New dinosaur taxa General non-avian dinosaur research • Wilmsen, Fürsich, and Majidifard (2022) describe a fossil trackway from the Maastrichtian
Farrokhi Formation (central
Iran) made by indeterminate dinosaurs, which represents the youngest evidence of dinosaur locomotion from the Middle East. • A study on the diversity of form and function of teeth in early-diverging dinosaurs is published by Ballell,
Benton &
Rayfield (2022), providing evidence of a previously unrecognized functional diversity in the dentitions of early dinosaurs, and indicating that either carnivory or omnivory was the ancestral diet of dinosaurs, with obligate herbivory interpreted as a late evolutionary innovation in both Sauropodomorpha and Ornithischia. •
Olsen et al. (2022) present evidence from the Late Triassic and Early Jurassic strata of the Junggar Basin (northwest China) indicating that during the early
Mesozoic dinosaurs were present at arctic latitudes with freezing winter temperatures, and argue that non-avian dinosaurs were likely primitively insulated and that their insulation enabled them to survive in cold temperatures, take advantage of the rich plant resources in the colder high latitudes, and live through episodes of volcanically induced winters during the
Triassic–Jurassic extinction event. • A study on the impact Early Jurassic Jenkyns Event, affecting terrestrial environments with global warming, perturbation of the carbon cycle, enhanced weathering and wildfires, on terrestrial ecosystems, including dinosaur assemblages, is published by Reolid, Ruebsam &
Benton (2022); the same authors subsequently review the fossil record of Early Jurassic dinosaurs, and confirm that the Jenkyns Event was an important biotic crisis affecting dinosaurs. • A study on the
ecomorphospace occupation of major megaherbivorous dinosaur clades from the Late Jurassic through to the end of the Late Cretaceous in North America is published by Wyenberg-Henzler (2022). • A study on the age of a new sauropod-dominated dinosaur fauna from the Lower Shaximiao Formation in Yunyang (Chongqing, China) is published by Zhou
et al. (2022). • Description of theropod and ornithischian tracks from the Jurassic
Imilchil and Isli formations (
Morocco), including theropod tracks representing the ichnogenus
Changpeipus (otherwise known from abundant occurrences in East Asia, and possibly indicative of faunal exchange between East Asia and northern Africa in the Middle Jurassic), is published by Klein
et al. (2022). • Revision of the Early Cretaceous dinosaur assemblage from the Mogoito locality (
Murtoi Formation, Transbaikalia,
Russia) is published by Averianov
et al. (2022), who report the presence of
Tengrisaurus starkovi, as well as
ornithomimosaur,
therizinosaur,
dromaeosaurid,
jeholosaurid (including teeth previously attributed to
Psittacosaurus) and indeterminate sauropod and theropod fossil material. • New fossil site for the Jehol Biota, preserving faunal assemblage dominated by dinosaur fossils and similar in composition to the Lujiatun Unit of the Yixian Formation at Beipiao (Liaoning, China), is reported from Ningcheng (Inner Mongolia, China) by Zhang
et al. (2022). • Nudds, Lomax & Tennant (2022) confirm the identification of teeth of
Deinonychus antirrhopus and
gastroliths associated with a well-preserved specimen of
Tenontosaurus tilletti (MANCH LL.12275) from the Lower Cretaceous
Cloverly Formation (
Montana, United States). • Two trackways produced by at least two different dinosaur taxa (smaller, bipedal trackmaker, likely a theropod, and a larger trackmaker of uncertain affinities, possibly a theropod or ornithopod), representing the first records of non-avian dinosaurs from
Palestine reported to date, are described from a new site located within the city of
Al-Bireh and belonging to the
Albian Soreq Formation by Lallensack
et al. (2022). • Fragment of long bone of a dinosaur is described from the Upper Cretaceous (
Santonian–
Campanian) sediments near the village of Izhberda (
Orenburg Oblast,
Russia) by Skutschas
et al. (2022), who interpret the histological features of this bone as indicative of rapid continuous growth known in large-sized dinosaurs, and interpret this finding as indicative of presence of large dinosaurs in the Southern Urals, which were not subjected to the "island effect" in spite of living on islands or on the continental margin. • A set of geochronologic data from the Campanian geological formations of North America's Western Interior Basin is presented by Ramezani
et al. (2022), who consider their findings to be indicative of significant age overlap between the main fossil-bearing intervals of the Kaiparowits, Judith River, Two Medicine and Dinosaur Park formations, and interpret their findings as refuting inferences that the proposed latitudinal provinciality of the Campanian dinosaur taxa is only an artefact of age misinterpretation. • A large dinosaur tracksite preserving theropod tracks and abundant hadrosaurid tracks is described from the Upper Cretaceous (
Campanian)
Wapiti Formation (
Alberta,
Canada) by Enriquez
et al. (2022), who evaluate the implications of this finding for the knowledge of the paleoecology of dinosaurs known from the Wapiti Formation. • A study on the calcium isotope variability in tooth enamel of dinosaurs from the Upper Cretaceous
Dinosaur Park Formation,
Horseshoe Canyon Formation and
Scollard Formation (Alberta, Canada), and on its implications for the knowledge of the stability of food web structure of non-avian dinosaur communities in the millions of years preceding the end of the Cretaceous, is published by Martin
et al. (2022). • Tracks of probable hatchling tyrannosaurids, medium and large ornithomimids, small and medium-sized ornithopods and a small hadrosaurid, some of which might document gregarious behaviour, are described from the Campanian–Maastrichtian
St. Mary River Formation (Alberta, Canada) by Henderson
et al. (2022). • A study on the stable isotope compositions of dinosaur eggshells and their associated depositional settings of the Upper Cretaceous
Huizhou Formation (China), and on their implications for the knowledge of the environment of dinosaur nesting sites, is published by He
et al. (2022). • He et al. (2022) describe a new species of the
stalicoolithid oogenus
Shixingoolithus,
S. qianshanensis, as the first dinosaurian record from the
Upper Cretaceous Qianshan Basin (
Chishan Formation) of
Anhui Province,
China. • Han et al. (2022) establish a high-resolution geochronological framework for the fossil-rich Late Cretaceous sedimentary sequence in the Shanyang Basin (China), and interpret the fossil material from the studied specimens as indicative of sustained low dinosaur biodiversity in the studied area between ~68.2 and ~66.4 million years ago, and of a decline in dinosaur biodiversity from the Campanian to the Maastrichtian. • Review of chemistry of the organic molecules detected in non-avian dinosaur fossils to date is published by Tahoun
et al. (2022). • A study on the phylogenetic affinities of
Chilesaurus diegosuarezi is published by Baron (2022).
