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The opening of an exhibit focused on "Jane", a beautifully preserved tyrannosaur collected by the Burpee Museum of Natural History, was the occasion for an international symposium on tyrannosaur paleobiology. Tyrannosaurid Paleobiology, drawn from the symposium, includes studies of the tyrannosaurids Chingkankousaurus fragilis and "Sir William" and the generic status of Nanotyrannus; theropod teeth, pedal proportions, brain size, and craniocervical function; soft tissue reconstruction, including that of "Jane"; palaeopathology and tyrannosaurid claws; dating the "Jane" site; and tyrannosaur feeding and hunting strategies. Tyrannosaurid Paleobiology highlights the far-ranging and vital state of current tyrannosaurid dinosaur research and discovery.
Introduction /J. Michael Parrish and Ralph E. Molnar
Part One. Systematics and Descriptions
1. Phylogenetic Revision of Chingkankousaurus fragilis, a Forgotten Tyrannosauroid from the Late Cretaceous of China / Stephen L. Brusatte, David W. E. Hone, and Xu Xing
2. The Case for Nanotyrannus / Peter Larson
3. Preliminary Analysis of a Sub-Adult Tyrannosaurid Skeleton from the Judith River Formation of Petroleum County, Montana / Walter W. Stein and Michael Triebold
Part Two. Functional Morphology and Reconstruction
4. Internal Structure of Tooth Serrations / William L. Abler
5. Feet of the Fierce (and Not So Fierce): Pedal Proportions in Large Theropods, Other Non-Avian Dinosaurs, and Large Ground Birds / James O. Farlow, Thomas R. Holtz, Jr., Trevor H. Worthy, and Ralph E. Chapman
6. Relative Size of Brain and Cerebrum in Tyrannosaurid Dinosaurs: An Analysis Using Brain-Endocast Quantitative Relationships in Extant Alligators / Grant R. Hurlburt, Ryan C. Ridgley, and Lawrence M. Witmer
7. Jane, In the Flesh: The State of Life-Reconstruction in Paleoart / Tyler Keillor
8. Comparison of Reconstructed Jaw Musculature and Mechanics of Some Large Theropods / Ralph E. Molnar
9. Tyrannosaurid Craniocervical Mobility: A Preliminary Assessment / Tanya Samman
Part Three. Paleopathology, Paleoecology, and Taphonomy
10. Clawing Their Way to the Top: Tyrannosaurid Pathology and Lifestyle / Bruce M. Rothschild
11. Brodie Abscess Involving a Tyrannosaur Phalanx: Imaging and Implications / Christopher P. Vittore, MD and Michael D. Henderson
12. Using Pollen, Leaves, and Paleomagnetism to Date a Juvenile Tyrannosaurid in Upper Cretaceous Rock / William F. Harrison, †Douglas J. Nichols, Michael D. Henderson, and Reed P. Scherer
13. The Biomechanics of a Plausible Hunting Strategy for Tyrannosaurus rex / David A. Krauss and James M. Robinson
14. A Closer Look at the Hypothesis of Scavenging vs. Predation by Tyrannosaurus rex / Kenneth Carpenter
15. New Evidence of Predation by a Large Tyrannosaurid / Nate L. Murphy, Kenneth Carpenter, and David Trexler
Index
J. Michael Parrish is Dean College of Sciences, San Jose State University. Ralph E. Molnar is Research Associate with the Museum of Northern Arizona. Philip J. Currie is Professor of Biological Sciences at the University of Alberta. Eva B. Koppelhus is Research Scientist in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Alberta.
"Despite being discovered over 100 years ago, Tyrannosaurus rex and its kin still inspire researchers to ask fundamental questions about what the best known dinosaur was like as a living, breathing animal. Tyrannosaurid Paleobiology present a series of wide-ranging and innovative studies that cover diverse topics such as how tyrannosaurs attacked and dismembered prey, the shapes and sizes of feet and brains, and what sorts of injuries individuals sustained and lived with. There are also examinations of the diversity of tyrannosaurs, determinations of exactly when different kinds lived and died, and what goes into making a museum exhibit featuring tyrannosaurs. This volume clearly shows that there is much more to the study of dinosaurs than just digging up and cataloguing old bones."
– Donald M. Henderson, Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology
