Buffalo Museum of Science - William Parsons

William Parsons
Research Associate
Scientific illustrator and paleontologist

Research Interests

Since 1985, Bill Parsons has been working as a scientific illustrator for the Buffalo Museum of Science. What first brought him to the museum community was an interest in creating a series of etchings related to vertebrate fossils. While creating the various etching plates that were a part his original intent, he became interested in, and volunteered to work at, the newly developed Pleistocene excavation that the museum's geology department, was conducting in Byron, NY under the supervision of Dr. Richard Laub.

Since then Bill has created scientifically accurate illustrations for the Buffalo Museum's departments of geology, anthropology, and invertebrate zoology as well as for several other scientists and institutions working in related fields of interest. His illustrations have appeared on the covers of the journals Science and Nature as well as the cover of Discover magazine. Also, his work appeared in such magazines as Time, Natural History, Popular Science, Rolling Stone, US News and World Report, on the front page of The New York Times and USA Today, and on the television programs and websites of the Discovery Channel and National Geographic magazine.

Along with the application of his artistic abilities to these various fields of science, he along with his wife Kris, began to take a serious interest in the areas of archeology and vertebrate paleontology. While continuing each year to work on staff at the Hiscock site (Bill and his wife were married at the site in 1994), their interests have led to a variety of field research projects including the discovery of a small assemblage of Clovis-style Paleo-Indian artifacts near the northern-most end of the Smith River in central Montana.

A number of interesting finds resulting from vertebrate paleontological investigations that have focused on the faunal community of the lower Cretaceous Cloverly/Kootenai geologic formations of central Montana include the only complete skull of the armored dinosaur Sauropelta edwardsi, five specimens of Deinonychus antirrhopus (one being a juvenile), two forms of Mesozoic mammals (at least one of which is new to science), one of the oldest snakes ever found, and a hatchling-sized juvenile Tenontosaurus tilletti a herbivorous dinosaur. They have published their results in the journal, Current Research in the Pleistocene, and in abstract form in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology as these abstracts relate to presentations given at the annual conference of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology. More publications are in progress.

Scientific Presentations

2005 Conference Presentation: Society of Vertebrate Paleontology Annual Conference

A COMPARISON OF SOME OF THE IMPORTANT POSTCRANIAL FEATURES FOUND WITHIN THE ONTOGENIES OF DEINONYCHUS ANTIRRHOPUS, (SAURISCHIA, THEROPODA) AND VELOCIRAPTOR MONGOLIENSIS (SAURISCHIA, THEROPODA)

PARSONS, William L., Research Associate at Museum of the Rockies; 1621 Olean Rd., South Wales, NY 14139 and PARSONS, Kristen M., Research Associate at the Museum of the Rockies; 1621 Olean Rd., South Wales, NY 14139

Expanding upon the preliminary analysis of the ontogenetic characters originally observed within the examination of the two sub-adult specimens of Deinonychus antirrhopus, MOR 1178 and MCZ 8791, a study of the juvenile dromaeosaurid specimen Velociraptor mongoliensis IGM 100/985 and a comparison of this specimen with more mature specimens of V. mongoliensis have revealed some strong morphological similarities to that of the D. antirrhopussub-adults, as well as some unique differences. By using the length of the pes I-1 as an index for constructing comparative ratios within all available specimens, an analysis of the available forelimb elements, manus I-2, manus II-3 and a partial humerus of the juvenile specimen of V. mongoliensis, indicates that sub-adult members of the genus Velociraptor possessed extremely elongate forelimbs that are similar in proportion to those observed on the two sub-adult specimens of D. antirrhopus . A landmark shape graphing procedure was used to define key diagnostic points within the available morphology of two partial humeri belonging to the V. mongoliensis</> specimens IGM 100/982 and IGM 100/985. This made accessible internal ratios that helped to strengthen the determination of the elongate nature of the juvenile forelimbs. The analysis of these adult and juvenile specimens has brought to light certain characters that may be diagnostic of the juvenile status of other individual specimens within these genera. Also, more detailed examinations of some skeletal elements have brought out differences such as those found on the laterally compressed unguals, the curvature of the third metacarpals and similarities such as the morphology of the semilunate carpals that help to define both the affinities and the phylogenetic distance between these two closely related genera. The application of this new information to the analysis of dromaeosaurid specimens of indeterminate age may help to clarify our understanding of the particular growth stages they occupy within their own ontogeny.

