matthew c. lamanna, carnegie museum of natural history...immigration from south america –but when,...

The end of the Age of Dinosaurs in AntarcticaMatthew C. Lamanna, Carnegie Museum of Natural History

Pangaea: ancient supercontinent

220 Ma (Late Triassic)

Blakey 2003

Mid-Mesozoic breakup of Pangaea

150 Ma (Late Jurassic)

Blakey 2003

Laurasia: northern supercontinent

Blakey 2003


Gondwana: southern supercontinent

Blakey 2003


Geography influences evolution

Laurasian Cretaceous dinosaursJosh F

ranzos

Gondwanan Cretaceous dinosaurs

Gondwanan dinos much less knownR

on B

lakey

Exploring the Gondwanan CretaceousR

on B

lakey

South America

Ron B

lakey

Exploring the Gondwanan Cretaceous


Africa & Arabia

Ron B

lakey


Australia

Ron B

lakey

Ron B

lakey


Madagascar htt

p:/

/ww

w.a

nkiz

y.o

rg

Ron B

lakey


India & Pakistan Jeff

Wils

on

Jeff

Wils

on

Gondwanan Cretaceous dinosaursR

on B

lakey

Abelisauroid theropods

Carnotaurus sastrei

Bonaparte 1985; Bonaparte et al. 1990

Jose B

onapart

e

Ron B

lakey


Majungasaurus crenatissimus

Lavocat 1955; Sampson et al. 1998; Sampson & Krause 2007

Dave K

rause

Carnotaurus sastrei

Jose B

onapart

e

Ron B

lakey


Rajasaurus narmadensis

Wilson et al. 2003

Pro

ject E

xplo

ratio

n

Majungasaurus crenatissimus

Dave K

rause

Carnotaurus sastrei

Jose B

onapart

e

Ron B

lakey

Spinosaurid theropods

David

e B

onadonna/N

atio

nal

Geogra

phic

Carcharodontosaurid theropodsU

niv

ers

ity o

f C

hic

ago

Rebbachisaurid sauropods

To

dd M

ars

hall

Titanosaurian

sauropods

Mark

Halle

tt

Titanosaurian

sauropods

Paralititan stromeri

To

dd M

ars

hall

Antarctica

Antarctica?

zim

bio

.com

Antarctica: the missing piece


~70 Ma (Late Cretaceous)


~70 Ma (Late Cretaceous)

South

America

Australia

Antarctica

Antarctic Peninsula

Robert

Nic

holls

Antarctic Peninsula

James Ross Is.

Vega Is.

Antarctic Peninsula

James Ross Is.

Vega Is.

James Ross Basin, Antarctic Peninsula

Cretaceous

Jurassic

Triassic

66

146

200

251Ma

Albian

Aptian

Barremian

Hauterivian

Valanginian

Berriasian

100

112

125

130

134

140

146

Ma

Maastrichtian

Campanian

Santonian

Coniacian

Turonian

Cenomanian

66

71

84

86

89

94


Cretaceous

Jurassic

Triassic

66

146

200

251Ma

Albian

Aptian

Barremian

Hauterivian

Valanginian

Berriasian

100

112

125

130

134

140

146

Ma

Maastrichtian

Campanian

Santonian

Coniacian

Turonian

Cenomanian

66

71

84

86

89

94


~90-70 Ma

Antarctic Cretaceous vertebratesR

obert

Nic

holls


obert

Nic

holls

Sharks


obert

Nic

holls

Bony fishes


obert

Nic

holls

Plesiosaurs


obert

Nic

holls

Mosasaurs


obert

Nic

holls

Non-avian dinosaurs

Antarctic Cretaceous dinosaursDinosauriaOrnithischiaThyreophoraAnkylosauriaAntarctopelta oliveroi

OrnithopodaMorrosaurus antarcticus

Trinisaura santamartaensis

Unidentified ornithopod(s)

Hadrosauridae indet.

SaurischiaSauropodaTitanosauria indet.

TheropodaTetanurae indet.

?Dromaeosauridae?Unenlagiinae gen. et sp. nov.

Antarctic Cretaceous dinosaurs

Olivero et al. 1991; Salgado & Gasparini 2006

DinosauriaOrnithischiaThyreophoraAnkylosauriaAntarctopelta oliveroi









Coria et al. 2013









PelvisLeft lateral (side) view

Bones preserved


Milner et al. 1992; Barrett et al. 2014

Robert

Nic

holls










Milner et al. 1992; Barrett et al. 2014









Right dentary (lower jaw)Lateral (side) view


Case et al. 2000









Labial (side) view

Tooth

Mesial (front) view

Antarctic Cretaceous dinosaursDinosauriaOrnithischiaThyreophoraAnkylosauriaAntarctopelta oliveroi








