Philip J. Currie | University of Alberta (original) (raw)

Papers by Philip J. Currie

Research paper thumbnail of Two new theropods from the Jurassic of Xinjing, people's Republic of China

Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 1991

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Research paper thumbnail of A new compsognathid theropod dinosaur from the oldest assemblage of the Jehol Biota in the Lower Cretaceous Huajiying Formation, northeastern China

Cretaceous Research, Mar 1, 2020

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Research paper thumbnail of Maniraptoran pelvic musculature highlights evolutionary patterns in theropod locomotion on the line to birds

PeerJ, Mar 4, 2021

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Research paper thumbnail of Feather evolution exemplifies sexually selected bridges across the adaptive landscape

Evolution, Jul 30, 2019

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Research paper thumbnail of Feathered dinosaurs from China

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Research paper thumbnail of Hunting Ancient Dragons in China and Canada

Special publication, 1994

I was eleven years old when I read a book by Roy Chapman Andrews (1953) that changed my life. It ... more I was eleven years old when I read a book by Roy Chapman Andrews (1953) that changed my life. It was a book about dinosaurs, those magnificent animals that had captured my interest when I was even younger. But more significantly, the book was about looking for the remains of these ancient dragons in the Gobi Desert of China and Mongolia, and for the first time I learned that there was a potential career in hunting dinosaurs. The day I read the book was the day I decided to become a paleontologist. But in my wildest dreams I never imagined that I would follow in the footsteps of Andrews and end up in the Gobi Desert.

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Research paper thumbnail of Variability of bone microstructure and growth lines in the evolution of troodontids and dromaeosaurids

Acta Zoologica

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Research paper thumbnail of On a dicraeosaurid specimen from the Mulichinco Formation (Valanginian, Neuquén Basin) of Argentina and phylogenetic relationships of the South American dicraeosaurids (Sauropoda, Diplodocoidea)

Comptes Rendus Palevol

The osteology of Pilmatueia faundezi Coria, Windholz, Ortega & Currie, 2019, a dicraeosaurid saur... more The osteology of Pilmatueia faundezi Coria, Windholz, Ortega & Currie, 2019, a dicraeosaurid sauropod from the Lower Cretaceous of Patagonia, is reassessed from the perspective of a new specimen (MLL-Pv-010) that provides additional information on the axial skeleton and the pectoral girdle. The specimen MLL-Pv-010 is composed of three articulated anterior-middle cervical vertebrae (with their respective ribs in position and an associated fourth rib), seven dorsal vertebrae with associated dorsal ribs, a distal caudal vertebra, a left scapula and the proximal end of a right scapula. The new specimen shows features, especially in the middle cervical vertebrae, that link it to Pilmatueia faundezi. Additionally, the specimen MLL-Pv-010 shows features previously unknown for the species, such as the morphology and orientation of the bifid neural spines of the anterior and mid-cervical vertebrae. The information obtained from the specimen MLL-Pv-010 allows us to propose an expanded diagnos...

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Research paper thumbnail of Dale Alan Russell (1937–2019): voyageur of a vanished world1

Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences

We review the distinguished and varied career of our friend and colleague, palaeontologist Dr. Da... more We review the distinguished and varied career of our friend and colleague, palaeontologist Dr. Dale A. Russell, following the recent news of his death. Dale relished his work and approached his research — whether it be on mosasaur systematics, dinosaur extinction, or the evolution of animal intelligence — with great gusto. A deep and contextual thinker, Dale had a penchant for metanarrative rarely equaled in these times of increased research specialization. This quality, combined with his outgoing and collaborative nature, allowed Dale to make friends and colleagues with highly varied research interests throughout the world. We remember Dale fondly and cherish the opportunity to share the stories of his adventures (and misadventures) across the globe.

