Heinrich Terahertz podcast: St Petersburg University palaeontologist talks about dinosaurs that lived in Russia
Professor Pavel Skutschas, Acting Head of the Department of Vertebrate Zoology at St Petersburg University, was the guest of the eighth episode of the popular science podcast "Heinrich Terahertz". He talked about what species of dinosaurs lived on the territory of modern-day Russia, under what conditions they lived and how some of them managed to survive the extinction.
Dinosaurs were abundant on the territory of present-day Russia between 200 and 66 million years ago. According to palaeontologists, dinosaurs lived everywhere, in all latitudes and ecosystems. Yet, the remains of only few of them have survived to our times. Indeed, at this distance in time, modern man knows rather little about those animals. Nonetheless, our contemporaries would like to know more about dinosaur lifestyle, species diversity, and interactions in dinosaur communities.
It is important to realise that the preservation of the remnants of once living beings is a very complex process and a very rare event. All the stars have to align. Specific chemical conditions are required and the remains have to be buried properly; for instance, they need to be covered with sand or clay, and there are many such points. Hence, there are not many fossils, and the localities are understudied. We therefore cannot estimate the total species diversity of dinosaurs that lived on the territory of modern-day Russia.
Professor Pavel Skutschas, Acting Head of the Department of Vertebrate Zoology at St Petersburg University
According to Professor Skutschas, the dinosaur species diversity was high; and today, palaeontologists are able to place dinosaur species on the phylogenetic tree based on a few fragments of the animal’s skeleton. Sometimes, such finds can provide evidence on the kinship of dinosaurs from very different places. For example, in the village of Sharypovo in Krasnoyarsk Krai, fragments of the jaws and teeth of the dinosaur Kileskus were found. Having analysed the fossils, the scientists found similarities with some dinosaur species found in China. That enabled them to reconstruct the specimen.
In March 2024, the exhibition "Dinosaurs of Russia" was opened at St Petersburg University. The exhibition features real bones of ancient lizards found in different regions of Russia; 3D models of skeletons, skulls and individual bones; sculptures and information models, giving an idea of the prehistoric fauna of our country. In parallel, the Diaghilev Museum of Modern Art at St Petersburg University hosts the exhibition "Dinosaur’s Leg", featuring works by more than 25 contemporary palaeoartists and sculptors exploring the theme of the prehistoric world and dinosaurs.
The regions richest in dinosaur fossils in the Russian Federation are Siberia and the Far East. For example, in the city of Blagoveshchensk, there is a whole cemetery of ancient lizards within the city borders. Last August, on the territory of the Kemerovo Region, a new species of predatory dinosaur that resembled an ostrich was found. Judging by the fossils, that dinosaur species should have become extinct much earlier than it did.
"Yakutia and Western Siberia used to have unique environmental conditions. These territories preserved relict forms that should have become extinct at the Jurassic-Cretaceous boundary. A kind «Jurassic Park» was formed there, and some of the species were able to cross the boundary between the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods, showing up in the Early Cretaceous. In biology, such a location is called a refugium — an area that remained buffered from climate change, where species could survive. Due to the favourable climate conditions, there were no natural cataclysms and sudden climate change events. Everything was stable there. Not only dinosaurs, but also salamanders, turtles and many others species could survive there," Pavel Skutschas explained.