2016 Palaeontological Predictions and Wishes

[Sim]

• A carnivorous sauropod, ornithopod, etc.  If Chilesaurus diegosuarezi showed us that theropods can be herbivorous, then there must be carnivorous counterparts of sauropods or ornithopods out there somewhere!

Chilesaurus isn't the first theropod found to be a herbivore - Limusaurus and therizinosaurs have been found to be herbivorous theropods before Chilesaurus.  I don't think that a group of dinosaurs having members with a diet different to most other members of that group means the same must be true for any other group.

Theropoda is equivalent to Sauropodomorpha, not Sauropoda, and the most basal sauropodomorphs appear to be omnivorous, e.g. Panphagia, and if it is one, Eoraptor.

[Kovu]

Even if it is legal to name a dinosaur after Indominus Rex, I hope no paleontologist ever does so.

Although it would be funny if some entomologist gave that name to a flesh-eating maggot or a parasite of some type.

Ooooor... they name some new five-foot long, forty pounds soaking wet, hypsilophodont Indominus rex. That way, both sides of the aisle can have their cake... and meltdowns too.

[stargatedalek]

Theropoda is equivalent to Sauropodomorpha, not Sauropoda, and the most basal sauropodomorphs appear to be omnivorous, e.g. Panphagia, and if it is one, Eoraptor.

I meant young literally, not evolutionarily. Sorry in advance if that wasn't in reply to my comment.

[Sim]

Theropoda is equivalent to Sauropodomorpha, not Sauropoda, and the most basal sauropodomorphs appear to be omnivorous, e.g. Panphagia, and if it is one, Eoraptor.

I meant young literally, not evolutionarily. Sorry in advance if that wasn't in reply to my comment.

It wasn't in reply to your comment.  If it was I would've quoted your post.  But no worries!

[DinoLord]

• A carnivorous sauropod, ornithopod, etc.  If Chilesaurus diegosuarezi showed us that theropods can be herbivorous, then there must be carnivorous counterparts of sauropods or ornithopods out there somewhere!

Chilesaurus isn't the first theropod found to be a herbivore - Limusaurus and therizinosaurs have been found to be herbivorous theropods before Chilesaurus.  I don't think that a group of dinosaurs having members with a diet different to most other members of that group means the same must be true for any other group.

Ecologically speaking, there's a higher chance of a member of a traditionally carnivorous group evolving herbivory than a member of a traditionally herbivorous group evolving carnivory. The former situation would be selected for if there were a lack of prey resources while the latter would be selected in the case of a lack of plant resources but available prey resources (a much more unlikely set of circumstances).

[stargatedalek]

The only situation I could see an herbivore becoming a carnivore is an aquatic one.

[antorbitalfenestrae]

All I want is (1) new Utahraptor material is published and (2) we finally figure out (to the best of our ability) what the heck is up with Spinosaurus. That's not too much to ask, right?

[Nanuqsaurus]

All I want is (1) new Utahraptor material is published and (2) we finally figure out (to the best of our ability) what the heck is up with Spinosaurus. That's not too much to ask, right?

I just hope they'll find a complete Spinosaurus sometime. I want to know if the legs really were that short... for some reason I still can't really get used to the 2014 Spinosaurus. Of course I'd accept that it looked like that when there's more proof, but it just looks so weird to me.

[Sim]

It's not the short legs of the 2014 Spinosaurus reconstruction that I think are dubious, it's things like the length of the torso and that it is quadrupedal that I think are dubious.  It does incorporate parts from different species too.  I would like to see Spinosaurus's anatomy become better understood as it seems to be an unusual and interesting dinosaur, but at this point I'd most like this because I think it's got to the point where what people think about Spinosaurus is based almost entirely on speculation.   I think a less fragmentary specimen is needed to understand Spinosaurus better though.

[stargatedalek]

The short legs are one of the few things we actually do have irrefutable proof of, but aside from that I don't much care for Ibrahim's reconstruction either. Being quadrupedal is just so unlikely, that paired with their suggestions of it being a paddler despite the legs proportions and density suggesting otherwise leads me to feel like they just reconstructed it how it first came to mind with short legs.

[suspsy]

I still like Darren Naish's suggestion that it walked like a giant pangolin with its front paws just barely touching the ground.

[antorbitalfenestrae]

There was also what Andrea Cau said about it walking with its head pulled back and more perpendicular to the ground, thereby shifting its center of gravity so that it could walk bipedally more easily. I like that idea, it makes sense with the anatomy (way more than knuckle-walking lol).

Other hopes I forgot about:

• Quetzalcoatlus sp. finally described
• a basal ornithodiran, early dinosaur, or early pterosaur found with integument
• a Permian synapsid found with integument

[stargatedalek]

Only problem with that is the atrophied leg muscles which suggest it wasn't walking at all, even completely ignoring the leg length or the balance.

[E.D.G.E. (PainterRex)]

I hope even more ceratopsians are discovered, minus the two just released.
Perhaps some giants or midgets of dinosauria again? Giant versions of small animals, and small versions of large ones? That would be neat!

[stargatedalek]

I predict Machairoceratops will be placed within Diabloceratops, possibly as a new species.

[Yutyrannus]

3. At least one entirely new genus will be named from the Yixian Formation

I got one !
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14772019.2015.1129518

Also...

5. At least two new odd ceratopsians will be discovered, probably in either Utah or Alberta

Halfway there... .

[Sim]

I wasn't expecting any of what I listed to happen this year, but...

- The new Utahraptor fossil finds published.

Well, some of it has been!

- What group of dinosaurs megaraptorans belong to become clear.

It looks like this has happened.  I wasn't expecting megaraptorans to actually be allosauroids, but it seems they are and happened to evolve some tyrannosauroid-like features independently.  I'm still getting used to thinking of them as allosauroids again.  Known megaraptoran skull material does show they didn't have 'generic' allosauroid heads though.

[soft tissue]

in regards to new Utahraptor material, the mass death assemblage ('mass death' meaning Utahraptor specimens of varying ontogenetic stages and two iguanodont-grade hadrosauroids) that Jim Kirkland announced a few years back has been described -- the sedimentology, lithography, and preserved animals are discussed and described at length. lots of full-colour plates.

[Halichoeres]

in regards to new Utahraptor material, the mass death assemblage ('mass death' meaning Utahraptor specimens of varying ontogenetic stages and two iguanodont-grade hadrosauroids) that Jim Kirkland announced a few years back has been described -- the sedimentology, lithography, and preserved animals are discussed and described at length. lots of full-colour plates.

Awesome, thanks for sharing!

[Sim]

in regards to new Utahraptor material, the mass death assemblage ('mass death' meaning Utahraptor specimens of varying ontogenetic stages and two iguanodont-grade hadrosauroids) that Jim Kirkland announced a few years back has been described -- the sedimentology, lithography, and preserved animals are discussed and described at length. lots of full-colour plates.

Awesome, thanks for sharing!

I made a thread about this yesterday : http://dinotoyblog.com/forum/index.php?topic=5014.0