2014 Palaeontological Predictions

[ZoPteryx]

We had one of these threads for 2013, so why not one for 2014?

Based on the latest SVP meeting up and coming papers include:      SPOILER ALERT!!!

- a peculiar pterosaur and some marine reptiles from Chile (Yury-Yanez et al)

NEW UPPER JURASSIC MARINE VERTEBRATES FROM A BONEBED IN
THE ATACAMA DESERT, NORTHERN CHILE
YURY-YÁÑEZ, Reptiles are represented by postcranial material referable to indeterminate cryptocleidian
plesiosaurs. Also, there is abundant material of thalattosuchian crocodyliforms including
cranial and postcranial remains. Among the firsts is a natural snout endocast of a
Metriorhynchidae preserving a portion of the rostrum, the nasopharyngeal ducts, the salt
glands and the left orbit. In addition, a large portion of the rostrum as well as part of the
skull referable to a novel form of ichthyosaur was recovered from the same beds. Finally,
we report remains of a new non-pterodactyloid pterosaur represented by a rostral portion
of a skull with remarkable heterodonty and a high skull with convex profile. The latter
comprises the first record of Upper Jurassic pterosaurs in Chile and one of the few
findings of the group in South America during this period.

- Jurassic North American drepanosaurids (Chure et al)

DREPANOSAURS IN THE DESERT: MULTIPLE SKELETONS OF A NEW
DREPANOSAURID FROM THE EOLIAN NUGGET SANDSTONE (?LATE
TRIASSIC - EARLY JURASSIC), SAINTS AND SINNERS QUARRY, UTAH:
MORPHOLOGY, RELATIONSHIPS, AND BIOSTRATIGRAPHIC
IMPLICATIONS
CHURE, Drepanosaurids are enigmatic diapsids from the Late Triassic of Asia, Europe, and
North America. Their remains have been found in floodplain, fissure fill, rift valley
lacustrine, and carbonate platform island settings. Here we report on a new form from the
Nugget Sandstone based on multiple three-dimensional, articulated skeletons with
disarticulated skulls, found lying side-by-side. They provide significant new insight into
the morphology and ecology of the group.  The new taxon combines diagnostic features of other drepanosaurids
(Dolabrosaurus, Megalancosaurus, and Drepanosaurus.) The Nugget form is most
closely related to Drepanosaurus. Synapomorphies with that genus include 1) short,
plate-like ulna, 2) greatly elongated radiale and ulnare replacing the ulna and forming
part of the forearm, 3) hypertrophied manual ungual II. Striking autapomorphies of the
new taxon are 1) large maxillary and dentary teeth reminiscent of Trilophosaurus in
being tall, much wider than long, and bearing small labiolingually arranged apical cusps,
2) manual digit I opposable and bearing hypertrophied ungual at least as large as that on
II, 3) large, well defined pleurocoels on posterior dorsal centra, 4) dorsal vertebrae
prezygapophyses fused into a narrow, midline process at the neural spine base. Striking
dimorphism is seen in the pes, with an abbreviated opposable digit I in some specimens
but not others. This dimorphism is not ontogenetic but may be sexual.
Drepanosaurids are generally viewed as arboreal and chameleon-like, but many
specializations in the Nugget taxon (and Drepanosaurus) are similar to adaptations for
burrowing and digging in extant small mammals and suggest a similar habit. In addition,
these are the first drepanosaurids from an erg environment, indicating drepanosaur
ecology was more diverse than previously envisioned.
The age of the Early Jurassic erg deposits in western North America is poorly
constrained due to lack of age diagnostic fossils or datable crystals. The Saints and
Sinners Quarry is approximately 55 m above the base of the eolian part of the Nugget,
within interdunal sediments situated between large cross-bedded eolian packages.
Elsewhere, drepanosaurids are restricted to the Late Carnian through Late Norian. These
Nugget drepanosaurids suggest that either a significant part of the formation is Triassic or
that the group extended into the Jurassic. In either case, the Nugget material is likely the
geologically youngest record of the group.

- new Titanoboa remains including skull material (Head et al), or has that already been published?

