A New Camarasaurid Sauropod Opisthocoelicaudia Skarzynskii Gen
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The Braincase, Brain and Palaeobiology of the Basal Sauropodomorph Dinosaur Thecodontosaurus Antiquus
applyparastyle “fig//caption/p[1]” parastyle “FigCapt” Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2020, XX, 1–22. With 10 figures. Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/zoolinnean/advance-article/doi/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlaa157/6032720 by University of Bristol Library user on 14 December 2020 The braincase, brain and palaeobiology of the basal sauropodomorph dinosaur Thecodontosaurus antiquus ANTONIO BALLELL1,*, J. LOGAN KING1, JAMES M. NEENAN2, EMILY J. RAYFIELD1 and MICHAEL J. BENTON1 1School of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1RJ, UK 2Oxford University Museum of Natural History, Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PW, UK Received 27 May 2020; revised 15 October 2020; accepted for publication 26 October 2020 Sauropodomorph dinosaurs underwent drastic changes in their anatomy and ecology throughout their evolution. The Late Triassic Thecodontosaurus antiquus occupies a basal position within Sauropodomorpha, being a key taxon for documenting how those morphofunctional transitions occurred. Here, we redescribe the braincase osteology and reconstruct the neuroanatomy of Thecodontosaurus, based on computed tomography data. The braincase of Thecodontosaurus shares the presence of medial basioccipital components of the basal tubera and a U-shaped basioccipital–parabasisphenoid suture with other basal sauropodomorphs and shows a distinct combination of characters: a straight outline of the braincase floor, an undivided metotic foramen, an unossified gap, large floccular fossae, basipterygoid processes perpendicular to the cultriform process in lateral view and a rhomboid foramen magnum. We reinterpret these braincase features in the light of new discoveries in dinosaur anatomy. Our endocranial reconstruction reveals important aspects of the palaeobiology of Thecodontosaurus, supporting a bipedal stance and cursorial habits, with adaptations to retain a steady head and gaze while moving. -
The Neck Posture of Brachiosaurus Brancai
Mitt. Mus. Nat.kd. Berl.. Geowiss. Reihe l(1998) 73-80 19.11.1998 The Neck Posture of Brachiosaurus brancai Andreas Christian' & Wolf-Dieter Heinrich With 3 Figures Abstract Compressive forces acting on the intervertebral discs along the neck of Brachiosaurus brancai from the Late Jurassic of Tendaguru are calculated for different neck postures. The distribution of compressive forces along the neck is compared to the distribution of the cross-sectional areas of the intervertebral discs. Neck postures in which the pattern of compressive forces does not match the pattern of cross-sectional areas of the intervertebral discs are rejected. The neck posture of Bra- chiosaurus brancai must have been nearly vertical. A more inclined neck posture can only occasionally have been kept. Therefore, Brachiosaurus bruncui appears to have been an extremely specialized high browser. In the same area, different sized individuals fed in different heights instead of each individual exploiting an extended vertical feeding range. Key words: Dinosauria, Brachiosaurus, reconstruction, biomechanics, functional morphology, feeding behaviour Zusammenfassnng Die Halsstellung von Brachiosaurus brancai aus dem Oberjura von Tendaguru in Ostafrika wird untersucht. Die auf die Band- scheiben wirkenden Druckkrafte entlang des Halses werden fur verschiedene Halsstellungen berechnet. Die Verteilung dieser Druclckrafte entlang des Halses wird mit der Verteilung der Querschnittsflachen der Bandscheiben verglichen. Halsstellungen, bei denen die Form der Kurve fur die Druckkrafte nicht mit der Form der Kurve fur die Querschnittsflachen ubereinstimmt, werden verworfen. Es zeigt sich, dal3 Brachiosaurus brancai seinen Hals nahezu senkrecht getragen haben muR. Eine deutlich gegen die Vertikale geneigte Halsstellung kann nur gelegentlich eingenommen worden sein. -
