INVESTIGADORES
TALEVI Marianella
congresos y reuniones científicas
Título:
The ichthyosaurian eyes: paleobiological information in the sclerotic ring of Caypullisaurus (Ichthyosauria: Ophthalmosauria)
Autor/es:
M. S. FERNÁNDEZ1, F. ARCHUBY2*, M. TALEVI 3, AND R. EBNER4
Reunión:
Congreso; 74 Jahrestagung der Paläntologie Gesellschaft. Geobiologie; 2004
Resumen:
ABSTRACTIn the eyes of many extant reptiles there is an osseous ring embedded within the sclera and around the
cornea. This sclerotic ring was well developed and is frequently preserved in ichthyosaurs. Significant information can be
drawn from it, such as eyeball diameter and relative size of the cornea. Estimation of these parameters in extinct forms
is significant as they are closely related to vision capability. This paper presents insights into the growth pattern and vision
capabilities of some Jurassic ichthyosaurs as inferred from the analysis of the sclerotic rings and orbit sizes. The suggested
growth pattern of ichthyosaur eyes is similar to that of human eyes. Thus, the cornea did not grow as much as the rest
of the eye. The relative size of the sclerotic ring and orbits can be used as a complementary criterion for estimating relative
age in some ichthyosaurs. In juveniles the aperture of the sclerotic ring represents approximately 20% of the orbital area.
This percentage decreases in adults.