(Newser)
– It is the first in paleontology and can produce a laugh. For the first time, scientists have been able to describe in great detail the cloaca of a dinosaur. If you’re unfamiliar with this part of the body, CNET translates: essentially, it’s “a butthole of all trades”. The study published Tuesday a Current biology refers to a herbivore the size of a dog that lived about 120 million years ago named Psittacosaurus. Scientists at the University of Bristol write that “it was previously noted that the cloacal region was preserved,” although flattened in this fossil, found decades ago in China, but the detailed anatomy of the region had not been adequately reconstructed. . This is what they achieved, using a 3D model of the orifice opening, which was used for defecation, urination, copulation and birth.
He New York News notes “sewer” comes from the Latin word for “sewer” and is not at all unique to dinosaurs: some modern birds, reptiles, amphibians and a handful of mammals have it, but, to the knowledge of researchers, the sewer is not conserved in any other non-avian dinosaur fossil. So how is this level done with those we know? It definitely belongs to a class of its own, but it resembles that of crocodiles and alligators. Although most key openings or holes appear as cracks or holes, the Psittacosaurus it has “discreet lateral lips, but only converge anteriorly, giving the cloaca a unique V-shaped anatomy,” according to the study. These lips were heavily pigmented, indicating that they may have a signaling function, perhaps sexual; they may also have musk glands. (Read more discovery stories.)