Saurischian research • A study on the axial skeletons of
Buriolestes schultzi,
Pampadromaeus barberenai and
Gnathovorax cabreirai is published by Aureliano
et al. (2022), who find no unambiguous evidence of postcranial pneumaticity in the studied taxa, and argue that an air sacs system permeating the skeletons was not present in the earliest dinosaurs, and evolved independently in theropods, sauropodomorphs and pterosaurs.
Theropod research • Review of the morphology and distribution of non-feather integumentary structures in non-avialan theropods is published by Hendrickx
et al. (2022). • A study on the abundance of large theropods from the Upper Jurassic
Morrison Formation and Upper Cretaceous
Dinosaur Park Formation in terms of population density and relative to the abundance of the megaherbivorous dinosaurs is published by Farlow
et al. (2022), who interpret their findings as indicating that large theropods may have been more abundant on the landscape than inferred from extrapolations from the relationship between population density and body size in modern mammalian predators. • Description of a small high-density assemblage of theropod tracks from the Cretaceous
Haman Formation (
South Korea), and a study on the distribution of
grallatorid tracks in east Asia, is published by
Lockley et al. (2022). • Trackway produced by a large theropod, probably affected by a foot pathology, is described from the upper
Barremian locality of Las Hoyas (
La Huérguina Formation,
Spain) by Herrera-Castillo
et al. (2022). • Revision of the fossil material of theropods from the Middle to Late Jurassic of the Vaches Noires cliffs (Normandy,
France) is published by Monvoisin
et al. (2022). • An isolated theropod tooth, possibly belonging to a member of
Allosauroidea,
Tyrannosauroidea and/or
Megaraptora, is reported from the
Hauterivian–
Barremian Itsuki Formation (
Japan) by Ueda
et al. (2022). • Revision of theropod teeth from the
Campanian site of
Laño (
Spain), evaluating their implications for the knowledge of diversity and evolutionary history of theropods from the Late Cretaceous of Europe, is published by Isasmendi
et al. (2022). • Davis
et al. (2022) describe fossil material of theropods (both non-avian and avian) from the Upper Cretaceous (Campanian-Maastrichtian) deposits from a high paleolatitude (>60° S) Río de las Chinas Valley site (
Magallanes-Austral Basin,
Chile), representing the first record of theropods from Chilean Patagonia, and including the southernmost (outside of Antarctica) known occurrences of theropod clades such as megaraptorids, unenlagiines, enantiornithines and ornithurines. • A study aiming to determine the causes of the shortening of the forelimbs of giant theropods, especially tyrannosaurids, is published by
Padian (2022). • A study on the bone histology and life history of specimens of
Coelophysis bauri from the bonebed from
Ghost Ranch (
New Mexico, United States) is published by Barta, Griffin &
Norell (2022), who interpret their findings as indicative of a high degree of variation in growth trajectories among specimens belonging to this species. • Caudal vertebra of a theropod is described from the Aliança Formation (
Brazil) by De Oliveira, Oliveira & Fambrini (2022), who consider the studied specimen to be a
basal neotheropod, and interpret this finding as likely evidence of the survival of basal neotheropods into the Middle-Late Jurassic in
Gondwana. • The first definitive fossil (a vertebra) of an abelisaurid from the Upper Cretaceous
Bahariya Formation (
Egypt) is described by Salem
et al. (2022). • A small abelisaurid caudal vertebra is described from the Upper Cretaceous
Presidente Prudente Formation (
Brazil) by Delcourt & Langer (2022), who interpret this vertebra as belonging to an adult animal, representing one of the smallest known abelisaurids. • Description of the anatomy of the appendicular skeleton of
Skorpiovenator bustingorryi is published by Cerroni
et al. (2022). • Gianechini
et al. (2022) describe an isolated caudal vertebra of an abelisaurid theropod from the
Santonian Bajo de la Carpa Formation (
Argentina), with anatomy indicative of affinities with older,
Cenomanian and
Turonian non-
furileusaurian taxa, and indicating that the turnover of abelisaurid forms, with furileusaurias replacing
basal brachyrostrans, occurred after the Turonian. • A study on the bone histology of the type specimen of
Aucasaurus garridoi is published by Baiano & Cerda (2022). • An analysis of the possible aquatic habits of members of
Spinosauridae, as well as other non-avian dinosaurs, is published by Fabbri
et al. (2022), who determine that a high
bone density would have allowed for underwater foraging in
Spinosaurus and
Baryonyx, while
Suchomimus was likely better suited for terrestrial wading, despite morphological similarities to
Baryonyx. • Isasmendi
et al. (2022) reinterpret a fragment of a maxilla from the Lower Cretaceous of La Rioja (
Spain), previously assigned to
Baryonyx, as likely belonging to an indeterminate baryonychine closer to
Baryonyx than to
Suchomimus. • Postcranial material of a giant spinosaurid, which was likely one of the largest European theropods reported to date, is described from the Lower Cretaceous
Vectis Formation (
United Kingdom) by Barker
et al. (2022). •
Sereno et al. (2022) interpret the anatomy of the skeleton of
Spinosaurus aegyptiacus as indicating that this theropod was incapable of diving and unstable in deeper water, report the discovery of fossils of members of the genus
Spinosaurus in the Cenomanian
Echkar Formation (
Niger) buried in fluvial overbank deposits far from a marine coastline, and interpret
Spinosaurus as a semiaquatic shoreline ambush predator. • A study comapring dental microwear texture of
Allosaurus and tyrannosaurid theropods is published by Winkler
et al. (2022), who confirm that younger theropods occupied different dietary niches to adult individuals, but don't find evidence indicating that tyrannosaurids consumed bones more frequently than
Allosaurus. • Paterna & Cau (2022) describe new
carcharodontosaurid cranial material from the
Kem Kem Group (