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Research paper thumbnail of A new hypothesis of eudromaeosaurian evolution: CT scans assist in testing and constructing morphological characters

Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology

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Research paper thumbnail of Two exceptionally preserved juvenile specimens of Gorgosaurus libratus (Tyrannosauridae, Albertosaurinae) provide new insight into the timing of ontogenetic changes in tyrannosaurids

Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology

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Research paper thumbnail of Taking a crack at the dome: histopathology of a pachycephalosaurid (Dinosauria: Ornithischia) frontoparietal dome

Biosis: Biological Systems, 2021

Recent studies have identified numerous pathologies in the cranial domes of pachycephalosaurid di... more Recent studies have identified numerous pathologies in the cranial domes of pachycephalosaurid dinosaurs. These studies utilized CT images of domes to identify secondary woven bone and sclerosis associated with the pathologies. These features were critical for diagnosing post-traumatic osteomyelitis, which supported the head-butting behaviour hypothesis. However, conventional CT image resolution may not be sufficient to identify secondary woven bone or sclerotic bone in fossil specimens. UALVP 8504 (cf. Foraminacephale brevis), a dome possessing putative bone lesions, was thin-sectioned and micro-CT scanned. Thin sections revealed the lesions are lytic, without any secondary woven bone or sclerosis, falsifying the diagnosis of osteomyelitis. The morphology and histology of the lesions of UALVP 8504 are not diagnostic and resemble both post-traumatic and non-traumatic lesions. However, UALVP 8504 possesses shifted vascular canals (repositioning via remodeling, which maintains anatom...

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Research paper thumbnail of Two braincases of Daspletosaurus (Theropoda: Tyrannosauridae): anatomy and comparison1

Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences, 2021

For sheer complexity, braincases are generally considered anatomically conservative. However, rec... more For sheer complexity, braincases are generally considered anatomically conservative. However, recent research on the braincases of tyrannosaurids have revealed extensive morphological variations. This line of inquiry has its root in Dale Russell’s review of tyrannosaurids in which he established Daspletosaurus torosus — a large tyrannosaurine from the Campanian of southern Alberta. In the wake of systematic revisions to tyrannosaurines previously assigned to Daspletosaurus, one potentially distinct species remains undescribed. This paper describes and compares a braincase referable to this species with that of the holotype for Daspletosaurus torosus using computerized-tomography-based reconstructions. The two braincases have numerous differences externally and internally. The specimen of Daspletosaurus sp. has a bottlenecked olfactory tract, short and vertical lagena, and a developed ascending column of the anterior tympanic recess. The holotype of Daspletosaurus torosus has many un...

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Research paper thumbnail of The greatest challenge to 21st century paleontology: When commercialization of fossils threatens the science

Palaeontologia Electronica, 2014

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Research paper thumbnail of First complete pterosaur from the Afro-Arabian continent: insight into pterodactyloid diversity

Scientific Reports, 2019

Despite being known from every continent, the geological record of pterosaurs, the first group of... more Despite being known from every continent, the geological record of pterosaurs, the first group of vertebrates to develop powered flight, is very uneven, with only a few deposits accounting for the vast majority of specimens and almost half of the taxonomic diversity. Among the regions that stand out for the greatest gaps of knowledge regarding these flying reptiles, is the Afro-Arabian continent, which has yielded only a small number of very fragmentary and incomplete materials. Here we fill part of that gap and report on the most complete pterosaur recovered from this continent, more specifically from the Late Cretaceous (~95 mya) Hjoûla Lagerstätte of Lebanon. This deposit is known since the Middle Ages for the exquisitely preserved fishes and invertebrates, but not for tetrapods, which are exceedingly rare. Mimodactylus libanensis gen. et sp. nov. differs from the other Afro-Arabian pterosaur species named to date and is closely related to the Chinese species Haopterus gracilis, ...

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Research paper thumbnail of The first record of dinosaur eggshell from the Horseshoe Canyon Formation (Maastrichtian) of Alberta, Canada

Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences, 2018

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Research paper thumbnail of Integumentary structure and composition in an exceptionally well-preserved hadrosaur (Dinosauria: Ornithischia)

Preserved labile tissues (e.g. skin, muscle) in the fossil record of terrestrial vertebrates are ... more Preserved labile tissues (e.g. skin, muscle) in the fossil record of terrestrial vertebrates are increasingly becoming recognized as an important source of biological and taphonomic information. Here, we combine a variety of synchrotron radiation techniques with scanning electron and optical microscopes to elucidate the structure of 72 million-year-old squamous (scaly) skin associated with a hadrosaurid dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous of Alberta, Canada. Scanning electron and optical microscopy independently reveal that the three-dimensionally preserved scales are associated with a band of carbon-rich layers up to a total thickness of 75 μm. Compositionally, this band deviates from that of the surrounding matrix; Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and soft X-ray spectromicroscopy analyses indicate the presence of carboxylic compounds. The regions corresponding to the integumentary layers are distinctively enriched in iron compared to the associated sedimentary matrix and seem...

