Unusual Narial Structures in Dinosaurs and other VertebratesA Case Study in the Functional Interpretation of Anatomical Novelty in the Fossil Record

9601174维特默几组恐龙在其头骨的鼻孔(鼻孔)区域显示出不寻常的形态。鸭嘴龙(鸭嘴亚科)、有角恐龙(角龙科)和雷龙(蜥脚亚目)是最不同的钉螺解剖结构。这些扩大的鼻孔区的功能仍然是个谜，阻碍了对恐龙头骨进化的全面了解。从充气的气囊和躯干到大脑冷却装置，各种想法应有尽有。因此，研究人员将对这些不寻常的奈尔专门化进行功能假设测试。此外，研究人员将探索化石记录中令人头疼的解剖新颖性问题。将对恐龙(鸟类和鳄鱼)的现代近亲的鼻子进行研究，以提供基线解剖学数据。此外，一些具有类似于为恐龙提出的海生新奇事物的现代群体将作为恐龙的类似物或“模型”。化石分类群将在世界各地的博物馆进行研究，重要标本将首次进行CT扫描。这项研究将为恐龙的解剖学、功能和行为解释提供明确的进展。此外，有关脊椎动物鼻子功能解剖学的新的、一般的数据将对研究现代动物(包括人类)的研究人员有用。最后，本研究使用的视角和方法将使其成为解释其他灭绝生物神秘新奇的功能研究的典范。

9601174 Witmer Several groups of dinosaurs exhibit unusual morphology in the narial (nostril) regions of their skulls. The most divergent narial anatomy is found in the duck-bill dinosaurs (Hadrosaurinae), horned dinosaurs (Ceratopsidae), and the brontosaurs (Sauropoda). The function of these enlarged narial regions remains enigmatic, preventing a comprehensive understanding of skull evolution in Dinosauria. Ideas range from inflatable sacs and trunks to brain-cooling devices. Thus, the investigators will test functional hypotheses on these unusual narial specializations. Furthermore, the investigators will probe the vexing issue of anatomical novelty in the fossil record. The noses of the modern relatives of dinosaurs (birds and crocodilians) will be studied to provide baseline anatomical data. Additionally, a number of modern groups with narial novelties similar to those proposed for dinosaurs will serve as analogues or "models" for the dinosaurs. The fossil taxa will be studied in museums worldwide, and important specimens will be CT scanned for the first time. This research will provide clear advances for the anatomical, functional, and behavioral interpretation of dinosaurs. Furthermore, new, general data on the functional anatomy of vertebrate noses will be of use for researchers working on modern animals, including humans. Finally, the perspectives and methods used in this research will make it a model study for the functional interpretation of the enigmatic novelties of other extinct organisms.