Morocco), including one partial maxilla with a morphology distinct from that of
Carcharodontosaurus saharicus, with a body size as comparable to the largest carcharodontosaurids, argue that
Sauroniops pachytholus is distinct from
Carcharodontosaurus, and interpret their findings as supporting the presence of more than one giant carcharodontosaurid species in the
Cenomanian of Morocco. • A detailed description, comparison, and analysis of the tyrannosauroid
Eotyrannus from the
Wessex Formation is published by
Naish &
Cau (2022). • Redescription of the first theropod tooth discovered in
Australia (probably from the
Griman Creek Formation) is published by Kotevski and Poropat (2022), who interpret the tooth as belonging to a member of
Megaraptoridae. • Description of five theropod teeth assignable to three different families (
Troodontidae,
Dromaeosauridae, and
Tyrannosauridae) from the Early
Campanian Nenjiang Formation (
China) is published by Yu
et al. (2022) • New theropod teeth, identified as teeth of dromaeosaurids and non-tyrannosaurid tyrannosauroids, are described from the
Barremian site of Vadillos-1 (Cuenca Province,
Spain) by Berrocal-Casero
et al. (2022). • Partial tyrannosauroid femur, morphologically similar to the femur of
Moros intrepidus but not referable to this taxon, is described from the Albian–Cenomanian
Wayan Formation (
Idaho, United States) by Krumenacker, Zanno & Sues (2022), who interpret this finding as evidence of the presence of a previously unrecognized tyrannosauroid in the early Late Cretaceous of Laramidia. • Evidence from the skeleton of
Gorgosaurus libratus, interpreted as indicating that the specialized
arctometatarsus of tyrannosaurid theropods was strengthened by distinctive and specific ligaments unknown in other theropods, is presented by Surring
et al. (2022). • Two juvenile specimens of
Gorgosaurus libratus, providing new information on the anatomy and ontogeny of this taxon and tyrannosaurids in general, are described from the
Late Cretaceous Dinosaur Park Formation (
Alberta,
Canada) by Voris
et al. (2022). • Description of the frontal anatomy of
Teratophoneus curriei is published by Yun (2022). • A study on the anatomy of the skull of
Qianzhousaurus sinensis is published by Foster
et al. (2022). • Kim
et al. (2022) compare a fish centrum found with the
holotype of
Raptorex kriegsteini with
Harenaichthys lui from the
Nemegt Formation (
Mongolia) and Chinese
Xixiaichthys tongxinensis, and interpret their findings as supporting the conclusion that the holotype of
R. kriegsteini comes from the Nemegt Formation. • A study on growth changes in the
frontal bones of
Tarbosaurus bataar is published by Yun, Peters & Currie (2022). • Description of the neurovascular canals in rostral cranial elements of
Tyrannosaurus rex, and a study on the evolution of these canals among
Sauropsida and on the possibility of the presence of lips and specialised sensory organs among non-avian theropods, is published by Bouabdellah, Lessner & Benoit (2022). • A study refuting the claim that infection caused madibular pathologies in
Tyrannosaurus is published by Rothschild, O'Connor, and Lozado (2022), who interpret the pathologies as instead being caused by intraspecific interactions. • Tsogtbaatar
et al. (2022) describe fossils of two members of
Ornithomimosauria of different body sizes from the
Santonian Eutaw Formation (
Mississippi, United States), including fossil material of one of the largest members of Ornithomimosaurian known worldwide. • An ornithomimosaurian pelvis and sacrum is described from the Upper Cretaceous
Erlian Formation (China) by Xi
et al. (2022), who interpret this fossil material as likely belonging to a member of Ornithomimosauria distinct from
Archaeornithomimus asiaticus, probably representing an early-diverging group within Ornithomimosauria. • A pathologic
metatarsal of a large-bodied
ornithomimid, likely affected by traumatic impact fracture with subsequent chronic
osteomyelitis, is described from the
Santonian (
Eutaw Formation) (
Mississippi, United States) by Chinzorig
et al. (2022), who evaluate the implications of the studied specimen for the knowledge of the criteria which can be used to properly distinguish between
medullary bone and pathological
endosteal bone in archosaur fossils. • The first diagnostic ornithomimid fossils from the upper
Maastrichtian Scollard Formation (Alberta, Canada) are described by Nottrodt (2022), extending the
stratigraphic ranges of both
Ornithomimus and
Struthiomimus in Alberta from the upper
Campanian Dinosaur Park Formation through to the Scollard Formation, which constitutes more than 10 million years of time. • A study on the forelimbs of the
Alvarezsauroidea using
evolutionary teratology is published by Guinard (2022). • Redescription of
Parvicursor remotus is published by Averianov & Lopatin (2022), who reinterpret the holotype of this genus as a juvenile and consider
Linhenykus monodactylus and
Ceratonykus oculatus to be synonymous with it. • A study on the jaw adductor musculature and bite force of members of
Oviraptorosauria is published by Meade & Ma (2022). • Review of the knowledge of the reproductive biology of the Late Cretaceous oviraptorosaurs is published by Yang & Sander (2022). • A study aiming to determine how the developmental stage of well-preserved oviraptorosaur embryos can be estimated is published by Deeming & Kundrát (2022), who argue that known articulated oviraptorosaur embryos, including the
oviraptorid specimen from the
Hekou Formation (China) described by Xing
et al. (2021), were not close to hatching. • Averianov & Lopatin (2022) report the discovery of fossil material of a member of the genus
Avimimus from the
Santonian Ialovachsk Formation (
Tajikistan), representing the first record of an avimimid oviraptorosaur from Central Asia reported to date. • A subadult oviraptorid specimen interpreted as the first non-hatchling specimen of
Yulong mini reported to date is described from the Upper Cretaceous
Qiupa Formation (China) by Wei
et al. (2022). • Serrano-Brañas
et al. (2022) describe the first
