Sauroposeidon: Difference between revisions
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A fictional dinosaur made up by adam "douchebag" gristock |
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{{Taxobox |
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| name = ''Sauroposeidon'' |
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| fossil_range = [[Early Cretaceous]] |
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| image = Sauroposeidon dinosaur.svg |
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| image_width = 201px |
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| regnum = [[Animal]]ia |
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| phylum = [[Chordate|Chordata]] |
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| classis = [[Reptile|Sauropsida]] |
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| superordo = [[Dinosaur]]ia |
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| ordo = [[Saurischia]] |
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| subordo = [[Sauropodomorpha]] |
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| infraordo = [[Sauropoda]] |
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| familia = [[Brachiosauridae]] |
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| genus = '''''Sauroposeidon''''' |
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| genus_authority = Wedel ''et al'', [[2000]] |
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| subdivision_ranks = [[Species]] |
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| subdivision = |
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*''S. proteles'' <small>Wedel ''et al.'', 2000 ([[type species|type]])</small> |
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}} |
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'''''Sauroposeidon''''' (SAWR-o-po-SIE-don), meaning "[[lizard]]-[[Poseidon]]", is a [[genus]] of [[sauropod]] [[dinosaur]] from the Early [[Cretaceous]] [[Period (geology)|Period]], related to the more famous ''[[Brachiosaurus]]''. The only specimen to date is represented by four neck [[vertebrae]]. It was the tallest dinosaur known, estimated at 17 m (55.7 ft). |
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==Discovery== |
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The vertebrae were discovered in rural [[Oklahoma]], not far from the [[Texas]] border, in a [[claystone]] outcrop that dates the fossils to about 110 [[million years ago]] ([[mya (unit)|mya]]). This falls within the Early Cretaceous Period, specificially between the [[Aptian]] and [[Albian]] epochs. |
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The four neck vertebrae were discovered in [[1994]] at the [[Antlers Formation]] in [[Atoka County, Oklahoma]] by Dr. Richard Cifelli and a team from the [[Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History|Oklahoma Museum of Natural History]]. Initially the fossils were believed to be simply too large to be the remains of an animal, and due to the state of preservation, believed to be tree trunks. In fact, they are the longest of any such bones known in dinosaurs, reaching lengths of 10 feet long apiece. |
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Thus, the vertebrae were stored until [[1999]], when Dr. Cifelli gave them to a graduate student, Matt Wedel, to analyze as part of a project. Upon their realization of the find's significance, they issued a press release in October of 1999, followed by official publication of their findings in the ''[[Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology]]'' in March of 2000. The new species was dubbed ''S. proteles'', and the [[holotype]] is OMNH 53062. |
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==Etymology== |
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The [[generic]] name comes from ''sauros'' ([[Ancient Greek|Greek]] for "lizard"), and ''[[Poseidon]]'', a [[sea]]-[[deity|god]] in [[Greek mythology]], who is also associated with [[earthquake]]s, that facet styled as Ennosigaios or Enisokhthōn, "Earthshaker". This is a reference to the notion that a sauropod's weight was so great that the ground shook as it walked (compare ''[[Brontosaurus]]'', ''[[Seismosaurus]]'', ''[[Suuwassea]]'' and ''[[Antetonitrus]]''). The recently described ''[[Xenoposeidon]]'''s generic name [[Meme|follows suit]]. |
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The [[specific descriptor]] ''proteles'' also comes from the Ancient Greek and means "perfect before the end", which refers to ''Sauroposeidon's'' status as the last and most specialized giant sauropod known in North America, during the Early Cretaceous. |
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==Size== |
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[[Image:Sauroposeidon-scale.png|thumb|Size comparison of ''Sauroposeidon'' to a human.]] |
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:"It's truly astonishing. It's arguably the [[largest organism|largest creature]] ever to walk the earth." |
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::— Richard Cifelli, discoverer of ''Sauroposeidon'' |
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The press release in 1999 immediately garnered international media attention, which led to many (inaccurate) news reports of "the largest dinosaur ever!". While it is true that ''Sauroposeidon'' is probably the tallest known dinosaur, it is neither the longest nor the most massive. ''[[Argentinosaurus]]'' is a better candidate for the title "World's Largest Dinosaur", though weak [[fossil]] evidence makes an exact ranking impossible. |
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The ''Sauroposeidon'' find was composed of four articulated, mid-cervical vertebrae (numbers 5 to 8), with the cervical [[rib]]s in place. The vertebrae are extremely elongated, with the largest one about 1.2 [[meter]]s (4 [[foot (unit of length)|feet]]) long, which makes it the longest on record. Examination of the [[bone]]s revealed that they are honeycombed with tiny air cells, and are very thin, like the bones of a [[chicken]] or an [[ostrich]], making the neck lighter and easier to lift. |
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Estimates of size are based on a comparison between the four ''Sauroposeidon'' vertebrae and the vertebrae of the HM SII specimen of ''[[Brachiosaurus]] brancai'', located in the [[Humboldt Museum]] in [[Berlin]]. The HM SII is the most complete brachiosaur known, though since it is composed of pieces from different individuals its proportions may not be totally accurate. Comparisons to the other brachiosaurid relatives of ''Sauroposeidon'' are difficult due to limited remains. |
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The neck length of ''Sauroposeidon'' is estimated at 11.25 to 12 meters, compared to a neck length of 9 meters (30 ft) for the HM SII ''Brachiosaurus''. This is based on the assumption that the rest of the neck has the same proportions as ''Brachiosaurus'', which is a reasonably good conjecture. |