Valérie Martin, Varavudh Suteethorn & Eric Buffetaut, Description of the Type and Referred Material of Phuwiangosaurus
ORYCTOS, V ol . 2 : 39 - 91, Décembre 1999 DESCRIPTION OF THE TYPE AND REFERRED MATERIAL OF PHUWIANGOSAURUS SIRINDHORNAE MARTIN, BUFFETAUT AND SUTEETHORN, 1994, A SAUROPOD FROM THE LOWER CRETACEOUS OF THAILAND Valérie MARTIN 1, Varavudh SUTEETHORN 2 and Eric BUFFETAUT 3 1 Musée des Dinosaures, 11260 Espéraza, France 2 Geological Survey Division, Department of Mineral Resources, Rama VI Road, 10400 Bangkok, Thailand 3 CNRS (UMR 5561), 16 cour du Liégat, 75013 Paris, France Abstract : The type specimen of P. sirindhornae Martin, Buffetaut and Suteethorn, 1994 is an incomplete, partly articulated, skeleton discovered in the Phu Wiang area of northeastern Thailand). Most of the abundant sauropod material from the Sao Khua Formation (Early Cretaceous), collected on the Khorat Plateau, in northeastern Thailand, is referable to this species. Phuwiangosaurus is a middle-sized sauropod, which is clearly different from the Jurassic Chinese sauropods (Euhelopodidae). On the basis of a few jaw elements and teeth, P. sirindhornae may be considered as an early representative of the family Nemegtosauridae. Key words : Sauropoda, Osteology, Early Cretaceous, Thailand Description du type et du matériel rapporté de Phuwiangosaurus sirindhornae Martin, Buffetaut et Suteethorn, 1994, un sauropode du Crétacé inférieur de Thaïlande Résumé : Le spécimen type de Phuwiangosaurus sirindhornae est un squelette incomplet, partiellement articulé, découvert dans la région de Phu Wiang (Nord-Est de la Thaïlande). Phuwiangosaurus est un sauropode de taille moyenne (15 à 20 m de longueur) très différent des sauropodes du Jurassique chinois. La majeure partie de l’abondant matériel de sauropodes, récolté sur le Plateau de Khorat (Formation Sao Khua, Crétacé inférieur), est rap - portée à cette espèce. -
The Princeton Field Guide to Dinosaurs, Second Edition
MASS ESTIMATES - DINOSAURS ETC (largely based on models) taxon k model femur length* model volume ml x specific gravity = model mass g specimen (modeled 1st):kilograms:femur(or other long bone length)usually in decameters kg = femur(or other long bone)length(usually in decameters)3 x k k = model volume in ml x specific gravity(usually for whole model) then divided/model femur(or other long bone)length3 (in most models femur in decameters is 0.5253 = 0.145) In sauropods the neck is assigned a distinct specific gravity; in dinosaurs with large feathers their mass is added separately; in dinosaurs with flight ablity the mass of the fight muscles is calculated separately as a range of possiblities SAUROPODS k femur trunk neck tail total neck x 0.6 rest x0.9 & legs & head super titanosaur femur:~55000-60000:~25:00 Argentinosaurus ~4 PVPH-1:~55000:~24.00 Futalognkosaurus ~3.5-4 MUCPv-323:~25000:19.80 (note:downsize correction since 2nd edition) Dreadnoughtus ~3.8 “ ~520 ~75 50 ~645 0.45+.513=.558 MPM-PV 1156:~26000:19.10 Giraffatitan 3.45 .525 480 75 25 580 .045+.455=.500 HMN MB.R.2181:31500(neck 2800):~20.90 “XV2”:~45000:~23.50 Brachiosaurus ~4.15 " ~590 ~75 ~25 ~700 " +.554=~.600 FMNH P25107:~35000:20.30 Europasaurus ~3.2 “ ~465 ~39 ~23 ~527 .023+.440=~.463 composite:~760:~6.20 Camarasaurus 4.0 " 542 51 55 648 .041+.537=.578 CMNH 11393:14200(neck 1000):15.25 AMNH 5761:~23000:18.00 juv 3.5 " 486 40 55 581 .024+.487=.511 CMNH 11338:640:5.67 Chuanjiesaurus ~4.1 “ ~550 ~105 ~38 ~693 .063+.530=.593 Lfch 1001:~10700:13.75 2 M. -