CRANIAL OSTEOLOGY, BODY SIZE, SYSTEMATICS, AND ECOLOGY OF
THE GIANT PALEOCENE SNAKE TITANOBOA CERREJONENSIS
HEAD, Titanoboa cerrejonensis from the Cerrejón Formation (middle to late Paleocene; 58-
60 My) of Colombia, is the largest known snake. The taxon was originally diagnosed,
assigned to the clade Boinae, and estimated to be approximately 12.8 m (±2.18 m) in total
body length on the basis of precloacal vertebral morphology and size, but the absence of
cranial remains prohibited a more precise size estimate and robust phylogenetic
hypothesis. Recent fieldwork in the type locality has resulted in the recovery of several
new specimens of Titanoboa including parts of the cranium and mandible (maxillae,
palatine, pterygoid, quadrate, dentary, and compound elements) associated with partial axial skeletons. We estimate skull length from cranial elements to be 40 cm, corresponding to a total body length of 14.3 m (±1.28 m) based on the scaling
relationship of head length to body length in the extant boine Eunectes. Phylogenetic
analyses of Titanoboa and extant macrostomatan snakes using cranial and postcranial
osteology, and including analyses incorporating a molecular scaffold for extant taxa,
supports boine affinities of Titanoboa, based on the extreme reduction of the palatine
choanal and posteromedial processes as well as vertebral anatomy. Within Boinae,
Titanoboa shares a close relationship with Pacific Island-Madagascan taxa. These results
are the first historical evidence linking Neotropical and Old World boines, and constrain
divergence timing of the clades to no younger than 58 My. Cranial elements of Titanoboa
possess unique features relative to other boids, including high palatal and marginal tooth
position counts, low-angled quadrate orientation, and reduced palatine-pterygoid and
pterygoid-quadrate articulations. These characters, combined with weakly ankylosed
teeth in Titanoboa, are characteristic of piscivorous feeding ecology in extant
caenophidian snakes. Preservation in the large-scale fluvial depositional environments of
the Cerrejón Formation, combined with the recovery of associated fossils of large
dipnoan and osteoglossomorph fishes, also suggests a dominantly piscivorous feeding
ecology for Titanoboa, which is unique among living and fossil boids.

- a basal centrosaurine from Alberta (Ryan et al)

A NEW RELICT BASAL CERATOPSID FROM THE OLDMAN FORMATION
(CAMPANIAN) OF ALBERTA WITH IMPLICATIONS FOR CENTROSAURINE
EVOLUTION
RYAN, *In 1937, C. M. Sternberg collected a disarticulated, partial skull of a ceratopsid
from the upper unit of the Campanian Oldman Formation (OF) of what is now the Milk
River Natural Area in southeastern Alberta (AB). He referred the specimen to
'Brachyceratops' based, in part, on the distinctive squamosal and the thin parietal lacking
epiossifications. Reexamination of the material identifies it as a subadult-sized centrosaur
(basal skull length 􀂧1m) with long postorbital horncores and a deep face. Long-grained
bone texture is present on all of the flattened surfaces, supporting a subadult age
designation. Both robust postorbital horncores are present and the complete right element
(~200 mm in length) has a round base; both have a shallow sinus at the base of the shaft,
and a modest medial inflection. As reconstructed, the base of each horn is oriented
anterolaterally so that their apices would have arced towards the midline. Although
neither nasal was recovered, the posterodorsal margin of the right premaxilla has an
expanded dorsal surface indicative of contact with at least a modest nasal ornamentation.
The large, flat parietal fragment is from the posterior right half of the frill and preserves a
portion of a straight posterior margin with 4 well-developed scallops. Parietal fenestrae, if
present, would have been small and confined to the anterior margin of the frill. A
phylogenetic analysis places the specimen as a basal long brow-horned centrosaur closely
related to Albertaceratops, Diabloceratops, and Xenoceratops, but its exact taxonomic
designation cannot be determined due to its immature status. However, the parietal
morphology suggests that it differs from these taxa in having loci for epiparietals
distributed evenly across a straight posterior margin. In southern Alberta, the upper unit
of the OF is time equivalent to the lower Dinosaur Park Formation (DPF) in the region of
Dinosaur Provincial Park (DPP) ~200 km to the north, making the specimen ~1 Ma
younger than Albertaceratops and contemporaneous with Centrosaurus that is known
from both the upper OF of southern AB and the DPF of DPP. This indicates that basal
centrosaurs persisted in Laramidia much longer (~79 to 76 Ma) than previously thought
and overlapped temporally with the short brow-horned centrosaurs. Their rarity in wellsampled
sediments suggests that they may have had different ecological preferences than
the latter group, and may not have formed large aggregations prone to mass death events.

