Bighorn basin

@article{chamberlin1940diastrophic,
    author = "Chamberlin, Rollin T.",
    title = "Diastrophic Behavior around the Bighorn Basin",
    year = "1940",
    journal = "The Journal of Geology",
    url = "https://doi.org/10.1086/624924",
    doi = "10.1086/624924",
    number = "7",
    pages = "673-716",
    volume = "48"
}

@article{openalexw7113493139,
    author = "Ostrom, John H.",
    title = "Stratigraphy and paleontology of the Cloverly Formation of the Bighorn Basin area, Wyoming and Montana",
    year = "1970",
    url = "https://openalex.org/W7113493139",
    openalex = "W7113493139"
}

@techreport{ostrom1970stratigraphy1,
    author = "Ostrom, J. H",
    title = "Stratigraphy and paleontology of the Cloverly Formation (Lower Cretaceous) of the Bighorn Basin area",
    year = "1970",
    howpublished = "Bulletin of the Peabody Museum of Natural History, v. 35, p. 1-234",
    note = "talkorigins\_source = {true}; raw\_reference = {Ostrom, J. H., 1970, Stratigraphy and paleontology of the Cloverly Formation (Lower Cretaceous) of the Bighorn Basin area: Bulletin of the Peabody Museum of Natural History, v. 35, p. 1-234.}"
}

@article{doi101086407120,
    author = "Olson, Everett C.",
    title = "Stratigraphy and Paleontology of the Cloverly Formation (Lower Cretaceous) of the Bighorn Basin Area, Wyoming and Montana. John H. Ostrom",
    year = "1972",
    journal = "The Quarterly Review of Biology",
    url = "https://doi.org/10.1086/407120",
    doi = "10.1086/407120",
    openalex = "W2091904599"
}

@article{olson1972stratigraphy,
    author = "Olson, Everett C.",
    title = "Stratigraphy and Paleontology of the Cloverly Formation (Lower Cretaceous) of the Bighorn Basin Area, Wyoming and Montana. John H. Ostrom",
    year = "1972",
    journal = "The Quarterly Review of Biology",
    url = "https://doi.org/10.1086/407120",
    doi = "10.1086/407120",
    number = "1",
    openalex = "W2091904599",
    pages = "78-78",
    volume = "47"
}

ABSTRACT Gobiconodon ostromi, sp. nov., described from two partial skeletons collected from the Cloverly Formation in southcentral Montana, is closely related to Gobiconodon borissiaki Trofimov (1978) from the Early Cretaceous of Mongolia. The unusual dental characters of this new form are enlarged caniniform incisors, reduced canines, and replacement of the molariform teeth that lie distal to the presumptive premolars. Despite the fact that the molariform occlusal pattern is the same as in Amphilestes of the Middle Jurassic and the overall structure of the molariform teeth is comparable to that in amphilestid triconodonts, the dentition is otherwise so anomalous that Gobiconodon is assigned to a new family. The scapula possesses a supraspinous fossa and an apparently large coracoid. The humerus exhibits large deltopectoral and medial crests, and protuberant epicondyles; the planes of the proximal and distal halves of this bone are substantially offset. The pelvis conforms to a generalized mammalian pattern. A deep fossa of unknown function occurs on the dorsal surface of the lesser trochanter; the greater trochanter extends distally well down onto the shaft. A spur-like bone appears to represent an extratarsal element. In overall body size, Gobiconodon ostromi, sp. nov., is comparable to Didelphis virginiana but in its limb and vertebral proportions is more robust.

@article{doi10108002724634198810011681,
    author = "Jenkins, Farish A. and Schaff, Charles R.",
    title = "The Early Cretaceous mammal Gobiconodon (Mammalia, Triconodonta) from the Cloverly Formation in Montana",
    year = "1988",
    journal = "Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology",
    abstract = "ABSTRACT Gobiconodon ostromi, sp. nov., described from two partial skeletons collected from the Cloverly Formation in southcentral Montana, is closely related to Gobiconodon borissiaki Trofimov (1978) from the Early Cretaceous of Mongolia. The unusual dental characters of this new form are enlarged caniniform incisors, reduced canines, and replacement of the molariform teeth that lie distal to the presumptive premolars. Despite the fact that the molariform occlusal pattern is the same as in Amphilestes of the Middle Jurassic and the overall structure of the molariform teeth is comparable to that in amphilestid triconodonts, the dentition is otherwise so anomalous that Gobiconodon is assigned to a new family. The scapula possesses a supraspinous fossa and an apparently large coracoid. The humerus exhibits large deltopectoral and medial crests, and protuberant epicondyles; the planes of the proximal and distal halves of this bone are substantially offset. The pelvis conforms to a generalized mammalian pattern. A deep fossa of unknown function occurs on the dorsal surface of the lesser trochanter; the greater trochanter extends distally well down onto the shaft. A spur-like bone appears to represent an extratarsal element. In overall body size, Gobiconodon ostromi, sp. nov., is comparable to Didelphis virginiana but in its limb and vertebral proportions is more robust.",
    url = "https://doi.org/10.1080/02724634.1988.10011681",
    doi = "10.1080/02724634.1988.10011681",
    openalex = "W2041142773",
    references = "doi101002aja1001370304, doi101002jmor1051670308, doi101002jmor1051850203, doi101098rstb19760022, doi101111j109636421981tb01127x, doi101111j109636421985tb01500x, doi101111j1469185x1968tb00966x, doi105281zenodo16386718, doi105962bhltitle3460, openalexw1539913220"
}

@article{doi101016jpalaeo200906004,
    author = "Britt, Brooks B. and Eberth, David A. and Scheetz, Rod D. and Greenhalgh, Brent W. and Stadtman, Kenneth L.",
    title = "Taphonomy of debris-flow hosted dinosaur bonebeds at Dalton Wells, Utah (Lower Cretaceous, Cedar Mountain Formation, USA)",
    year = "2009",
    journal = "Palaeogeography Palaeoclimatology Palaeoecology",
    url = "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2009.06.004",
    doi = "10.1016/j.palaeo.2009.06.004",
    openalex = "W1979079282",
    references = "doi1010160278416583900089, doi1010160305440388900817, doi101017s0094837300005820, doi101038319768a0, doi10129879781933789439, doi102110palo2003p0322, doi102113gsrocky8specialpaper11, doi1023072802289, doi105860choice300309, doi105860choice393984, doi105962bhlpart22969, doi107208chicago97802267237300010001, openalexw2989049194, ostrom2020stratigraphy"
}

Nodosaurids are poorly known from the Lower Cretaceous of Europe. Two associated ankylosaur skeletons excavated from the lower Albian carbonaceous member of the Escucha Formation near Ariño in northeastern Teruel, Spain reveal nearly all the diagnostic recognized character that define nodosaurid ankylosaurs. These new specimens comprise a new genus and species of nodosaurid ankylosaur and represent the single most complete taxon of ankylosaur from the Cretaceous of Europe. These two specimens were examined and compared to all other known ankylosaurs. Comparisons of these specimens document that Europelta carbonensis n. gen., n. sp. is a nodosaur and is the sister taxon to the Late Cretaceous nodosaurids Anoplosaurus, Hungarosaurus, and Struthiosaurus, defining a monophyletic clade of European nodosaurids- the Struthiosaurinae.

