讯作者	david.eberth@gov.ab.ca
推荐引用方式 GB/T 7714	Eberth, David A.,Xing, Xu,Clark, James M.,et al. DINOSAUR DEATH PITS FROM THE JURASSIC OF CHINA[J]. PALAIOS,2010,25:112—125.
APA	Eberth, David A.,Xing, Xu,Clark, James M.,&david.eberth@gov.ab.ca.(2010).DINOSAUR DEATH PITS FROM THE JURASSIC OF CHINA.PALAIOS,25,112—125.
MLA	Eberth, David A.,et al."DINOSAUR DEATH PITS FROM THE JURASSIC OF CHINA".PALAIOS 25(2010):112—125.

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