caenagnathid material from the Upper Cretaceous
Cerro del Pueblo Formation (
Mexico), representing the southernmost
Laramidian record of caenagnathids reported to date. • A study on the evolution of the skull morphology of non-
avialan paravian theropods is published by Pei &
Xu (2022). • A dromaeosaurid-like sickle claw, similar in some ways to
Pyroraptor olympius, is reported from the
Grès à Reptiles Formation (
France) by Brilhante
et al. (2022). •
Sues, Averianov & Britt (2022) describe a
pedal phalanx of a dromaeosaurid theropod from the
Turonian Bissekty Formation (
Uzbekistan), and estimate that the studied dromaeosaurid attained a larger body size than any previously known member of that clade. • Hone
et al. (2022) report the presence of the remains of a small fossil mammal foot inside the body cavity of the
holotype of
Microraptor zhaoianus, indicating that the diet of this theropod included mammals. • A study on the phylogenetic relationships of members of
Eudromaeosauria is published by Powers
et al. (2022), who interpret
Acheroraptor temertyorum and
Atrociraptor marshalli as members of the
Saurornitholestinae. • A study on the skeletal anatomy and affinities of
Dineobellator notohesperus is published by Jasinski
et al (2022). • Letizio, Bertini, & Medeiros (2022) describe
unenlagiine teeth from a tooth assemblage in the Late Cretaceous (
Albian–
Cenomanian)
Alcântara Formation (
São Luís-Grajaú Basin), of
Maranhão, Brazil, and determine that Unenlagiinae had a wider chronological and geographical distribution than was previously thought. • Yu
et al. (2022) describe a
troodontid tooth from the Upper Cretaceous
Yuliangze Formation (Heilongjiang, China), expanding known geographic range of the
Troodon tooth morphotype. • New theropod assemblage, including the first records of a large carcharodontosaur allosauroid and of a troodontid maniraptoran in
Appalachia reported to date, as well as the earliest occurrence of a tyrannosauroid in Appalachia reported to date, is described from the
Cenomanian Lewisville Formation (Woodbine Group;
Texas, United States) by Noto
et al. (2022).
Sauropodomorph research • A study on the shape variation of long bones in limbs of sauropodomorphs, and on its implications for the knowledge of the evolution of the sauropod bauplan, is published by Lefebvre
et al. (2022). • Review of the biological mechanisms underpinning the evolutionary transition from obligatory or facultative bipedalism to an obligatory quadrupedalism in sauropodomorphs is published by Otero & Hutchinson (2022). • A study on the impact of climate on distribution of sauropodomorphs during their early evolutionary history is published by Dunne
et al. (2022), who find that Late Triassic sauropodomorphs occupied a more restricted climatic niche space than other tetrapods (including other dinosaurs), being excluded from the hottest, low-latitude climate zones, that the expansion of sauropodomorph geographic distribution during the Early Jurassic was facilitated by climatic change and the expansion of their preferred, cooler climatic conditions, and that later in the Early Jurassic, close to the radiation of Sauropoda, they shifted to a warmer climatic niche. • Revision and a study on the phylogenetic affinities of
Carnian sauropodomorphs from South America is published by Langer
et al. (2022). • A study on the shape and variation of the anterolateral scar in the
femora of
Pampadromaeus barberenai and
Buriolestes schultzi, and on its implications for the knowledge of the distribution of the anterolateral scar in
ornithodirans, is published by Müller (2022). • An approximately 228-million-years-old series of five cervical vertebrae of a sauropodomorph dinosaur is reported from
Brazil by Damke
et al. (2022), who report that the vertebrae of the studied specimen are proportionately longer than that of older forms and shorter than that of younger ones, and interpret this specimen as indicating that the elongation of the neck of sauropodomorphs was a gradual evolutionary process. • A study on the taphonomy of the sauropodomorph fauna from the
Late Triassic Los Colorados Formation (
Argentina) is published by Pérez
et al. (2022). • Reconstruction of the appendicular musculature of
Thecodontosaurus antiquus is presented by Ballell,
Rayfield &
Benton (2022). • A new, large sized early
sauropodomorph specimen is described from the
Late Triassic (
Carnian)
Santa Maria Formation (
Brazil) by Müller and Garcia (2022) • Jannel, Salisbury & Panagiotopoulou (2022) present evidence from the study of
Plateosaurus engelhardti,
Rhoetosaurus brownei,
Camarasaurus,
Giraffatitan brancai and
Diplodocus carnegii indicating that the studied sauropodomorphs would have been unable to support their weight without a soft tissue pad in the
pes, and interpret their findings as indicative of the appearance of pedal soft tissue pad early in the course of the evolution of sauropod dinosaurs. • A study on the histology of long bones of
Massospondylus carinatus from multiple anatomical regions, ranging in size from embryo to adult, is published by Chapelle
et al. (2022), who interpret their findings as indicative of substantial variations in growth history, and as providing no evidence for differential growth rates in forelimb and hindlimb samples from the same individual, thus refuting hypothesised ontogenetic postural shifts in
Massospondylus. • Revision of the non-
gravisaurian
sauropodiform taxa from South America (
Mussaurus patagonicus,
Leonerasaurus taquetrensis,
Lessemsaurus sauropoides and
Ingentia prima is published by Apaldetti & Martínez (2022). • A study on changes occurring in the postcranial skeleton of
Mussaurus patagonicus during its ontogeny is published by Otero & Pol (2022). • A study on the bone
histology and life history of
Mussaurus patagonicus is published by Cerda
et al. (2022). • A study on the bone histology of
Aardonyx celestae and
