This isn't particularly exciting science, but some of the most significant gaps in our knowledge of dinosaurs involve quite simple issues. Hadrosaurs may be a real hassle at times. Although they are among the most plentiful dinosaurs among Late Cretaceous fossil sites and therefore a good resource for studying dinosaur biology, there are significantly more isolated bits and parts of them than entire skeletons.
It can be difficult to properly identify and categorize these single bones—you need a thorough understanding of dinosaur anatomy to recognize what a lonely bone originally belonged to. You can also buy Hadrosaur's Foot for sale.
Their goal was to close a gap in the literature. Although many hadrosaurs have been documented, it appears that no one has written a complete, illustrated reference to the hadrosaur foot. To address this, the researchers chose to provide a thorough description of a well-preserved foot belonging to the typical Late Cretaceous hadrosaur Edmontosaurus annectens.
They argue that by using this hadrosaur foot atlas, other scholars and collections managers will be able to correctly identify hadrosaur foot bones, even if those scholars do not have a reference collection to compare with.
Despite this, Zheng, Farke, and Kim believe the dinosaur in their atlas is an Edmontosaurus annectens based on anatomical and geological details. Part of the dinosaur's right hip (the ischium)
was discovered beside the foot and other bones. The thin distal point of this hip bone defines the dinosaur as being to the hadrosaurus branch of hadrosaurs.
The ornately-crested lambeosaurine, the other major hadrosaur lineage, had a flared ischium tip. Because Edmontosaurus annectens is the only hadrosaurus dinosaur recognized from the Hell Creek strata where this specimen was discovered, the identification is the most reasonable based on the material available.
The majority of the publication is made up of labeled color images of the hadrosaur's foot from various angles. This isn't the type of study that will be published in Nature or Science.
That's great news. Some of the most significant gaps in our understanding of dinosaurs involve rather simple issues. There is a clear need for precise descriptions and extensive atlases that will help other scholars to compare and identify various dinosaurs.