Tyrannosaur Press Materials
[Science Magazine]

Current Research Projects

Current research on the evolution of dinosaurian and avian growth rates funded by the National Science Foundation

Involvement with the National Geographic Channel's "Hunter and Hunted"


ZOO4343 - Herpetology Lecture 19 (userid and password required)
ZOO4343 - Herpetology Lecture 20 (userid and password required)
ZOO4343 - Herpetology Lecture 21 (userid and password required)

Associate Professor of Anatomy and Vertebrate Paleobiology;
curator, Florida State University vertebrate collection.
Ph.D., Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, 1997.
Postdoctoral research, Department of Biomechanical Engineering, Stanford University, 1998-1999.
Postdoctoral research, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Brown University, 1999-2000.
Research Associate: American Museum of Natural History, New York (2004-Present); The Field Museum, Chicago (2004-Present).

Research and Professional Interests:

My primary area of interest is evolutionary morphology, with the major focus on the form, function, development, and evolution of the vertebrate musculo-skeletal system. I employ phylogenetic principles and methods from several traditional fields of study (including anatomy, physiology, biomechanical engineering, evolutionary biology, and vertebrate paleontology) to address unique evolutionary questions that are not surmountable within any one discipline. In my current research I am studying:

1. Means to assess longevity and growth rates in extinct and living reptiles (e.g. dinosaurs, crocodilians) using skeletal growth markers and the use of these data for inferring heterochronic patterns. These data are further used to reconstruct aspects of ancient population biology and ecology.
2. Crocodilian feeding biomechanics through bite-force experimentation. These tests serve as a springboard for modeling feeding in theropod dinosaurs and fossil crocodilians.

Publications:

PROFESSIONAL PUBLICATIONS (peer reviewed)

Erickson, G. M. 1995. Split carinae on tyrannosaurid teeth and implications of their development. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 15:268-274.

Erickson, G. M. and K. H. Olson 1996. Bite marks attributable to Tyrannosaurus rex: preliminary description and implications. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 16:175-178.

Erickson, G. M. 1996. Toothlessness in American alligators. Copeia, 1996:739-743.

Erickson, G. M. 1996. Daily deposition of incremental lines in Alligator dentine and the assessment of tooth replacement rates using incremental line counts. Journal of Morphology, 226:189-194.

Erickson, G. M. , Van Kirk, S. D., Su, J., Levenston, M. E., Caler, W. E. and Carter, D. R. 1996. Bite- force estimation for Tyrannosaurus rex from tooth-marked bones. Nature, 382:706-708.

Erickson, G. M. 1996. Incremental lines of von Ebner in dinosaurs and the assessment of tooth replacement rates using growth line counts. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, USA, 93:14623-14627.

Chin, K., Tokaryk, T. T., Erickson, G. M., and Calk, L. C. 1998. King-sized feces: a probable tyrannosaur coprolite from Saskatchewan. Nature, 393:680-682.

Erickson, G. M. and Brochu, C. A. 1999. How the terror crocodile grew so big. Nature, 398:205-206.

Sarin, V. K., Erickson, G. M., Giori, N. J., Bergman, A. G. and Carter, D. R. 1999 Coincident development of sesamoid bones and clues to their evolution. Anatomical Record (New Anatomist). 257(5): 174-180. (Cover article)

Erickson, G. M. and Tumanova, T. A. 2000. Growth curve and life history attributes of Psittacosaurus mongoliensis (Ceratopsia: Psittacosauridae) inferred from long bone histology. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 130:551-566.

Erickson, G. M. 2001. The bite of Allosaurus (News and Views). Nature, 409: 987-988.

Erickson, G. M. Curry-Rogers, K., and Yerby, S. 2001. Dinosaur growth patterns and rapid avian growth rates. Nature, 412: 429-433.

Erickson, G. M., Catanese, J. III, and Keaveny, T. 2002. Evolution of the biomechanical material properties of the femur. Anatomical Record: 268: 115-124.

Erickson, G. M, Lappin, A. K., and Vliet, K. A. 2003. The Ontogeny of bite-force performance in American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis). Journal of Zoology, London: 260: 317-327.

Erickson, G. M, Lappin, A. K., Parker, T., and Vliet, K. A. 2003. Comparison of bite-force performance between long-term captive and wild captured American alligators (Alligator mississippiensis). Journal of Zoology, London: 260: 317-327.

Erickson, G. M. 2003. Using external vertebral growth rings to assess longevity in the Bengal monitor (Varanus bengalensis). Copeia: 2003: 872-878.

Erickson, G. M., Ricqles, A. de, Buffrenil, V. de., Molnar, R. E., and Bayless, M. A. 2003. Vermiform bones and the evolution of gigantism in Megalania—How a reptilian fox became a lion. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology: 23: 966-970.