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Research paper thumbnail of A dinosaur community composition dataset for the Late Cretaceous Nemegt Basin of Mongolia

Data in Brief, 2018

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Research paper thumbnail of Hagfish from the Cretaceous Tethys Sea and a reconciliation of the morphological–molecular conflict in early vertebrate phylogeny

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2019

Hagfish depart so much from other fishes anatomically that they were sometimes considered not ful... more Hagfish depart so much from other fishes anatomically that they were sometimes considered not fully vertebrate. They may represent: ( i ) an anatomically primitive outgroup of vertebrates (the morphology-based craniate hypothesis); or ( ii ) an anatomically degenerate vertebrate lineage sister to lampreys (the molecular-based cyclostome hypothesis). This systematic conundrum has become a prominent case of conflict between morphology- and molecular-based phylogenies. To date, the fossil record has offered few insights to this long-branch problem or the evolutionary history of hagfish in general, because unequivocal fossil members of the group are unknown. Here, we report an unequivocal fossil hagfish from the early Late Cretaceous of Lebanon. The soft tissue anatomy includes key attributes of living hagfish: cartilages of barbels, postcranial position of branchial apparatus, and chemical traces of slime glands. This indicates that the suite of characters unique to living hagfish appe...

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Research paper thumbnail of The first pterosaur pelvic material from the Dinosaur Park Formation (Campanian) and implications for azhdarchid locomotion

FACETS, 2017

A partial pterosaur pelvis from the Campanian Dinosaur Park Formation of Canada adds to our knowl... more A partial pterosaur pelvis from the Campanian Dinosaur Park Formation of Canada adds to our knowledge of Late Cretaceous pterosaurs. The pelvis is tentatively referred to Azhdarchidae and represents the first pelvic material from a North American azhdarchid. The morphology of the ilium is bizarre compared with other pterosaurs: it is highly pneumatized, the preacetabular process tapers anteriorly, and muscle scars show that it would have anchored strong adductor musculature for the hindlimb. The acetabulum is deep and faces ventrolaterally, allowing the limb to be positioned underneath the body. These features support previous suggestions that azhdarchids were well adapted to terrestrial locomotion.

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Research paper thumbnail of Two new theropods from the Jurassic of Xinjing, people's Republic of China

Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 1991

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Research paper thumbnail of A new compsognathid theropod dinosaur from the oldest assemblage of the Jehol Biota in the Lower Cretaceous Huajiying Formation, northeastern China

Cretaceous Research, Mar 1, 2020

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Research paper thumbnail of Maniraptoran pelvic musculature highlights evolutionary patterns in theropod locomotion on the line to birds

PeerJ, Mar 4, 2021

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Research paper thumbnail of Feather evolution exemplifies sexually selected bridges across the adaptive landscape

Evolution, Jul 30, 2019

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Research paper thumbnail of Feathered dinosaurs from China

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of Hunting Ancient Dragons in China and Canada

Special publication, 1994

I was eleven years old when I read a book by Roy Chapman Andrews (1953) that changed my life. It ... more I was eleven years old when I read a book by Roy Chapman Andrews (1953) that changed my life. It was a book about dinosaurs, those magnificent animals that had captured my interest when I was even younger. But more significantly, the book was about looking for the remains of these ancient dragons in the Gobi Desert of China and Mongolia, and for the first time I learned that there was a potential career in hunting dinosaurs. The day I read the book was the day I decided to become a paleontologist. But in my wildest dreams I never imagined that I would follow in the footsteps of Andrews and end up in the Gobi Desert.