Sefapanosaurus zatronensis is published by Botha, Choiniere & Benson (2022), who interpret their findings as indicative of rapid but seasonally interrupted growth, and indicating that highly accelerated growth rates first evolved among non-sauropod sauropodomorphs weighing 1 to 2 tons, preceding the appearance of giant sauropods. • Evidence of widespread incompleteness of necks even in best-preserved and best-known sauropod specimens, and of widespread distortion of known sauropod cervical vertebrae, is presented by
Taylor (2022). • A study aiming to determine whether the sauropod tracks from the
Kimmeridgian Courtedoux-Tchâfouè track site (
Reuchenette Formation,
Switzerland) all represent the same ichnogenus and whether there is variation in their morphology, using linear-based and geometric
morphometrics methods, is published by Sciscio
et al. (2022). • A sample of sauropod caudal vertebrae is described from the
Maastrichtian of
Romania by Mocho, Pérez-García & Codrea (2022), expanding the knowledge of the diversity of the sauropods of the
Hațeg Island during the Maastrichtian, and potentially providing evidence of four different tail morphologies which might belong to four sauropod taxa. • Redescription of the anatomy of the dorsal vertebrae of
Xinjiangtitan shanshanesis is published by Zhang
et al. (2022). • Fragmentary heart-shaped tooth crown of a sauropod is described from the
Bathonian Jaisalmer Formation (
India) by Sharma, Singh & Satheesh (2022), who interpret this specimen as the first known record of a member of
Turiasauria from India. • A study on the tail motion and speed in diplodocid sauropods is published by Conti
et al. (2022), who find the speed that could be reached by diplodocid tails to be lower than the speed of sound, and find that the tail would not have withstood the stresses imposed by travelling at the speed of sound. • Description of a nearly complete skull of a member of the genus
Apatosaurus from the Upper Jurassic
Morrison Formation (
Como Bluff,
Wyoming, United States), and a study on the tooth replacement in this specimen, is published by Peterson
et al. (2022), who interpret their findings as indicative of a different tooth replacement pattern in
Apatosaurus relative to
Diplodocus, possibly pointing to the ecological niche partitioning among diplodocids and to
Apatosaurus' preference for a food source with tougher vegetation. • A study on bony pathologic structures stemming from the pneumatic features in the cervical vertebrae of a diplodocine specimen from the Lower O'Hair Quarry (Morrison Formation;
Montana, United States) is published by Woodruff
et al. (2022), who diagnose this specimen as likely affected by an avian-like
airsacculitis, constituting the first identification of this disease in a non-avian dinosaur specimen. • A study on the
histology of teeth of
Diplodocus is published by Price & Whitlock (2022). • A study on the bone histology and paleobiology of the
holotype specimen of
Brachytrachelopan mesai is published by Windholz
et al. (2022), who interpret the holotype as a sexually immature individual, and find evidence indicative of a sustained, accelerated growth. • New specimen of
Pilmatueia faundezi, providing new information on the anatomy of the axial skeleton and the pectoral girdle of this sauropod, is described from the
Valanginian Mulichinco Formation (
Argentina) by Windholz
et al. (2022). • A study on the external morphology, internal microanatomy and bone microstructure of the hemispinous processes of the vertebrae from the
holotype specimen of
Amargasaurus cazaui and an indeterminate
dicraeosaurid specimen from the
La Amarga Formation (Argentina), aiming to reconstruct soft tissues associated with those processes and to determine their functional significance, is published by Cerda,
Novas, Carballido and
Salgado (2022). • Evidence indicating that dicraeosaurid vertebral pneumaticity was reduced relative to other eusauropod taxa is presented by Windholz
et al. (2022). • Description of
rebbachisaurid fossil material from the
Cretaceous lower
Huincul Formation (El Orejano locality) (
Argentina) is published by Bellardini
et al. (2022), who interpret the remains as likely belonging to a unique taxon, thereby increasing the diversity of rebbachisaurids in the formation. • A study on the skeletal anatomy and affinities of
Agustinia ligabuei is published by Bellardini
et al. (2022), who recover
Agustinia as a rebbachisaurid. • Four sauropod ribs preserving evidence of three different pathologies (including
osteosclerosis) are described from the
Middle Jurassic of
Yunyang (
China) by Tan
et al. (2022). • Ren
et al. (2022) interpret
Dashanpusaurus dongi as the earliest diverging
macronarian; subsequently Ren
et al. (2022) publish a comprehensive redescription of
D. dongi. • A study on the anatomy of the braince and inner ear of
Europasaurus holgeri is published by Schade
et al. (2022), who report the presence of a relatively large and morphologically adult-like
endosseous labyrinth in very young individuals of
Europasaurus, suggesting that hatchlings had to be light on their feet very early in their lives, and were likely
precocial. • Revision of the fossil record of non-titanosaur macronarians from South America is published by Carballido, Bellardini &
Salgado (2022). • A study on the morphology, preservation and taphonomy of the skin of
Haestasaurus becklesii, and a review of sauropod skin morphology, is published by Pittman
et al. (2022). • A study on the anatomy and phylogenetic affinities of
Ligabuesaurus leanzai, based on data from new postcranial elements assigned to the
holotype specimen and from a newly referred specimen, is published by Bellardini
et al. (2022). • Description of teeth of a sauropod belonging to the group
Somphospondyli from the
Turonian Tamagawa Formation (
Japan), and a study on the diet and mastication of this sauropod as inferred from tooth wear, is published by Sakaki
et al. (2022). • Description of the
endocast of
Phuwiangosaurus sirindhornae is published by Kaikaew
et al. (2022). • Previously unknown second cervical vertebra of
Sibirotitan astrosacralis is described from the
Aptian Ilek Formation (
Kemerovo Oblast,
Russia) by Averianov & Lopatin (2022). • A study on the phylogenetic relationships of titanosaur sauropods is published by Carballido
