Anusuya Chinsamy-Turan

University of Cape Town | UCT · Department of Biological Sciences

Palaeoecological deductions are vital for understanding the evolution and diversification of species within prehistoric environments. This review highlights the multitude of ways in which the microanatomy and microscopic structure of bones enables palaeoecological deductions. The occurrence of growth marks in bones is discussed, and their usefulnes...

The Lower Cretaceous fossil site of Las Hoyas (Cuenca, Spain) has yielded the richest Cretaceous avifauna of the European continent. We describe a new fossil (MUPA-LH-33333) of an enantiornithine bird from this locality. This specimen consists of a partially articulated skeleton preserving portions of the vertebral column, both girdles and limbs, r...

Despite the recognition that bone histology provides much information about the life history and biology of extinct animals, osteohistology of extinct marsupials is sorely lacking. We studied the bone histology of the ca. 15-million-year-old Nimbadon lavarackorum from Australia to obtain insight into its biology. The histology of thin sections of f...

Here we examine the tibial microstructure of modern and fossil angulate tortoises to assess the histology and growth from the late Miocene–early Pliocene, Pleistocene through to modern forms. The cross-sections of all the tibiae sampled revealed highly vascularized, uninterrupted, fibrolamellar bone tissue during early ontogeny, which suggests that...

The reconstruction of life history traits, such as growth rate, age at maturity and age at death can be estimated from the histological analysis of long bones. Here, we studied 20 long bones (metapodials, tibia and femora) of Sivatherium hendeyi and Giraffa cf. Giraffa jumae recovered from the Miocene-Pliocene locality of Langebaanweg on the West C...

Until recently, only one mosasaur was identified in South Africa based on disarticulated skull bones including two dentary fragments and a frontal with articulated elements. These were discovered in 1901 in Pondoland, Eastern Cape and were initially described by Broom in 1912 when he assigned them to Tylosaurus capensis . Aside from this specimen,...

The burrowing adaptations of the appendicular system of African mole-rats (Bathyergidae) have been comparatively less investigated than their cranial adaptations. Because bathyergids exhibit different digging modes (scratch-digging and chisel-tooth digging) and social systems (from solitary to highly social), they are a unique group to assess the e...

We describe the most complete postcranial remains of a pathological, large-bodied sabretooth from the Lower Pliocene site of Langebaanweg ‘E’ Quarry (South Africa). The skeleton consists of hind limb and vertebral elements that exhibit distinctive exostoses, osteophytes and eburnation. We performed a quantitative morphological comparison of the new...

The proximal femoral morphology in rodents of different body sizes, locomotor modes, and from the three main rodent lineages (Sciuromorpha, Myomorpha, and Hystricomorpha) exhibit a separated condition of the femoral head and greater trochanter. We assessed the femoral ossification of eight species of all six genera of a subterranean lineage of mamm...

The late Miocene Dromornis stirtoni is the largest of the giant flightless dromornithid birds. Here, we studied 22 long bones (femora, tibiotarsi, tarsometatarsi) of D. stirtoni to assess its osteohistology to deduce various aspects of its life history. Our results show that D. stirtoni took several years (likely, more than a decade), to reach adul...

Ibises (order: Pelecaniformes, family: Threskiornithidae) are probe‐foraging birds that use ‘remote‐touch’ to locate prey items hidden in opaque substrates. This sensory capability allows them to locate their prey using high‐frequency vibrations in the substrate in the absence of other sensory cues. Remote‐touch is facilitated by a specialised bill...

We name and describe a new iguanodontian dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous Kirkwood Formation, Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. This dinosaur is one of only two ornithopod dinosaurs known from the Cretaceous of southern Africa, and is unique in being represented primarily by hatchling to young juvenile individuals as demonstrated by bone histo...

We present a detailed histological study of long bones from an ontogenetic series of Mussaurus patagonicus, an early sauropodomorph from the Lower Jurassic of Argentina. Twenty long bones, including humeri, femora and fibulae, obtained from 13 individuals of different body sizes were sampled for histological analysis. In general terms, the cortical...

Life underground has constrained the evolution of subterranean mammals to maximize digging performance. However, the mechanisms modulating morphological change and development of fossorial adaptations in such taxa are still poorly known. We assessed the morpho-functional diversity and early postnatal development of fossorial adaptations (bone super...

