Teratophoneus
{{Short description|Extinct genus of dinosaurs}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2021}}
{{Automatic taxobox
| fossil_range = Late Cretaceous (Campanian), {{fossilrange|76.5|75.5}}
| image = Teratophoneus curriei adult and juvenile 2 salt lake city.jpg
| image_caption = Reconstructed adult and juvenile skeletons, Natural History Museum of Utah
| display_parents = 2
| taxon = Teratophoneus
| authority = Carr et al., 2011
| type_species = {{extinct}}Teratophoneus curriei
| type_species_authority = Carr et al., 2011
}}
Teratophoneus ("monstrous murderer"; Greek: teras, "monster" and phoneus, "murderer") is a genus of tyrannosaurine theropod dinosaur that lived during the late Campanian age of the Late Cretaceous period, (about 76.5 to 75.5 million years ago) in what is now Utah. It contains a single known species, T. curriei. It is known from an incomplete skull and postcranial skeleton recovered from the Kaiparowits Formation and was specifically named T. curriei in honor of famed paleontologist Philip J. Currie.
Discovery and naming
File:Journal.pone.0079420.g001.tif remains of Lythronax (A) and a Teratophoneus specimen (B). C–M show selected bones of the latter]]
Fossils of Teratophoneus were first found in the Kaiparowits Formation of southern Utah. Later, fossils from the same formation were discovered and identified as the genus. Argon-argon radiometric dating indicates that the Kaiparowits Formation was deposited between 76.1 and 74.0 million years ago, during the Campanian age of the Late Cretaceous period. This date means that Teratophoneus lived in the middle of the Campanian age.
Several fossils of Teratophoneus have been found. Originally, Teratophoneus was described based on the holotype specimen BYU 8120. More recently, the specimens UMNH VP 16690 and UMNP VP 16691 have been assigned to it.{{Cite journal|last1=Loewen|first1=M.A.|last2=Irmis|first2=R.B.|last3=Sertich|first3=J.J.W.|last4=Currie|first4=P.J.|last5=Sampson|first5=S.D.|date=2013|editor-last=Evans|editor-first=D.C.|title=Tyrant Dinosaur Evolution Tracks the Rise and Fall of Late Cretaceous Oceans|journal=PLOS ONE|volume=8|issue=11|pages=e79420|doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0079420|pmc=3819173|pmid=24223179|bibcode=2013PLoSO...879420L|doi-access=free}} In 2017, a new specimen of Teratophoneus was discovered in the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument and airlifted to the Natural History Museum of Utah in Salt Lake City.{{Cite news|last=Maffly|first=B.|date=October 16, 2017|title=Nearly complete tyrannosaur fossil airlifted from Utah's Grand Staircase|work=The Salt Lake Tribune|url=https://www.sltrib.com/news/environment/2017/10/15/nearly-complete-tyrannosaur-fossil-airlifted-from-utahs-grand-staircase/}} Later, in 2021, fossils belonging to 4 or 5 individuals were described in the same study.
Teratophoneus was named by Thomas D. Carr, Thomas E. Williamson, Brooks B. Britt, and Ken Stadtman in 2011. The type and only species was named T. curriei. The generic name is derived from the Greek words teras, meaning "monster", and phoneus, meaning "murderer."{{Cite book|last1=Liddell|first1=H.G.|title=A Greek-English Lexicon|last2=Scott|first2=R.|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=1980|isbn=0-19-910207-4|location=United Kingdom|edition=Abridged}} The specific name honors Philip J. Currie.
