Thunder-Lizards: The Sauropodomorph Dinosaurs

The large, quadrupedal herbivores known as sauropods were widespread around the planet from the Jurassic to the end of the Cretaceous. With the longest necks and tails of all of the dinosaurs, some sauropods were 40 meters in length and weighed upwards of 100,000 kilograms, more than 20 tons. The popular image of these lumbering giants, placidly consuming ferns has been greatly revised in recent years. New discoveries and new theories about behavior and physiology have continued to enrich the study of these remarkable beasts. This book presents 21 new studies of the sauropods. The book is organized into four parts. The first part looks at some sauropods old and new, the second at juvenile and adult specimens and ontogenetic variation within species. Part three concerns morphology and biomechanics, while part four takes up issues of biogeography.

The contributors are Sebastián Apesteguía, Malcolm W. Bedell, Jr., David S. Berman, Matthew F. Bonnan, Kenneth Carpenter, Sankar Chatterjee, Rodolfo A. Coria, Fabio M. Dalla Vecchia, John Foster, Peter M. Galton, Jacques van Heerden, Takehito Ikejiri, Jean Le Loeuff, D. M. Mohabey, John S. McIntosh, J. Michael Parrish, Bruce M. Rothschild, Leonardo Salgado, Steven W. Salisbury, Allen Shaw, Kenneth Stadtman, Kent A. Stevens, Virginia Tidwell, David Trexler, Ray Wilhite, Adam M. Yates, and Zhong Zheng.

As a research associate at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, Virginia Tidwell is primarily focused on gaining an understanding of the phylogenic relationship of the Early Cretaceous sauropods of North America.

Kenneth Carpenter is the dinosaur paleontologist for the Denver Museum of Natural History. His books include Eggs, Nests, and Baby Dinosaurs (IUP, 2000).

Contributors

I. Sauropods Old and New

1. Postcranial Anatomy of Referred Specimens of the Sauropodomorph Dinosaur Melanorosaurus from the Upper Triassic of South Africa Peter M. Galton, Jacques Van Heerden, and Adam M. Yates

2. The Genus Barosaurus Marsh (Sauropoda, Diplodocidae) John S. McIntosh

3. Reassessment of the Early Cretaceous Sauropod Astrodon johnsoni Leidy 1865 (Titanosauriformes) Kenneth Carpenter and Virginia Tidwell

4. Osteology of Ampelosaurus atacis (Titanosauria) from Southern France Jean Le Loeuff

II. Sauropods Young to Old

5. New Juvenile Sauropod Material from Western Colorado, and the Record of Juvenile Sauropods from the Upper Jurassic Morrison Formation John R. Foster

6. New Adult Specimens of Camarasaurus lentus Highlight Ontogenetic Variation within the Species Takehito Ikejiri, Virginia Tidwell, and David L. Trexler

7. Age-Related Characteristics Found in a Partial Pelvis of Camarasaurus Virginia Tidwell, Kenneth Stadtman, and Allen Shaw

8. Ontogenetic Variation and Isometric Growth in the Forelimb of the Early Cretaceous Sauropod Venenosaurus Virginia Tidwell and D. Ray Wilhite

III. Body Parts: Morphology and Biomechanics

9. Neuroanatomy and Dentition of Camarasaurus lentus Sankar Chatterjee and Zhong Zheng

10. Neck Posture, Dentition, and Feeding Strategies in Jurassic Sauropod Dinosaurs Kent A. Stevens and J. Michael Parrish

11. Neck Posture of Sauropods Determined Using Radiological Imaging to Reveal Three-Dimensional Structure of Cervical Vertebrae David S. Berman and Bruce M. Rothschild

12. Evolution of the Hyposphene-Hypanthrum Complex within Sauropoda Sebastián Apesteguía

13. Variation in the Appendicular Skeleton of North American Sauropod Dinosaurs: Taxonomic Implications D. Ray Wilhite

14. First Articulated Manus of Diplodocus carnegii Malcolm W. Bedell Jr. and David L. Trexler

15. Evolution of the Titanosaur Metacarpus Sebastián Apesteguía

16. Pes Anatomy in Sauropod Dinosaurs: Implications for Functional Morphology, Evolution, and Phylogeny Matthew F. Bonnan

17. Sauropod Stress Fractures as Clues to Activity Bruce M. Rothschild and Ralph E. Molnar

IV. Global Record of Sauropods

18. Between Gondwana and Laurasia: Cretaceous Sauropods in an Intraoceanic Carbonate Platform Fabio M. Dalla Vecchia

19. Sauropods of Patagonia: Systematic Update and Notes on Global Sauropod Evolution Leonardo Salgado and Rodolfo A. Coria

20. Observations on Cretaceous Sauropods from Australia Ralph E. Molnar and Steven W. Salisbury

21. Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) Nests, Eggs, and Dung Mass (Coprolites) of Sauropods (Titanosaurs) from India D. M. Mohabey

Index