- a new prosauropod from Antarctica (Smith et al)

ANATOMY OF A NEW SAUROPODOMORPH DINOSAUR FROM THE EARLY
JURASSIC HANSON FORMATION OF ANTARCTICA
SMITH, Recent field work in the Beardmore Glacier region of Antarctica recovered new
dinosaur material from the Early Jurassic Hanson Formation. New U-Pb zircon dates of
~194.0 Ma help constrain the site's age. In addition to new material of Glacialisaurus
hammeri, two new species of sauropodomorph were identified, one of which is
represented by a nearly complete skeleton. Recent preparation has produced a skull,
partial braincase, and articulated manus of this specimen. Lack of neurocentral fusion,
highly vascularized fibrolamellar bone, and absence of distinct lines of arrested growth
all indicate the specimen is a juvenile. Several features on the distal femur (an extensor
fossa, absence of a medial epicondylar crest, transversely narrow tibiofibular crest)
distinguish the new sauropodomorph from Glacialisaurus. Potential autapomorphies of
the new Antarctic taxon include: the presence of enlarged foramina within the maxilla narial fossa, a pronounced proximal femoral sulcus, and a robust anteromedial fibular flange. Several characters imply a close relationship to Ignavusaurus from the Early
Jurassic of South Africa, including: a transversely wide ventral ramus of the postorbital,
elongate chevrons, and a bulbous, hemispherical femoral head. However, the fact that the
new taxon and Ignavusaurus are known from juvenile specimens warrants caution in
interpreting synapomorphic features that may vary ontogenetically (e.g., femoral size).
The Antarctic taxon may fall outside of Massospondylidae, a ubiquitous sauropodomorph
group (including Glacialisaurus) globally distributed in the Early Jurassic.
Massospondylidae synapomorphies lacking in the new taxon include: a slot-shaped
subnarial foramen, a weakly developed antorbital fossa on the maxillary ascending
ramus, an extremely robust metacarpal I and elongate manual first digit, and elongate
cervical centra. However, the skull of the Antarctic taxon displays a number of traits
found in Massospondylidae or more inclusive clades (e.g., shortened lacrimal anterior
ramus, elongate prefrontal ventral ramus, jugal contribution to the antorbital fenestra,
finely wrinkled tooth enamel), providing additional evidence for high levels of
homoplasy previously documented in sauropodomorph phylogenetic datasets. Coupled
with the massospondylid Glacialisaurus and an additional new sauropodomorph closely
allied to Leonerasaurus, this taxon adds to Hanson Formation dinosaur diversity, and
provides new support for mosaicism in early sauropodomorph character evolution.

- a feathered East Asian ornithopod (Godefroit et al)

FEATHER-LIKE STRUCTURES AND SCALES IN A JURASSIC
NEORNITHISCHIAN DINOSAUR FROM SIBERIA
GODEFROIT, Recent discoveries in Middle–Late Jurassic and Early Cretaceous deposits from
northeastern China have revealed that numerous theropod dinosaurs were covered by
feathers. Furthermore, filamentous integumentary structures were also recently described
in rare Early Cretaceous ornithischian dinosaurs from Liaoning Province in China.
Whether these filaments can be regarded as epidermal and therefore part of the
evolutionary lineage towards feathers remains controversial. Here we describe a new
basal neornithischian dinosaur, based on isolated bones and partial skeletons collected in
two monospecific bonebeds from the Middle–Late Jurassic Kulinda locality in the
Transbaikal region (Russia). Varied integumentary structures were found directly
associated with skeletal elements, supporting the hypothesis that simple filamentous
feathers, as well as compound feather-like structures comparable to those in theropods,
were widespread amongst the whole dinosaur clade. Moreover, scales along the distal
tibia and on the foot closely resemble the secondarily-appearing pedal scales in extant
birds. More surprisingly, dorso-ventral movements of the tail were prevented by large
imbricated scales on its dorsal surface. It is hypothesized that, at the same time early
feathers evolved within the whole dinosaur clade, genetic mechanisms limiting the
growth of long epidermal structures on the distal portion of the hind limb and on the tail
were selected as they facilitate bipedal terrestrial locomotion.

