In a study published last month in Communications Biology, a Nature portfolio journal, authors Junki Yoshida, Yoshitsugu Kobayashi, and Mark A. Norell reported on the fossil larynx (or voice box) found in the non-avian dinosaur Pinacosaurus grangeri, an ankylosaur known from fossils in Mongolia and China.
Ezekiel O’Callaghan of Raptor Chatter, provides an overview of new findings about the larynx (or voice box) of Pinacosaurus.
The voice box found from the Pinacosaurus includes similarities to both non-avian reptiles, but also includes specialized physiology that may allow for more bird-like vocalizations, rather than more “reptilian” vocalizations similar to modern crocodilians.
This fossil is the oldest such fossil of a voice box yet discovered from a Cretaceous era dinosaur, and represents the first step toward a better understanding of vocalizations and vocal evolution of non-avian dinosaurs.
Yoshida, J., Kobayashi, Y. & Norell, M.A. An ankylosaur larynx provides insights for bird-like vocalization in non-avian dinosaurs. Commun Biol6, 152 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-023-04513-x
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Posted: March 27, 2023 by Liz Gartley
Did Pinacosaurus have a beautiful singing voice?
In a study published last month in Communications Biology, a Nature portfolio journal, authors Junki Yoshida, Yoshitsugu Kobayashi, and Mark A. Norell reported on the fossil larynx (or voice box) found in the non-avian dinosaur Pinacosaurus grangeri, an ankylosaur known from fossils in Mongolia and China.
The voice box found from the Pinacosaurus includes similarities to both non-avian reptiles, but also includes specialized physiology that may allow for more bird-like vocalizations, rather than more “reptilian” vocalizations similar to modern crocodilians.
This fossil is the oldest such fossil of a voice box yet discovered from a Cretaceous era dinosaur, and represents the first step toward a better understanding of vocalizations and vocal evolution of non-avian dinosaurs.
Yoshida, J., Kobayashi, Y. & Norell, M.A. An ankylosaur larynx provides insights for bird-like vocalization in non-avian dinosaurs. Commun Biol 6, 152 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-023-04513-x
Category: Blog Posts, Dinosaurs, English Tags: Mongolian dinosaurs, palaeontology, paleontology, pinacosaurus