et al. (2022). • A study on the morphological variability of hindlimb bones of titanosaur sauropods from the Lo Hueco Konzentrat-
Lagerstätte (
Villalba de la Sierra Formation,
Spain) is published by Páramo
et al. (2022). • Theropod bite marks are reported on a sauropod rib from the Late Cretaceous
Sāo Josè do Rio Preto Formation (
Brazil) by Reis, Ghilardi, and Fernandes (2022), who interpret these marks as most likely being produced by an
abelisaurid. • Titanosaur tracks preserving claw impressions are reported from the
Anacleto Formation (
Argentina) by Tomaselli
et al. (2022), who devise a new classification for titanosaur tracks and name the new ichnotaxon
Teratopodus malarguensis. • The first titanosaur nesting site from the Late Cretaceous of
Brazil is reported from the
Maastrichtian Serra da Galga Formation by Fiorelli
et al. (2022). • Description of
titanosaur fossil material from the
Late Cretaceous (
Campanian-
Maastrichtian)
Mercedes Formation and
Asencio Formation (
Uruguay) is published by Soto
et al. (2022). • Pathological multi-shelled egg is described from a titanosaur nest from the Upper Cretaceous
Lameta Formation (
India) by Dhiman, Verma & Prasad (2022), who interpret this finding as possible evidence that titanosaurs had an oviductal functional morphology similar to birds. • Review of the fossil record of titanosaur sauropods from the Campanian and Maastrichtian of South America is published by Santucci & Filippi (2022). • Lourembam, Dhiman & Prasad (2022) report the preservation of a mineralized Membrana Testacea layer in titanosaur eggshells from a marlstone facies interbedded with the Deccan lava flows in
Madhya Pradesh (
India). • A juvenile specimen of
Diamantinasaurus matildae, providing information on the growth pattern of this sauropod, is described from the Upper Cretaceous
Winton Formation (
Australia) by Rigby
et al. (2022). • Teeth of members of
Diamantinasauria, different from teeth of derived titanosaurs and more closely resembling teeth of early branching members of the titanosauriform radiation, are described from the
Late Cretaceous Winton Formation (
Australia) by Poropat
et al. (2022), who also study the distribution of sauropod tooth morphotypes before and after deposition of the Winton Formation, and argue that a substantial sauropod turnover took place during the Cretaceous, with diverse
Berriasian faunas encompassing a range of tooth morphologies being replaced by faunas comprising solely titanosaurs with limited dental variability by the end-
Turonian. • A mechanical analysis of
Savannasaurus elliottorum is performed by Preuschoft (2022). • A review of sauropod fossil material from the
Kallamedu Formation, including bones of the giant enigmatic titanosaur
Bruhathkayosaurus, is published by Pal & Ayyasami (2022). • A reconstruction of the
articular cartilage of the left elbow joint of
Dreadnoughtus schrani is presented by Voegele
et al. (2022). • A study on the
taphonomy and molecular preservation of the
holotype of
Dreadnoughtus schrani is published by Schroeter
et al. (2022). • Silva Junior
et al. (2022) describe new fossil material of
Baurutitan britoi from the Upper Cretaceous Serra da Galga Formation (
Brazil), and interpret
Trigonosaurus pricei as a
junior synonym of
B. britoi. • A study on the microstructure of axial bones of
Austroposeidon magnificus,
Gondwanatitan faustoi and
Maxakalisaurus topai, and on its implications for the knowledge of growth phases of these sauropods, is published by Brum
et al. (2022). • Curved, pencil-like sauropod teeth from the Upper Cretaceous
Bostobe Formation (
Kazakhstan) are referred to a representative of the clade
Opisthocoelicaudiidae by Averianov & Lopatin (2022). • A study proposing a method to determine the
gait and limb phase of sauropods based on
fossil tracksites is published by Lallensack & Falkingham (2022), who interpret their findings as suggestive of diagonal couplet walks, which would have allowed both sides of the body to be supported by the limbs at all times. • Revision of the fossil record of sauropodomorph eggs, nests and embryos from South America is published by Fernández, Vila & Moreno-Azanza (2022). • Keller & Or (2022) hypothesize that sauropods must have compacted the subsoil during their locomotion, presenting a paradox for productivity of the land that supported them.
Ornithischian research • A study on the evolutionary relationships of ornithischian dinosaurs, based on a modified version of the dataset from the study of Müller & Garcia (2020), is published by
Norman et al. (2022), who recover silesaurids as an
evolutionary grade of early ornithischian dinosaurs, reintroduce the name
Prionodontia for the least inclusive clade that includes
Iguanodon bernissartensis,
Echinodon becklesii and
Scelidosaurus harrisonii, and name a new clade
Parapredentata (the least inclusive clade that includes
Silesaurus opolensis and
Iguanodon bernissartensis). • A study on the bone
histology, life history and possible sociality of
Lesothosaurus diagnosticus is published by Botha, Choiniere & Barrett (2022), who interpret their findings as indicating that this ornithischian lived in multigenerational herds. • A study on the phylogenetic relationships of the
neornithischian dinosaurs commonly referred to as "hypsilophodontids", aiming to determine causes of conflicting placements of these taxa in different phylogenetic analyses, is published by Brown
et al. (2022). • New information on the anatomy of the
holotype specimen of
Parksosaurus warreni is presented by
Sues et al. (2022). • A study aiming to determine whether ornithischian megaherbivores from the upper
Oldman Formation (
Alberta,
Canada) partitioned their niches based on spatial patterns of occupation and resource-use, based on strontium, oxygen and carbon isotope data, is published by Cullen
et al. (2022). • A study on the dietary ecology of
Hungarosaurus tormai and
Mochlodon vorosi is published by Ősi
et al. (2022), who interpret their findings as indicative of dietary selectivity and niche partitioning, with
Hungarosaurus eating softer vegetation and
Mochlodon feeding on tougher material.
