Crocodile-like sensory scales in a Late Jurassic theropod dinosaur

Author(s)
Bell, Phil R
Hendrickx, Christophe
Publication Date
2020-10-05
Abstract
Early in amniote evolution, epidermal scales evolved in stem reptiles as an efficient barrier against water loss and ultraviolet radiation, making them a key development in the transition to a fully terrestrial existence [1]. Accordingly, epidermal scales are not simple inert structures but highly-evolved organs suited to perform a broad suite of functions. Here, we provide new data on the epidermal complexity of a non-avian theropod, <I>Juravenator starki</I>, from the Torleite Formation (upper Kimmeridgian), Bavaria, Germany [2]. Although epidermal scales have been noted previously on the tail of <I>Juravenator</I>, we report a unique scale type with distinctive circular nodes that we identify as integumentary sense organs, analogous to those in modern crocodylians. The surprising presence of such structures suggests the tail had a sensory function, which is nevertheless congruent with the inferred ecology of Juravenator and the evolution of integumentary sense organs among archosaurs.
Citation
Current Biology, 30(19), p. R1068-R1070
ISSN
1879-0445
0960-9822
Pubmed ID
33022234
Link
Language
en
Publisher
Cell Press
Title
Crocodile-like sensory scales in a Late Jurassic theropod dinosaur
Type of document
Journal Article
Entity Type
Publication

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