- Deinocheirus bodies will be published (Lee et al)

NEW SPECIMENS OF DEINOCHEIRUS MIRIFICUS FROM THE LATE
CRETACEOUS OF MONGOLIA
LEE, The holotype of Deinocheirus mirificus was collected by the Polish-Mongolian
Palaeontological Expedition at Altan Uul III in 1965. Because the holotype was known
mainly on the basis of giant forelimbs with scapulocoracoids, Deinocheirus has remained
one of the most mysterious dinosaurs. Two new specimens of Deinocheirus were
discovered in the Nemegt Formation of Altan Uul IV in 2006 and Bugin Tsav in 2009 by
members of the Korea-Mongolia International Dinosaur Expedition (KID). Except for the
skull, middle dorsal and most of the distal caudal vertebrae, the right forelimb, left
manus, and both pedes, the remaining parts of the skeleton (Mongolian Paleontological
Center [MPC]-D 100/127) including a left forelimb clearly identifiable as Deinocheirus
were collected. The humerus (993 mm in length) is longer than the 938 mm humerus of
the holotype. The Altan Uul IV specimen (MPC-D 100/128) is a subadult Deinocheirus
(approximately 72% of MPC-D 100/127), which consists of post-cervical vertebrae, ilia,
ischia, and hind limbs. Both specimens provide important paleontological evidence for
exact postcranial reconstruction of Deinocheirus mirificus. Cladistic analysis indicates
that Deinocheirus is a basal member of Ornithomimosauria, but many new unique skeletal features appear to be quite different from other ornithomimosaurs. These include extreme pneumaticity of tall, anterodorsally oriented distal dorsal neural spines (7~8
times taller than centrum height) with basal webbing, fused sacral neural spines forming a
midline plate of bone that extends dorsally up to 170% of the height of the ilium,
ventrally keeled sacral centra, a well-developed iliotibialis flange, a posterodorsally
projecting posterior iliac blade with a concave dorsal margin, a steeply raised anterior
dorsal margin of the ilium, an anteriorly inclined brevis shelf, vertically well-separated
iliac blades above the sacrum, an completely enclosed pubic obturator foramen,
triangular pubic boot in distal view, vertical ridges on anterior and posterior edges of
medial surface of the femoral head, and a robust femur that is longer than tibiotarsus.
These features suggest that Deinocheirus (unlike other ornithomimosaurs) was not a fastrunning
animal, but a bulky animal with a heavily built pelvis and hind limbs. However,
the dorsal ribs are tall and relatively straight, suggesting that the animal was narrowbodied.
A large number of gastroliths (>1100 ranging from 8 to 87 mm) were collected
from the abdominal region of MPC-D 100/127, suggesting Deinocheirus was an
herbivore.

- new specimens may revive Cathetosaurus (Mateus et al)

CATHETOSAURUS AS A VALID SAUROPOD GENUS AND COMPARISONS
WITH CAMARASAURUS
MATEUS, Here we report a nearly complete camarasaurid sauropod from Wyoming (Howe-
Stephens Quarry, Upper Morrison Formation), which shares three character states with
Camarasaurus lewisi that was originally described as its own genus, Cathetosaurus. The
shared states are the following, and are not present to the same degree in other
Camarasaurus species: i) the pelvis is rotated anteriorly, such that the pubis projects
posteroventrally, and the ischium projects posteriorly, ii) lateroventrally projecting spurs
in the neural spines of the last dorsals; iii) posterior cervical and anterior dorsal
diapophyses bearing an anterior projection lateral to the prezygapophysis.
Given the lack of a skull in the holotype specimen of Cathetosaurus lewisi, the new
specimen (Sauriermuseum Aathal specimen SMA 0002) adds considerable information,
which allows the recognition of several additional differences to known skulls. The
number of autapomorphies is herein considered enough to revive Cathetosaurus as a
genus distinct from Camarasaurus. Additional skull autapomorphies of Cathetosaurus
are: i) frontals with anterior midline projection into the nasals; ii) trapezoidal
supraoccipital (more expanded dorsally than ventrally), iii) lateral spur on the dorsal part
of the lacrimal, iv) fenestrated pterygoid; and v) the large pineal foramen between the
frontals.  Cathetosaurus shares with Camarasaurus (as camarasaurid synapomorphies) the
following characters: broad robust teeth, lacrimal with long axis directed anterodorsally,
anterior cervical neural spines bifid, twelve cervical vertebrae, quadratojugal with short
anterior ramus that does not extend anterior to the laterotemporal fenestra, posterior
cervical and anterior dorsal neural spines bifid, and scapular blade with rounded
expansion on the acromial side.  The genus Camarasaurus remains, at least, with the following autapomorphies:
conspicuous groove passing anteroventrally from the surangular foramen to the ventral
margin of the dentary, and anterior caudal neural spines broad transversely.
The body proportions of the new specimen are peculiar: the head is large, the limbs
are short when compared with the presacral vertebral column, the ribs are long, such that
the lower part of the ribcage is well below the knee level. These characters, and the
rotation of the pelvis provided larger gut volume to this taxon.