Description
The holotype of Teratophoneus consists of a fragmentary skull and parts of a postcranial skeleton. The fossils were originally assigned to four different individuals, but are probably only of a single subadult animal. The specimen of Teratophoneus was not fully grown. According to an estimate by Carr et al., it was about {{convert|6|m|ft|sp=us}} long and {{Convert|667|kg||abbr=on}}.{{Cite journal|last1=Carr|first1=T.D.|last2=Williamson|first2=T.E.|last3=Britt|first3=B.B.|last4=Stadtman|first4=K.|date=2011|title=Evidence for high taxonomic and morphologic tyrannosaurid diversity in the Late Cretaceous (Late Campanian) of the American Southwest and a new short-skulled tyrannosaurid from the Kaiparowits formation of Utah|journal=Naturwissenschaften|volume=98|issue=3|pages=241–246|doi=10.1007/s00114-011-0762-7|pmid=21253683|bibcode=2011NW.....98..241C|s2cid=13261338}} However, this is likely an underestimate. In 2016, Gregory S. Paul gave an estimation of {{Convert|8|m|ft|sp=us}} long and {{Convert|2.5|MT|ST|abbr=on}} for the maximum adult size.{{Cite book|last=Paul|first=Gregory S.|title=The Princeton Field Guide to Dinosaurs 2nd Edition|publisher=Princeton University Press|year=2016|location=New Jersey|pages=114}} That same year, Molina-Pérez and Larramendi estimated the size of the holotype at {{convert|6.4|m|ft|1|sp=us}} long and {{convert|1.15|MT|ST|abbr=on}}.{{Cite book|last1=Molina-Pérez|first1=R.|title=Récords y curiosidades de los dinosaurios: Terópodos y otros dinosauromorfos|last2=Larramendi|first2=A.|publisher=Larousse|year=2016|isbn=9788416641154|location=Barcelona, Spain|pages=267}} In 2021, based on the size of the frontal bone (similar to that of Lythronax), Yun moderated the size of the subadult at approximately {{cvt|6.1|m|ft}} long and {{cvt|1|MT|ST}}.{{cite journal|last=Yun|first=C.|title=Frontal bone anatomy of Teratophoneus curriei (Theropoda: Tyrannosauridae) from the Upper Cretaceous Kaiparowits Formation of Utah|year=2021|journal=Acta Palaeontologica Romaniae|volume=18|issue=1|pages=51–64|doi=10.35463/j.apr.2022.01.06|doi-access=free}} That same year, the length of the only known articulated specimen, UMNH VP 21100, was measured at {{cvt|7.6|m|ft}} and the maximum adult length of Teratophoneus was estimated at {{cvt|8.7|m|ft}}.
File:Teratophoneus by Nick Longrich.jpg
Compared to the skull of Albertosaurus, Teratophoneus is roughly twenty-three percent shorter in proportion between the lacrimal bone of the {{Dinogloss|antorbital fenestra}} and the tip of the snout. The skull of Teratophoneus is also comparably deeper. It is unclear if there was a specific reason for these differences, but the extra depth may have allowed for stronger jaw muscles, thus increasing the bite force of Teratophoneus.{{Cite journal |last1=Johnson-Ransom |first1=Evan |last2=Li |first2=Feng |last3=Xu |first3=Xing |last4=Ramos |first4=Raul |last5=Midzuk |first5=Adam J. |last6=Thon |first6=Ulrike |last7=Atkins-Weltman |first7=Kyle |last8=Snively |first8=Eric |date=2023-09-29 |title=Comparative cranial biomechanics reveal that Late Cretaceous tyrannosaurids exerted relatively greater bite force than in
Classification
Loewen et al. (2013) conducted a phylogenetic analysis of the family Tyrannosauridae and confirmed the assignment of Teratophoneus to the tyrannosaurid subfamily Tyrannosaurinae. They concluded that Teratophoneus was closely related to both Tarbosaurus and Tyrannosaurus, but placed it in a more basal position within the family, though it was more derived than Daspletosaurus.
File:“Hollywood” Teratophoneus specimen.jpg
Below is the cladogram based on the phylogenetic analysis conducted by Loewen et al. in 2013.