Mic

hael S

kre

pnic

k

Hadrosaur paleobiogeography

Originate North America/Eurasia ~100 Ma

Ron B

lakey


Ron B

lakey

Disperse to South America ~80 Ma


Ron B

lakey

Disperse to Antarctica ~80-70 Ma


Ron B

lakey

South America-Antarctica land connection operative in latest Cretaceous


Cerda et al. 2012









Anterior (front)

view

Right lateral (side)

view

Posterior (rear)

view

Caudal (tail) vertebra


Molnar et al. 1996









Posterior (rear) view

Tibia (ankle end only)


Case et al. 2007









Tarsus & pes

(ankle & foot)

Anterior (front) view

Nature of Antarctic dinosaur fauna

Nature of Antarctic dinosaur fauna

“The majority of the dinosaur assemblage

from the Antarctic Peninsula… are

remnants of a cosmopolitan dinosaur

fauna more typical of other areas at

earlier times (e.g. mid-Cretaceous of

North America and Australia…).”

Case et al. 2007

Antarctica ~70 Ma

Antarctic dinosaurs ~70 Ma

Dromaeosaurids

Titanosaurs

Basal ornithopods

Ankylosaurs

Hadrosaurids

Gondwanan dinosaurs ~70 Ma

Dromaeosaurids

Titanosaurs

Basal ornithopods

Ankylosaurs

Hadrosaurids

South American dinosaurs ~70 Ma

Dromaeosaurids

Titanosaurs

Basal ornithopods

Ankylosaurs

Hadrosaurids

Antarctic dinosaurs ~70 Ma

= No evidence for

‘relictualism’

in Antarctic latest

Cretaceous

dinosaur fauna

?Dromaeosaurids

Titanosaurs

Basal ornithopods

Ankylosaurs

Hadrosaurids


obert

Nic

holls

Antarctic Cretaceous vertebrates

Birds

Robert

Nic

holls

Modern birds (Neornithes)

>10,000 species

http://emperor-penguins.com/pengs.html

When did modern birds evolve?

Modified from Dyke & van Tuinen 2004

T I M

E

Jura

ssic

(200-1

46

Mya

)

Cre

taceous

(146-6

6 M

ya)

Cenozoic

(66-0

Mya)

Archaeopteryx

modern birds

(Neornithes)

Paleogene

neornithines

Avian fossil record

Confuciusornis

Ichthyornis

Hesperornis

Yixianornis Yanornis

HongshanornisGansus

http://lehrer2.rz.uni-karlsruhe.de/~helmholtz/NWT/Energie/FossileBrennstoffe/Oelschiefer/000031.jpg

http://www.geodecor.com/eoBirdS.jpg

T I M

E

Jura

ssic

(200-1

46

Mya

)

Cre

taceous

(146-6

6 M

ya)

Cenozoic

(66-0

Mya)

Archaeopteryx

modern birds

(Neornithes)

Paleogene

neornithines

Cretaceous origin of modern birds?

Confuciusornis

Ichthyornis

Hesperornis


HongshanornisGansus



T I M

E

Jura

ssic

(200-1

46

Mya

)

Cre

taceous

(146-6

6 M

ya)

Cenozoic

(66-0

Mya)

Archaeopteryx

modern birds

(Neornithes)

Paleogene

neornithines


Confuciusornis

Ichthyornis

Hesperornis


HongshanornisGansus

Cretaceous

neornithines?



James Ross Is.

Vega Is.


Vegavis iaai

Clarke et al. 2005

Vegavis iaai

Clarke et al. 2005

Mic

hael S

kre

pnic

k

Relationships of Vegavis

Clarke et al. 2005

Vegavis: a Cretaceous ‘duck’

Clarke et al. 2005

James Ross Is.

Vega Is.


Polarornis gregorii

Chatterjee 2002

Polarornis: a Cretaceous loon?

Chatterjee 2002

Ara

vin

dK

rishnasw

am

y

T I M

E

Jura

ssic

(200-1

46

Mya

)

Cre

taceous

(146-6

6 M

ya)

Cenozoic

(66-0

Mya)

Archaeopteryx

modern birds

(Neornithes)

Paleogene

neornithines


Confuciusornis

Ichthyornis

Hesperornis


HongshanornisGansus



T I M

E

Jura

ssic

(200-1

46

Mya

)

Cre

taceous

(146-6

6 M

ya)

Cenozoic

(66-0

Mya)

Archaeopteryx

modern birds

(Neornithes)

Confuciusornis

Ichthyornis

Hesperornis


HongshanornisGansus

Antarctic Cretaceous

neornithines

Cretaceous origin of modern birds!



T I M

E

Jura

ssic

(200-1

46

Mya

)

Cre

taceous

(146-6

6 M

ya)

Cenozoic

(66-0

Mya)

Archaeopteryx

modern birds

(Neornithes)

Antarctica: cradle of modern birds?

