Glossaire de palรฉontologie
essential terms and definitions for paleontology and dinosaur science.
Reproduction & Growth
15 termsTerms related to how dinosaurs reproduced, laid eggs, raised young, and grew from hatchling to adult.
Histology
The microscopic study of tissue structure. Bone histology is a primary tool for estimating dinosaur โฆ
Medullary Bone
A temporary bone tissue forming inside long bones of female birds during egg-laying. Medullary bone โฆ
Neoteny
The retention of juvenile features into adulthood. Some small theropods show neotenic features โ large โฆ
Allometry
Non-proportional growth where different body parts grow at different rates. The disproportionately large skull of โฆ
Clutch Size
The number of eggs laid in a single nesting event. Dinosaur clutch sizes range from โฆ
Hadrosaur Nesting Ground
A communal nesting site used repeatedly by hadrosaurs across multiple breeding seasons. The Egg Mountain โฆ
Ontogeny
The developmental history of an individual organism from embryo to adult. Ontogenetic studies reveal that โฆ
Brooding
Sitting on eggs to incubate them. Oviraptorosaurs like Oviraptor and Citipati are known from specimens โฆ
Eggshell Microstructure
The crystallographic and structural properties of the eggshell, visible under a microscope. Eggshell microstructure distinguishes โฆ
Fibrolamellar Bone
A rapidly deposited bone tissue with a fibrous matrix containing many vascular canals. Its presence โฆ
Growth Ring
A line of arrested growth (LAG) in bone cross-sections, analogous to tree rings. Counting growth โฆ
Juvenile Morphology
The body proportions and structural features characteristic of young dinosaurs. Juveniles typically had proportionally larger โฆ
Senescent
Relating to an old individual showing signs of aging. Senescent dinosaurs sometimes show bone pathologies, โฆ
Sexual Dimorphism
Differences in size or morphology between males and females of the same species. Identifying sexual โฆ
Subadult
A growth stage between juvenile and fully mature adult. Many dinosaur features โ the nasal โฆ