{{clade| style=font-size:100%; line-height:100%
|label1=Tyrannosauridae
|1={{clade
|1={{clade
|2=Albertosaurus sarcophagus }}
|label2=Tyrannosaurinae
|2={{clade
|1=Dinosaur Park tyrannosaurid
|2={{clade
|2={{clade
|1=Two Medicine tyrannosaurid (Daspletosaurus horneri)
|2={{clade
|1=Teratophoneus curriei
|2={{clade
|2={{clade
|2={{clade
|2={{clade
|2=Zhuchengtyrannus magnus }} }} }} }} }} }} }} }} }} }}
In 2020, when describing the genus Thanatotheristes, Voris et al., 2020 found Teratophoneus to be in a subclade alongside Dynamoterror and Lythronax.Voris, Jared T.; Therrien, Francois; Zelenitzky, Darla K.; Brown, Caleb M. (2020). "A new tyrannosaurine (Theropoda:Tyrannosauridae) from the Campanian Foremost Formation of Alberta, Canada, provides insight into the evolution and biogeography of tyrannosaurids". Cretaceous Research. 110: 104388. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2020.104388. This clade was named the Teratophoneini in 2024.{{Cite journal |last1=Scherer |first1=Charlie Roger |last2=Voiculescu-Holvad |first2=Christian |date=2023-11-28 |title=Re-analysis of a dataset refutes claims of anagenesis within Tyrannosaurus-line tyrannosaurines (Theropoda, Tyrannosauridae) |journal=Cretaceous Research |volume=155 |pages=105780 |doi=10.1016/j.cretres.2023.105780 |issn=0195-6671|doi-access=free }}
{{clade| style=font-size:100%; line-height:100%; width:65%
|label1=Eutyrannosauria
|1={{clade
|label1=
|1={{clade
|2={{clade
|1=Appalachiosaurus montgomeriensis
|2={{clade
|2={{clade
|label1=Tyrannosauridae
|1={{clade
|label1=Albertosaurinae
|1={{clade
|2=Albertosaurus sarcophagus}}
|label2=Tyrannosaurinae
|2={{clade
|label1=Alioramini
|1={{clade
|2={{clade
|2=Alioramus altai}} }}
|label2=
|2={{clade
|label1=
|1={{clade
|1=Teratophoneus curriei
|3=Lythronax argestes}}
|label2=
|2={{clade
|2={{clade
|label1=
|1={{clade
|label1=Daspletosaurini
|1={{clade
|1=Thanatotheristes degrootorum
|2={{clade
|2=Daspletosaurus horneri}} }}
|label2=
|2={{clade
|2={{clade
|2=Tyrannosaurus rex }} }} }} }} }} }} }} }} }} }} }} }} }} }}
Paleobiology
=Social Behavior=
{{multiple image
|align = right
|total_width = 350
|image1 = Rainbows and Unicorns Quarry Teratophoneus map.png
|alt1 =
|caption1 = Map of the Rainbows and Unicorns Quarry
|image2 = Bows and Unicorns Quarry bonebed development.png
|caption2 = Bonebed development stages at RUQ
|alt2 =
}}
A bone bed of fossils from the Rainbows and Unicorns Quarry in Southern Utah's Kaiparowits Formation described in 2021 attributed to Teratophoneus suggests that the genus may have been a social pack-hunter. The fossils, consisting of four or possibly five animals ranging from 4–22 years of age, suggest a mass mortality event, possibly caused by flooding or less likely by cyanobacterial toxicosis, fire, or drought. The fact that all of the animals preserved died within a short time period further strengthens the argument for gregarious behavior in tyrannosaurids, with bone beds of Teratophoneus, Albertosaurus, and Daspletosaurus showcasing the potential behavior may have been widespread amongst tyrannosaurs in general.{{Cite journal|title=Geology and taphonomy of a unique tyrannosaurid bonebed from the upper Campanian Kaiparowits Formation of southern Utah: implications for tyrannosaurid gregariousness|first1=Alan L.|last1=Titus|first2=Katja|last2=Knoll|first3=Joseph J. W.|last3=Sertich|first4=Daigo|last4=Yamamura|first5=Celina A.|last5=Suarez|first6=Ian J.|last6=Glasspool|first7=Jonathan E.|last7=Ginouves|first8=Abigail K.|last8=Lukacic|first9=Eric M.|last9=Roberts|date=April 19, 2021|journal=PeerJ|volume=9|pages=e11013|doi=10.7717/peerj.11013|pmc=8061582 |pmid=33976955|doi-access=free}}{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2021/04/19/grand-staircase-tyrannosaur/|title=Tyrannosaurs likely hunted in packs rather than heading out solo, scientists find|last=Eilperin|first=Juliet|date=April 19, 2021|newspaper=The Washington Post|archive-url=https://archive.today/20210420094932/https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2021/04/19/grand-staircase-tyrannosaur/|archive-date=April 20, 2021|url-status=live}}