We investigate the bone histology of multiple skeletal elements of dinocephalian taxa from the middle Permian Tapinocephalus Assemblage Zone of the Karoo Basin of South Africa. The results show that the cortex is predominantly composed of fibrolamellar bone, suggesting rapid osteogenesis for these basal non-mammalian therapsids. However, in a few s...

Here we examine the bone histology of multiple skeletal elements of three individuals of Jonkeria from the middle Permian Tapinocephalus Assemblage Zone of the Karoo Basin of South Africa. Our histological results reveal a predom�inance of highly vascularized, uninterrupted fibrolamellar bone tissue, which suggests rapid periosteal bone deposition...

Pterosaurs reached only modest sizes in the Triassic-Jurassic. By contrast, the Cretaceous saw a trend toward large to giant size (2 m to >6 m wingspans), and while small-medium (<1 m to 2 m wingspans) sized forms are known from the Lower Cretaceous they are rare in the Upper Cretaceous. This pattern has been ascribed to the appearance of birds in...

Despite its abundance in the Permian fossil record of South Africa, little is known about the life history of Anteosaurus. Here we examine the bone microstructure of multiple skeletal elements of Anteosaurus from the Tapinocephalus Assemblage Zone of the Karoo Basin. The bone histology of Anteosaurus magnificus reveals that the cortex is composed o...

We studied the bone and dental histology of the tri-dactyl equid Eurygnathohippus hooijeri, one of the most iconic mammals found at the world-renowned Pliocene site of Langebaanweg, South Africa, to reconstruct important features of its life history. Our results show that key life-history events, such as weaning, skeletal maturity and reproductive...

The bone microstructure of extinct animals provides a host of information about their biology. Although the giant flightless dromornithid, Genyornis newtoni, is reasonably well known from the Pleistocene of Australia (until its extinction about 50–40 Ka), aside from various aspects of its skeletal anatomy and taxonomy, not much is known about its b...

The current study examined burnt and unburnt tibiae of angulate tortoises from the intermediate and late Howiesons Poort levels at Diepkloof Rock Shelter (DRS) of Western Cape, South Africa to ascertain heat‐induced osteohistological changes. Three types of bone damage caused by fire were recognised: i) external colour change in the bones but other...

Bone histology has proved to be a valuable tool to obtain information about the palaeobiology and early taphonomic history of fossil vertebrates. However, there are still many extinct taxa for which bone histology studies could be applied to deduce information about their life history and early diagenetic changes. Here, we partially fill this gap b...

The pattern of bone remodeling of one of the most peculiar mammals in the world, the naked mole‐rat (NMR), was assessed. NMRs are known for their long lifespans among rodents and for having low metabolic rates. We assessed long‐term in vivo bone labeling of subordinate individuals, as well as the patterns of bone resorption and bone remodeling in a...

Here we examine the bone histology of the femora and humeri of the Western Grey Kangaroo, Macropus fuliginosus. Our results reveal that bone modelling in response to ontogenetic growth and the development of tuberosities on the femur, and especially in the humerus, lead to a highly complex histology. We propose that the alternating fast and slow ra...

Lacking fur, living in eusocial colonies and having the longest lifespan of any rodent, makes naked mole‐rats (NMRs) rather peculiar mammals. Although they exhibit a high degree of polymorphism, skeletal plasticity are considered a novel model to assess the effects of delayed puberty on the skeletal system, scarce information on their morphogenesis...

Some probe-foraging birds locate their buried prey by detecting mechanical vibrations in the substrate using a specialized tactile bill-tip organ comprising mechanoreceptors embedded in densely clustered pits in the bone at the tip of their beak. This remarkable sensory modality is known as ‘remote touch’, and the associated bill-tip organ is found...

Identification of faunal remains at archaeological sites is often daunting for many archaeologists and in many cases involves the identification and interpretation of burnt bone. Thermally altered bones are key components of such sites, offer vital information on prehistoric cremation practices, as well as how prehistoric humans exploited animals f...