@article{doi101371journalpone0080405,
    author = "Kirkland, James I. and Alcalá, Luís and Loewen, Mark A. and Espílez, Eduardo and Mampel, Luis and Wiersma, Jelle P.",
    title = "The Basal Nodosaurid Ankylosaur Europelta carbonensis n. gen., n. sp. from the Lower Cretaceous (Lower Albian) Escucha Formation of Northeastern Spain",
    year = "2013",
    journal = "PLoS ONE",
    abstract = "Nodosaurids are poorly known from the Lower Cretaceous of Europe. Two associated ankylosaur skeletons excavated from the lower Albian carbonaceous member of the Escucha Formation near Ariño in northeastern Teruel, Spain reveal nearly all the diagnostic recognized character that define nodosaurid ankylosaurs. These new specimens comprise a new genus and species of nodosaurid ankylosaur and represent the single most complete taxon of ankylosaur from the Cretaceous of Europe. These two specimens were examined and compared to all other known ankylosaurs. Comparisons of these specimens document that Europelta carbonensis n. gen., n. sp. is a nodosaur and is the sister taxon to the Late Cretaceous nodosaurids Anoplosaurus, Hungarosaurus, and Struthiosaurus, defining a monophyletic clade of European nodosaurids- the Struthiosaurinae.",
    url = "https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0080405",
    doi = "10.1371/journal.pone.0080405",
    openalex = "W2090263554",
    references = "doi101007bf02860849, doi101016b9780444594259000275, doi101016s0016699580800386, doi1010291999pa900040, doi10102994pa00258, doi10108002724634199510011230, doi101086407120, doi101098rspl18870117, doi101098rsta20031240, doi101127njgpm19831983141, doi1011440016764903087, doi1016660094837320050310291teafot20co2, doi102307jctvxkn7tk, doi103732ajb0900346, olson1972stratigraphy, openalexw1496509561, openalexw3215057009"
}

The fossil record for neoceratopsian (horned) dinosaurs in the Lower Cretaceous of North America primarily comprises isolated teeth and postcrania of limited taxonomic resolution, hampering previous efforts to reconstruct the early evolution of this group in North America. An associated cranium and lower jaw from the Cloverly Formation (?middle-late Albian, between 104 and 109 million years old) of southern Montana is designated as the holotype for Aquilops americanus gen. et sp. nov. Aquilops americanus is distinguished by several autapomorphies, including a strongly hooked rostral bone with a midline boss and an elongate and sharply pointed antorbital fossa. The skull in the only known specimen is comparatively small, measuring 84 mm between the tips of the rostral and jugal. The taxon is interpreted as a basal neoceratopsian closely related to Early Cretaceous Asian taxa, such as Liaoceratops and Auroraceratops. Biogeographically, A. americanus probably originated via a dispersal from Asia into North America; the exact route of this dispersal is ambiguous, although a Beringian rather than European route seems more likely in light of the absence of ceratopsians in the Early Cretaceous of Europe. Other amniote clades show similar biogeographic patterns, supporting an intercontinental migratory event between Asia and North America during the late Early Cretaceous. The temporal and geographic distribution of Upper Cretaceous neoceratopsians (leptoceratopsids and ceratopsoids) suggests at least intermittent connections between North America and Asia through the early Late Cretaceous, likely followed by an interval of isolation and finally reconnection during the latest Cretaceous.

@article{doi101371journalpone0112055,
    author = "Farke, Andrew A. and Maxwell, W. Desmond and Cifelli, Richard L. and Wedel, Mathew J.",
    title = "A Ceratopsian Dinosaur from the Lower Cretaceous of Western North America, and the Biogeography of Neoceratopsia",
    year = "2014",
    journal = "PLoS ONE",
    abstract = "The fossil record for neoceratopsian (horned) dinosaurs in the Lower Cretaceous of North America primarily comprises isolated teeth and postcrania of limited taxonomic resolution, hampering previous efforts to reconstruct the early evolution of this group in North America. An associated cranium and lower jaw from the Cloverly Formation (?middle-late Albian, between 104 and 109 million years old) of southern Montana is designated as the holotype for Aquilops americanus gen. et sp. nov. Aquilops americanus is distinguished by several autapomorphies, including a strongly hooked rostral bone with a midline boss and an elongate and sharply pointed antorbital fossa. The skull in the only known specimen is comparatively small, measuring 84 mm between the tips of the rostral and jugal. The taxon is interpreted as a basal neoceratopsian closely related to Early Cretaceous Asian taxa, such as Liaoceratops and Auroraceratops. Biogeographically, A. americanus probably originated via a dispersal from Asia into North America; the exact route of this dispersal is ambiguous, although a Beringian rather than European route seems more likely in light of the absence of ceratopsians in the Early Cretaceous of Europe. Other amniote clades show similar biogeographic patterns, supporting an intercontinental migratory event between Asia and North America during the late Early Cretaceous. The temporal and geographic distribution of Upper Cretaceous neoceratopsians (leptoceratopsids and ceratopsoids) suggests at least intermittent connections between North America and Asia through the early Late Cretaceous, likely followed by an interval of isolation and finally reconnection during the latest Cretaceous.",
    url = "https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0112055",
    doi = "10.1371/journal.pone.0112055",
    openalex = "W1980567050",
    references = "doi101080089129632012688589, doi10108010635150701883881, doi101080147720192010488045, doi101098rspl18870117, doi101111j001438202005tb00940x, doi101111j10960031200800217x, doi101126science1116412, doi101126science23547931156, doi10113008137233291, doi10120600030082200635301ydanpc20co2, doi105860choice331556, doi107312kiel11918, longrich2008a, openalexw3215057009"
}

@article{carrano2016vertebrate,
    author = "Carrano, Matthew T. and Oreska, Matthew P. J. and Lockwood, Rowan",
    title = "Vertebrate paleontology of the Cloverly Formation (Lower Cretaceous), II: Paleoecology",
    year = "2016",
    journal = "Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology",
    url = "https://doi.org/10.1080/02724634.2015.1071265",
    doi = "10.1080/02724634.2015.1071265",
    number = "2",
    openalex = "W2261175596",
    pages = "e1071265",
    volume = "36",
    references = "doi101034j160007062002970210x, doi101038nature01420, doi101038nature06277, doi10108002724634199810011114, doi101111j109583121991tb00548x, doi101111j14610248200400608x, doi101126science2562999, doi1016710272463420010210172dteotr20co2, doi1023071930126, doi105860choice435902"
}

@inproceedings{andforeman2017comparison,
    author = "Foreman, Brady Z. and D'Emic, Michael D. and Malone, David H. and Craddock, John P.",
    title = "COMPARISON OF U-PB DETRITAL ZIRCON PROVENANCE BETWEEN UPPER JURASSIC MORRISON FORMATION AND LOWER CRETACEOUS CLOVERLY FORMATION (BIGHORN BASIN, NORTHWEST WYOMING, USA)",
    year = "2017",
    booktitle = "Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs",
    url = "https://doi.org/10.1130/abs/2017am-301724",
    doi = "10.1130/abs/2017am-301724",
    openalex = "W2771313173"
}