2004 Conference Presentation: Society of Vertebrate Paleontology Annual Conference

POSTCRANIAL ONTOGENY OF DEINONYCHUS ANTIRRHOPUS, (SAURISCHIA, THEROPODA)
PARSONS, William L., 1621 Olean Rd., South Wales, NY 14139 and PARSONS, Kristen M., 1621 Olean Rd., South Wales, NY 14139
In 1982, an incomplete skeleton of a small dromaeosaurid (MCZ 8791) was recovered from Unit VI of the Himes Member, Cloverly Formation at the Wolf Creek site, Pryor Mountain field, south-central Montana. After factoring in the disparity between the limb proportions of adults and sub-adults of this species that was initially observed on MOR 1178, the comparison of the pes elements of MCZ 8791 with similar pes elements of the holotype (YPM 5205) confirms the identification of this specimen as Deinonychus antirrhopus. The unfused neural arches, as far back as a posterior dorsal vertebra, indicate that this specimen was at a younger growth stage than MOR 1178. Additional skeletal elements preserved with MCZ 8791 include multiple vertebrae, right and left coracoids, a right ulna, a left radius, a right manus II-2, a left fibula and a left tibia. Both sub-adult specimens possess a proximal caudal vertebra which, after examining their qualitative morphology and the ratios of multiple linear measurements, though dissimilar in size, are otherwise identical. The axial length of the centrum of this vertebra was be used as an index to constructed comparative growth ratios. Analysis of these ratios indicates that this MCZ juvenile possessed forelimbs that were even greater in relative length, than the forelimbs found on MOR 1178. These juvenile limb to body proportions approach those possessed by some other smaller members of the Dromaeosauridae. The limb morphology of both these sub-adult specimens confirms a pattern of exaggerated forelimb development at a very early stage of growth. These new data, along with the newly confirmed lateral position of the glenoid fossa of the scapula, permits a more accurate reconstruction of the ontogenetic modifications in limb morphology of D. antirrhopus and may add some possibilities to the considerations regarding the movement of the forelimb.

2003 Conference Presentation: Society of Vertebrate Paleontology Annual Conference
Abstract Number: 37

DESCRIPTION OF A NEW IMMATURE SPECIMEN OF DEINONYCHUS ANTIRRHOPUS, (SAURISCHIA, THEROPODA)PARSONS, William L., and PARSONS, Kristen m., 1621 Olean Rd. South Wales, N.Y. 14139

This specimen, MOR 117, was excavated from the basal portion of Unit VII of the Cloverly Formation in a lower Cretaceous site within central Montana. By comparison of the elements of its pes, lt. pes IV-5, rt. pes I-1, lt. pes IV-4, lt. pes III-4, and lt. pes III-1, with similar skeletal elements as found on the holotype YPM 5205, the fossil remains of the small theropod, MOR 1178, have been identified as Dienonychus antirrhopus. Though in some cases fragmentary, other skeletal elements include a lt. coracoid, rt. scapula, mid-section of a humerus, mid-section and partial distal end of a femur, lt. semi-lunar carpal, lt. manus 1-2, proximal end of a rt. fibula, tarsal, proximal end of a rt. 2nd metatarsal, fragment of a coossified sacral neural arches with a remnant of the neural spine lamina, several partial vertebrae, (1 distal caudal, 2 mid-caudal, 1 proximal caudal, 1 mid-dorsal, cervico-dorsal, cervical (C6?), and axis) fragment of a possible sternal plate, dentary fragment, squamosal fragment, 1 partial tooth, ilium fragments, as well as some other as yet unidentified fragments. The unfused nature of the neural arch of a cervical vertebra (C6?) led to the determination that the growth stage of this specimen was that of a subadult. When compared to the more mature AMNH, YPM and MCZ specimens, there appears to be a considerable degree of variation in the relative size of the various skeletal elements of MOR 1178. In particular, the limb morphology of this specimen indicates a pattern of growth development that may differ from OMNH 50268, as well as from what has been observed in the juvenile growth stages of other more familiar theropods. Along with the derived character of the curvature of the manus II-3 ungual, the confirmation of this limb morphology may indicate some unique aspects to the possible juvenile behavior of this genus.