The anatomy and histology of several dinosaur skeletal elements recovered from the Early Jurassic Upper Elliot Formation (UEF) of South Africa are examined. Anatomical comparisons with similar dinosaurs, geological provenance, and association suggest that we are dealing with the remains of a single or multiple individuals of an undetermined basal s...

Given that the biology of the recently extinct aepyornithids is poorly understood, we undertook a histological study of 29 skeletal elements of adult and juvenile specimens of Aepyornithidae, i.e. Aepyornis maximus, Aepyornis hildebrandti and Vorombe titan, in addition to a group of taxonomically unidentifiable juvenile Aepyornithiformes. Comparati...

This study investigates three presumed fractured phocid seal bones: An isolated metapodial and an ulna belonging to different individuals of the extinct phocid, Homiphoca capensis, from Langebaanweg and a mandible of a juvenile elephant seal (Mirounga leonina), which was included to assess the validity of the assumption that changes to bones caused...

The current study deduced the growth pattern and lifestyle habits of Chersina angulata based on bone histology and cross-sectional geometry of limb bones. Femora, humeri, and tibiae of seven different-sized individuals representing different ontogenetic stages were assessed to determine the interelement and intraskeletal histological variation with...

Crested vertebrates are known from a wide variety of modern and fossil taxa, however, the actual formation and function of the crest is still debatable. Among modern birds, the globally distributed guinea fowl (Numida meleagris) is characterized by having a cranial bony crest (overlain by keratin), but surprisingly little is known about its develop...

More than a thousand specimens of Confuciusornis sanctus have been recovered from the Early Cretaceous Jehol Group of Northeastern China. Here, we investigate the bone microstructure of 33 long bones sampled from 14 C. sanctus specimens in an attempt to assess the life history patterns of this basal pygostylian bird. Analysis of the histology of va...

Dicynodonts were herbivorous non-mammalian synapsids that were relatively abundant on the landmass of Pangea from the Mid Permian to Late Triassic. The dicynodont genus Endothiodon is well known from late Permian strata of the Karoo Basin of South Africa. It is characterised by replacement waves of internal tooth rows on the premaxilla and dentary;...

The current study investigates the limb-bone histology and cross-sectional geometry of the angulate tortoise, Chersina angulata in order to deduce their growth pattern and lifestyle habits. Femora, humeri and tibiae of seven individuals of different ontogenetic stages were studied to assess inter-elemental and intraskeletal histological variation w...

Background: Subterranean mammals show a suite of musculoskeletal adaptations that enables efficient digging. However, little is known about their development. We assessed ontogenetic changes in functionally relevant skeletal traits, and ossification patterns (periosteal and endochondral bone modules) in a truly subterranean scratch-digging rodent,...

Recent discoveries of new oviraptorosaurs revealed their high diversity from the Cretaceous Period in Asia and North America. Particularly, at the family level, oviraptorids are among the most diverse theropod dinosaurs in the Late Cretaceous of Mongolia and China. A new oviraptorid dinosaur Gobiraptor minutus gen. et sp. nov. from the Upper Cretac...

Strict consensus of 24 most parsimonious trees of 652 steps with synapomorphies obtained by TNT. (TIF)

Selected measurements of the holotype specimen (MPC-D 102/111) of Gobiraptor minutus gen. et sp. nov. (XLSX)

Additional images of the cranial elements of the holotype specimen (MPC-D 102/111) of Gobiraptor minutus gen. et sp. nov. (A) Premaxillae and left maxilla in ventral view. (B) Right premaxilla in lateral view. (C) Right quadratojugal and quadrate in lateral view. (D) Rostral region of the mandible in caudal (D) view. (E-F) Caudal region of the righ...

Additional images of the postcranial elements of the holotype specimen (MPC-D 102/111) of Gobiraptor minutus gen. et sp. nov. (A-B) Left femur in caudal (A) and medial (B) views. (C) Right humerus in cranial view. (D) Right ilium in medial view. (E) Left metatarsal I and pedal digit I in medial view. (F) Left pedal digit IV in lateral view. Abbrevi...

