First discovery: Dinosaur fossils that may have died of deadly pneumonia tell us not only about cooperation, competition and hunting between individuals, but also about the diseases they suffered. By skeletal morphology

First discovery: This dinosaur may have died of fatal pneumonia

Dinosaur fossils tell us not only about cooperation, competition and hunting between individuals, but also about the ailments they suffer. Through abnormalities in bone morphology, paleontologists have identified dinosaurs with fractures, arthritis, and even cancer. Now, a study published in Science Reports reports a surprising finding: From a skeletal abnormality, the team found for the first time evidence of a respiratory infection in dinosaurs.

The fossil was unearthed in Montana, nicknamed "Dolly", and this 18-meter-long, 4- to 5-ton giant beast lived in the Jurassic World 150 million years ago. More than 30 years after the excavation, Dr. Cary Woodruff of the Great Plains Dinosaur Museum and colleagues re-examined its 3 cervical vertebrae and found an unprecedented morphology of cervical herniation.

On each section of the bone, they observed the phenomenon of cervical herniation. The position of the cervical vertebrae protrusion is exactly connected to the air sac that connects to the lungs. The team therefore suspects that this anomaly may be related to the respiratory system.

To confirm this, the authors performed CT imaging of these abnormal protrusions and compared them to birds of present descent. The results showed that these skeletal morphological abnormalities were very similar to birds infected with Aspergillus. Therefore, it is likely that a fungus similar to Aspergillus infected Dolly's respiratory tract and affected the cervical spine through the air sacs, resulting in irregular skeletal hyperplasia.

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CT imaging showed that the fungus most likely infected Dolly's respiratory system (Image source: Reference[1])

Studies have shown that if Dolly suffers a fungal infection such as Aspergillus, it is likely to develop symptoms of influenza or pneumonia, including weight loss, cough, fever and difficulty breathing. Today, diseases caused by Aspergillus are common in birds and reptiles. For birds, Aspergillus infections are often fatal. The research team speculates that Dolly, who faces a similar infection, may also be hit hard, and even the cause of death may be this infection.

▲ Liang Longduoli's artistic concept (Image source: References[1] and Corbin Rainbolt)

Of course, this information is clearly not enough to determine the cause of Dolly's death, "we can't be sure whether Dolly suddenly fell one day or became a predator target after becoming weaker," Dr. Woodruff said, "but I believe that this infection can lead to the death of other dinosaur individuals." ”

In the researchers' view, Dolly's illness not only helps us trace the evolutionary history of respiratory diseases, but also allows us to better understand the types of diseases that dinosaurs often suffered from. And for us, imagining such a prehistoric beast coughing and runny nose like us is already a wonderful feeling, isn't it?

Resources:

[1] Woodruff, D.C., Wolff, E.D.S., Wedel, M.J. et al. The first occurrence of an avian-style respiratory infection in a non-avian dinosaur. Sci Rep (2022). 网页链接

[2] Sauro-Throat! Study finds first evidence indicating dinosaur respiratory infection. Retrieved Feb 10, 2022 from 网页链接