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DrScottHartman β Opisthocoelicaudia
Published: 2018-06-22 15:17:18 +0000 UTC; Views: 11228; Favourites: 223; Downloads: 0
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Description
Opisthocoelicaudia is an odd sauropod. It's usually found to be related to Alamsaurus and possibly Saltasaurus, it has very robust limbs, and surprisingly short tail, and (thanks to "Nemegtosaurus") a pleasantly complete skull. One thing it's missing are most of the cervicals - here I've started with sub-adult Alamosaurus as a scaling guide and then went just a little shorter. The back slopes up gently to the shoulders, but seems to flex up strongly in the preserve cervicodorsal juncture.Related content
Comments: 71
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How possible is it that it had extra cervicals like Dongbeititan and Rapetosaurus?
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With that back not very inclined and a (I calculate) low center of mass, wouldn't the (normal / natural) position of the neck on the march be closer to the horizontal?
On a separate issue, I want to draw a Lirainosaurus. Do you know of any skeletal of this sauropod I can use for reference? If not, in your opinion, should I depict it Opisthocoelicaudia style or Alamosaurus style?
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Ok, I can see everything much clearer now, thanks Scott.
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so you can use this a nemgetsaurus right since they might be the same?
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It's awesome to have an Opisthocoelicaudia with a more rigorous approach to the neck and head, most of the time it... doesn't really look like people care, since they're unpreserved.
I'm curious about the torso, though, the paper's measurements for the centra of dorsals 1 to 11 ''without balls'' combined give about 2.2 meters, with cartilage maybe closer to 2.4. This one (going by the scale bar) is 3 meters in the same measurement. Is it a bigger specimen, or a different vertebra articulation, or something else?
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It's the same specimen. "Without the balls" is a useful comparative measurement for other sauropods that do this (or use "rim to rim" measurements, though that would be slightly smaller), but the anterior "ball" doesn't sit all the way into the concave posterior of the centra, so the functional distance even before cartilage is larger than that measurement indicates. In general I try to use the neutral articulation of the zygapophyses as a guide to reconstructing intervertebral cartilage.
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Alright, thanks!
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so thats what lacking wrist bones looks like also bigger than I expect what with all the old size referencing it being 37-40 feet
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How to forget that name?
Is like they really tried to make it hard to pronunce but unforgettable at the same time.
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Looks like the dachshund of the sauropods.
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Presumably Opisthocoelicaudia/Nemegtosaurus won most of the sauropod arm-wrestling contests.
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Not hard to see why. π
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the soft tissue distribution of the belly looks weird... i assume it's due to the sternum?
also interesting that you added manual phalanges
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Yes, it's the level of the sternum vs the shape of the rib cage and depth of the pelvis.
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I'd heard that Opisthocoelicaudia was weird, but I hadn't realized just how weird until I saw this. It's so squat and chubby.
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Looking nice! Will be a great future reference.
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Mouthful of a name, to be sure.
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If you accept the synonymy of Nemegtosaurus and Opisthocoelicaudia, then Nemegtosaurus takes priority.
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I must refreain of making the obvious joke.
I'm curious, what axial lenght did you get for it?
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You think it had those osteoderms seen in Saltasaurus?
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Alamosaurus had osteoderms and theyβre sister taxa. I guess that would be a good case :/
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Agreed, it'd be my bet as well.
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what kind of osteoderms big side ways pointing "spikes" like alamosaurs or rounded bony "knobs" like on saltasaurus oh nad BTW will you update your alamasaurus with osteoderms someday?
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Alas, but titanosaur phylogeny isn't resolved and stable enough to really be able to say at this point.
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I think this is one of the dinosaurs where a dorsal view of the skeleton would be extremely useful!Β
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It would be. Have to see when I can get a chance to do that.
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"Opisthocoelicaudia" is a very fun word to say.
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Just when I thought Opisthocoelicaudia could not get weirder. 0o
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Or, if you saw one barreling towards you, "OH PISS-thocoelicaudia"
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The biggest irony would be if the neck were finally found and the cervicals were to be absolutely enormous lol. You'd have a squat, fat little dachshund-bodied titanosaur with a gigantic neck. That would be hilarious.Β
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That would be hilarious - as if it's not already strange!
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Awesome as always. And if there's one of your more recent skeletals that deserves a top (or front) view, it would absolutely be this ankylosaur-wide guy.
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Thanks - it really does feel like Opisthocoelicaudia is a sauropod trying to be an anklyosaur.
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If you are to lump Nemegtosaurus and Opisthocoelicaudia (which I agree with), I'm pretty sure that Nemegtosaurus has priority by a good six years.
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I'm pretty sure you are correct.
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