Paleoecology
The holotype of Teratophoneus was recovered at the Kaiparowits Formation in southern Utah. Argon-argon radiometric dating indicates that the fossils were buried during the Campanian age of the Late Cretaceous period.{{Cite journal|last1=Roberts|first1=E.M.|last2=Deino|first2=A.L.|last3=Chan|first3=M.A.|date=2005|title=^40Ar/^30Ar Age of the Kaiparowits Formation, southern Utah, and correlation of contemporaneous Campanian strata and vertebrate faunas along the margin of the Western Interior Basin|journal=Cretaceous Research|volume=26|issue=2|pages=307–318|doi=10.1016/j.cretres.2005.01.002|bibcode=2005CrRes..26..307R }}{{Cite journal|last=Eaton|first=J.G.|date=2002|title=Multituberculate mammals from the Wahweap (Campanian, Aquilan) and Kaiparowits (Campanian, Judithian) formations, within and near Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, southern Utah.|journal=Miscellaneous Publication - Utah Geological Survey}} During the Late Cretaceous, the site within the Kaiparowits Formation was located on Laramidia near its eastern shore on the Western Interior Seaway, a large inland sea that split North America into two island landmasses, the other one being Appalachia in the east. The plateau where dinosaurs lived was an ancient floodplain dominated by large channels and an abundance of wetland peat swamps, ponds, and lakes and was bordered by highlands. The climate was wet and humid, supporting an array of different and diverse groups of organisms.{{Cite book|title=At the Top of the Grand Staircase: The Late Cretaceous of Southern Utah|publisher=Indiana University Press|year=2013|isbn=9780253008961|editor-last=Loewen|editor-first=M.A.|editor-last2=Titus|editor-first2=A.L.}} This formation contains one of the best and most continuous records of Late Cretaceous terrestrial life in the world.
Teratophoneus curriei shared its paleoenvironment with other theropods, such as dromaeosaurids, the troodontid Talos sampsoni, ornithomimids like Ornithomimus velox, and the caenagnathid Hagryphus giganteus. Non-theropod dinosaurs included the ankylosaur Akainacephalus johnsoni, the hadrosaurs Parasaurolophus cyrtocristatus and Gryposaurus monumentensis, and the ceratopsians Utahceratops gettyi, Nasutoceratops titusi, and Kosmoceratops richardsoni. Other paleofauna present in the Kaiparowits Formation included chondrichthyans (sharks and rays), frogs, salamanders, turtles, lizards, and crocodilians, with Deinosuchus being the apex predator.{{cite book |title=King of the Crocodylians: The Paleobiology of Deinosuchus |last=Schwimmer |first=David R. |publisher=Indiana University Press |pages=167–192 |chapter=The Prey of Giants |year=2002 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0OsPJnC4CCwC |isbn=978-0-253-34087-0}} A variety of early mammals were present, including multituberculates, marsupials, and insectivorans.
See also
{{Portal|Dinosaurs}}
References
{{Theropoda|C.}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q1705998}}
Category:Kaiparowits Formation
Category:Taxa named by Philip J. Currie
Category:Taxa named by Scott D. Sampson