- the giant African abelisaurid will be described and named (Sertich et al)

A GIANT ABELISAURID THEROPOD FROM THE LATEST CRETACEOUS
OF NORTHERN TURKANA, KENYA
SERTICH, The African fossil record of Cretaceous non-marine vertebrates has expanded
significantly over the past two decades. However, these discoveries have been limited to
Lower and middle Cretaceous horizons with a conspicuous absence of fossils from the
latest Cretaceous, an interval of prolonged African isolation. Recently recovered
vertebrate fossils from the Lapurr Mountains of northwestern Turkana, Kenya, comprise
the first definitive non-marine fauna from this critical terminal Cretaceous interval. This
diverse fauna from the Lapurr sandstone ("Turkana Grits") has been dated to the
Maastrichtian and includes crocodyliforms, pterosaurs, and dinosaurs. Though
fragmentary, the dinosaur record includes at least two iguanodontian ornithopods, three
macronarian sauropods, and two large theropods. Here we report on one of these
theropods, a new abelisaurid that significantly expands the upper limits of body size in
ceratosaurians and represents the youngest diagnostic dinosaur material yet reported from
the Afro-Arabian continent.The new taxon is known from multiple isolated specimens including portions of the
skull, axial column, and appendicular skeleton. Referral of unassociated remains to a
single taxon is based on morphological consistency and on the recovery of specimens
from a narrow stratigraphic and geographic area. A comprehensive phylogenetic analysis
substantiates referral of the new Kenyan taxon to Abelisauridae based, among other
features, on the presence of a tall, rugose premaxilla, an anteroventrally inclined posterior
border of the postorbital, and a prominent dorsal projection of the parietals and
supraoccipital. An associated partial skull is strongly coossified, with a thickened but
weakly sculptured skull roof. Unlike many other abelisaurids, no prominent cranial
ornamentation is evident. As in other ceratosaurians, the astragalocalcaneum is
completely coossified and displays a prominent transverse sulcus on the anteroventral
surface. Like other abelisaurids, the ascending process is low and subrectangular,
separated from the anterior surface of the astragalus by a distinct fossa. Comparison of
preserved elements with those of other, more complete abelisaurids indicates that the new
taxon likely exceeded 11-12 meters in length. Furthermore, the presence of a largebodied
abelisaurid in the Kenyan fauna parallels many other Late Cretaceous Gondwanan
faunas, reflecting global early Late Cretaceous turnover from allosauroid and spinosaurid
dominated ecosystems.

- a Chinese Coelophysoid (You et al)

