Abstract
The pedal range of motion in Australovenator wintonensis is investigated to determine what influence soft tissue had on range of motion in the foot. Fortunately, the theropod pes shares a close morphology with extant large cursorial birds. Therefore, to better understand the pedal range of motion of Australovenator, the pedal range of motion of Dromaius novaehollandiae (commonly known as the emu) was analysed with and without soft tissue. We used a variety of innovative digital techniques to analyse the range of motion and biologically restore the Australovenator pes. Computed tomography scans of Dromaius pes in fully flexed and fully extended positions provided the soft tissue range of motion limits. The bone on bone range of motion of the same specimen was replicated following the removal of soft tissue. It was identified that there was an increase in range of motion potential with the removal of soft tissue. This variation provided a guide to develop the potential range of motion of a fully fleshed Australovenator pes. Additionally, the dissection of the Dromaius pes provided a guide enabling the replication of the corresponding soft tissue and keratin sheaths of the Australovenator pes.
Highlights
Australovenator wintonensis Hocknull et al, 2009 is a Megaraptorid theropod discovered in Cenomanian aged deposits of the Winton Formation in Central Queensland, Australia (Bryan et al, 2012; White et al, 2013b) (Fig. 1)
A review of prior publications (Hocknull et al, 2009; White et al, 2012; White et al, 2013a) revealed a number of discrepancies in the initial phalanx identification of Australovenator. These include: a small phalanx that was initially described as manual phalanx II-2 and later reallocated to the position of manual phalanx III-1 is here repositioned to its correct position as a pedal phalanx III-3; a second pedal phalanx described as pedal phalanx III-2 is repositioned as a left pedal phalanx III-1; the pedal phalanges that were replaced with the newly assigned pedal phalanx III-3 are repositioned as pedal phalanges III-2
The initial misidentification of III-I was based on the poor preservation of the specimen in particular the distal end, which appeared wider than the specimen that was initially identified as pedal phalanx III-2
Summary
Australovenator wintonensis Hocknull et al, 2009 is a Megaraptorid theropod discovered in Cenomanian aged deposits of the Winton Formation in Central Queensland, Australia (Bryan et al, 2012; White et al, 2013b) (Fig. 1). It was discovered by the Australian Age of Dinosaur Museum of Natural History in 2006 and formally described in 2009 (Hocknull et al, 2009). Since its description additional skeletal elements have been reported in White et al (2012), White et al (2013a) and White et al (2015b). More recent elements include a pedal ungual III-4 and a pedal phalanx I-1.
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