Data matrix of Oviraptorosauria and outgroups used in this study (modified from Lü et al. [20]). (DOCX)

The site of Altan Uul III where the holotype specimen (MPC-D 102/111) of Gobiraptor minutus gen. et sp. nov. was found in 2008. (TIF)

This analysis of the long bone microstructure of Antetonitrus ingenipes fills a crucial gap in our understanding of the growth dynamics of sauropodomorph dinosaurs. The bone histology of basal Sauropodomorpha are often characterized by zonal tissue, and contrasts with that of more derived sauropod taxa which show a shift toward the deposition of un...

Langebaanweg (LBW) is a world-renowned paleontological site from the early Pliocene (c.a. 5.2 Ma) located in the west Coast of South Africa. It has yielded one of the largest Mio-Pliocene collections of terrestrial and marine fauna from Africa, including at least 19 taxa of carnivorous mammals. Most of the small forms were previously diagnosed as i...

The patterns of bone modeling and mineral mobilization (skeletal homeostasis) among mammals other than humans and laboratory rodents are still poorly known. In this study we assessed the pattern of bone formation and bone resorption in the femur of a wild population of Cape dune molerats, Bathyergus suillus ( n = 41) (Bathyergidae), a solitary subt...

Histomorphometric and microanatomical measurements of cortical bone used in this study (see text).

Analytical palaeohistology techniques have allowed a better understanding of the microstructure of fossil bone, as well as of bone pathologies of extinct animals. Osteomyelitis is one of the oldest identified bone pathologies, occurring in Synapsida dating back as far as the Lower Permian. Here we show the presence of this pathology in the femur of...

The dodo, Raphus cucullatus, a flightless pigeon endemic to Mauritius, became extinct during the 17th century due to anthropogenic activities. Although it was contemporaneous with humans for almost a century, little was recorded about its ecology. Here we present new aspects of the life history of the dodo based on our analysis of its bone histolog...

This study examines the bone microstructure of a fossorial mammal to assess its bone dynamics (formation and resorption), and fills an important gap in understanding sex differences in mammalian bone biology. We provide a comprehensive histological description of the (re)modeling processes occurring in the cortex, including bone microanatomy and hi...

The several refugee crises, the continuous degradation of the environment, and the nativism of some influential religious and political sectors are bringing about a new era of activism in some sectors of society. Given the deep-time perspective, the international nature of palaeontology, the exposure through field work and museum visits to intercul...

Genuine fossils with exquisitely preserved plumage from the Late Jurassic and Early Cretaceous of northeastern China have recently revealed that bird-like theropod dinosaurs had long pennaceous feathers along their hindlimbs and may have used their four wings to glide or fly. Thus, it has been postulated that early bird flight might initially have...

A study of the anatomy and morphology of a fossil skeleton indicates the overall size, posture, and form of the animal. Even various functional aspects of the skeleton such as preferred mode of locomotion and chewing mechanisms can be deduced from such studies. But the desire to understand dinosaurs as dynamic, once-living animals and not merely as...

Sauropod dinosaurs include the largest terrestrial animals and are considered to have uninterrupted rapid rates of growth, which differs from their more basal relatives, which have a slower cyclical growth. Here we examine the bone microstructure of several sauropodomorph dinosaurs, including basal taxa, as well as the more derived sauropods. Altho...

Numerous morphological studies have been carried out on pareiasaurs; yet their taxonomy and biology remain incompletely understood. Earlier works have suggested that these herbivorous parareptiles had a short juvenile period as compared to the duration of adulthood. Several studies further suggested an (semi-) aquatic lifestyle for these animals, b...

Patterns of bone development in mammals are best known from terrestrial and cursorial groups, but there is a considerable gap in our understanding of how specializations for life underground affect bone growth and development. Likewise, studies of bone microstructure in wild populations are still scarce, and they often include few individuals and t...

Here we describe a new record of a sauropod dinosaur from the Lower Cretaceous (Hauterivian-Barremian) Rio Piranhas Formation, Sousa Basin, NE Brazil. Dinosaur fossil bones from this deposit were unknown until now. Thus, the discovery of a sauropod fibula from this locality is highly significant. Our discovery represents an indeterminate titanosaur...

The dromornithids were giant flightless birds endemic to Australia from the late Paleogene to the late Pleistocene. Dromornithids are generally considered to be divergent members of the Anseriformes, but they display many convergent features with extant ratites. In this study, we investigate Dromornis stirtoni from the Alcoota Local Fauna, a specie...