Kentrosaurus: Difference between revisions

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There are two nearly complete [[Neurocranium|braincases]] known from ''Kentrosaurus'' though they exhibit some taphonomic distortion.<ref name=":2" /> The [[Frontal bone|frontals]] and [[Parietal bone|parietals]] are flat and broad, with the latter bearing two transversely concave ventral sides with a ridge running down the middle that divides them. The lateral surface of the frontals form part of the [[Orbit (anatomy)|orbit]] (eye socket) and the medial side creates the anterior part of the [[Endocranium|endocranial cavity]] (braincase). [[Basilar part of occipital bone|Basioccipitals]] (where the skull articulated with the cervical vertebrae) form the posterior floor of the brain and the [[Occipital condyles|occipital condyle]], which is large and spherical in ''Kentrosaurus''. The rest of the braincase is formed by the [[Sphenoid bone|presphenoid]] composing the anterior end. The overall braincase morphology is very similar to those of ''[[Tuojiangosaurus]]'', ''[[Huayangosaurus]]'', and ''[[Stegosaurus]]''. However, the occipital condyle is a closer distance to the [[Sphenoid bone|basisphenoid tubera]] (bone at the front of the braincase) in ''Kentrosaurus'' and ''Huayangosaurus'' than in ''Tuojiangosaurus'' and some specimens of ''Stegosaurus''. Due to dinosaurs having more molding in their braincases, [[Endocast|endocasts]] of ''Kentrosaurus'' can be reconstructed using the preserved fossils. The brain is relatively short, deep, and small, with a strong [[Cerebral cortex|cerebral]] and [[pontine flexures]] and a steeply inclined posterodorsal edge when compared to those of other ornithischians. There is a small dorsal projection in the endocast where an unossified (lacking bone) region between the top of the [[supraoccipital]] (bone at the top-back of the braincase) and overlying parietal that was likely covered in [[cartilage]]. This characteristic is seen in other ornithischians. Because of the prominent flexures, many of the aspects of the brain can only be interpreted by the present structures.<ref name=":2" />
[[File:Tuojiangosaurus multispinus.003 - Natural History Museum of London.JPG|thumb|A skull of the closely related ''[[Tuojiangosaurus]].'']]
In the [[mandible]] (lower jaw), only an incomplete right dentary is known from ''Kentrosaurus''.<ref>Hennig, E. (1936). Ein dentale von Kentrurosaurus aethiopicus Hennig. ''Palaeontographica-Supplementbände'', 309-312.</ref> The deep dentary is almost identical in shape to that of ''Stegosaurus'', albeit much smaller. Similarly, the tooth is a typical stegosaurian tooth, small with a widened base and vertical grooves creating five ridges. The dentary has 13 preserved [[Dental alveolus|alvelovi]] on the dorsomedial side and it they are slightly convex in lateral and dorsal views. On the surface adjacent to the alveoli, there is a shallow groove bearing small [[Vertebra|foramina]] (small openings in bone) that is similar to grooves on the dentary of the basal[[Cretaceous]] neornithischian ''[[Hypsilophodon]]'', with one foramina per tooth position. Stegosaurian teeth were small, triangular, and flat; wear facets show that they did grind their food.<ref name="FasWeis04">{{cite book |title=The Evolution and Extinction of the Dinosaurs |vauthors=Fastovsky DE, Weishampel DB |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=2005 |isbn=978-0-521-81172-9 |veditors=Fastovsky DE, Weishampel DB |edition=2nd |pages=107–30 |chapter=Stegosauria: Hot Plates}}</ref> A single complete cheek tooth is preserved, with a large crown and long root. The crown notably has fewer marginal [[Denticle (tooth feature)|denticles]] and a prominent [[Cingulum (tooth)|cingulum]] compared to ''Stegosaurus'', ''Tuojiangosaurus'', and ''Huayangosaurus''.<ref name=":2" />
 
===Postcrania===