Erickson, G. M., Makovicky, P. J., Currie, P. J., Norell, M. A., Yerby, S. A., and Brochu, C. A. 2004. Gigantism and comparative life-history parameters of tyrannosaurid dinosaurs. Nature: 430: 772-775 (Cover article).

Clarke, J. A., Tambussi, C. P., Noriega, J. I., Erickson, G. M., and Ketcham, R. A. 2005. Definitive fossil evidence for the extant avian radiation in the Cretaceous. Nature: 433: 305-308.

Curry-Rogers, K. and Erickson, G. M. 2005. Sauropod Histology: Microscopic Views on the Lives of Giants.Sauropod growth patterns. pp. 303-326, In: K. A. Curry Rogers and Wilson, J. (eds.)The Sauropods: Evolution and Paleobiology. Academic Press.

Erickson, G. M., Lappin. A. K., and Larson, P. 2005. Androgenous rex: The utility of chevrons for determining the sex of crocodilians and non-avian dinosaurians. Zoology: 108: 277-286.

Erickson, G. M. 2005. Assessing dinosaur growth patterns: A microscopic revolution. Trends in Ecology and Evolution: 20: 677-684.

Xu,X., Clark, J. M., Forster, C. A., Norell, M. A., Erickson, G. M., Eberth, D., Jia, C. and Qi, Z. (2006). A primitive tyrannosauroid dinosaur from the Late Jurassic of China with an exaggerated cranial crest. Nature: 439: 715-718.

Erickson, G. M., Currie, P. J., Inouye, B. D. and Winn, A. A. (2006). Tyrannosaur life tables: The first look at non-avian dinosaur population biology Science: tba.

Nesbitt, S. J., Turner, A. H., Norell, M. A., Erickson, G. M. (in review) The dinosaur Coelophysis: Predator, not cannibal.

PROFESSIONAL PUBLICATIONS (non-peer reviewed)

Erickson, G. M. 1997. Von Ebner incremental growth lines. pp. 4-6, In: Currie, P. J. and Padian, K. (eds.). Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs. Academic Press, San Diego.

Erickson, G. M. 1997. Age determination of dinosaurs. pp. 781-782, In: Currie, P. J. and Padian, K. (eds.). Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs. Academic Press, San Diego.

Erickson, G. M. 1997. Tooth replacement pattterns. pp. 739-740, In: Currie, P. J. and Padian, K. (eds.). Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs. Academic Press, San Diego.

Erickson, G. M. 1999. Breathing life into T-rex. Scientific American, September: 32-39. (Cover article)

Erickson, G. M. 1999. The Dechronization of Sam Magruder by George Gaylord Simpson, a commentary. Scientific American, September: 52-53.

Erickson, G. M. 1999. Breathing life into T-rex. pp. 267-275, In: Paul, G. S. (ed.) Scientific American Book of Dinosaurs , St Martin’s Press, New York.

Erickson, G. M. 2002. Ask the experts: When T. rex fell, how did it get up, given its tiny arms? Scientific American 287: 95 (also Scientific American Online--posted Feb. 4, 2002).

Erickson, G. M. 2002. Ask the experts: What are the odds of a dead dinosaur becoming fossilized? Scientific American Online—posted Sept. 16, 2002.

Lappin, A. K., Erickson, G. M., and K.A. Vliet. 2002. Bite-force performance in crocodilians: a feasibility study on the American alligator, Alligator mississippiensis. Pages 158-164 in Proceedings of the 16th Working Meeting of the Crocodile Specialist Group, IUCN - The World Conservation Union, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, United Kingdom.

Erickson, G. M. 2004. Breathing life Into Tyrannosaurus rex (update of 1999 article). Scientific American (Special Issue, March).

Erickson, G. M. 2005. Dinosaur Growth Patterns. McGraw-Hill 2005 Yearbook of Science and Technology. McGraw-Hill, NY. tba.

Erickson, G. M. (accepted). Dinosaur longevity. In: Currently Untitled Dinosaur Textbook. Academic Press, San Diego.

Erickson, G. M. (accepted). The von Ebner incremental lines of dinosaurs. In: Currently Untitled Dinosaur Textbook. Academic Press, San Diego.

Erickson, G. M. (accepted). The tooth replacement patterns of dinosaurs. In: Currently Untitled Dinosaur Textbook. Academic Press, San Diego.

Erickson, G. M. (accepted). Bad to the bone --Tyrannosaurus rex bites again. In: Holtz, T. R. Jr. (ed.) The Random House Dinosaur Encyclopedia, Random House Publishing, NY.

PROFESSIONAL PUBLICATIONS—BOOKS (non-peer reviewed)

Erickson, G. M. 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006. Paleobiology of Dinosaurs (Lecture manual). Hayden McNeil Press. Plymouth, MI. 120 pp.

Graduate Students:

Gignac, Paul
Pfaller, Joseph
Prieto-Marquez, Albert

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