Endocranial anatomy of the ceratopsid dinosaur Triceratops and interpretations of sensory and motor function
Triceratops is one of the well-known Cretaceous ceratopsian dinosaurs. The ecology of Triceratops has been controversial because of its unique morphological features. However, arguments based on brain and inner ear structures have been scarce. In this study, two braincases (FPDM-V-9677 and FPDM-V-97...
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PeerJ Inc.
2020-09-01
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| Online Access: | https://peerj.com/articles/9888.pdf |
| _version_ | 1797418541137264640 |
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| author | Rina Sakagami Soichiro Kawabe |
| author_facet | Rina Sakagami Soichiro Kawabe |
| author_sort | Rina Sakagami |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Triceratops is one of the well-known Cretaceous ceratopsian dinosaurs. The ecology of Triceratops has been controversial because of its unique morphological features. However, arguments based on brain and inner ear structures have been scarce. In this study, two braincases (FPDM-V-9677 and FPDM-V-9775) were analyzed with computed tomography to generate three-dimensional virtual renderings of the endocasts of the cranial cavities and bony labyrinths. Quantitative analysis, including comparison of linear measurements of the degree of development of the olfactory bulb and inner ear, was performed on these virtual endocasts to acquire detailed neuroanatomical information. When compared with other dinosaurs, the olfactory bulb of Triceratops is relatively small, indicating that Triceratops had a reduced acuity in sense of smell. The lateral semicircular canal reveals that the basicranial axis of Triceratops is approximately 45° to the ground, which is an effective angle to display their horns as well as frill, and to graze. The semicircular canals of Triceratops are relatively smaller than those of primitive ceratopsians, such as Psittacosaurus and Protoceratops, suggesting that sensory input for the reflexive stabilization of gaze and posture of Triceratops was less developed than that of primitive ceratopsians. The cochlear length of Triceratops is relatively short when compared with other dinosaurs. Because cochlear length correlates with hearing frequency, Triceratops was likely adapted to hearing low frequencies. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T06:34:22Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-97a13f6125894bc78e4a321e15f174a8 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2167-8359 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T06:34:22Z |
| publishDate | 2020-09-01 |
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| spelling | doaj.art-97a13f6125894bc78e4a321e15f174a82023-12-03T11:00:26ZengPeerJ Inc.PeerJ2167-83592020-09-018e988810.7717/peerj.9888Endocranial anatomy of the ceratopsid dinosaur Triceratops and interpretations of sensory and motor functionRina Sakagami0Soichiro Kawabe1Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Fukui Prefectural University, Yoshida-gun, Eiheiji-cho, Fukui, JapanInstitute of Dinosaur Research, Fukui Prefectural University, Yoshida-gun, Eiheiji-cho, Fukui, JapanTriceratops is one of the well-known Cretaceous ceratopsian dinosaurs. The ecology of Triceratops has been controversial because of its unique morphological features. However, arguments based on brain and inner ear structures have been scarce. In this study, two braincases (FPDM-V-9677 and FPDM-V-9775) were analyzed with computed tomography to generate three-dimensional virtual renderings of the endocasts of the cranial cavities and bony labyrinths. Quantitative analysis, including comparison of linear measurements of the degree of development of the olfactory bulb and inner ear, was performed on these virtual endocasts to acquire detailed neuroanatomical information. When compared with other dinosaurs, the olfactory bulb of Triceratops is relatively small, indicating that Triceratops had a reduced acuity in sense of smell. The lateral semicircular canal reveals that the basicranial axis of Triceratops is approximately 45° to the ground, which is an effective angle to display their horns as well as frill, and to graze. The semicircular canals of Triceratops are relatively smaller than those of primitive ceratopsians, such as Psittacosaurus and Protoceratops, suggesting that sensory input for the reflexive stabilization of gaze and posture of Triceratops was less developed than that of primitive ceratopsians. The cochlear length of Triceratops is relatively short when compared with other dinosaurs. Because cochlear length correlates with hearing frequency, Triceratops was likely adapted to hearing low frequencies.https://peerj.com/articles/9888.pdfBrain endocastInner earTriceratops |
| spellingShingle | Rina Sakagami Soichiro Kawabe Endocranial anatomy of the ceratopsid dinosaur Triceratops and interpretations of sensory and motor function PeerJ Brain endocast Inner ear Triceratops |
| title | Endocranial anatomy of the ceratopsid dinosaur Triceratops and interpretations of sensory and motor function |
| title_full | Endocranial anatomy of the ceratopsid dinosaur Triceratops and interpretations of sensory and motor function |
| title_fullStr | Endocranial anatomy of the ceratopsid dinosaur Triceratops and interpretations of sensory and motor function |
| title_full_unstemmed | Endocranial anatomy of the ceratopsid dinosaur Triceratops and interpretations of sensory and motor function |
| title_short | Endocranial anatomy of the ceratopsid dinosaur Triceratops and interpretations of sensory and motor function |
| title_sort | endocranial anatomy of the ceratopsid dinosaur triceratops and interpretations of sensory and motor function |
| topic | Brain endocast Inner ear Triceratops |
| url | https://peerj.com/articles/9888.pdf |
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