古生物学术语表

Histology

The microscopic study of tissue structure. Bone histology is a primary tool for estimating dinosaur …

Medullary Bone

A temporary bone tissue forming inside long bones of female birds during egg-laying. Medullary bone …

Hadrosaur Nesting Ground

A communal nesting site used repeatedly by hadrosaurs across multiple breeding seasons. The Egg Mountain …

Allometry

Non-proportional growth where different body parts grow at different rates. The disproportionately large skull of …

Brooding

Sitting on eggs to incubate them. Oviraptorosaurs like Oviraptor and Citipati are known from specimens …

Ontogeny

The developmental history of an individual organism from embryo to adult. Ontogenetic studies reveal that …

Growth Ring

A line of arrested growth (LAG) in bone cross-sections, analogous to tree rings. Counting growth …

Senescent

Relating to an old individual showing signs of aging. Senescent dinosaurs sometimes show bone pathologies, …

Clutch Size

The number of eggs laid in a single nesting event. Dinosaur clutch sizes range from …

Fibrolamellar Bone

A rapidly deposited bone tissue with a fibrous matrix containing many vascular canals. Its presence …

Eggshell Microstructure

The crystallographic and structural properties of the eggshell, visible under a microscope. Eggshell microstructure distinguishes …

Juvenile Morphology

The body proportions and structural features characteristic of young dinosaurs. Juveniles typically had proportionally larger …

Neoteny

The retention of juvenile features into adulthood. Some small theropods show neotenic features — large …

Sexual Dimorphism

Differences in size or morphology between males and females of the same species. Identifying sexual …

Subadult

A growth stage between juvenile and fully mature adult. Many dinosaur features — the nasal …