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''Sauroposeidon'' was probably able to raise its head 17 meters (55.7 ft) above the ground, which is as high as a six-story building. The long neck and the high brachiosaurid shoulders are what makes it the tallest known dinosaur. In some ways, its build is similar to the modern [[giraffe]], with a short body and an extremely long neck. In comparison, ''[[Brachiosaurus]]'' could probably raise its head 13.5 meters (44.2 ft) into the air. |
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''Sauroposeidon's'' shoulders were probably 7 meters off the ground. Its estimated length is just under 30 meters (98 ft). |
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The mass of ''Sauroposeidon'' is estimated at 50 to 60 [[metric ton]]nes (55 to 65 [[short ton|ton]]s). While the vertebrae of ''Sauroposeidon'' are 25–33% longer than ''Brachiosaurus'''s, they are only 10–15% larger in diameter. This means that while ''Sauroposeidon'' probably has a larger body than ''Brachiosaurus'' its body is smaller in comparison to the size of its neck, so it did not weigh as much as a scaled-up ''Brachiosaurus''. By comparison, ''Brachiosaurus'' might have weighed 36 to 40 tonnes (40 to 44 tons). This estimate of the ''Brachiosaurus'' is an average of several different methodologies. |
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However, ''Sauroposeidon'' has a relatively gracile neck compared to ''Brachiosaurus''. If the rest of the body turns out to be similarly slender, the mass estimate may be too high. This could be similar to the way the relatively robust ''[[Apatosaurus]]'' weighs far more than the longer but much slimmer ''Diplodocus''. In addition, it is possible that sauropods may have an air sac system, like those in [[bird]]s, which could reduce all sauropod mass estimates by 20% or more. |
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==Environment== |
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:"Sauroposeidon was an unexpected discovery, because it was a huge, gas-guzzling barge of an animal in an age of subcompact sauropods." |
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::—Matt Wedel, ''Sauroposeidon'' team leader |
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''Sauroposeidon'' may be the last of the giant [[North America]]n sauropods. Sauropods, which include the largest terrestrial animals of all time, were a very wide ranging and successful group. They first appeared in the Early [[Jurassic]] and it wasn't long before they spread across the world. By the time of the late Jurassic, North America and [[Africa]] were dominated by the diplodocids and brachiosaurids and, by the end of the Late Cretaceous, [[titanosaurid]]s were widespread (though only in the southern hemisphere). Between these periods, in the Early Cretaceous, the fossil record is sparse. Few specimens have been found in North America from that time and those specimens that do exist are often fragmentary or represent juvenile members of their species. Most of the surviving sauropods at the time were also shrinking in size (to a mere 15 m, or 50 ft, in length, and maybe 10 to 15 tons or tonnes), which makes the discovery of an extremely specialized super-giant like ''Sauroposeidon'' very unusual. |
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''Sauroposeidon'' lived on the shores of the [[Gulf of Mexico]], which ran through Oklahoma at that time, in a vast [[river delta]], similar to the [[Mississippi River Delta|Mississippi delta]] today. There were probably no predators who could take down a full-grown ''Sauroposeidon'' but juveniles were likely prey to ''[[Acrocanthosaurus]]'' (a [[Carnosauria|carnosaur]] a little smaller than a ''[[Tyrannosaurus rex|T. rex]]'') and to 'packs' of ''[[Deinonychus]]''. |
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A giant brachiosaurid, similar to ''Sauroposeidon'', was described in 2004 by [[Darren Naish]] and colleagues and is from the Early [[Cretaceous]] period of [[England]]. Known only from two neck vertebrae, it was apparently similar in some details to ''Sauroposeidon'' and perhaps similar in size. Its discovery highlights the similarity seen between Early Cretaceous North American and European dinosaurs. |
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==References== |
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* "''Sauroposeidon proteles'', a new sauropod from the Early Cretaceous of Oklahoma", by Mathew J. Wedel, Richard L. Cifelli, and R. Kent Sanders (''Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology'' 29(1), pages 109–114, March 2000).[http://sauroposeidon.net/Wedel-et-al_2000a_sauroposeidon.pdf] |
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* "Osteology, paleobiology, and relationships of the sauropod dinosaur ''Sauroposeidon''", by Mathew J. Wedel, Richard L. Cifelli, and R. Kent Sanders (''Acta Palaeontologica Polonica'' 45, pages 343–388, 2000).[http://sauroposeidon.net/Wedel-et-al_2000b_sauroposeidon.pdf] |
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==External links== |
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<!-- ''Sauroposeidon's'' listing in the [http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/content_pages/record.asp?recordid=51066 Guinness Book of World Records] ***NOTE - BROKEN LINK***. Maybe one day, it won't be --> |
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* A non-technical [http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/Galaxy/8152/largest.html article] on Dino Land, with links to various news reports. |
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* An [http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/Galaxy/8152/mattwedel.html interview] on Dino Land with Matt Wedel, lead researcher on the ''Sauroposeidon'' team at the [[University of Oklahoma]]. |
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* [http://www.snomnh.ou.edu/publications/Articles/index.shtml Publications] of the [[Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History]], including the two technical papers listed under ''[[Sauroposeidon#References|References]]''. |
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{{portalpar|Dinosaurs}} |
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[[Category:Dinosaurs of North America]] |
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[[Category:Brachiosaurs]] |
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[[Category:Cretaceous dinosaurs]] |
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[[cs:Sauroposeidon]] |
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[[de:Sauroposeidon]] |
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[[es:Sauroposeidon]] |
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[[fr:Sauroposéidon]] |
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[[it:Sauroposeidon proteles]] |
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[[nl:Sauroposeidon]] |
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[[ja:サウロポセイドン]] |
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[[pt:Sauroposeidon]] |
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[[sv:Sauroposeidon]] |
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[[zh:波塞東龍]] |
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Revision as of 19:42, 28 April 2008
A fictional dinosaur made up by adam "douchebag" gristock