Thyreophoran research • Schade
et al. (2022) create digital models of the braincase of
Struthiosaurus austriacus, and evaluate the implication of its anatomy for the knowledge of the behavioral capacities of this dinosaur. • Partial skull of a member or a relative of the genus
Kunbarrasaurus is described from the
Albian Toolebuc Formation by Frauenfelder
et al. (2022), representing the oldest ankylosaurian material from Queensland (
Australia) reported to date. • A description of a partial thyreophoran
osteoderm from an
Early Jurassic Konservatlagerstätte near
Grimmen,
Germany is published by Schade & Ansorge (2022). • A study on pathological
osteoderms localized to the flanks in the hip region of the holotype specimen of
Zuul crurivastator is published by
Arbour,
Zanno &
Evans (2022), who argue that ankylosaurid tail clubs were primarily used for combat between members of the same species. • A partial postcranial skeleton of
Pinacosaurus from the
Late Cretaceous Wulansuhai Formation (
China) is described by Tan
et al. (2022).
Cerapod research • A study on the anatomy and evolution of the brains of
ornithopod dinosaurs is published by Lauters, Vercauteren &
Godefroit (2022), who report evidence which might be indicative of
hadrosaurids having more developed cognitive abilities than previously assumed. • A study on the phylogenetic relationships of
iguanodontian ornithopods is published by Poole (2022), who names a new clade
Rhabdodontoidea, defined as including all taxa more closely related to
Zalmoxes robustus and
Rhabdodon priscus than to
Dryosaurus altus. • A study on the bone histology and life history of an early member of
Rhabdodontomorpha from the upper
Barremian–lower
Aptian of the Vegagete site (
Spain) is published by Dieudonné, Torcida Fernández-Baldor & Stein (2022), who interpret the largest Vegagete ornithopod individual as a late subadult, making it the smallest ornithopod ever recovered, and interpret their findings as indicating that, unlike Late Cretaceous rhabdodontids, the Vegagete ornithopod shifted from a quadrupedal stance to a bipedal one at a juvenile stage. • Description of postcranial material tentatively assigned to
Camptosaurus sp. from the
Late Jurassic Villar del Arzobispo Formation (
Valencia,
Spain) is published by Sánchez-Fenollosa et al. (2022) • Redescription of the
holotype of
Draconyx loureiroi, including description of previously unreported material, and a study on the phylogenetic affinities of this taxon is published by Rotatori, Moreno-Azanza & Mateus (2022). • Fossil material of a medium-sized
iguanodontid is described from the
Early Cretaceous (
Barremian)
Blesa Formation (
Teruel Province,
Spain) by Medrano-Aguado
et al. (2022), who interpret it as belonging to a potentially new iguanodontid taxon. • A new specimen of
Iguanodon bernissartensis (a partial
axial skeleton) is described from the
Early Cretaceous (Upper
Barremian)
Arcillas de Morella Formation (
Spain) by Gasulla
et al. (2022) • Description of new fossils of large bodied
styracosternans pertaining to two different taxa from the
Early Cretaceous El Castellar Formation (
Teruel,
Spain) is published by García-Cobeña, Verdú, and Cobos (2022), who also describe the first dinosaur tracksite from this formation. • Fossil material of non-hadrosauriform styracosternans is described from the Lower Cretaceous
Khok Kruat Formation by Samathi & Suteethorn (2022), representing the first record of a juvenile iguanodontian co-occurring with an adult (possibly of the same taxon) from
Thailand. • Description of a nearly complete and articulated skeleton of a juvenile hadrosauroid from the Upper Cretaceous
Bayan Shireh Formation (
Mongolia), distinct from
Gobihadros mongoliensis and likely representing a second, previously unknown hadrosauroid taxon from this formation, is published by Averianov, Lopatin & Tsogtbaatar (2022). • A clutch of subspherical dinosaur eggs, at least two of which contain identifiable hadrosauroid embryos with possible affinities with such taxa as
Levnesovia transoxiana,
Nanningosaurus dashiensis or
Tanius sinensis, is described from the Upper Cretaceous
Hekou Formation (China) by Xing
et al. (2022). • Redescription of two putative
rhabdodontid braincases from the Maastrichtian of the Haţeg Basin (
Romania) is published by Augustin
et al. (2022), who reinterpret these specimens as hadrosauroid braincases, likely belonging to members of the species
Telmatosaurus transsylvanicus. • Review of the taxonomic status, phylogenetic relationships and biogeography of hadrosauroids known from
Mexico is published by Ramírez-Velasco (2022). • A study on the
morphometric changes within the skull and dietary changes during growth of North American hadrosaurids is published by Wyenberg-Henzler, Patterson & Mallon (2022). • A study on the beak shapes and limb segment proportions of hadrosaurids is published by Takasaki & Kobayashi (2022), who interpret their findings as indicating that lambeosaurines preferred mass consumption of low-quality food and had energy-efficient locomotion, while hadrosaurines preferred selective consumption of high-quality food and had energy-inefficient locomotor ecology. • A study on the taphonomy and geochemical history of
Brachylophosaurus canadensis specimen MOR 2598, attempting to determine the cause of protein preservation in the specimen's left
femur, is published by Ullman, Ash, and Scannella (2022). • A pathological
ulna of a specimen of
Amurosaurus riabinini, preserved with a hypertrophied and swollen distal region and with the distal articular surface engulfed within a large overgrowth of newly formed bone, is described from the
Maastrichtian Udurchukan Formation (Amur Region,
Russia) by Bertozzo
et al. (2022), who interpret the bone as still healing prior to the animal's death, with the misalignment of the fracture and the resulting malunion of the two fragments of the bone probably causing the animal to limp and walk on three limbs. •
Sahaliyania elunchunorum is reinterpreted as a
junior synonym of
Amurosaurus riabinini by Xing
et al. (2022). • Takasaki
et al. (2022) describe the first definitive specimens of
Corythosaurus from the