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of Variability of bone microstructure and growth lines in the evolution of troodontids and dromaeosaurids

Acta Zoologica

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Research paper thumbnail of On a dicraeosaurid specimen from the Mulichinco Formation (Valanginian, Neuquén Basin) of Argentina and phylogenetic relationships of the South American dicraeosaurids (Sauropoda, Diplodocoidea)

Comptes Rendus Palevol

The osteology of Pilmatueia faundezi Coria, Windholz, Ortega & Currie, 2019, a dicraeosaurid saur... more The osteology of Pilmatueia faundezi Coria, Windholz, Ortega & Currie, 2019, a dicraeosaurid sauropod from the Lower Cretaceous of Patagonia, is reassessed from the perspective of a new specimen (MLL-Pv-010) that provides additional information on the axial skeleton and the pectoral girdle. The specimen MLL-Pv-010 is composed of three articulated anterior-middle cervical vertebrae (with their respective ribs in position and an associated fourth rib), seven dorsal vertebrae with associated dorsal ribs, a distal caudal vertebra, a left scapula and the proximal end of a right scapula. The new specimen shows features, especially in the middle cervical vertebrae, that link it to Pilmatueia faundezi. Additionally, the specimen MLL-Pv-010 shows features previously unknown for the species, such as the morphology and orientation of the bifid neural spines of the anterior and mid-cervical vertebrae. The information obtained from the specimen MLL-Pv-010 allows us to propose an expanded diagnos...

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Research paper thumbnail of Dale Alan Russell (1937–2019): voyageur of a vanished world1

Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences

We review the distinguished and varied career of our friend and colleague, palaeontologist Dr. Da... more We review the distinguished and varied career of our friend and colleague, palaeontologist Dr. Dale A. Russell, following the recent news of his death. Dale relished his work and approached his research — whether it be on mosasaur systematics, dinosaur extinction, or the evolution of animal intelligence — with great gusto. A deep and contextual thinker, Dale had a penchant for metanarrative rarely equaled in these times of increased research specialization. This quality, combined with his outgoing and collaborative nature, allowed Dale to make friends and colleagues with highly varied research interests throughout the world. We remember Dale fondly and cherish the opportunity to share the stories of his adventures (and misadventures) across the globe.

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of A new hypothesis of eudromaeosaurian evolution: CT scans assist in testing and constructing morphological characters

Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology

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Research paper thumbnail of Two exceptionally preserved juvenile specimens of Gorgosaurus libratus (Tyrannosauridae, Albertosaurinae) provide new insight into the timing of ontogenetic changes in tyrannosaurids

Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology

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Research paper thumbnail of Taking a crack at the dome: histopathology of a pachycephalosaurid (Dinosauria: Ornithischia) frontoparietal dome

Biosis: Biological Systems, 2021

Recent studies have identified numerous pathologies in the cranial domes of pachycephalosaurid di... more Recent studies have identified numerous pathologies in the cranial domes of pachycephalosaurid dinosaurs. These studies utilized CT images of domes to identify secondary woven bone and sclerosis associated with the pathologies. These features were critical for diagnosing post-traumatic osteomyelitis, which supported the head-butting behaviour hypothesis. However, conventional CT image resolution may not be sufficient to identify secondary woven bone or sclerotic bone in fossil specimens. UALVP 8504 (cf. Foraminacephale brevis), a dome possessing putative bone lesions, was thin-sectioned and micro-CT scanned. Thin sections revealed the lesions are lytic, without any secondary woven bone or sclerosis, falsifying the diagnosis of osteomyelitis. The morphology and histology of the lesions of UALVP 8504 are not diagnostic and resemble both post-traumatic and non-traumatic lesions. However, UALVP 8504 possesses shifted vascular canals (repositioning via remodeling, which maintains anatom...

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of Two braincases of Daspletosaurus (Theropoda: Tyrannosauridae): anatomy and comparison1

Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences, 2021

For sheer complexity, braincases are generally considered anatomically conservative. However, rec... more For sheer complexity, braincases are generally considered anatomically conservative. However, recent research on the braincases of tyrannosaurids have revealed extensive morphological variations. This line of inquiry has its root in Dale Russell’s review of tyrannosaurids in which he established Daspletosaurus torosus — a large tyrannosaurine from the Campanian of southern Alberta. In the wake of systematic revisions to tyrannosaurines previously assigned to Daspletosaurus, one potentially distinct species remains undescribed. This paper describes and compares a braincase referable to this species with that of the holotype for Daspletosaurus torosus using computerized-tomography-based reconstructions. The two braincases have numerous differences externally and internally. The specimen of Daspletosaurus sp. has a bottlenecked olfactory tract, short and vertical lagena, and a developed ascending column of the anterior tympanic recess. The holotype of Daspletosaurus torosus has many un...