A NEW COELOPHYSOID THEROPOD DINOSAUR FROM THE EARLY
JURASSIC LUFENG FORMATION OF YUNNAN PROVINCE, CHINA
YOU, Coelophysoid dinosaurs are small- to medium-sized agile bipedal meat-eaters that
lived throughout much of Pangaea during Late Triassic–Early Jurassic time. They are
among the earliest well-documented dinosaurs and represent the first major radiation of
neotheropods. A recent study indicated that late Norian–Rhaetian theropod assemblages
were dominated by basal coelophysoids, whereas Early Jurassic ones were composed of
derived coelophysoids (i.e., the 'Syntarsus' + Coelophysis clade), dilophosaurids and
basal averostrans. However, despite the well-documented discoveries of derived
coelophysoids in North America and Africa, the coelophysoid material that has
previously been reported from Asia is limited to two specimens comprising only limb
fragments and perhaps belonging to one individual. Here we report a new coelophysoid
based on a well-preserved skeleton from the same rock unit, the Lower Jurassic Lufeng
Formation of Yunnan Province, China, that yielded both previously reported specimens.
The new specimen, Bureau of Land and Resources of Lufeng County (LFGZ) ZLJ0103,
is represented by an articulated partial skeleton that includes the cranium, the presacral vertebral column, part of the rib cage, the right scapula and partial right forelimb, part of the pelvic girdle and parts of both hind limbs, the right hind limb being almost complete.
It is distinguished from other coelophysoid theropods by the unique combination of the
following six character states: 1) large internal antorbital fenestra, 2) diagonal
(rostrodorsal-caudoventral) ridge on lateral surface of maxilla, within antorbital fossa, 3)
elliptical, laterally facing fenestra caudodorsal to aforementioned diagonal ridge, 4)
presence of promaxillary fenestra, 5) long maxillary body, and 6) hooked craniomedial
corner of distal tarsal IV. Cladistic analysis recovers (LFGZ) ZLJ0103 as a member of a
clade that also includes 'Syntarsus' and Coelophysis, and indicates that (LFGZ) ZLJ0103
is more closely related to Coelophysis than to 'Syntarsus'. (LFGZ) ZLJ0103 represents the
first well-preserved coelophysoid theropod dinosaur from Asia, and provides fresh
evidence supporting the hypothesis that terrestrial tetrapods tended to be distributed pancontinentally
during the Early Jurassic.

- new Utahraptor material will be described (not sure who)

Scott Hartman via DeviantArt:
"Do not restore the current skeletal reconstruction. Utahraptor does NOT look like this. It's stranger and less Deinonychus-like than I realized. "


So, this certainly isn't all that's going to be announced, what other great discoveries do you think will be made?

I predict:
- two new oviraptorsaurs from Asia
- at least one little feathered theropod from China that will muddy the bird-to-dino evolutionary line
- another unexpected soft tissue crest
- "Zunityrannus" will be made official
- two titanosaurs will be named solely from neck vertebrae
- the "Moon Goddess" lonchodectid pterosaur will be described
- Caudipteryx's colors will be determined

[Neven Florian]

Maybe a feathered sauropod
It would be so nice ( and strange)

[darylj]

I genuinely believe there must be feathered sauropods. I'm starting to think we should stop assuming feathers / fur are an odd / uncommon feature, and just think of them as the norm. So yeah, a fury sauropod would be nice

[tyrantqueen]

I genuinely believe there must be feathered sauropods. I'm starting to think we should stop assuming feathers / fur are an odd / uncommon feature, and just think of them as the norm. So yeah, a fury sauropod would be nice

Do you know how dangerous an angry sauropod would be?

[Balaur]

Nice Zopteryx! I was just thinking of making a 2014 prediction thread, but you beat me to it!
Here are my predictions -

1. A horned mammal from the Cretaceous will be found
2. A fossil of a therizinosaur will be discovered in Alaska (footprints have been found in 2012)
3. Yuyrannus' true colours will be revealed.
4. A non-narrated version of Walkmg with Dinosaurs will be released.
5. New material of Balaur will be described.
6. The Deinocheirus skull that was stolen by poachers will be found. If not, then we find a new skull.
7. Saurolophus will be revealed to have a similar crest to Edmontosaurus.
8. An oviraptorid with peacock like feathers will be found in China.
9. A new Sciurumimus fossil will be found, likely an adult.
10. Azhdarchid fossils will be found in marine deposits.
11. Another mosasaur will be preserved with a tail fluke.
12. A shark like placoderm will be described.
13. Gorgosaurus will have a very small portion preserved with feathers.
14. More Hespwronycnus remains will be described.
15. Scientists will find an intresting but not so revolutionary  fossil, and the media will sensationalize it, saying that it is the most important find of the century.

So that's my predictions.