Abstract Vertebrate microfossil bonebeds (VMBs)—localized concentrations of small resilient vertebrate hard parts—are commonly studied to recover otherwise rarely found small-bodied taxa, and to document relative taxonomic abundance and species richness in ancient vertebrate communities. Analyses of taphonomic comparability among VMBs have often found significant differences in size and shape distributions, and thus considered them to be non-isotaphonomic. Such outcomes of “strict” statistical tests of isotaphonomy suggest discouraging limits on the potential for broad, comparative paleoecological reconstruction using VMBs. Yet it is not surprising that sensitive statistical tests highlight variations among VMB sites, especially given the general lack of clarity with regard to the definition of “strict” isotaphonomic comparability. We rigorously sampled and compared six VMB localities representing two distinct paleoenvironments (channel and pond/lake) of the Upper Cretaceous Judith River Formation to evaluate biases related to sampling strategies and depositional context. Few defining distinctions in bioclast size and shape are evident in surface collections, and most site-to-site comparisons of sieved collections are indistinguishable (p ≤0.003). These results provide a strong case for taphonomic equivalence among the majority of Judith River VMBs, and bode well for future studies of paleoecology, particularly in relation to investigations of faunal membership and community structure in Late Cretaceous wetland ecosystems. The taphonomic comparability of pond/lake and channel-hosted VMBs in the Judith River Formation is also consistent with a formative model that contends that channel-hosted VMBs were reworked from pre-existing pond/lake assemblages, and thus share taphonomic history.

@article{doi101017pab201637,
    author = "Rogers, Raymond R. and Carrano, Matthew T. and Rogers, Kristina A. Curry and Perez, Magaly and Regan, Anik",
    title = "Isotaphonomy in concept and practice: an exploration of vertebrate microfossil bonebeds in the Upper Cretaceous (Campanian) Judith River Formation, north-central Montana",
    year = "2017",
    journal = "Paleobiology",
    abstract = "Abstract Vertebrate microfossil bonebeds (VMBs)—localized concentrations of small resilient vertebrate hard parts—are commonly studied to recover otherwise rarely found small-bodied taxa, and to document relative taxonomic abundance and species richness in ancient vertebrate communities. Analyses of taphonomic comparability among VMBs have often found significant differences in size and shape distributions, and thus considered them to be non-isotaphonomic. Such outcomes of “strict” statistical tests of isotaphonomy suggest discouraging limits on the potential for broad, comparative paleoecological reconstruction using VMBs. Yet it is not surprising that sensitive statistical tests highlight variations among VMB sites, especially given the general lack of clarity with regard to the definition of “strict” isotaphonomic comparability. We rigorously sampled and compared six VMB localities representing two distinct paleoenvironments (channel and pond/lake) of the Upper Cretaceous Judith River Formation to evaluate biases related to sampling strategies and depositional context. Few defining distinctions in bioclast size and shape are evident in surface collections, and most site-to-site comparisons of sieved collections are indistinguishable (p ≤0.003). These results provide a strong case for taphonomic equivalence among the majority of Judith River VMBs, and bode well for future studies of paleoecology, particularly in relation to investigations of faunal membership and community structure in Late Cretaceous wetland ecosystems. The taphonomic comparability of pond/lake and channel-hosted VMBs in the Judith River Formation is also consistent with a formative model that contends that channel-hosted VMBs were reworked from pre-existing pond/lake assemblages, and thus share taphonomic history.",
    url = "https://doi.org/10.1017/pab.2016.37",
    doi = "10.1017/pab.2016.37",
    openalex = "W2589812560",
    references = "carrano2016vertebrate, doi101006cres19941022, doi10100797814899503456, doi101016003101829190016k, doi101017s0094837300004929, doi101038142234b0, doi10108001621459196110482090, doi101086684289, doi101111j13652745200901566x, doi10166600948373200026103tap20co2, doi1023072800758, doi105281zenodo1048846, doi105860choice300309, openalexw2294506137, openalexw2474977981"
}

Abstract The Flat Rocks locality in the Wonthaggi Formation (Strzelecki Group) of the Gippsland Basin, southeastern Australia, hosts fossils of a late Barremian vertebrate fauna that inhabited the ancient rift between Australia and Antarctica. Known from its dentary, Qantassaurus intrepidus Rich and Vickers-Rich, 1999 has been the only dinosaur named from this locality. However, the plethora of vertebrate fossils collected from Flat Rocks suggests that further dinosaurs await discovery. From this locality, we name a new small-bodied ornithopod, Galleonosaurus dorisae n. gen. n. sp. from craniodental remains. Five ornithopodan genera are now named from Victoria. Galleonosaurus dorisae n. gen. n. sp. is known from five maxillae, from which the first description of jaw growth in an Australian dinosaur is provided. The holotype of Galleonosaurus dorisae n. gen. n. sp. is the most complete dinosaur maxilla known from Victoria. Micro-CT imagery of the holotype reveals the complex internal anatomy of the neurovascular tract and antorbital fossa. We confirm that Q. intrepidus is uniquely characterized by a deep foreshortened dentary. Two dentaries originally referred to Q. intrepidus are reassigned to Q.? intrepidus and a further maxilla is referred to cf. Atlascopcosaurus loadsi Rich and Rich, 1989. A further ornithopod dentary morphotype is identified, more elongate than those of Q. intrepidus and Q.? intrepidus and with three more tooth positions. This dentary might pertain to Galleonosaurus dorisae n. gen. n. sp. Phylogenetic analysis recovered Cretaceous Victorian and Argentinian nonstyracosternan ornithopods within the exclusively Gondwanan clade Elasmaria. However, the large-bodied taxon Muttaburrasaurus langdoni Bartholomai and Molnar, 1981 is hypothesised as a basal iguanodontian with closer affinities to dryomorphans than to rhabdodontids. UUID: http://zoobank.org/4af87bb4-b687-42f3-9622-aa806a6b4116