71St Annual Meeting Society of Vertebrate Paleontology Paris Las Vegas Las Vegas, Nevada, USA November 2 – 5, 2011 SESSION CONCURRENT SESSION CONCURRENT
ISSN 1937-2809 online Journal of Supplement to the November 2011 Vertebrate Paleontology Vertebrate Society of Vertebrate Paleontology Society of Vertebrate 71st Annual Meeting Paleontology Society of Vertebrate Las Vegas Paris Nevada, USA Las Vegas, November 2 – 5, 2011 Program and Abstracts Society of Vertebrate Paleontology 71st Annual Meeting Program and Abstracts COMMITTEE MEETING ROOM POSTER SESSION/ CONCURRENT CONCURRENT SESSION EXHIBITS SESSION COMMITTEE MEETING ROOMS AUCTION EVENT REGISTRATION, CONCURRENT MERCHANDISE SESSION LOUNGE, EDUCATION & OUTREACH SPEAKER READY COMMITTEE MEETING POSTER SESSION ROOM ROOM SOCIETY OF VERTEBRATE PALEONTOLOGY ABSTRACTS OF PAPERS SEVENTY-FIRST ANNUAL MEETING PARIS LAS VEGAS HOTEL LAS VEGAS, NV, USA NOVEMBER 2–5, 2011 HOST COMMITTEE Stephen Rowland, Co-Chair; Aubrey Bonde, Co-Chair; Joshua Bonde; David Elliott; Lee Hall; Jerry Harris; Andrew Milner; Eric Roberts EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Philip Currie, President; Blaire Van Valkenburgh, Past President; Catherine Forster, Vice President; Christopher Bell, Secretary; Ted Vlamis, Treasurer; Julia Clarke, Member at Large; Kristina Curry Rogers, Member at Large; Lars Werdelin, Member at Large SYMPOSIUM CONVENORS Roger B.J. Benson, Richard J. Butler, Nadia B. Fröbisch, Hans C.E. Larsson, Mark A. Loewen, Philip D. Mannion, Jim I. Mead, Eric M. Roberts, Scott D. Sampson, Eric D. Scott, Kathleen Springer PROGRAM COMMITTEE Jonathan Bloch, Co-Chair; Anjali Goswami, Co-Chair; Jason Anderson; Paul Barrett; Brian Beatty; Kerin Claeson; Kristina Curry Rogers; Ted Daeschler; David Evans; David Fox; Nadia B. Fröbisch; Christian Kammerer; Johannes Müller; Emily Rayfield; William Sanders; Bruce Shockey; Mary Silcox; Michelle Stocker; Rebecca Terry November 2011—PROGRAM AND ABSTRACTS 1 Members and Friends of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology, The Host Committee cordially welcomes you to the 71st Annual Meeting of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology in Las Vegas. -
Titanosauriform Teeth from the Cretaceous of Japan
“main” — 2011/2/10 — 15:59 — page 247 — #1 Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências (2011) 83(1): 247-265 (Annals of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences) Printed version ISSN 0001-3765 / Online version ISSN 1678-2690 www.scielo.br/aabc Titanosauriform teeth from the Cretaceous of Japan HARUO SAEGUSA1 and YUKIMITSU TOMIDA2 1Museum of Nature and Human Activities, Hyogo, Yayoigaoka 6, Sanda, 669-1546, Japan 2National Museum of Nature and Science, 3-23-1 Hyakunin-cho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 169-0073, Japan Manuscript received on October 25, 2010; accepted for publication on January 7, 2011 ABSTRACT Sauropod teeth from six localities in Japan were reexamined. Basal titanosauriforms were present in Japan during the Early Cretaceous before Aptian, and there is the possibility that the Brachiosauridae may have been included. Basal titanosauriforms with peg-like teeth were present during the “mid” Cretaceous, while the Titanosauria with peg-like teeth was present during the middle of Late Cretaceous. Recent excavations of Cretaceous sauropods in Asia showed that multiple lineages of sauropods lived throughout the Cretaceous in Asia. Japanese fossil records of sauropods are conformable with this hypothesis. Key words: Sauropod, Titanosauriforms, tooth, Cretaceous, Japan. INTRODUCTION humerus from the Upper Cretaceous Miyako Group at Moshi, Iwaizumi Town, Iwate Pref. (Hasegawa et al. Although more than twenty four dinosaur fossil local- 1991), all other localities provided fossil teeth (Tomida ities have been known in Japan (Azuma and Tomida et al. 2001, Tomida and Tsumura 2006, Saegusa et al. 1998, Kobayashi et al. 2006, Saegusa et al. 2008, Ohara 2008, Azuma and Shibata 2010). -
