Paleontologists from the Western University of Health Sciences, Brigham Young University, the Arizona Museum of Natural History and Auburn University have described a brand new specimen of Haplocanthosaurus based mostly on bones excavated from the Dry Mesa Dinosaur Quarry close to Delta, Colorado, the United States.
An artist’s impression of Haplocanthosaurus delfsi. Image credit score: Michael B. H. / CC BY-SA 3.0.
Haplocanthosaurus is a small genus of intermediate sauropod dinosaurs that lived in the course of the Late Jurassic interval, 155 to 152 million years in the past.
Only two members of the genus are presently recognized: Haplocanthosaurus delfsi and Haplocanthosaurus priscus.
“Haplocanthosaurus is an enigmatic sauropod from the Upper Jurassic Morrison Formation of the American West,” stated Western University of Health Sciences paleontologist Mathew Wedel and colleagues.
“Haplocanthosaurus is thought from far fewer people (roughly 11 specimens) in comparison with lots of the extra well-known Morrison Formation sauropods, resembling Apatosaurus, Diplodocus, and Camarasaurus, all of that are recognized from elements of greater than 100 people.”
“Furthermore, vital elements of the skeleton such because the cranium, forelimbs, and manus and pes both haven’t been recovered, or haven’t been described so far.”
“As a genus, Haplocanthosaurus has appeared in a variety of phylogenetic positions,” they added.
“Studies have recovered it as a basal diplodocoid, a basal macronarian, or probably simply outdoors Neosauropoda, indicative of an unstable place in sauropod phylogeny.”
“However, most up-to-date research have converged in recovering Haplocanthosaurus as a basal diplodocoid.”
A block of three anterior dorsal vertebrae of Haplocanthosaurus preserved in articulation. Scale bar – 10 cm. Image credit score: Boisvert et al., doi: 10.1002/ar.25520.
The new specimen of Haplocanthosaurus was discovered on the Dry Mesa Dinosaur Quarry close to Delta, Colorado.
It consists of three anterior dorsal vertebrae, 4 remoted posterior dorsal vertebrae, and a proper tibia.
“The new particular person of Haplocanthosaurus is recognized based mostly on the presence of dorsally angled transverse processes, tall neural arch peduncles, and a broad distal tibia,” the researchers stated.
It is the geologically youngest Haplocanthosaurus specimen on the Colorado Plateau.
“This particular person will increase the vary of the genus into the true Brushy Basin Member of the Morrison Formation,” the authors stated.
Their paper was printed in The Anatomical Record.
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Colin Boisvert et al. 2024. Description of a brand new specimen of Haplocanthosaurus from the Dry Mesa Dinosaur Quarry. Anatomical Record 307 (12): 3782-3800; doi: 10.1002/ar.25520