@article{doi101017jpa201895,
    author = "Herne, Matthew and Nair, Jay P. and Evans, Alistair R. and Tait, Alan",
    title = "New small-bodied ornithopods (Dinosauria, Neornithischia) from the Early Cretaceous Wonthaggi Formation (Strzelecki Group) of the Australian-Antarctic rift system, with revision of Qantassaurus intrepidus Rich and Vickers-Rich, 1999",
    year = "2019",
    journal = "Journal of Paleontology",
    abstract = "Abstract The Flat Rocks locality in the Wonthaggi Formation (Strzelecki Group) of the Gippsland Basin, southeastern Australia, hosts fossils of a late Barremian vertebrate fauna that inhabited the ancient rift between Australia and Antarctica. Known from its dentary, Qantassaurus intrepidus Rich and Vickers-Rich, 1999 has been the only dinosaur named from this locality. However, the plethora of vertebrate fossils collected from Flat Rocks suggests that further dinosaurs await discovery. From this locality, we name a new small-bodied ornithopod, Galleonosaurus dorisae n. gen. n. sp. from craniodental remains. Five ornithopodan genera are now named from Victoria. Galleonosaurus dorisae n. gen. n. sp. is known from five maxillae, from which the first description of jaw growth in an Australian dinosaur is provided. The holotype of Galleonosaurus dorisae n. gen. n. sp. is the most complete dinosaur maxilla known from Victoria. Micro-CT imagery of the holotype reveals the complex internal anatomy of the neurovascular tract and antorbital fossa. We confirm that Q. intrepidus is uniquely characterized by a deep foreshortened dentary. Two dentaries originally referred to Q. intrepidus are reassigned to Q.? intrepidus and a further maxilla is referred to cf. Atlascopcosaurus loadsi Rich and Rich, 1989. A further ornithopod dentary morphotype is identified, more elongate than those of Q. intrepidus and Q.? intrepidus and with three more tooth positions. This dentary might pertain to Galleonosaurus dorisae n. gen. n. sp. Phylogenetic analysis recovered Cretaceous Victorian and Argentinian nonstyracosternan ornithopods within the exclusively Gondwanan clade Elasmaria. However, the large-bodied taxon Muttaburrasaurus langdoni Bartholomai and Molnar, 1981 is hypothesised as a basal iguanodontian with closer affinities to dryomorphans than to rhabdodontids. UUID: http://zoobank.org/4af87bb4-b687-42f3-9622-aa806a6b4116",
    url = "https://doi.org/10.1017/jpa.2018.95",
    doi = "10.1017/jpa.2018.95",
    openalex = "W2921822738",
    references = "doi101080027246342012694385, doi101080027246342013746229, doi1010800272463420161269539, doi1010800311551820181453085, doi1010801477201920171371258, doi101111j10963642201000620x, doi101111pala12236, doi102307jctt1zxz1md6, doi102307jctvxkn7tk, doi105860choice503272, doi107717peerj1523, openalexw575814759"
}

The Cloverly Formation is an important geologic unit for understanding the development of North American terrestrial landscapes and ecosystems, but the age of this unit is poorly constrained. We report U–Pb radiometric dates determined by laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) and chemical abrasion thermal ionization mass spectrometry (CA-TIMS) from euhedral zircons derived from fluvial sandstone and bentonitic claystone. We reanalyzed published biostratigraphic, paleomagnetic, and radiometric datasets, which have generally disregarded younger (late Albian–Cenomanian) ages for the formation. New data reported in this study suggest that deposition of the Cloverly Formation spanned the Valanginian–Cenomanian stages (ca. 140 Ma–98 Ma), a longer time interval than the commonly cited Aptian–Albian depositional timeframe. The lowest member of the Cloverly Formation, the Pryor Conglomerate, was deposited ca. 140–130 Ma in response to the onset of the Sevier Orogeny shedding sediment from the west. The overlying Little Sheep Mudstone Member was deposited ca. 124–109 Ma in a time of low sediment supply. In the mid–late Albian to early Cenomanian (ca. 109–98 Ma), sediment sourced from the east was deposited as the Himes Member and Greybull Sandstone. Following this, the Sykes Mountain Formation began nearshore deposition as the Western Interior Seaway transgressed from the north. Our revised chronostratigraphic framework for the Cloverly Formation is congruent with tectonic subsidence analysis showing a rapid increase in accommodation space in the mid-Albian. We hypothesize that more intensive sampling may yield multiple fossil assemblages within the formation, paralleling its correlates to the south. Furthermore, we hypothesize that some poorly represented taxa will be synonymized with taxa from those same units now that their temporal equivalence has been demonstrated.

@article{doi1033740140600101,
    author = "D’Emic, Michael D. and Foreman, Brady Z. and Jud, Nathan A. and Britt, Brooks B. and Schmitz, Mark D. and Crowley, James L.",
    title = "Chronostratigraphic Revision of the Cloverly Formation (Lower Cretaceous, Western Interior, USA)",
    year = "2019",
    journal = "Bulletin of the Peabody Museum of Natural History",
    abstract = "The Cloverly Formation is an important geologic unit for understanding the development of North American terrestrial landscapes and ecosystems, but the age of this unit is poorly constrained. We report U–Pb radiometric dates determined by laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) and chemical abrasion thermal ionization mass spectrometry (CA-TIMS) from euhedral zircons derived from fluvial sandstone and bentonitic claystone. We reanalyzed published biostratigraphic, paleomagnetic, and radiometric datasets, which have generally disregarded younger (late Albian–Cenomanian) ages for the formation. New data reported in this study suggest that deposition of the Cloverly Formation spanned the Valanginian–Cenomanian stages (ca. 140 Ma–98 Ma), a longer time interval than the commonly cited Aptian–Albian depositional timeframe. The lowest member of the Cloverly Formation, the Pryor Conglomerate, was deposited ca. 140–130 Ma in response to the onset of the Sevier Orogeny shedding sediment from the west. The overlying Little Sheep Mudstone Member was deposited ca. 124–109 Ma in a time of low sediment supply. In the mid–late Albian to early Cenomanian (ca. 109–98 Ma), sediment sourced from the east was deposited as the Himes Member and Greybull Sandstone. Following this, the Sykes Mountain Formation began nearshore deposition as the Western Interior Seaway transgressed from the north. Our revised chronostratigraphic framework for the Cloverly Formation is congruent with tectonic subsidence analysis showing a rapid increase in accommodation space in the mid-Albian. We hypothesize that more intensive sampling may yield multiple fossil assemblages within the formation, paralleling its correlates to the south. Furthermore, we hypothesize that some poorly represented taxa will be synonymized with taxa from those same units now that their temporal equivalence has been demonstrated.",
    url = "https://doi.org/10.3374/014.060.0101",
    doi = "10.3374/014.060.0101",
    openalex = "W2932600392",
    references = "carrano2016vertebrate, doi1010160016703773902135, doi101016jchemgeo200503011, doi101016jepsl200909013, doi101016jgloplacha201312007, doi1010292007gc001805, doi101086622567, doi101103physrevc41889, doi1018814epiiugs2013v36i3002, doi102475ajs3042105, openalexw2912219260"
}

Frontmatter -- CONTENTS -- FIGURES -- TABLES -- CHARTS -- PLATES -- LOCALITY MAPS -- ABSTRACT -- 1. INTRODUCTION -- 2. STRATIGRAPHY -- 3. STRATIGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION OF FOSSIL VERTEBRATES -- 4. SYSTEMATIC PALEONTOLOGY -- 5. FAUNAL COMPARISONS -- 6. AGE OF THE CLOVERLY FORMATION -- REFERENCES CITED -- APPENDIX A: MEASURED SECTIONS -- APPENDIX B: LOCALITY REGISTER AND MAPS

@book{doi10129879781933789439,
    author = "Ostrom, John H.",
    title = "Stratigraphy and Paleontology of the Cloverly Formation (Lower Cretaceous) of the Bighorn Basin Area, Wyoming and Montana",
    year = "2020",
    booktitle = "Yale University Press eBooks",
    abstract = "Frontmatter -- CONTENTS -- FIGURES -- TABLES -- CHARTS -- PLATES -- LOCALITY MAPS -- ABSTRACT -- 1. INTRODUCTION -- 2. STRATIGRAPHY -- 3. STRATIGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION OF FOSSIL VERTEBRATES -- 4. SYSTEMATIC PALEONTOLOGY -- 5. FAUNAL COMPARISONS -- 6. AGE OF THE CLOVERLY FORMATION -- REFERENCES CITED -- APPENDIX A: MEASURED SECTIONS -- APPENDIX B: LOCALITY REGISTER AND MAPS",
    url = "https://doi.org/10.12987/9781933789439",
    doi = "10.12987/9781933789439",
    openalex = "W4285658390"
}