Re-Description of the Sauropod Dinosaur Amanzia (“Ornithopsis
Schwarz et al. Swiss J Geosci (2020) 113:2 https://doi.org/10.1186/s00015-020-00355-5 Swiss Journal of Geosciences ORIGINAL PAPER Open Access Re-description of the sauropod dinosaur Amanzia (“Ornithopsis/Cetiosauriscus”) greppini n. gen. and other vertebrate remains from the Kimmeridgian (Late Jurassic) Reuchenette Formation of Moutier, Switzerland Daniela Schwarz1* , Philip D. Mannion2 , Oliver Wings3 and Christian A. Meyer4 Abstract Dinosaur remains were discovered in the 1860’s in the Kimmeridgian (Late Jurassic) Reuchenette Formation of Moutier, northwestern Switzerland. In the 1920’s, these were identifed as a new species of sauropod, Ornithopsis greppini, before being reclassifed as a species of Cetiosauriscus (C. greppini), otherwise known from the type species (C. stewarti) from the late Middle Jurassic (Callovian) of the UK. The syntype of “C. greppini” consists of skeletal elements from all body regions, and at least four individuals of diferent sizes can be distinguished. Here we fully re-describe this material, and re-evaluate its taxonomy and systematic placement. The Moutier locality also yielded a theropod tooth, and fragmen- tary cranial and vertebral remains of a crocodylomorph, also re-described here. “C.” greppini is a small-sized (not more than 10 m long) non-neosauropod eusauropod. Cetiosauriscus stewarti and “C.” greppini difer from each other in: (1) size; (2) the neural spine morphology and diapophyseal laminae of the anterior caudal vertebrae; (3) the length-to-height proportion in the middle caudal vertebrae; (4) the presence or absence of ridges and crests on the middle caudal cen- tra; and (5) the shape and proportions of the coracoid, humerus, and femur. -
The Fragile Legacy of Amphicoelias Fragillimus (Dinosauria: Sauropoda; Morrison Formation – Latest Jurassic)
Volumina Jurassica, 2014, Xii (2): 211–220 DOI: 10.5604/17313708 .1130144 The fragile legacy of Amphicoelias fragillimus (Dinosauria: Sauropoda; Morrison Formation – latest Jurassic) D. Cary WOODRUFF1,2, John R. FOSTER3 Key words: Amphicoelias fragillimus, E.D. Cope, sauropod, gigantism. Abstract. In the summer of 1878, American paleontologist Edward Drinker Cope published the discovery of a sauropod dinosaur that he named Amphicoelias fragillimus. What distinguishes A. fragillimus in the annals of paleontology is the immense magnitude of the skeletal material. The single incomplete dorsal vertebra as reported by Cope was a meter and a half in height, which when fully reconstructed, would make A. fragillimus the largest vertebrate ever. After this initial description Cope never mentioned A. fragillimus in any of his sci- entific works for the remainder of his life. More than four decades after its description, a scientific survey at the American Museum of Natural History dedicated to the sauropods collected by Cope failed to locate the remains or whereabouts of A. fragillimus. For nearly a cen- tury the remains have yet to resurface. The enormous size of the specimen has generally been accepted despite being well beyond the size of even the largest sauropods known from verifiable fossil material (e.g. Argentinosaurus). By deciphering the ontogenetic change of Diplodocoidea vertebrae, the science of gigantism, and Cope’s own mannerisms, we conclude that the reported size of A. fragillimus is most likely an extreme over-estimation. INTRODUCTION saurs pale in comparative size; thus A. fragillimus could be the largest dinosaur, and largest vertebrate in Earth’s history Described by Edward Drinker Cope in 1878, the holo- (the Blue Whale being approximately 29 meters long [Reilly type (and only) specimen of A. -
