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Tapejara had great eyesight

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  • 30-08-2011 5:06pm
    #1
    Adam Khor
    Registered Users Posts: 5,279 ✭✭✭


    A new study of several Tapejara wellnhoferi skulls suggest that the creature had great eyesight despite its relatively small eyes; it seems that there are new remains so well preserved that it allowed for a CT scan of the braincase, revealing a very large optic lobe. It also had a highly developed balancing system, which was to be expected from a flying creature.

    Unfortunately, the paper isn´t available to us mere mortals.

    tapejara_wellnhoferi_01_a.jpg
    Tagged:


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    #2
    GWolf
    Closed Accounts Posts: 412 ✭✭GWolf


    Do you have the authors name or paper title? If you remind me around early October I MIGHT be able to get a hold of it. No promises, but I'll be back in Uni then and we have access to most of these papers.

    It doesn't surprise me though. Pterosaurs have a broadly similar set up to birds, so you'd expect good vision to be standard


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    #3
    Adam Khor
    Registered Users Posts: 5,279 ✭✭✭Adam Khor


    GWolf wrote: »
    Do you have the authors name or paper title? If you remind me around early October I MIGHT be able to get a hold of it. No promises, but I'll be back in Uni then and we have access to most of these papers.

    It doesn't surprise me though. Pterosaurs have a broadly similar set up to birds, so you'd expect good vision to be standard

    Yeah, I'm not surprised either, but thought I'd share anyhow. The paper is called "On the osteology of Tapejara wellnhoferi KELLNER 1989 and
    the first occurrence of a multiple specimen assemblage
    from the Santana Formation, Araripe Basin, NE-Brazil"
    Actually, Jim Kirkland told me that the paper on what Utahraptor really was like would be published in October- now if u can get that one, it would be even better! :D


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    #4
    GWolf
    Closed Accounts Posts: 412 ✭✭GWolf


    Adam Khor wrote: »
    Yeah, I'm not surprised either, but thought I'd share anyhow. The paper is called "On the osteology of Tapejara wellnhoferi KELLNER 1989 and
    the first occurrence of a multiple specimen assemblage
    from the Santana Formation, Araripe Basin, NE-Brazil"
    Actually, Jim Kirkland told me that the paper on what Utahraptor really was like would be published in October- now if u can get that one, it would be even better! :D

    PM me around publishing time.

    I didn't realise there was still that much debate about Utahraptor to be honest. Then again, I've never tried to keep up with dromaeosaurs


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    #5
    Adam Khor
    Registered Users Posts: 5,279 ✭✭✭Adam Khor


    GWolf wrote: »
    PM me around publishing time.

    I didn't realise there was still that much debate about Utahraptor to be honest. Then again, I've never tried to keep up with dromaeosaurs

    There isn´t. But new remains were found and according to Kirkland, it changes everything we thought about Utahraptor- for starters that it wasn´t a lean fast runner but a massive "powerhouse", able to "knock a house down" (his own words) and with a very different skull.


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