@book{doi102307jctvxkn7tk,
    author = "Ostrom, John H.",
    title = "Stratigraphy and Paleontology of the Cloverly Formation (Lower Cretaceous) of the Bighorn Basin Area, Wyoming and Montana",
    year = "2020",
    booktitle = "Yale University Press eBooks",
    url = "https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctvxkn7tk",
    doi = "10.2307/j.ctvxkn7tk",
    openalex = "W3011999755"
}

@misc{ostrom2020stratigraphy,
    author = "Ostrom, John H.",
    title = "Stratigraphy and Paleontology of the Cloverly Formation (Lower Cretaceous) of the Bighorn Basin Area, Wyoming and Montana",
    year = "2020",
    url = "https://doi.org/10.12987/9781933789439",
    doi = "10.12987/9781933789439",
    openalex = "W4285658390"
}

The armoured dinosaurs, Thyreophora, were a diverse clade of ornithischians known from the Early Jurassic to the end of the Cretaceous. During the Middle and Late Jurassic, the thyreophorans radiated to evolve large body size, quadrupedality, and complex chewing mechanisms, and members of the group include some of the most iconic dinosaurs, including the plated Stegosaurus and the club-tailed Ankylosaurus; however, the early stages of thyreophoran evolution are poorly understood due to a paucity of relatively complete remains from early diverging thyreophoran taxa. Scutellosaurus lawleri is generally reconstructed as the earliest-diverging thyreophoran and is known from over 70 specimens from the Lower Jurassic Kayenta Formation of Arizona, USA. Whereas Scutellosaurus lawleri is pivotal to our understanding of character-state changes at the base of Thyreophora that can shed light on the early evolution of the armoured dinosaurs, the taxon has received limited study. Herein, we provide a detailed account of the osteology of Scutellosaurus lawleri, figuring many elements for the first time. Scutellosaurus lawleri was the only definitive bipedal thyreophoran. Histological studies indicate that it grew slowly throughout its life, possessing lamellar-zonal tissue that was a consequence neither of its small size nor phylogenetic position, but may instead be autapomorphic, and supporting other studies that suggest thyreophorans had lower basal metabolic rates than other ornithischian dinosaurs. Faunal diversity of the Kayenta Formation in comparison with other well-known Early Jurassic-aged dinosaur-bearing formations indicates that there was considerable spatial and/or environmental variation in Early Jurassic dinosaur faunas.

@article{breeden2021the,
    author = "Breeden, Benjamin T. and Raven, Thomas J. and Butler, Richard J. and Rowe, Timothy B. and Maidment, Susannah C. R.",
    title = "The anatomy and palaeobiology of the early armoured dinosaur Scutellosaurus lawleri (Ornithischia: Thyreophora) from the Kayenta Formation (Lower Jurassic) of Arizona",
    year = "2021",
    journal = "Royal Society Open Science",
    abstract = "The armoured dinosaurs, Thyreophora, were a diverse clade of ornithischians known from the Early Jurassic to the end of the Cretaceous. During the Middle and Late Jurassic, the thyreophorans radiated to evolve large body size, quadrupedality, and complex chewing mechanisms, and members of the group include some of the most iconic dinosaurs, including the plated Stegosaurus and the club-tailed Ankylosaurus; however, the early stages of thyreophoran evolution are poorly understood due to a paucity of relatively complete remains from early diverging thyreophoran taxa. Scutellosaurus lawleri is generally reconstructed as the earliest-diverging thyreophoran and is known from over 70 specimens from the Lower Jurassic Kayenta Formation of Arizona, USA. Whereas Scutellosaurus lawleri is pivotal to our understanding of character-state changes at the base of Thyreophora that can shed light on the early evolution of the armoured dinosaurs, the taxon has received limited study. Herein, we provide a detailed account of the osteology of Scutellosaurus lawleri, figuring many elements for the first time. Scutellosaurus lawleri was the only definitive bipedal thyreophoran. Histological studies indicate that it grew slowly throughout its life, possessing lamellar-zonal tissue that was a consequence neither of its small size nor phylogenetic position, but may instead be autapomorphic, and supporting other studies that suggest thyreophorans had lower basal metabolic rates than other ornithischian dinosaurs. Faunal diversity of the Kayenta Formation in comparison with other well-known Early Jurassic-aged dinosaur-bearing formations indicates that there was considerable spatial and/or environmental variation in Early Jurassic dinosaur faunas.",
    url = "https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.201676",
    doi = "10.1098/rsos.201676",
    number = "7",
    openalex = "W3184028119",
    volume = "8",
    references = "doi101016s0037073803001581, doi101017jpa202014, doi101017s1477201907002271, doi10108002724634199610011283, doi101098rspl18870117, doi101126science28454232137, doi101127njgpa210199841, doi101130b264061, doi1012063521, doi101371journalpone0204007, doi105281zenodo16171435, doi105860choice393984, padian1989presence"
}

We describe a new species of the albanerpetontid amphibian Albanerpeton from three localities in the Lower Cretaceous Cloverly Formation of Wyoming, U.S.A. Radiometric dates between ∼111–112 Ma indicate it is slightly younger than A. arthridion from the Antlers Formation. The new species is diagnosed on a pair of fused frontals that possess a unique combination of characters, mixing plesiomorphic features of the internasal process with a more derived overall shape and proportions. Referred material includes premaxillae, maxillae, dentaries, atlantes, ‘axes,’ trunk vertebrae, humeri, and an ilium.Phylogenetic analyses place the new species near the base of Albanerpeton sensu lato but without fully resolving its position. The inclusion of Shirerpeton and Wesserpeton within this clade opens up the possibility that these genera might be incorporated into Albanerpeton, or that a number of species formerly assigned to Albanerpeton might receive new generic assignments. By including several informal species in our analysis, it becomes clear that character distributions are more homoplastic and that past genus typologies are probably less secure. We assign the new species to Albanerpeton conservatively, pending further phylogenetic study.The Cloverly Albanerpeton is found in unambiguously aquatic deposits, suggesting that the animal lived near these settings for at least part of its life. This is a common habitat for Mesozoic albanerpetontids, unlike the karst-dominated, often drier, deposits in which Cenozoic species are typically found. Despite the recent discovery of a probable arboreal species, it is likely that albanerpetontids inhabited a range of habitats throughout their evolutionary history.

