Cranial neuranatomy, tooth recognition and tooth replacement rates in turiasaur sauropod dinosaurs from Lower Cretaceous material from Angea

Angeac-Charente is an Early Cretaceous dinosaur bonebed located in southwestern France. It has yielded tens of thousands of fossils, representing a snapshot of an ancient wetland ecosystem composed of lizards, birds, amphibians, mammals, fishes, flying reptiles, turtles, crocodiles and dinosaurs. One of the most conspicuous species of dinosaur found at Angeac-Charente is a giant sauropod belonging to Turiasauria. This proposal aims to investigate the internal anatomy of two cranial elements using X-ray synchrotron micro computed tomography: the braincase in order to reconstruct its endocast, the neuroanatomy and the internal ear, and the maxilla to access the morphology and microanatomy of unerupted teeth. All these biological characters have important functional implications, particularly in terms of cognitive abilities and feeding strategy. This data will shed light on the phylogeny and ecology of this dinosaur and help us to understand its role in a wetland ecosystem.

昂雅克-沙朗特（Angeac-Charente）是坐落于法国西南部的早白垩世恐龙骨床。该遗址已出土数万件化石，堪称涵盖蜥蜴、鸟类、两栖类、哺乳类、鱼类、飞行爬行动物、龟类、鳄类与恐龙的古代湿地生态系统的具象缩影。在该遗址发现的恐龙类群中，最引人注目的物种之一是隶属于图里亚龙类（Turiasauria）的巨型蜥脚类恐龙。本研究提案拟采用X射线同步辐射显微计算机断层扫描（X-ray synchrotron micro computed tomography）技术，对两件颅骨标本的内部解剖结构展开研究：其一为脑颅（braincase），以重建其颅内铸型（endocast）、神经解剖结构与内耳结构；其二为上颌骨（maxilla），以探究未萌出牙齿的形态学与显微解剖学特征。上述所有生物学特征均具有重要的功能意义，尤其在认知能力与摄食策略层面具备关键参考价值。本研究所得数据将为该恐龙的系统发育与生态学研究提供新的视角，助力我们明晰其在湿地生态系统中所扮演的生态角色。