Early Evolution and Higher-Level Phylogeny of Sauropod Dinosaurs

Wilson, Jeffrey A.; Sereno, Paul C.

doi:10.1080/02724634.1998.10011115

Cited by 352 publications

(751 citation statements)

References 39 publications

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“…The Dicraeosauridae form the sister-group to the Diplodocidae (Upchurch 1998;Wilson & Sereno 1998;Wilson 2002;Harris & Dodson 2004). The pneumatic structures in the cervicals of the Dicraeosauridae represent a procamerate pneumatization type, which differs strongly from the polycamerate condition of the cervicals of the Diplodocidae (Wedel 2003a).…”

Section: Evolution Of Pneumatic Structures In the Dicraeosauridaementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Brachiosaurus is one of the largest sauropods and phylogenetically represents a basal titanosauriform (Upchurch 1998;Wilson & Sereno 1998;Wilson 2002). It has been suggested that the eastern African B. brancai JANENSCH 1914 and the western North American B. altithorax RIGGS 1903 should be distinguished from each other on a subgeneric level (Paul 1988), but this suggestion has not been widely accepted (see e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It has been suggested that the eastern African B. brancai JANENSCH 1914 and the western North American B. altithorax RIGGS 1903 should be distinguished from each other on a subgeneric level (Paul 1988), but this suggestion has not been widely accepted (see e.g. Wilson & Sereno 1998;Upchurch et al 2004 (Janensch 1950b;Wedel et al 2000a, b;Naish et al 2004). The neural spines in the cranial cervicals are low and increase in height towards the cranial dorsal vertebrae, so that each neural spine is taller than the one in front of it.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Pneumatic structures in the cervical vertebrae of the Late Jurassic Tendaguru sauropods Brachiosaurus brancai and Dicraeosaurus

Schwarz

Fritsch

2006

Eclogae geol. Helv.

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Pneumatic vertebrae of Brachiosaurus and Dicraeosaurus 65 ABSTRACT The presacral vertebrae of sauropod dinosaurs were surrounded and invaded by a complex system of pneumatic diverticula, which originated most probably from cervical air sacs connected with the respiratory apparatus. Cervical vertebrae of Brachiosaurus brancai and Dicraeosaurus sp., two sauropods from the Late Jurassic (?Oxfordian-Kimmerigian-Tithonian) eastern African locality Tendaguru, were examined with computed tomography to visualize internal pneumatic structures. With this method, comparative reconstructions of pneumatic diverticula in the neck of these sauropods were done that help to understand the biomechanical role of vertebral pneumaticity in sauropods. Internal pneumatic structures in Brachiosaurus brancai are semicamellate with few large camerae in the vertebral centrum, surrounded by pneumatic camellae. Dicraeosaurus exhibits a procamerate pneumatization pattern with few deep fossae penetrating to a broad median strut in the vertebra, but no internal pneumaticity was found. The semicamellate pneumatization pattern of Brachiosaurus brancai corresponds with another Late Jurassic Brachiosaurus specimen, whereas in Cretaceous brachiosaurid taxa like Sauroposeidon, the complexity of internal pneumatization increases to form a fully camellate pneumatization pattern. In Dicraeosaurus, internal pneumatization has most likely secondarily been reduced.Brachiosaurus and Dicraeosaurus possess a similar distribution of main external pneumatic diverticula, with Brachiosaurus having much more subdivided diverticula. Due to the weight reduction achieved by these pneumatic diverticula, the neck of Brachiosaurus was up to 25 per cent lighter than without pneumatic structures, whereas that of Dicraeosaurus was only 6 per cent lighter. Pneumatization of the cervical vertebrae therefore can play an important role in lightening some sauropods. ZUSAMMENFASSUNGDie Präsacralwirbel sauropoder Dinosaurier waren von einem komplexen System pneumatischer Diverticula umgeben und ausgehöhlt. Die pneumatischen Diverticula entstammten wahrscheinlich einem paarigen cervicalen Luftsack, der mit dem Atemapparat verbunden war. Zur Darstellung der internen pneumatischen Strukturen wurden Halswirbel von Brachiosaurus brancai und Dicraeosaurus sp. der spätjurassischen (?Oxfordium-Kimmeridgium-Tithonium) Fundstelle Tendaguru aus dem östlichen Afrika mit Computertomographie untersucht. Die daraus resultierenden vergleichenden Rekonstruktionen der pneumatischen Diverticula im Halsbereich dieser Sauropoden-Taxa dienen dazu, die biomechanische Bedeutung pneumatischer Strukturen in den Wirbeln von Sauropoden besser zu verstehen. Interne pneumatische Strukturen bei Brachiosaurus brancai sind semicamellat mit wenigen großen Camerae in den Wirbelkörpern, welche von Camellae umgeben sind. Dicraeosarus zeigt hingegen ein procamerates Pneumatisierungsmuster ohne interne Pneumatisierung, bei dem wenige tiefe pneumatische Fossae bis zu einem breiten medianen Septum im Wirbel vordringen. ...

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Section: Evolution Of Pneumatic Structures In the Dicraeosauridaementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Pneumatic structures in the cervical vertebrae of the Late Jurassic Tendaguru sauropods Brachiosaurus brancai and Dicraeosaurus

Schwarz

Fritsch

2006

Eclogae geol. Helv.