A New Middle Jurassic Diplodocoid Suggests an Earlier Dispersal and Diversification of Sauropod Dinosaurs
ARTICLE DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-05128-1 OPEN A new Middle Jurassic diplodocoid suggests an earlier dispersal and diversification of sauropod dinosaurs Xing Xu1, Paul Upchurch2, Philip D. Mannion 3, Paul M. Barrett 4, Omar R. Regalado-Fernandez 2, Jinyou Mo5, Jinfu Ma6 & Hongan Liu7 1234567890():,; The fragmentation of the supercontinent Pangaea has been suggested to have had a profound impact on Mesozoic terrestrial vertebrate distributions. One current paradigm is that geo- graphic isolation produced an endemic biota in East Asia during the Jurassic, while simul- taneously preventing diplodocoid sauropod dinosaurs and several other tetrapod groups from reaching this region. Here we report the discovery of the earliest diplodocoid, and the first from East Asia, to our knowledge, based on fossil material comprising multiple individuals and most parts of the skeleton of an early Middle Jurassic dicraeosaurid. The new discovery challenges conventional biogeographical ideas, and suggests that dispersal into East Asia occurred much earlier than expected. Moreover, the age of this new taxon indicates that many advanced sauropod lineages originated at least 15 million years earlier than previously realised, achieving a global distribution while Pangaea was still a coherent landmass. 1 Key Laboratory of Evolutionary Systematics of Vertebrates, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology & Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100044 Beijing, China. 2 Department of Earth Sciences, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK. 3 Department of Earth Science and Engineering, Imperial College London, South Kensington Campus, London SW7 2AZ, UK. 4 Department of Earth Sciences, Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, UK. 5 Natural History Museum of Guangxi, 530012 Nanning, Guangxi, China. -
Biomechanical Reconstruction of the Appendicular Skeleton in Three
Louisiana State University LSU Digital Commons LSU Doctoral Dissertations Graduate School 2003 Biomechanical reconstruction of the appendicular skeleton in three North American Jurassic sauropods Ray Wilhite Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_dissertations Part of the Earth Sciences Commons Recommended Citation Wilhite, Ray, "Biomechanical reconstruction of the appendicular skeleton in three North American Jurassic sauropods" (2003). LSU Doctoral Dissertations. 2677. https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_dissertations/2677 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at LSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in LSU Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized graduate school editor of LSU Digital Commons. For more information, please [email protected]. BIOMECHANICAL RECONSTRUCTION OF THE APPENDICULAR SKELETON IN THREE NORTH AMERICAN JURASSIC SAUROPODS A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College In partial fulfillment of the Requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in The Department of Geology an Geophysics by Ray Wilhite B.S., University of Alabama at Birmingham, 1995 M.S., Brigham Young University, 1999 May 2003 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank the Jurassic Foundation, the LSU chapter of Sigma Xi, and the LSU Museum of Natural Science for their support of this project. I am also grateful to Art Andersen of Virtual Surfaces for the use of the Microscribe digitizer as well as for editing of data for the project. I would like to thank Ruth Elsey of the Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge for supplying all the Alligator specimens dissected for this paper. -