Confuciusornis

Ichthyornis

Hesperornis


HongshanornisGansus

Antarctic Cretaceous

neornithines



Unanswered questions


• How, precisely, are Antarctic Late Cretaceous vertebrates related to contemporaneous species from elsewhere in the Gondwanan continents?



• Hadrosaurid dinosaur indicates Late Cretaceous immigration from South America – but when, more specifically, was this land route available?




• Only definitive neornithine (i.e., modern) birds from Age of Dinosaurs come from Antarctica –did the group originate and/or diversify there?




• Only definitive neornithine (i.e., modern) birds from Age of Dinosaurs come from Antarctica –did the group originate and/or diversify there?

• Where are the mammals? (And crocodilians, and lizards, and snakes, and amphibians…)

Antarctic Peninsula Paleontology Project (AP3)

Project objectives

• Recover additional Late Cretaceous

vertebrate fossils from Antarctica

Project objectives

• Recover additional Late Cretaceous

vertebrate fossils from Antarctica

• Situate these fossils within accurate

evolutionary, temporal, paleoenvironmental &

paleoecological contexts

2009 Antarctic Peninsula expedition

Target: Vega Island

James Ross Is.

Vega Is.

Cape Lachman, James Ross Island

Cape Lachman, James Ross Island

Hidden Lake Formation

Wow! A new fossil crab!

Schweitzer, Feldmann, & Lamanna 2012Hadrocarcinus tectilacus

James Ross Is.

Vega Is.

The Naze, James Ross Island

Snow Hill Island Formation

James Ross Is.

Vega Is.

Cape Lamb & Sandwich Bluff, Vega Island

López de Bertodano Formation

Conditions less than ideal

2011 expedition discoveriesR

obert

Nic

holls

Plants

Robert

Nic

holls2011 expedition discoveries

cf. SapindaceaeWinged seed

1 cm

2011 expedition discoveriesR

obert

Nic

holls

Sharks

1 cm

Robert

Nic

holls

Bony fishes

2011 expedition discoveries

Articulated vertebral column

2 cm

Robert

Nic

holls

Plesiosaurs


5 cm

Articulated partial skeleton

Robert

Nic

holls

Non-avian dinosaurs


Pedal phalanx (toe bone)Lateral (side) view

Tooth

1 cm

1 cm

Birds

Robert

Nic

holls2011 expedition discoveries

Thoracic (back) vertebra

Tarsometatarsus (foot bone) Coracoid

(shoulder bone)

1 cm 1 cm 1 cm


Roberts et al. 2014

A K–Pg boundary section on Vega?

Roberts et al. 2014

2013 & 2014 Antarctic expeditions

Satellite images of James Ross Basin

January 8, 2013 January 6, 2014

Sea ice extremely extensive


Sea ice extremely extensive


= terrible for us

2013 & 2014 Antarctic expeditions

So now what?

2016 Antarctic expedition

Ron K

aufm

ann

A bigger boat! And better yet…

Ron K

aufm

ann

Helicopters!

Plus small boat support

Small boat support

James Ross Island

Vega Island

Robertson Island

Theropod dinosaur fossils!

?Unenlagiinae gen. et sp. nov.

Ankle & foot

(front view)

Case et al. 2007

More to come…

Research collaboration & scientific discussion

Julia Clarke, Ross MacPhee, Pat O’Connor, Steve Salisbury, Joe Sertich, Eric Roberts, Kerin Claeson, Zubair Jinnah, Meng Jin, Eric Gorscak, Chris Torres, Abby West, Matt Koshmrl, Jane Francis, Judd Case, Ricardo Ely, Dale Malinzak, Sam Gutherz, Carrie Schweitzer, Rodney Feldmann, Nick Swanson-Hysell, Chris Strganac, Joe Kirschvink, Peter Ward, Tom Tobin, Dave Barbeau, Sarah Slotznick, Ross Mitchell

Logistical support

United States Antarctic Program, Lockheed Martin Antarctic Support Contract, Raytheon Polar Services Corporation, Edison Chouest Offshore, Cara Ferrier, Brett Pickering, Phil Austin, Ken Vicknair, Kelley Watson, Chris Denker, John Evans, Matthew Erickson, Adam Jenkins, Tim McGovern, Alexandra Isern, Mark Kurz, Thom Wilch, Peter West, all personnel on USAP cruises LMG09-11, LMG11-02, & NBP16-02

Funding

National Science Foundation (grants ANT 0636639 [PI MacPhee] & ANT 1142129 [PI Lamanna])

Acknowledgments

Questions?

http://antarcticdinos.org

@antarcticdinos

http://antarcticdinos.org/

matthew c. lamanna, carnegie museum of natural history...immigration from south america –but when,...

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