Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-t5tsf Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-18T14:12:54.591Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

A traumatic fracture in a giant Eocene penguin from Antarctica

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 July 2012

Carolina Acosta Hospitaleche*
Affiliation:
Conicet División Paleontología de Vertebrados, Museo de La Plata, Paseo del Bosque s/n, B1900FWA La Plata, Argentina
Leandro M. Perez
Affiliation:
Conicet División Paleozoología Invertebrados, Museo de La Plata, Paseo del Bosque s/n, B1900FWA La Plata, Argentina
Walter Acosta
Affiliation:
Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias, 60 y 118 s/n B1900FWA, La Plata, Argentina
Marcelo Reguero
Affiliation:
Conicet División Paleontología de Vertebrados, Museo de La Plata, Paseo del Bosque s/n, B1900FWA La Plata, Argentina Instituto Antártico Argentino, Cerrito 1248, C1010AAZ, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina

Abstract

A fractured femur of a giant fossil penguin from the Anthropornis nordenskjoeldi Biozone (Late Eocene), Isla Marambio (Seymour Island), Antarctica (La Meseta Formation) is described. Palaeoecological, palaeopathological and taphonomical implications derived from the analysis of the kinds of fractures identified are also discussed. The main fracture has irregular margins, indicating there was collagen in the bone at the time of the impact. In this fracture, a mineral deposit was also identified as a fracture hematoma. According to the antemortem classification of fractures, it was produced by an indirect mechanism, provocating a “butterfly wing” or “third fragment” fracture. The remaining fractures are assigned to times of biostratinomic and fossil diagenesis.

Type
Earth Sciences
Copyright
Copyright © Antarctic Science Ltd 2012

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Acosta Hospitaleche, C., Márquez, G., Pérez, L.M., Rosato, V.Cione, A.L. 2011. Lichen bioerosion on fossil vertebrates from the Cenozoic of Patagonia and Antarctica. Ichnos, 1, 178185.Google Scholar
Behrensmeyer, A.K. 1978. Taphonomic and ecological information from bone weathering. Paleobiology, 4, 150162.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Blasi, A.M. 2008. El aporte de la geología en investigaciones arqueológicas multidiciplinaria e interdiciplinarias: casos de estudio. Terrae Didactica, 3, 3649.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bojrab, M.J. 1996. Fisiopatología clínica quirúrgica, 2nd edition. Buenos Aires: Inter-Médica, 1119 pp.Google Scholar
Case, J.A. 1996. The importance of fine-scaled biostratigraphic data in addressing questions of vertebrate paleoecology and evolution. Paleobios, 17, 5969.Google Scholar
Cione, A.L., Acosta Hospitaleche, C., Pérez, L.M., Laza, J.César, I. 2010. Trace fossils on penguin bones from the Miocene of Chubut, southern Argentina. Alcheringa, 34, 433454.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cruz, I. 1999. Pingüinos de Cabo Vírgenes (Santa Cruz). Aspectos tafonómicos e implicaciones arqueológicas. Actas del XIII Congreso Nacional de Arqueología Argentina, vol. 4. Córdoba, Argentina: Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, 95108.Google Scholar
Cruz, I. 2000. Los restos de aves de los sitios arqueológicos del Parque Nacional Perito Moreno (Santa Cruz, Argentina). Anales del Instituto de la Patagonia, Serie Ciencias Sociales, 28, 305313.Google Scholar
Cruz, I. 2007a. The Recent bones of the Río Gallegos Basin (Santa Cruz, Argentina) and their preservation potential. In Gutierrez, M.A., Miotti, L., Barrientos, G., Mengoni Goñalons, G. & Salemme, M., eds. Taphonomy and archaeozoology in Argentina. British Archaeological Reports International Series, 1601. Oxford: Archaeopress, 161170.Google Scholar
Cruz, I. 2007b. Avian taphonomy: observations at two Magellanic penguin (Spheniscus magellanicus) breeding colonies and their implications for the fossil record. Journal of Archaeological Science, 34, 12521261.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cruz, I. 2008. Avian and mammalian bone taphonomy in southern continental Patagonia: a comparative approach. Quaternary International, 180, 3037.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dingle, R.V.Lavelle, M. 1998. Late Cretaceous Cenozoic climatic variations of the northern Antarctic Peninsula: new geochemical evidence and review. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 141, 215232.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dutton, A.L., Lohmann, K.Zinsmeister, W.J. 2002. Stable isotope and minor element proxies for Eocene climate of Seymour Island, Antarctica. Paleoceanography, 17, 113.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jadwiszczak, P. 2001. Body size of Eocene Antarctic penguins. Polish Polar Research, 22, 147158.Google Scholar
Jadwiszczak, P. 2006. Eocene penguins of Seymour Island, Antarctica: taxonomy. Polish Polar Research, 27, 362.Google Scholar
Marenssi, S.A. 2006. Eustatically controlled sedimentation recorded by Eocene strata of the James Ross Basin, Antarctica. In Francis, J.E., Pirrie, D. & Crame, J.A., eds. Cretaceous–Tertiary high latitude palaeoenvironments, James Ross Basin, Antarctica. Geological Society of London, Special Publication, No. 258, 125–133.Google Scholar
Marenssi, S.A., Santillana, S.N.Rinaldi, C.A. 1998. Stratigraphy of La Meseta Formation (Eocene), Marambio Island, Antarctica. In Casadío, S., ed. Paleógeno de América del Sur y de la Península Antártica. Revista de la Asociación Paleontológica Argentina, Publicación Especial, 5, 137–146.Google Scholar
Slatter, D. 2006. Tratado de cirugía en pequeños animals, 3rd edition. Buenos Aires: Inter-Médica, 1512 pp.Google Scholar
Tambussi, C.P.Acosta Hospitaleche, C. 2007. Antarctic birds (Aves) during the Cretaceous–Eocene times. Revista de la Asociación Geológica Argentina, 62, 604619.Google Scholar
Tambussi, C.P., Acosta Hospitaleche, C., Reguero, M.A.Marenssi, S.A. 2006. Late Eocene penguins from West Antarctica: systematics and biostratigraphy. In Francis, J.E., Pirrie, D.&Crame, J.A., eds. Cretaceous–Tertiary high latitude palaeoenvironments, James Ross Basin, Antarctica. Geological Society of London, Special Publication, No. 258, 145–161.Google Scholar
Supplementary material: File

Hospitaleche et al. supplementary material

Supplementary data

Download Hospitaleche et al. supplementary material(File)
File 35.8 KB