@article{doi1010800272463420212003372,
    author = "Carrano, Matthew T. and Oreska, Matthew P. J. and Murch, Abree and Trujillo, Kelli C. and Chamberlain, Kevin R.",
    title = "Vertebrate paleontology of the Cloverly Formation (Lower Cretaceous), III: a new species of Albanerpeton, with biogeographic and paleoecological implications",
    year = "2021",
    journal = "Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology",
    abstract = "We describe a new species of the albanerpetontid amphibian Albanerpeton from three localities in the Lower Cretaceous Cloverly Formation of Wyoming, U.S.A. Radiometric dates between ∼111–112 Ma indicate it is slightly younger than A. arthridion from the Antlers Formation. The new species is diagnosed on a pair of fused frontals that possess a unique combination of characters, mixing plesiomorphic features of the internasal process with a more derived overall shape and proportions. Referred material includes premaxillae, maxillae, dentaries, atlantes, ‘axes,’ trunk vertebrae, humeri, and an ilium.Phylogenetic analyses place the new species near the base of Albanerpeton sensu lato but without fully resolving its position. The inclusion of Shirerpeton and Wesserpeton within this clade opens up the possibility that these genera might be incorporated into Albanerpeton, or that a number of species formerly assigned to Albanerpeton might receive new generic assignments. By including several informal species in our analysis, it becomes clear that character distributions are more homoplastic and that past genus typologies are probably less secure. We assign the new species to Albanerpeton conservatively, pending further phylogenetic study.The Cloverly Albanerpeton is found in unambiguously aquatic deposits, suggesting that the animal lived near these settings for at least part of its life. This is a common habitat for Mesozoic albanerpetontids, unlike the karst-dominated, often drier, deposits in which Cenozoic species are typically found. Despite the recent discovery of a probable arboreal species, it is likely that albanerpetontids inhabited a range of habitats throughout their evolutionary history.",
    url = "https://doi.org/10.1080/02724634.2021.2003372",
    doi = "10.1080/02724634.2021.2003372",
    openalex = "W4214830085",
    references = "carrano2016vertebrate, doi101016jgr201412004, doi101016jtecto201204021, doi101016s0031018203003675, doi10108002724634198210011915, doi101080027246342012717567, doi10108008120090500100077, doi101111cla12160, doi101111j10960031200800217x, doi101126scienceabb6005, doi101371journalpone0189767, doi1016660094837336180, doi1023071933240, doi105860choice325663, doi105860choice461500"
}

A new genus and species of non-hadrosaurid hadrosauriform dinosaur, Brighstoneus simmondsi gen. et sp. nov., is described from the Lower Cretaceous Wessex Formation of the Isle of Wight. The new taxon has two autapomorphies, a nasal having a modest nasal bulla with convex sides, and primary and accessory ridges on the lingual aspect of the maxillary crown. The dentary has at least 28 alveolar positions, which is the highest number recorded in an ornithopod with non-parallel sided alveoli, creating a character combination that is unique within Iguanodontia. The hadrosauriform fauna of the Barremian–Aptian Wealden Group on both the Isle of Wight and mainland England has been represented for almost a century by just two taxa, the robust Iguanodon bernissartensis and the more gracile Mantellisaurus atherfieldensis, with referred material often being fragmentary or based on unassociated elements. This discovery increases the known hadrosauriform diversity in England and, together with recent discoveries in Spain, suggests that their diversity in the upper Wealden of Europe was considerably wider than initially realized. This find also has important implications for the validity of the Mantellisaurus atherfieldensis hypodigm, and a reassessment of existing material is suggested.http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:31F0D48F-C1DA-406E-A811-1F5937ED19F4

@article{doi1010801477201920211978005,
    author = "Lockwood, Jeremy A. F. and Martill, David M. and Maidment, Susannah C. R.",
    title = "A new hadrosauriform dinosaur from the Wessex Formation, Wealden Group (Early Cretaceous), of the Isle of Wight, southern England",
    year = "2021",
    journal = "Journal of Systematic Palaeontology",
    abstract = "A new genus and species of non-hadrosaurid hadrosauriform dinosaur, Brighstoneus simmondsi gen. et sp. nov., is described from the Lower Cretaceous Wessex Formation of the Isle of Wight. The new taxon has two autapomorphies, a nasal having a modest nasal bulla with convex sides, and primary and accessory ridges on the lingual aspect of the maxillary crown. The dentary has at least 28 alveolar positions, which is the highest number recorded in an ornithopod with non-parallel sided alveoli, creating a character combination that is unique within Iguanodontia. The hadrosauriform fauna of the Barremian–Aptian Wealden Group on both the Isle of Wight and mainland England has been represented for almost a century by just two taxa, the robust Iguanodon bernissartensis and the more gracile Mantellisaurus atherfieldensis, with referred material often being fragmentary or based on unassociated elements. This discovery increases the known hadrosauriform diversity in England and, together with recent discoveries in Spain, suggests that their diversity in the upper Wealden of Europe was considerably wider than initially realized. This find also has important implications for the validity of the Mantellisaurus atherfieldensis hypodigm, and a reassessment of existing material is suggested.http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:31F0D48F-C1DA-406E-A811-1F5937ED19F4",
    url = "https://doi.org/10.1080/14772019.2021.1978005",
    doi = "10.1080/14772019.2021.1978005",
    openalex = "W3211438913",
    references = "doi101111brv12666, doi101111zoj12193, doi101371journalpone0045712, gates2018a, tsogtbaatar2019a"
}

The early Eocene of the southern Bighorn Basin, Wyoming, is notable for its nearly continuous record of mammalian fossils. Microsyopinae (?Primates) is one of several lineages that shows evidence of evolutionary change associated with an interval referred to as Biohorizon A. Arctodontomys wilsoni is replaced by a larger species, Arctodontomys nuptus, during the biohorizon interval in what is likely an immigration/emigration or immigration/local extinction event. The latter is then superseded by Microsyops angustidens after the end of the Biohorizon A interval. Although this pattern has been understood for some time, denser sampling has led to the identification of a specimen intermediate in morphology between A. nuptus and M. angustidens, located stratigraphically as the latter is appearing. Because specimens of A. nuptus have been recovered approximately 60 m above the appearance of M. angustidens, it is clear that A. nuptus did not suffer pseudoextinction. Instead, evidence suggests that M. angustidens branched off from a population of A. nuptus, but the latter species persisted. This represents possible evidence of cladogenesis, which has rarely been directly documented in the fossil record. The improved understanding of both evolutionary transitions with better sampling highlights the problem of interpreting gaps in the fossil record as punctuations.

@article{doi101098rsbl20200824,
    author = "Silcox, Mary T and Selig, Keegan R and Bown, Thomas M and Chew, Amy E and Rose, Kenneth D",
    title = "Cladogenesis and replacement in the fossil record of Microsyopidae (?Primates) from the southern Bighorn Basin, Wyoming.",
    year = "2021",
    journal = "Biology letters",
    abstract = "The early Eocene of the southern Bighorn Basin, Wyoming, is notable for its nearly continuous record of mammalian fossils. Microsyopinae (?Primates) is one of several lineages that shows evidence of evolutionary change associated with an interval referred to as Biohorizon A. Arctodontomys wilsoni is replaced by a larger species, Arctodontomys nuptus, during the biohorizon interval in what is likely an immigration/emigration or immigration/local extinction event. The latter is then superseded by Microsyops angustidens after the end of the Biohorizon A interval. Although this pattern has been understood for some time, denser sampling has led to the identification of a specimen intermediate in morphology between A. nuptus and M. angustidens, located stratigraphically as the latter is appearing. Because specimens of A. nuptus have been recovered approximately 60 m above the appearance of M. angustidens, it is clear that A. nuptus did not suffer pseudoextinction. Instead, evidence suggests that M. angustidens branched off from a population of A. nuptus, but the latter species persisted. This represents possible evidence of cladogenesis, which has rarely been directly documented in the fossil record. The improved understanding of both evolutionary transitions with better sampling highlights the problem of interpreting gaps in the fossil record as punctuations.",
    url = "https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8086977/",
    doi = "10.1098/rsbl.2020.0824",
    pmcid = "PMC8086977",
    pmid = "33563133"
}

