# Paleobiological implications of chevron pathology in the sauropodomorph Plateosaurus trossingensis from the Upper Triassic of SW Germany

## TL;DR

This paper reports the first known pathologies in the sauropodomorph Plateosaurus, revealing that chevrons in the tail were prone to injury and could heal, allowing survival.

## Contribution

The study presents the first documented pathologies in Plateosaurus and identifies chevrons as a vulnerable bone in this species.

## Key findings

- Two Plateosaurus individuals show three consecutive pathological chevrons caused by trauma.
- Healing of the chevron lesions indicates both animals survived the injuries.
- 14.8% of Plateosaurus individuals across multiple sites exhibit chevron pathologies, suggesting a high vulnerability.

## Abstract

Paleopathology, the study of diseases and injuries from the fossil record, allows for a unique view into the life of prehistoric animals. Pathologies have nowadays been described in nearly all groups of fossil vertebrates, especially dinosaurs. Despite the large number of skeletons, pathologies had never been reported in the sauropodomorph Plateosaurus trossingensis. Here we describe the first pathologies of Plateosaurus using two individuals with pathologies in the chevrons of the tail, from the Upper Triassic of Trossingen, SW Germany. The two specimens each contain three consecutive pathological chevrons. Our results show that the pathologies were caused by external trauma in one individual and potentially tendinous trauma in the other. Healing of the lesions allowed survival of both animals. Using additional pathological specimens found in other collections and from multiple localities, we observe that 14.8% of all individuals of Plateosaurus contain pathologies within their chevrons, suggesting it was a vulnerable bone.