Livro de Resumos - Dinossauros do Maranhão

Paleontologia 162
Pathological features in Stratiotosuchus maxhechti (Crocodyliformes:
Baurusuchidae) from Bauru Basin, Cretaceous of Brazil
1 Setor de Paleovertebrados, Departamento de Geologia e Paleontologia, Museu Nacional (MN/UFRJ),
Quinta da Boa Vista, s/n 0 - São Cristóvão - 20940-040, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.
2 Instituto de Biologia , Universidade Federal de Uberlândia (UFU), Rua Ceará, Campus Umuarama, 38400-902,
Uberlândia, MG, Brasil.
3 Membro Academia Brasileira de Ciências.
4 Bolsista de Produtividade em Pesquisa do CNPq.
5 Bolsista Cientista do Nosso Estado FAPERJ.
Uiara Cabral 1 , Douglas Riff 2 & Alexander W. A. Kellner 1,3,4,5
During the description of the appendicular skeleton of the holotype of Stratiotosuchus
maxhechti (DGM 1477-R) some abnormalities in the manus (right metacarpal V) and pes
(left metatarsals I and II) were observed. They deviate from the osteological pattern
expected for this taxon and were indentified as pathologic. All of the injury recognized in
the bones examined show signs of healing. The roughened surfaces of right metacarpal V
suggests that the lesions were in the process of being remodeled (with partial resorption
of the bone callus). Likewise, the bone calluses in left metatarsal I and II indicate that the
lesions were in the process of healing. These reactionary bone growths allow us to refute
that these damages resulted from scavenging or another post-mortem modification. By
the CT scan, we can see that the injury in right metacarpal V was caused by a fracture in
the proximal metaphysis due to a traumatic event. Little information is available regarding
bone healing in extant reptiles; however, it appears that this process occurs at a
significantly slower rate when compared with birds and mammals. The estimated healing
time for traumatic fractures is generally 6 to 18 months. The characteristics of the
pathologies in both metatarsals are consistent with stress fractures, which were confirmed
by CT scans. There is no line of fracture (which would be expected for a complete
fracture), even in the inner bone layer. Furthermore, the bone callus does not involve the
whole bone and there is no angulation or displacement. Their etiology in man typically
relates to marching, heavy lifting, or prolonged standing. Although the lesion in
Stratiotosuchus maxhechti may be related to long periods of standing, a more likely
scenario is sudden exertions related to their aggressive behaviors. Apoio: FAPEMIG,
FAPERJ e CNPq.
E-mails: uiara.gomes@gmail.com, driff2@gmail.com, kellner@mn.ufrj.br
Paleovertebrados