Overview of Sauropod Phylogeny and Evolution
One Overview of Sauropod Phylogeny and Evolution Jeffrey A. Wilson SAUROPOD STUDIES FROM OWEN TO long bones” and “the toes being terminated by THE PRESENT strong claws” (Owen 1842:102), but this assess- ment was based on limited anatomical evidence This year marks the one hundred sixty-fourth (Owen 1875:27). Key data emerged with the dis- anniversary of Richard Owen’s (1841) description covery of abundant Cetiosaurus bones in of the first sauropod—Cetiosaurus, the “whale Oxfordshire by John Phillips. Thomas Huxley lizard”—on the basis of vertebrae and limb ele- examined this “splendid series of remains” ments from localities across England. Although before the publication of Phillips’ (1871) mono- these remains “had been examined by Cuvier graph and was the first to place Cetiosaurus within and pronounced to be cetaceous” (Buckland Dinosauria (Iguanodontidae [Huxley, 1869:35]). 1841:96), Owen (1841:458–459) demonstrated Phillips (1871) interpreted Cetiosaurus as a plant- the saurian affinities of Cetiosaurus on the basis eating dinosaur and hypothesized that its limb of several features, including the absence of epi- bones were “suited for walking.” He could not physes (growth plates) on caudal vertebrae (fig. rule out the possibility that it was amphibious, 1.1). He differentiated Cetiosaurus from other however, concluding that it was a “marsh-loving extinct saurians on the basis of its large size and or riverside animal.” Owen (1875:27) later acqui- characteristics of its vertebrae (see Upchurch esced, referring Cetiosaurus to the Dinosauria and Martin 2003:215). Owen (1841:462) con- because of its four sacral vertebrae. He admitted cluded his initial description with this assess- that it may have had some terrestrial capabilities ment: “The vertebræ, as well as the bones of the but concluded that Cetiosaurus was an estuarine extremities, prove its marine habits . -
The Presumed Course of the Recurrent Laryngeal Nerve in Sauropod Dinosaurs
A monument of inefficiency: The presumed course of the recurrent laryngeal nerve in sauropod dinosaurs MATHEW J. WEDEL Wedel, M.J. 2012. A monument of inefficiency: The presumed course of the recurrent laryngeal nerve in sauropod dino− saurs. Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 57 (2): 251–256. The recurrent laryngeal nerve is an often cited example of “unintelligent design” in biology, especially in the giraffe. The nerve appears early in embryonic development, before the pharyngeal and aortic arches are separated by the development of the neck. The recurrent course of the nerve from the brain, around the great vessels, to the larynx, is shared by all extant tetrapods. Therefore we may infer that the recurrent laryngeal nerve was present in extinct tetrapods, had the same devel− opmental origin, and followed the same course. The longest−necked animals of all time were the extinct sauropod dino− saurs, some of which had necks 14 meters long. In these animals, the neurons that comprised the recurrent laryngeal nerve were at least 28 meters long. Still longer neurons may have spanned the distance from the end of the tail to the brainstem, as in all extant vertebrates. In the longest sauropods these neurons may have been 40–50 meters long, probably the longest cells in the history of life. Key words: Dinosauria, Sauropoda, larynx, neck, neuron. Mathew J. Wedel [[email protected]], College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific and College of Podiatric Medicine, Western University of Health Sciences, 309 E. Second Street, Pomona, California 91766−1854, USA. Received 9 March 2011, accepted 19 May 2011, available online 20 May 2011.