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Growth and function of Stegosaurus plates: evidence from bone histology

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 April 2016

V. de Buffrénil ,
J. O. Farlow  and
A. de Ricqlès
V. de Buffrénil
Affiliation:
Laboratoire d'Anatomie Comparée, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, 55, rue de Buffon, 75005 Paris, France; and Laboratoire d'Anatomie Comparée, Equipe de Recherche “Formations Squelettiques,” Université Paris VII, 2, place Jussieu, 75251 Paris 05, France
J. O. Farlow
Affiliation:
Department of Earth and Space Sciences, Indiana University–Purdue University at Fort Wayne, 2101 Coliseum Boulevard East, Fort Wayne, Indiana 46805
A. de Ricqlès
Affiliation:
Laboratoire d'Anatomie Comparée, Equipe de Recherche “Formations Squelettiques,” Université Paris VII, 2, place Jussieu, 75251 Paris 05, France
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Abstract

Histological examination of Stegosaurus dorsal bony plates shows a thin wall of incompletely remodeled bone surrounding a large cancellous region containing some large “pipes” delineated by thin bony walls. Growth proceeded mainly from the basal region of the plates. Histological observations provide a test against which several functional interpretations of the plates are checked. While some interpretations (e.g., plates as armor) are clearly falsified, others (linked to thermoregulatory functions) seem to be more robust, although by no means can they be viewed as clearly vindicated on the basis of the evidence presently available.

Type
Articles
Information
Paleobiology , Volume 12 , Issue 4 , Fall 1986 , pp. 459 - 473
Copyright
Copyright © The Paleontological Society 

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References

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