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Pachyornis — Diplodocus over the centuries

Published: 2015-02-24 14:26:43 +0000 UTC; Views: 21082; Favourites: 331; Downloads: 0
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Description Diplodocus lonus is one of the most iconical sauropods. Everybody knows that these dinosaurs were originally imagined as semi-aquatic swamp and lake dwellers, so that doesn't need much explanations. Therefore, Diplodocus was reconstructed as a massive beast with sprawled legs, a dragging tail and an erect, swan-like neck. The nares were placed where the nasal openings were - therefore on the roof of the skull.
The swamp-dweller image persisted until the 1980s, when it was recognized that these animals were indeed suited for a live on land with their elephant-like columnar limbs and their lightweight skeleton. Now, Diplodocus was illustrated with erect limbs, but still a dragging tail and an upright neck.
Due to the dinosaur renaissance at the end of the 1980s, Diplodocus was now recognized as a light-build sauropod. Kent Steven raised the hypothesis that it couldn't rise its neck more than 20°, while the tail became raised as high as possible - the suspension bridge model. Then, the shrinkwrapping cult made it even more lankier, sometimes to a ridiculous extent (completely visible shoulder blades, sometimes even conturs of the vertebrae). 2004 Witmer hypothesized that the nostrils were placed farther anterior at the roof of the snout. A misinterpretation of skin impressions lead to the widely distributed image of Diplodocus having a row of keratinous spines along its back, additionally to scutes on its dorsal body.
In 2009, it was recognized that Diplodocus was in indeed able to raise its neck "into the air" Now, in the 2010s, we finally got rid of shrinkwrapping and apply a natural amount of muscling onto the sauropod bodies. Also, it turned out that the spine row was a misinterpretation and that raising the tail straightly from the base of the tail was anatomically not possible. Rather, it made a kurve. 
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Comments: 43

adeerwithnotlogic [2021-02-16 00:35:35 +0000 UTC]

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pencandy-sketchbook [2019-05-08 11:53:41 +0000 UTC]

This series is fascinating -- would the bottom left be Diplodocus as seen in Walking with Dinosaurs back in the day? It looks like the visual I was familiar with as a kid.

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JRCthedarkprophet [2018-05-08 02:00:25 +0000 UTC]

Regardless of the spines, is there any evidence that it had osteoderms?

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Starfieldhouses In reply to JRCthedarkprophet [2018-08-13 15:12:18 +0000 UTC]

Saltasaurus definitely did.

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Batterymaster [2017-12-06 19:59:41 +0000 UTC]

squAAAATS

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Evodolka [2016-06-02 22:55:03 +0000 UTC]

i know its now wrong but im going to miss the bottom left one

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Corallianassa In reply to Evodolka [2016-07-18 16:52:22 +0000 UTC]

I agree.....*tear rolls down cheek 
But we have to accept science *tear goes back in eye

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Evodolka In reply to Corallianassa [2016-07-18 17:28:06 +0000 UTC]

glad to know someone else agrees
that is until someone proves other wise (plots to discover evidence of old design being the correct one)  

that sounds like it would look wierd and make a sound effect similar to water in a straw or something like that

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Misfit-a-saurus [2015-11-09 15:48:41 +0000 UTC]

So wait, how did they realize they could lift their necks up? 

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william023 [2015-11-03 12:25:24 +0000 UTC]

the raised neck is awesome.

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grisador [2015-09-09 16:03:37 +0000 UTC]

Great work !



Wonder what those tails are useful at ?

Commucation, defense Or Both ?

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Pyroraptor42 [2015-09-08 23:56:55 +0000 UTC]

wait so the "last" version is a mix between second and the third? I didn't know this!

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AntoninJury [2015-08-07 10:49:45 +0000 UTC]

(sorry for my english, I'm french)

Hello, really cool inititative and thanks for drawing some mistakes in your others pieces ! I have a question about the Diplodocus neck. How do you know that, in 2009, it wwas recognized that Diplodocus was able to raise its ? I beleive you, but do you have a source ? I need to draw it for a job, and I want find an other accurate source to prove it, thanks !
And if you go on my DeviantArt profile, don't check my Gorgosaurus, it looks like a skin-wrapped giant toad...) 

Thanks !!

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Pachyornis In reply to AntoninJury [2015-08-07 16:01:09 +0000 UTC]

It was a paper by Taylor and Naish et al. 2009, I don't recall the complete citation now but I am sure you can find it on google.

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AntoninJury In reply to Pachyornis [2015-08-07 20:00:36 +0000 UTC]

Thanks a lot !!

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Yutyrannus [2015-07-06 20:44:12 +0000 UTC]

Cool! However, Diplodocus did have spines. The fossil was misinterpreted, but the misinterpretation wasn't that it had spines it was that the spines were in a single row.

