We found a match
Your institution may have rights to this item. Sign in to continue.
- Title
Histological analysis and etiology of a pathological iguanodontian femur from England.
- Authors
Bertozzo, Filippo; Stein, Koen; Varotto, Elena; Galassi, Francesco M.; Ruffell, Alastair; Murphy, Eileen
- Abstract
Derived ornithopods, such as hadrosaurids, show a high occurrence of fossilized lesions and diseases. However, paleopathologies in iguanodontians seem to be less common, considering the rich fossil record of these taxa in Europe, in particular in Belgium, Britain and Spain. Here, we describe an iguanodontian femur discovered in England that exhibits a large overgrowth of its lateral aspect, not previously recognized in any other similar remains. The specimen was scanned with micro‐computed tomography (microCT) and later sectioned in three sites of the overgrowth for histological analysis. The femur belongs to an early adult Iguanodontia indet., based on the presence of a woven parallel fibered complex in the outer cortex and three to four lines of arrested growth. Internal analysis of the dome‐like overgrowth suggests it can be diagnosed as a fracture callus. The injury might have negatively impacted upon the animal's locomotion as the trauma had occurred in the region above the knee, a crucial spot for hindlimb musculature. Finally, a cancellous medullary bone‐like tissue was recognized in the medullary cavity next to the pathological overgrowth. An attempt was made to determine the precise nature of this tissue, as medullary bone is linked with the ovulation period in (avian) dinosaurs, whereas other types of endosteal, medullary bone‐like tissue have previously been recognized in pathological bones.
- Subjects
ORNITHISCHIA; FOSSILS; DINOSAURS; PALEOPATHOLOGY; OVULATION
- Publication
Journal of Anatomy, 2024, Vol 245, Issue 3, p490
- ISSN
0021-8782
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1111/joa.14053