I genuinely believe there must be feathered sauropods. I'm starting to think we should stop assuming feathers / fur are an odd / uncommon feature, and just think of them as the norm. So yeah, a fury sauropod would be nice

Do you know how dangerous an angry sauropod would be?

Oh my god, yes. More dangerous than a tyrannosaur, you would be squished!

[Yutyrannus]

Here are my predictions for 2014:

1. New Utahraptor material will be described
2. A new dromaeosaur will be discovered in Africa.
3. A new abelisaur will be discovered in North America.
4. Some new Chinese feathered dinosaur.
5. Skull remains of Balaur will be found.
6. More remains of Titanoboa will be discovered.
7. Yutyrannus' true colors will be revealed.
8. Aurornis' true colors will be revealed.
9. A flightless azhdarchid will be discovered.
10. A new troodontid will be discovered in China with preserved feathers.

[ZoPteryx]

These are all great guesses everyone!

I've updated the first post with the corresponding abstracts of the papers, copied and pasted from the SVP list of abstracts, though I only included the last name of the first author.

9. A flightless azhdarchid will be discovered.

I too often wondered if any pterosaurs became flightless, the ancient Hawaiian Islands (now the Emperor Seamounts) may have been a good place to look.  Coincidentally, David Peters presented an abstract on the topic of flightless pterosaurs at the last SVP.

2. A fossil of a therizinosaur will be discovered in Alaska (footprints have been found in 2012)

Oooh I hadn't heard of this, do you have a link?

I genuinely believe there must be feathered sauropods. I'm starting to think we should stop assuming feathers / fur are an odd / uncommon feature, and just think of them as the norm. So yeah, a fury sauropod would be nice

Me too, at least as hatchlings.  If ornithischian fibers are analogous to theropod feathers, sauropodomorphs almost certainly had them at some point, phylogenetic bracketing ought to determine it.

[Balaur]

http://blog.everythingdinosaur.co.uk/blog/_archives/2012/09/30/potential-therizinosaur-track-discovered-in-alaska.html

Here it is!

[Splonkadumpocus]

First off, let's see how my 2013 predictions held up:

A new titanosaur will be described from Argentina, known from less than half a skeleton.

Three close calls, but this exact combination didn't show up. Overosaurus was too complete to count, Brasilotitan was from the wrong country, and Katapensaurus was a rebbachisaur.

A new ceratopsian from North America will be discovered or (more likely) split off from a preexisting taxon.

A lot of new ceratopsians were named this year, with Nasutoceratops getting the most press. None were split off from existing taxa though.

A new coelurosaur will be found in China, known from a complete skeleton with feather impressions. It will be relatively small.

Aurornis fits the description well enough.

There will be a conflict over privately-held dinosaur remains.

The "Dueling Dinosaurs" arguments probably qualify here.

Two taxa, at least one of which is fairly popular, will be lumped together or split apart, resulting in arguments ranging from reasonable debate to insults and name-calling all over the Internet and the paleontological community.

Euoplocephalus was split into several different genera, but the arguments failed to materialize. In fact, I'm surprised at the lack of a strong reaction, especially considering that everybody's Euoplocephalus models have to be referred to as Scolosaurus now.

I think I'll make the same predictions for next year, but change the first one to "South America in general".

[Splonkadumpocus]

15. Scientists will find an intresting but not so revolutionary  fossil, and the media will sensationalize it, saying that it is the most important find of the century.

OH YES THIS.

[Yutyrannus]

Hey, I got one right! Paul Sereno discovered a new dromaeosaur from Africa.

EDIT: Never mind, it is a noasaurid not a dromaeosaurid.

[Balaur]

4. A non-narrated version of Walkmg with Dinosaurs will be released.

I will put that up on the board.

[Yutyrannus]

4. A non-narrated version of Walkmg with Dinosaurs will be released.

I will put that up on the board.

Would Anzu fit this?

Scientists will find an intresting but not so revolutionary  fossil, and the media will sensationalize it, saying that it is the most important find of the century.

If so, then you already got two.

[Balaur]

Aw your right! So, another point for me.

[Balaur]

6. The Deinocheirus skull that was stolen by poachers will be found. If not, then we find a new skull.

I am 3 for 15. I'm doing very well! Well, at least I have more than one right.

[Yutyrannus]

1. New Utahraptor material will be described

That's one for me .