Pronunciation: lev-neh-SO-vee-uh
Meaning: for Lev Nesov
Author/s: Sues and Averianov (2009)
Synonyms: See below
First Discovery: Dzharakuduk, Uzbekistan
Discovery Chart Position: #677
Levnesovia transoxiana
Although far from darlings of the media because they were neither carnivores nor the largest herbivores, hadrosaurs were one of the most successful groups of dinosaurs, thanks mainly to the evolution of a complex masticatory system, which, at its peak, rivalled that of modern cows: the masters of cud-chewery. The arrangement of their teeth into hardcore dental batteries and the motion of their jaws allowed them to extract maximum goodness from Mother Nature's most grim-looking provisions. But Levnesovia — the oldest hadrosauroid known from decent remains — may have been the most powerful muncher of them all.
Closely related but somewhat older than Bactrosaurus from Inner Mongolia and lacking the club-shaped spines on its back vertebrae (at least in adult specimens), Levnesovia sported an extremely tall ridge of bone known as a "sagittal crest" along the midline of its skull from front to back. Present in many mammals such as cats, dogs, apes, and the likes of Paranthropus aethiopicus amongst our own ancestors, this ridge serves primarily for attachment of the "temporalis", which is one of the main chewing muscles. Apparently, taller crests anchor bigger muscles, and the biggest muscles could bite the hardest, so adding a tall crest to impressive hadrosaur chewing tools enabled Levnesovia to mulch almost anything.
Closely related but somewhat older than Bactrosaurus from Inner Mongolia and lacking the club-shaped spines on its back vertebrae (at least in adult specimens), Levnesovia sported an extremely tall ridge of bone known as a "sagittal crest" along the midline of its skull from front to back. Present in many mammals such as cats, dogs, apes, and the likes of Paranthropus aethiopicus amongst our own ancestors, this ridge serves primarily for attachment of the "temporalis", which is one of the main chewing muscles. Apparently, taller crests anchor bigger muscles, and the biggest muscles could bite the hardest, so adding a tall crest to impressive hadrosaur chewing tools enabled Levnesovia to mulch almost anything.
Etymology
Levnesovia is named for Lev Nessov (1947-1995), using the most accurate English-language spelling of his surname as transliterated from the Cyrillic: an ancient Slavic writing system.
The species epithet, transoxiana, is an ancient name for the lands beyond (trans) the Amu Darya River (Oxus), corresponding to present-day Uzbekistan (the ancient region of Transoxiana).
Discovery
The remains of Levnesovia were discovered in the Bissekty Formation at Dzharakuduk, Navoi Viloyat (district), central Kyzylkum Desert, Uzbekistan.
The holotype (USNM 538191) is a partial skull roof with nearly complete braincase.
Referred material includes several braincases and skull roof fragments from the Bissekty Formation at Dzharakuduk (ZIN PH 1306/16, ZIN PH 1307/16, USNM 538126, USNM 538121, CCMGE 565/12457, 566/12457 and ZIN PH 306/16), in the collections of the Zoological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, Saint Petersburg (ZIN PH), the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC (USNM), Chernyshev’s Central Museum of Geological Exploration, Saint Petersburg (CCMGE), and the Institute of Zoology, National Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan, Tashkent (IZANUZ).