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“…The better preserved slender specimen is used in this study for comparisons. The tooth can be described as a rather simple, somewhat flattened and twisted cylinder, indicating that it belongs to a sauropod dinosaur, a conclusion supported by the wrinkled surface of the enamel (a sauropod synapomorphy: Wilson and Sereno 1998). Although the tooth cannot be described as spoonshaped or spatulate, it differs from the typical peg-like teeth of diplodocoids and titanosaurs, which are straighter and more slender, with less strongly wrinkled enamel, and the affinities of the Lebanese sauropod must be sought among the "broad-toothed" sauropods.…”

Section: Description and Comparisonsmentioning

confidence: 86%

First nonavian dinosaur from Lebanon: a brachiosaurid sauropod from the Lower Cretaceous of the Jezzine District

Buffetaut¹,

Azar²,

Nel³

et al. 2006

Naturwissenschaften

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Two sauropod teeth from an Early Cretaceous (Neocomian) fluviodeltaic sandstone near Jezzine (Southern Lebanon) are the first nonavian dinosaur remains to be reported from Lebanon. Their distinctive character places them within Brachiosauridae. The sauropod teeth from Lebanon are a significant addition to the very scanty dinosaur record from the Levant, which hitherto consisted mainly of very poorly preserved and not easily identifiable specimens. The Basal Cretaceous Sandstone of Lebanon, thus, appears to be a potentially important source of fossil vertebrate material.

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“…Santos et al (2009) suggested that the Polyonyx trackmaker could be a turiasaurid. However, the small size of the digit I claw and the orientation of digits I and II in the Las Sereas 7 sauropod tracks are not described in any known sauropod taxa (sensu Wilson and Sereno, 1998;Wilson, 2002;Upchurch et al, 2004).…”

Section: Trackway Ls7cmentioning

confidence: 99%

Unusual sauropod tracks in the Jurassic-Cretaceous transition. Cameros Basin (Burgos, Spain)

Fernández-Baldor¹,

Díaz-Martínez

Contreras³

et al. 2015

Journal of Iberian Geology

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The Las Sereas site includes at least 14 ichnological outcrops along 5.6 km, in the Lara area, southwest Burgos Province. 67 ichnites of dinosaurs are documented at Las Sereas 7, identified as theropod and sauropod trackways occurring in shallow carbonates of lacustrine environment. Sauropod trackways have intermediate-gauge and low heteropody, and show different anatomical features to other tracks found in the ichnological record, especially in the disposition and orientation of pes digits. They are similar to Polyonyx from the Middle Jurassic of Portugal. However, since they do not preserve reliable manus data they are classified as aff. Polyonyx. The three sauropod trackways are related to the same kind of trackmaker. They differ from each other only in size, and gregarious behavior has not been detected. Analysis of these trackways reveals changes in travel direction even when there are few tracks in each sequence. At the Las Sereas 7 tracksite, the pace length (PL), width of the angulation pattern (WAP) and the WAP/PL ratio and depth analysis via photogrammetry show a direction change in two sauropod trackways. This tracksite and that at La Pedraja are unique in the Tithonian-Berriasian interval of the Iberian Peninsula that occur in a lacustrine environment, and could be indicate of the relationship between the diversity of Iberian, Tithonian-Berriasian sauropod tracks and sedimentary environments.Keywords: Dinosaurs, Sauropod tracks, Tithonian, Berriasian, Cameros Basin, Iberia Resumen El yacimiento de Las Sereas se compone de al menos 14 afloramientos icníticos que se localizan a lo largo de 5,6 Km de longitud en la comarca de Lara, en el sureste de la provincia de Burgos. En el afloramiento de Las Sereas 7 se han documentado 67 icnitas de dinosaurios, identificadas como terópodas y saurópodas, producidas en un ambiente lacustre carbonatado somero. Las rastros saurópodos son de anchura intermedia y heteropodia baja mostrando caracteres anatómicos diferentes a los encontrados en el registro icnológico conocido, en especial en lo referente a la disposición y orientación de los dedos del pie. La mayor semejanza de estas icnitas saurópodas se establece con Polyonyx del Jurásico Medio de Portugal, pero al carecer de datos fiables sobre la anatomía de las manos en Las Sereas, clasificamos estas icnitas de Burgos como aff. Polyonyx. Los tres rastros saurópodos de Burgos se atribuyen a un mismo icnopoyeta, diferenciándose entre sí sólo por el tamaño, y sin que se haya detectado un comportamiento gregario. En el estudio de estos rastros pueden recogerse datos que informen sobre trayectos con cambio de dirección, incluso cuando lo que se conserva es una serie relativamente corta de pasos. En Las Sereas 7 la combinación de los valores de varios parámetros -longitud de paso (PL), pauta de anchura de angulación (WAP) y relación WAP/PL -y el estudio de la profundidad de las icnitas por fotogrametría permiten interpretar un cambio de dirección en dos de los rastros saurópodos. Este yacimiento y el de La Pedraja...

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Early Evolution and Higher-Level Phylogeny of Sauropod Dinosaurs

Cited by 352 publications

References 39 publications

Pneumatic structures in the cervical vertebrae of the Late Jurassic Tendaguru sauropods Brachiosaurus brancai and Dicraeosaurus

Pneumatic structures in the cervical vertebrae of the Late Jurassic Tendaguru sauropods Brachiosaurus brancai and Dicraeosaurus

First nonavian dinosaur from Lebanon: a brachiosaurid sauropod from the Lower Cretaceous of the Jezzine District

Unusual sauropod tracks in the Jurassic-Cretaceous transition. Cameros Basin (Burgos, Spain)

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