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of The greatest challenge to 21st century paleontology: When commercialization of fossils threatens the science

Palaeontologia Electronica, 2014

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of First complete pterosaur from the Afro-Arabian continent: insight into pterodactyloid diversity

Scientific Reports, 2019

Despite being known from every continent, the geological record of pterosaurs, the first group of... more Despite being known from every continent, the geological record of pterosaurs, the first group of vertebrates to develop powered flight, is very uneven, with only a few deposits accounting for the vast majority of specimens and almost half of the taxonomic diversity. Among the regions that stand out for the greatest gaps of knowledge regarding these flying reptiles, is the Afro-Arabian continent, which has yielded only a small number of very fragmentary and incomplete materials. Here we fill part of that gap and report on the most complete pterosaur recovered from this continent, more specifically from the Late Cretaceous (~95 mya) Hjoûla Lagerstätte of Lebanon. This deposit is known since the Middle Ages for the exquisitely preserved fishes and invertebrates, but not for tetrapods, which are exceedingly rare. Mimodactylus libanensis gen. et sp. nov. differs from the other Afro-Arabian pterosaur species named to date and is closely related to the Chinese species Haopterus gracilis, ...

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of The first record of dinosaur eggshell from the Horseshoe Canyon Formation (Maastrichtian) of Alberta, Canada

Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences, 2018

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of Integumentary structure and composition in an exceptionally well-preserved hadrosaur (Dinosauria: Ornithischia)

Preserved labile tissues (e.g. skin, muscle) in the fossil record of terrestrial vertebrates are ... more Preserved labile tissues (e.g. skin, muscle) in the fossil record of terrestrial vertebrates are increasingly becoming recognized as an important source of biological and taphonomic information. Here, we combine a variety of synchrotron radiation techniques with scanning electron and optical microscopes to elucidate the structure of 72 million-year-old squamous (scaly) skin associated with a hadrosaurid dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous of Alberta, Canada. Scanning electron and optical microscopy independently reveal that the three-dimensionally preserved scales are associated with a band of carbon-rich layers up to a total thickness of 75 μm. Compositionally, this band deviates from that of the surrounding matrix; Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and soft X-ray spectromicroscopy analyses indicate the presence of carboxylic compounds. The regions corresponding to the integumentary layers are distinctively enriched in iron compared to the associated sedimentary matrix and seem...

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of A dinosaur community composition dataset for the Late Cretaceous Nemegt Basin of Mongolia

Data in Brief, 2018

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of Hagfish from the Cretaceous Tethys Sea and a reconciliation of the morphological–molecular conflict in early vertebrate phylogeny

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2019

Hagfish depart so much from other fishes anatomically that they were sometimes considered not ful... more Hagfish depart so much from other fishes anatomically that they were sometimes considered not fully vertebrate. They may represent: ( i ) an anatomically primitive outgroup of vertebrates (the morphology-based craniate hypothesis); or ( ii ) an anatomically degenerate vertebrate lineage sister to lampreys (the molecular-based cyclostome hypothesis). This systematic conundrum has become a prominent case of conflict between morphology- and molecular-based phylogenies. To date, the fossil record has offered few insights to this long-branch problem or the evolutionary history of hagfish in general, because unequivocal fossil members of the group are unknown. Here, we report an unequivocal fossil hagfish from the early Late Cretaceous of Lebanon. The soft tissue anatomy includes key attributes of living hagfish: cartilages of barbels, postcranial position of branchial apparatus, and chemical traces of slime glands. This indicates that the suite of characters unique to living hagfish appe...

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of The first pterosaur pelvic material from the Dinosaur Park Formation (Campanian) and implications for azhdarchid locomotion

FACETS, 2017

A partial pterosaur pelvis from the Campanian Dinosaur Park Formation of Canada adds to our knowl... more A partial pterosaur pelvis from the Campanian Dinosaur Park Formation of Canada adds to our knowledge of Late Cretaceous pterosaurs. The pelvis is tentatively referred to Azhdarchidae and represents the first pelvic material from a North American azhdarchid. The morphology of the ilium is bizarre compared with other pterosaurs: it is highly pneumatized, the preacetabular process tapers anteriorly, and muscle scars show that it would have anchored strong adductor musculature for the hindlimb. The acetabulum is deep and faces ventrolaterally, allowing the limb to be positioned underneath the body. These features support previous suggestions that azhdarchids were well adapted to terrestrial locomotion.

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact