The World's First Fossil Evidence of a Tropical Ulcer Infection in a Dinosaur
Vertebrate fossils can tell us more than just what extinct animals looked like and how they evolved. When bones preserve evidence of injuries or diseases, they can also reveal aspects of an animal's lifestyle, immune responses, and ability to survive long-term illnesses. Over the past three decades, the rapid development of paleopathology has enabled scientists to identify various pathological conditions in Mesozoic reptiles, including fractures, infections, joint degeneration, and tumors, offering a glimpse into the injuries and diseases experienced by these long-extinct animals.
Among dinosaurs, most documented pathological conditions come from theropods and ornithopods, with hadrosaurids (Hadrosauridae) having particularly abundant records. Although several pathological cases have previously been reported in Iguanodon, most involve axial skeletal elements, such as vertebrae, and are associated with degeneration, trauma, or infection. Pathological conditions affecting the limb bones, however, remain relatively rare.
A recent study identified an unusual form of bone overgrowth in the tibia of an Iguanodon bernissartensis specimen from the Arcillas de Morella Formation in northeastern Spain. Rather than representing simple fracture healing, the abnormal growth may have resulted from a bacterial infection originating in a skin ulcer and subsequently spreading to the bone. This represents the first known case of this type of infectious lesion in dinosaurs, further expanding the fossil record of bacterial infections in ancient vertebrates.
Want to read more?
Subscribe to thesoundofevolution.com to keep reading this exclusive post.