Judith River Formation (
Montana, United States), extending known geographic range of this genus. • A study on the
taphonomy of a bonebed with fossils of members of the genus
Gryposaurus from the lower unit of the
Campanian Oldman Formation (
Alberta,
Canada), and on the bone microstructure of specimens from this bonebed, is published by Scott
et al. (2022). • The two smallest-known specimens of
Gryposaurus notabilis are described from the
Dinosaur Park Formation (Alberta, Canada) by Mallon
et al. (2022), who evaluate the implications of these specimens for the knowledge of the skeletal growth of
G. notabilis, and interpret them as indicating that the presence of secondary rides of the teeth in young hadrosaurines is
ontogenetically transitory and not necessarily of any taxonomic significance. • Description of the skin of a hadrosaurid specimen (probably belonging to the species
Edmontosaurus annectens) from the Maastrichtian
Frenchman Formation (
Saskatchewan,
Canada), preserving unique corrugated scales that have not been observed in this species before, is published by Libke
et al. (2022). • A study on the monodominant
Edmontosaurus annectens bonebed from the Ruth Mason Dinosaur Quarry (
Hell Creek Formation;
South Dakota, United States), and on its implications for the knowledge of hadrosaurid growth and population dynamics, is published by Wosik &
Evans (2022), who interpret their findings as indicating that
E. annectens exhibited a similar growth trajectory to
Maiasaura, and providing support for the hypothesized segregation between juvenile and adult hadrosaurids. • Drumheller
et al. (2022) describe soft tissue damage in the
NDGS 2000 (formerly MRF-03) specimen of
Edmontosaurus, consistent with injuries caused by predators or scavengers and interpreted as the first known examples of unhealed carnivore damage in dinosaurian soft tissue, and evaluate the implications of this finding for the knowledge of the fossilization pathway for soft tissues of this specimen. • A method which can be used to determine the percent vascularity in any given CT slice of the frontoparietal is presented by Nirody
et al. (2022), who use this method to study changes of vascularity in the frontoparietal dome of
Stegoceras validum during its ontogeny. • Moore
et al. (2022) reconstruct the appendicular musculature of
Stegoceras validum, and report evidence of adaptations of muscles for strengthening or stabilizing the pelvis and hind limbs which might have been beneficial for head- or flank-butting behaviour. • A study on tooth replacement patterns in
Yinlong downsi,
Hualianceratops wucaiwanensis and
Chaoyangsaurus youngi is published by Hu
et al. (2022). • The oldest umbilical scar reported to date, which is also the first umbilical scar reported to date in a non-avian dinosaur, is described in a specimen of
Psittacosaurus from the Lower Cretaceous Jehol Group (China) by Bell
et al. (2022). • Description of the integument of the Frankfurt specimen of
Psittacosaurus is published by Bell
et al. (2022), who describe variations in the skin of the animal and discover the specimen's cloaca is crocodile-like in morphology. • A new articulated skeleton of
Yamaceratops dorngobiensis, representing the first substantially complete skeleton and the first known juvenile specimen of this taxon, is described from the Upper Cretaceous (?
Santonian-
Campanian)
Javkhlant Formation (
Mongolia) by Son
et al. (2022). • A study on the bone
histology of
Koreaceratops hwaseongensis is published by Baag & Lee (2022). • Chen
et al. (2022) report two skulls of
Protoceratops hellenikorhinus from the
Late Cretaceous Wulansuhai Formation (
Alxa Right Banner,
Inner Mongolia, China), expanding the known geographic range of the species, and provide a revised diagnosis of
P. hellenikorhinus. • A study on the anatomy of the postcranial skeleton of
Wendiceratops pinhornensis, and on the
taphonomy of the monodominant bonebed containing fossil material of this ceratopsid from the Campanian
Oldman Formation in Alberta, Canada (interpreted as oldest evidence of herding behavior in a ceratopsid documented to date), is published by Scott, Ryan &
Evans (2022). • A study on the pathologies within bones of
Pachyrhinosaurus perotorum from the
Prince Creek Formation (
Alaska, United States) is published by
Fiorillo & Tykoski (2022), who find the occurrence of pathologies in the studied assemblage to be low and comparable to occurrences of pathologies in other populations of ceratopsids from the lower latitudes, and interpret this finding as indicating that hardships imposed on ceratopsids in the Arctic environment were not greater than in other environments. • Mallon
et al.(2022) redescribe two ceratopsid frills from Canada attributed to
Torosaurus (representing the northernmost records of this genus reported to date), and evaluate possible implications of these specimens for determination of the status of
Torosaurus as a genus distinct from
Triceratops. • A study on the fenestra perforating the right squamosal of the
Triceratops horridus specimen known as
Big John is published by D'Anastasio
et al. (2022), who interpret this fenestra as the result of a traumatic event, possibly a fight with another
Triceratops. • De Rooij
et al. (2022) present oxygen and carbon isotopic records from a large
Triceratops bonebed ("Darnell
Triceratops Bonebed") from the Maastrichtian
Lance Formation (
Wyoming, United States), and interpret these records as indicating that individuals from the "Darnell
Triceratops Bonebed" lived in a transitional area between more open marsh settings and inland forests, such as fluvial systems, and casting doubts on the extent and significance of putative niche partitioning between ceratopsids and hadrosaurids, at least in this part of the Lance Formation. • A study on the hadrosaurid and ceratopsid faunas of the Upper Cretaceous
Prince Creek Formation,
Cantwell Formation and
Chignik Formation (
Alaska, United States), and on the possible impact of the climate on differences of relative abundances of hadrosaurids and ceratopsids from these formations, is published by
Fiorillo et al. (2022). == Birds ==