Serendipaceratops
Encyclopedia
Serendipaceratops is a dubious
genus
of ornithischia
n dinosaur
from the early Cretaceous
Period of Australia
.
The type species
, S. arthurcclarkei, was named after Arthur C. Clarke
, author of books such as 2001: A Space Odyssey
and Rendezvous with Rama
, who first became interested in science as a child because he became fascinated by dinosaurs. Perhaps coincidentally, Serendip
is a former name for Sri Lanka
, Clarke's adoptive country.
Serendipaceratops is known only from a single ulna
(lower arm bone). A 2010 study showed that it could not be confidently referred to any ornithischian family, and is considered a nomen dubium.
n genus Notoceratops
, which also may be another kind of ornithischia
n dinosaur). It is known only from one, or possibly two, ulna
e; the first about 115 million years old. Another supposed ceratopsian arm bone was also found at Dinosaur Cove
, in south-west Victoria. It is a little younger at 106 million years old. The scientists who first studied the ulnae said that they resembled those of Leptoceratops
, but subsequent studies have shown that this interpretation is likely incorrect. In a comprehensive survey of the dinosaurs from Australia and New Zealand, Federico Angolin and colleagues found that the ulna did not particularly resemble that of a primitive ceratopsian any more than any other genasauria
n ornithischian, and that in fact it was more similar to the ulna of the Australian ankylosaur Minmi
.
s one would have expected to find evidence of in Australia. Instead they had tried to convince themselves it was a theropod bone. Some months later, however, on a visit to the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology
in Alberta
, Canada
, they realised its striking similarity to the ulna of Leptoceratops
. Hence the genus name, referring to serendipity
.
Nomen dubium
In zoological nomenclature, a nomen dubium is a scientific name that is of unknown or doubtful application...
genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of ornithischia
Ornithischia
Ornithischia or Predentata is an extinct order of beaked, herbivorous dinosaurs. The name ornithischia is derived from the Greek ornitheos meaning 'of a bird' and ischion meaning 'hip joint'...
n dinosaur
Dinosaur
Dinosaurs are a diverse group of animals of the clade and superorder Dinosauria. They were the dominant terrestrial vertebrates for over 160 million years, from the late Triassic period until the end of the Cretaceous , when the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event led to the extinction of...
from the early Cretaceous
Cretaceous
The Cretaceous , derived from the Latin "creta" , usually abbreviated K for its German translation Kreide , is a geologic period and system from circa to million years ago. In the geologic timescale, the Cretaceous follows the Jurassic period and is followed by the Paleogene period of the...
Period of Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
The type species
Type species
In biological nomenclature, a type species is both a concept and a practical system which is used in the classification and nomenclature of animals and plants. The value of a "type species" lies in the fact that it makes clear what is meant by a particular genus name. A type species is the species...
, S. arthurcclarkei, was named after Arthur C. Clarke
Arthur C. Clarke
Sir Arthur Charles Clarke, CBE, FRAS was a British science fiction author, inventor, and futurist, famous for his short stories and novels, among them 2001: A Space Odyssey, and as a host and commentator in the British television series Mysterious World. For many years, Robert A. Heinlein,...
, author of books such as 2001: A Space Odyssey
2001: A Space Odyssey (novel)
2001: A Space Odyssey is a science fiction novel by Arthur C. Clarke. It was developed concurrently with Stanley Kubrick's film version and published after the release of the film...
and Rendezvous with Rama
Rendezvous with Rama
Rendezvous with Rama is a novel by Arthur C. Clarke first published in 1972. Set in the 22nd century, the story involves a cylindrical alien starship that enters Earth's solar system...
, who first became interested in science as a child because he became fascinated by dinosaurs. Perhaps coincidentally, Serendip
Serendip
Serendip may refer to:* Serendip - an Old Persian name for Sri Lanka* SERENDIP - a SETI program at UC Berkeley* Serendip Sanctuary - a protected area for wildlife in Victoria, Australia...
is a former name for Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
, Clarke's adoptive country.
Serendipaceratops is known only from a single ulna
Ulna
The ulna is one of the two long bones in the forearm, the other being the radius. It is prismatic in form and runs parallel to the radius, which is shorter and smaller. In anatomical position The ulna is one of the two long bones in the forearm, the other being the radius. It is prismatic in form...
(lower arm bone). A 2010 study showed that it could not be confidently referred to any ornithischian family, and is considered a nomen dubium.