Determining the demographic impacts of wildlife disease is complex because extrinsic and intrinsic drivers of survival, reproduction, body condition, and other factors that may interact with disease vary widely. Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae infection has been linked to persistent mortality in juvenile bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis), although mortality appears to vary widely across subspecies, populations, and outbreaks. Hypotheses for that variation range from interactions with nutrition, population density, genetic variation in the pathogen, genetic variation in the host, and other factors. We investigated factors related to survival of juvenile bighorn sheep in reestablished populations in the northern Basin and Range ecosystem, managed as the formerly-recognized California subspecies (hereafter, "California lineage"). We investigated whether survival probability of 4-month juveniles would vary by (1) presence of M. ovipneumoniae-infected or exposed individuals in populations, (2) population genetic diversity, and (3) an index of forage suitability. We monitored 121 juveniles across a 3-year period in 13 populations in southeastern Oregon and northern Nevada. We observed each juvenile and GPS-collared mother semi-monthly and established 4-month capture histories for the juvenile to estimate survival. All collared adult females were PCR-tested at least once for M. ovipneumoniae infection. The presence of M. ovipneumoniae-infected juveniles was determined by observing juvenile behavior and PCR-testing dead juveniles. We used a known-fate model with different time effects to determine if the probability of survival to 4 months varied temporally or was influenced by disease or other factors. We detected dead juveniles infected with M. ovipneumoniae in only two populations. Derived juvenile survival probability at four months in populations where infected juveniles were not detected was more than 20 times higher. Detection of infected adults or adults with antibody levels suggesting prior exposure was less predictive of juvenile survival. Survival varied temporally but was not strongly influenced by population genetic diversity or nutrition, although genetic diversity within most study area populations was very low. We conclude that the presence of M. ovipneumoniae can cause extremely low juvenile survival probability in translocated bighorn populations of the California lineage, but found little influence that genetic diversity or nutrition affect juvenile survival. Yet, after the PCR+ adult female in one population died, subsequent observations found 11 of 14 (79%) collared adult females had surviving juveniles at 4-months, suggesting that targeted removals of infected adults should be evaluated as a management strategy.

@article{doi107717peerj10710,
    author = "Spaan, Robert S and Epps, Clinton W and Crowhurst, Rachel and Whittaker, Donald and Cox, Mike and Duarte, Adam",
    title = "Impact of Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae on juvenile bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) survival in the northern Basin and Range ecosystem.",
    year = "2021",
    journal = "PeerJ",
    abstract = {Determining the demographic impacts of wildlife disease is complex because extrinsic and intrinsic drivers of survival, reproduction, body condition, and other factors that may interact with disease vary widely. Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae infection has been linked to persistent mortality in juvenile bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis), although mortality appears to vary widely across subspecies, populations, and outbreaks. Hypotheses for that variation range from interactions with nutrition, population density, genetic variation in the pathogen, genetic variation in the host, and other factors. We investigated factors related to survival of juvenile bighorn sheep in reestablished populations in the northern Basin and Range ecosystem, managed as the formerly-recognized California subspecies (hereafter, "California lineage"). We investigated whether survival probability of 4-month juveniles would vary by (1) presence of M. ovipneumoniae-infected or exposed individuals in populations, (2) population genetic diversity, and (3) an index of forage suitability. We monitored 121 juveniles across a 3-year period in 13 populations in southeastern Oregon and northern Nevada. We observed each juvenile and GPS-collared mother semi-monthly and established 4-month capture histories for the juvenile to estimate survival. All collared adult females were PCR-tested at least once for M. ovipneumoniae infection. The presence of M. ovipneumoniae-infected juveniles was determined by observing juvenile behavior and PCR-testing dead juveniles. We used a known-fate model with different time effects to determine if the probability of survival to 4 months varied temporally or was influenced by disease or other factors. We detected dead juveniles infected with M. ovipneumoniae in only two populations. Derived juvenile survival probability at four months in populations where infected juveniles were not detected was more than 20 times higher. Detection of infected adults or adults with antibody levels suggesting prior exposure was less predictive of juvenile survival. Survival varied temporally but was not strongly influenced by population genetic diversity or nutrition, although genetic diversity within most study area populations was very low. We conclude that the presence of M. ovipneumoniae can cause extremely low juvenile survival probability in translocated bighorn populations of the California lineage, but found little influence that genetic diversity or nutrition affect juvenile survival. Yet, after the PCR+ adult female in one population died, subsequent observations found 11 of 14 (79\%) collared adult females had surviving juveniles at 4-months, suggesting that targeted removals of infected adults should be evaluated as a management strategy.},
    url = "https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7821761/",
    doi = "10.7717/peerj.10710",
    pmcid = "PMC7821761",
    pmid = "33552728"
}

The fossil record of North American Eocene mammals is best known from relatively low-elevation 'basin center' fossil localities in intermontane depositional basins of the Western Interior. This sampling bias, largely drawn from preservational bias, has limited our understanding of fauna from higher elevation Eocene fossil localities. Here we describe new specimens of crown primates and microsyopid plesiadapiforms from a middle Eocene (Bridgerian) locality ('Fantasia') from the western margin of the Bighorn Basin in Wyoming. Fantasia has been considered a 'basin-margin' site and geological evidence suggests that it was already at a high elevation relative to the basin center at the time of deposition. New specimens were described and identified using comparisons across museum collections and published faunal descriptions. Linear measurements were used to characterize the patterns of variation in dental size. Contrary to expectations derived from other Eocene basin-margin sites in the Rocky Mountains, Fantasia has low anaptomorphine omomyid diversity and lacks evidence for the co-occurrence of ancestor-descendant pairs. Fantasia also differs from other Bridgerian sites in having low abundance of Omomys and unusual body sizes of several euarchontan taxa. Some specimens of Anaptomorphus and cf. Omomys are larger than those found in coeval sites, while specimens of Notharctus and Microsyops are intermediate in size between middle and late Bridgerian samples of these genera from basin-center sites. These findings suggest that high elevation fossil localities like Fantasia may record atypical faunal samples that should be more thoroughly explored to understand faunal dynamics during the periods of significant regional uplift like that represented by the middle Eocene record of the Rocky Mountains. Furthermore, modern faunal data indicate that species body mass may be influenced by elevation, which may further complicate the use of body mass to determine species identity in the fossil record in the regions of high topographic relief.

@article{doi101016jjhevol2022103310,
    author = "Lundeen, Ingrid K and Kirk, E Christopher",
    title = "Euarchontans from Fantasia, an upland middle Eocene locality at the western margin of the Bighorn Basin.",
    year = "2023",
    journal = "Journal of human evolution",
    abstract = "The fossil record of North American Eocene mammals is best known from relatively low-elevation 'basin center' fossil localities in intermontane depositional basins of the Western Interior. This sampling bias, largely drawn from preservational bias, has limited our understanding of fauna from higher elevation Eocene fossil localities. Here we describe new specimens of crown primates and microsyopid plesiadapiforms from a middle Eocene (Bridgerian) locality ('Fantasia') from the western margin of the Bighorn Basin in Wyoming. Fantasia has been considered a 'basin-margin' site and geological evidence suggests that it was already at a high elevation relative to the basin center at the time of deposition. New specimens were described and identified using comparisons across museum collections and published faunal descriptions. Linear measurements were used to characterize the patterns of variation in dental size. Contrary to expectations derived from other Eocene basin-margin sites in the Rocky Mountains, Fantasia has low anaptomorphine omomyid diversity and lacks evidence for the co-occurrence of ancestor-descendant pairs. Fantasia also differs from other Bridgerian sites in having low abundance of Omomys and unusual body sizes of several euarchontan taxa. Some specimens of Anaptomorphus and cf. Omomys are larger than those found in coeval sites, while specimens of Notharctus and Microsyops are intermediate in size between middle and late Bridgerian samples of these genera from basin-center sites. These findings suggest that high elevation fossil localities like Fantasia may record atypical faunal samples that should be more thoroughly explored to understand faunal dynamics during the periods of significant regional uplift like that represented by the middle Eocene record of the Rocky Mountains. Furthermore, modern faunal data indicate that species body mass may be influenced by elevation, which may further complicate the use of body mass to determine species identity in the fossil record in the regions of high topographic relief.",
    url = "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36812777/",
    doi = "10.1016/j.jhevol.2022.103310",
    pmid = "36812777",
    references = "doi101016jtecto200912025"
}

The transition between the Paleocene and Eocene epochs (ca. 56 Ma) was marked by a period of rapid global warming of 5 °C to 8 °C following a carbon isotope excursion (CIE) lasting 200 ky or less referred to as the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM). The PETM precipitated a significant shift in the composition of North American floral communities and major mammalian turnover. We explored the ecological impacts of this phenomenon by analyzing 173 mammal species from the Bighorn Basin, Wyoming, USA, including their associated body alongside a database of 30 palynofloral localities as proxies for habitat. For each time bin, we calculated mean and median differences in body mass and habitat preference between significantly aggregated and segregated mammal species. Aggregated species showed significant similarity in habitat preference only prior to the PETM, after which habitat preference ceased to be a significant factor in community assembly. Our measures of differences in body mass space provide no evidence of a significant impact of competitive interactions on community assembly across the PETM, aligning with previous work. Our results indicate the persistence of a stable mammalian functional community structure despite taxonomic turnover, climate change and broadening habitat preferences.

@article{doi101017ext202425,
    author = "Whittingham, Misha A J B and Korasidis, Vera A and Fraser, Danielle",
    title = "Functional stasis and changing habitat preferences among mammalian communities from the PETM of the Bighorn Basin, Wyoming.",
    year = "2024",
    journal = "Cambridge prisms. Extinction",
    abstract = "The transition between the Paleocene and Eocene epochs (ca. 56 Ma) was marked by a period of rapid global warming of 5 °C to 8 °C following a carbon isotope excursion (CIE) lasting 200 ky or less referred to as the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM). The PETM precipitated a significant shift in the composition of North American floral communities and major mammalian turnover. We explored the ecological impacts of this phenomenon by analyzing 173 mammal species from the Bighorn Basin, Wyoming, USA, including their associated body alongside a database of 30 palynofloral localities as proxies for habitat. For each time bin, we calculated mean and median differences in body mass and habitat preference between significantly aggregated and segregated mammal species. Aggregated species showed significant similarity in habitat preference only prior to the PETM, after which habitat preference ceased to be a significant factor in community assembly. Our measures of differences in body mass space provide no evidence of a significant impact of competitive interactions on community assembly across the PETM, aligning with previous work. Our results indicate the persistence of a stable mammalian functional community structure despite taxonomic turnover, climate change and broadening habitat preferences.",
    url = "https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11895753/",
    doi = "10.1017/ext.2024.25",
    pmcid = "PMC11895753",
    pmid = "40078814"
}

A new iguanodontian dinosaur, Comptonatus chasei gen. et sp. nov., is described from the Lower Cretaceous Wessex Formation of the Isle of Wight. These strata provide an important record of a critical time in the development of iguanodontian diversity. The specimen, which is described here for the first time, was found and excavated in 2013 and represents the most complete iguanodontian skeleton discovered in the Wealden Group for a century. A new taxon is diagnosed by several autapomorphies found in the neurocranium, teeth, coracoid and other parts of the body, together with a unique suite of characters. These include a dentary with a straight ventral border, and a markedly expanded prepubic blade. These features set it apart from the sympatric Mantellisaurus atherfieldensis, Brighstoneus simmondsi and Iguanodon cf. bernissartensis, increasing the known diversity of this clade in the Barremian–early Aptian of England. http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:2F3125A5-BDEF-4835-8829-92104752A86F

@article{doi1010801477201920242346573,
    author = "Lockwood, Jeremy A. F. and Martill, David M. and Maidment, Susannah C. R.",
    title = "Comptonatus chasei, a new iguanodontian dinosaur from the Lower Cretaceous Wessex Formation of the Isle of Wight, southern England",
    year = "2024",
    journal = "Journal of Systematic Palaeontology",
    abstract = "A new iguanodontian dinosaur, Comptonatus chasei gen. et sp. nov., is described from the Lower Cretaceous Wessex Formation of the Isle of Wight. These strata provide an important record of a critical time in the development of iguanodontian diversity. The specimen, which is described here for the first time, was found and excavated in 2013 and represents the most complete iguanodontian skeleton discovered in the Wealden Group for a century. A new taxon is diagnosed by several autapomorphies found in the neurocranium, teeth, coracoid and other parts of the body, together with a unique suite of characters. These include a dentary with a straight ventral border, and a markedly expanded prepubic blade. These features set it apart from the sympatric Mantellisaurus atherfieldensis, Brighstoneus simmondsi and Iguanodon cf. bernissartensis, increasing the known diversity of this clade in the Barremian–early Aptian of England. http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:2F3125A5-BDEF-4835-8829-92104752A86F",
    url = "https://doi.org/10.1080/14772019.2024.2346573",
    doi = "10.1080/14772019.2024.2346573",
    openalex = "W4400439377",
    references = "doi101111joa13363, doi101371journalpone0045712, doi101371journalpone0175253, doi102307jctt1zxz1md6, doi104202app20110051, gates2018a, tsogtbaatar2019a"
}

@inproceedings{andjackson2025paleosols,
    author = "Jackson, Emily and Holland, Steven",
    title = "Paleosols through time: implications for the paleobiological record of the Lower Cretaceous Cloverly Formation, Bighorn Basin, Wyoming",
    year = "2025",
    booktitle = "Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs",
    url = "https://doi.org/10.1130/abs/2025am-9197",
    doi = "10.1130/abs/2025am-9197",
    openalex = "W4417218195"
}