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Pachyornis In reply to Yutyrannus [2015-07-07 15:47:54 +0000 UTC]

I didn't say it lacked spikes overall.

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Yutyrannus In reply to Pachyornis [2015-07-07 16:05:20 +0000 UTC]

You didn't illustrate the spikes, though.

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Pachyornis In reply to Yutyrannus [2015-07-08 16:19:55 +0000 UTC]

I fear that this version is too small to see them, I made them not all too high because AFAIK they were 18cm tall or so, which is that large on such a big animal.

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bh1324 [2015-06-30 08:08:12 +0000 UTC]

Nice to finally saw the drawing evolution in colour, it really helps to see how things have changed throught the years.

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Pachyornis In reply to bh1324 [2015-07-10 15:57:54 +0000 UTC]

Thanks! The series originally started as some quick sketches, that's why I didn't paint them. But I decided that painting them makes them look way more effectful and more like a real drawing

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Traheripteryx [2015-06-28 15:08:02 +0000 UTC]

Schöööön!

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Pachyornis In reply to Traheripteryx [2015-07-10 15:58:09 +0000 UTC]

Danke!

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PeteriDish [2015-06-25 21:30:37 +0000 UTC]

I very much like the meaty reconstructions! the added bulk makes it look more like an actualy healthy creature instead of a famine-stricken individual

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william023 [2015-06-08 16:13:46 +0000 UTC]

it just look's amazing.

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william023 [2015-06-08 16:13:31 +0000 UTC]

i love the raised neck diplodocus.

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PLASTOSPLEEN [2015-05-08 10:58:07 +0000 UTC]

I hope you do megalosaurus.

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Jdailey1991 [2015-02-26 04:40:06 +0000 UTC]

Aw...I really like the Diplodocus with the spikes on its back.

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Djigr [2015-02-25 16:22:58 +0000 UTC]

Very good!
Do you have a source about the new stance for the neck? I'm still on the third stage for this one, I don't understand why the previous papers are wrong about the 20° angle.

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Pfunkei In reply to Djigr [2015-02-26 06:58:18 +0000 UTC]

The source in question is likely to be the work of Taylor et al.

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Djigr In reply to Pfunkei [2015-03-04 10:49:37 +0000 UTC]

Thank you very much!

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Pfunkei In reply to Djigr [2015-03-04 22:26:38 +0000 UTC]

You're welcome

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harryhenry1 [2015-02-25 12:18:20 +0000 UTC]

Nice! and as a fan of WWD, I like that you look the Diplodocus  form that show as reprisentation of what we thought the creature looked like at the time!

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malevouvenator [2015-02-24 21:54:38 +0000 UTC]

so diplodocus didnt have the iguana spines in the back?

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Jeholbird In reply to malevouvenator [2015-03-08 22:47:39 +0000 UTC]

It did have "spikes", it's just that they weren't necessarily arranged in a midline row ala iguanas. 

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Jeda45 [2015-02-24 17:29:44 +0000 UTC]

Do you have a source for the thing about Diplodocus lacking dorsal spikes after all? I hadn't heard that.

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Pachyornis In reply to Jeda45 [2015-02-24 17:33:19 +0000 UTC]

I think Matt Martinuik told me some years ago, but I don't have a real ref at hand.

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Jeda45 In reply to Pachyornis [2015-02-24 17:44:47 +0000 UTC]

Without some understanding of the evidence for the absence of the midline dorsal spikes, I for one am going to continue to illusrate my diplodocids with midline spikes. However, I'm still quite curious to see any arguments against them

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Jeholbird In reply to Jeda45 [2015-03-04 00:46:26 +0000 UTC]

See this .

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Jeda45 In reply to Jeholbird [2015-03-07 04:08:12 +0000 UTC]

Thanks!

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Gwyndor [2015-02-24 17:05:27 +0000 UTC]

Ich find die erste Form und die Vorstellung als Wasserlebewesen oder semiaquatisches Tier interessant. Sieht win wenig wie ein Hippo aus^^
Ich muss allerdings sagen das mir der dritte am besten gefällt und ja wie in WWD eben
Sehr schönes Bild

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Hyrotrioskjan [2015-02-24 16:09:54 +0000 UTC]

Ich muss leider sagen das ich den neusten Diplodocus noch mal überarbeiten würde, die Füße sind etwas zu elefantös und der Hals zu dünn (es muss kein Apatosaurus Hals sein aber im Moment sieht es ein wenig zu sehr nach JW aus)

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Pachyornis In reply to Hyrotrioskjan [2015-02-24 16:39:07 +0000 UTC]

Hm da hast du recht, werd ich machen. Thx

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