Classification
Serendipaceratops was originally described as one of the earliest known ceratopsian dinosaurs, and the only one known from the southern hemisphere (notwithstanding the dubious South AmericaSouth America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
n genus Notoceratops
Notoceratops
Notoceratops is the name given to a dubious genus of dinosaur based on a toothless dentary from the Late Cretaceous of Patagonia , probably dating from the Campanian and about 77 million years old.-Discovery and naming:In 1918 Augusto Tapia named the type species Notoceratops Bonarellii...
, which also may be another kind of ornithischia
Ornithischia
Ornithischia or Predentata is an extinct order of beaked, herbivorous dinosaurs. The name ornithischia is derived from the Greek ornitheos meaning 'of a bird' and ischion meaning 'hip joint'...
n dinosaur). It is known only from one, or possibly two, ulna
Ulna
The ulna is one of the two long bones in the forearm, the other being the radius. It is prismatic in form and runs parallel to the radius, which is shorter and smaller. In anatomical position The ulna is one of the two long bones in the forearm, the other being the radius. It is prismatic in form...
e; the first about 115 million years old. Another supposed ceratopsian arm bone was also found at Dinosaur Cove
Dinosaur Cove
Not to be confused with the children's book series of the same name.Dinosaur Cove in Victoria, Australia is a fossil bearing site in south-east of the continent where the Otway Ranges meet the sea to the west of Cape Otway, adjacent to Great Otway National Park .The inaccessible ocean-front cliffs...
, in south-west Victoria. It is a little younger at 106 million years old. The scientists who first studied the ulnae said that they resembled those of Leptoceratops
Leptoceratops
Leptoceratops , was a primitive ceratopsian dinosaur genus from the Late Cretaceous Period of what is now Western North America, at the same time as its giant...
, but subsequent studies have shown that this interpretation is likely incorrect. In a comprehensive survey of the dinosaurs from Australia and New Zealand, Federico Angolin and colleagues found that the ulna did not particularly resemble that of a primitive ceratopsian any more than any other genasauria
Genasauria
Genasauria is an extinct clade of beaked, herbivorous dinosaurs. The group was first named by paleontologist Paul Sereno in 1986, and is typically split into Thyreophora, a group of armored dinosaurs; and Neornithischia, which included the horned and duck-billed dinosaurs...
n ornithischian, and that in fact it was more similar to the ulna of the Australian ankylosaur Minmi
Minmi (dinosaur)
Minmi, named after Minmi Crossing, Australia , is a genus of small ankylosaurian dinosaur that lived during the early Cretaceous Period, about 119 to 113 million years ago. The type species, M. paravertebra, was described by Ralph Molnar in 1980...
.
Discovery and species
The first known bone from Serendipaceratops was discovered in Australia near Kilcunda, on the south-east coast of Victoria, Australia. Initially, the discoverers, Tom Rich and Patricia Vickers-Rich, had not considered the possibility it may have been ceratopsian as at this would have been the last family of dinosaurDinosaur
Dinosaurs are a diverse group of animals of the clade and superorder Dinosauria. They were the dominant terrestrial vertebrates for over 160 million years, from the late Triassic period until the end of the Cretaceous , when the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event led to the extinction of...
s one would have expected to find evidence of in Australia. Instead they had tried to convince themselves it was a theropod bone. Some months later, however, on a visit to the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology
Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology
The Royal Tyrrell Museum is a popular Canadian tourist attraction and a leading centre of palaeontological research noted for its collection of more than 130,000 fossils....
in Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, they realised its striking similarity to the ulna of Leptoceratops
Leptoceratops
Leptoceratops , was a primitive ceratopsian dinosaur genus from the Late Cretaceous Period of what is now Western North America, at the same time as its giant...
. Hence the genus name, referring to serendipity
Serendipity
Serendipity means a "happy accident" or "pleasant surprise"; specifically, the accident of finding something good or useful without looking for it. The word has been voted as one of the ten English words hardest to translate in June 2004 by a British translation company. However, due to its...
.
External links
- Geoscience Australia (Department of Australian Government)
- BBC article on 19 July 2005
- Polar Dinos Spotlighted in "Dinosaurs of Darkness" Exhibition National Geographic Article
- Planet Dinosaur
- Dann's Dinosaur Info: Serendipaceratops
- Curiosities of Biological Nomenclature - Etymologies
- Ceratopsia
- www.dinohunter.info
- Dinobase from PALAEONTOLOGY RESEARCH GROUP University Of Bristol