BIO 113 — Dinosaurs
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Lab 9
Sauropodomorph Dinosaurs

Sauropodomorpha

  • Have very long necks
  • Head is proportionately small
  • Herbivores with weak cropping teeth
  • Enlarged thumb claw
  • Generally large to gigantic in size

Prosauropoda
  • Long necks, small heads
  • Bipedal: forelegs smaller than hindlegs
  • Paraphyletic
Plateosaurus fossil
Plateosaurus skeleton, Late Triassic, Europe
Prosauropods
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Sauropoda

  • Necks long to extremely long
  • Heads proportionately tiny
  • Quadrupedal
  • Tails often very long
  • Large to enormous sized

Basal Sauropods
  • Anatomically primitive
  • Relatively diverse in general build
  • Skulls moderately deep
Mamenchisaurus fossil
Juvenile Mamenchisaurus skeleton, Late Jurassic, China
Basal Sauropods
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Diplodocoids
  • Relatively lightly built
  • Many with long necks (but variable)
  • Most have very long, whip-like tails
  • Spinous process of neck vertebrae are branched, sometimes elongated
  • Skulls mostly shallow
Diplodocus skeleton
Diplodocus longus skeleton, Late Jurassic, western North America
Diplodocoid Sauropods
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Basal Macronarians
  • Relatively heavily built
  • Most are tall with elevated necks
  • Some have longer forelimbs than hind limbs
  • Skulls deep
Camarasaurus fossil
Camarasaurus skeleton, Late Jurassic, western North America
Macronarian Sauropods
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Titanosaurs
  • Very large, heavy sauropods
  • Bulky, with wide hips
  • At least some have dermal armor
  • Skulls moderately deep
Argentinosaurus fossil
Argentinosaurus huinculensis skeleton, Late Cretaceous, Argentina
Titanosaurs
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This page last updated 6 August 2021 by Udo M. Savalli ()
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