the placement of their nostrils

according to the article, is the placement of their nostrils. Current re-construction of sauropods consigns the nostrils almost between the eyes. However, young titanosaurs’s nostrils appear to be towards the end of a “puppy-like snout.”9[9] Chiappe expects that “[a]s the snout of a young titanosaur grew and elongated, the nostrils must have retraced to their later position near the eyes.”10[10] Recent studies show, however, that the original position of the nostrils has been incorrect. According to Lawrence Witmer of Ohio University, the large nasal cavity that is usually found on top of the skull is only one part of the nasal cavity, and the actual nostrils are farther down towards the mouth.11[11] Witmer studied various skulls of current reptiles, like the crocodile, and found that the nostrils “…are almost always ‘rostral’ – at the front of the nasal cavity.”12[12] This finding revolutionizes how dinosaurs breathed, smelled and looked.

While there are many debates concerning the physical aspects of dinosaurs, it is certain that this breakthrough of fossilized embryos provide crucial information. Indeed, even if Chiappe’s theory of the titanosaur’s re-locating nostrils is false, Witmer can still use the Patagonian treasure as proof for his hypothesis.

Scientists may constantly debate over this innovative information, but the discovery of these embryos undoubtedly serves as a threshold to further scientific studies of the much studied dinosaur.