Thunder-Lizards: The Sauropodomorph Dinosaurs

by Virginia Tidwell, Kenneth Carpenter, Ralph E. Molnar, Leonardo Salgado, Sebasti n Apestegui

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780253345424
Publisher:	Indiana University Press
Publication date:	08/10/2005
Series:	Life of the Past
Pages:	512
Product dimensions:	7.00(w) x 10.00(h) x 1.33(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

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).

Table of Contents

Contributors
I. Sauropods Old and New
1. Postcranial Anatomy of Referred Specimens of the Sauropodomorph Dinosaur Melanorosaurus from the Upper Triassic of South AfricaPeter 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 FranceJean 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 FormationJohn R. Foster
6. New Adult Specimens of Camarasaurus lentus Highlight Ontogenetic Variation within the SpeciesTakehito Ikejiri, Virginia Tidwell, and David L. Trexler
7. Age-Related Characteristics Found in a Partial Pelvis of CamarasaurusVirginia Tidwell, Kenneth Stadtman, and Allen Shaw
8. Ontogenetic Variation and Isometric Growth in the Forelimb of the Early Cretaceous Sauropod VenenosaurusVirginia 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 DinosaursKent A. Stevens and J. Michael Parrish
11. Neck Posture of Sauropods Determined Using Radiological Imaging to Reveal Three-Dimensional Structure of Cervical VertebraeDavid S. Berman and Bruce M. Rothschild
12. Evolution of the Hyposphene-Hypanthrum Complex within SauropodaSebastián Apesteguía
13. Variation in the Appendicular Skeleton of North American Sauropod Dinosaurs: Taxonomic ImplicationsD. Ray Wilhite
14. First Articulated Manus of Diplodocus carnegiiMalcolm W. Bedell Jr. and David L. Trexler
15. Evolution of the Titanosaur MetacarpusSebastián Apesteguía
16. Pes Anatomy in Sauropod Dinosaurs: Implications for Functional Morphology, Evolution, and PhylogenyMatthew F. Bonnan
17. Sauropod Stress Fractures as Clues to ActivityBruce M. Rothschild and Ralph E. Molnar
IV. Global Record of Sauropods
18. Between Gondwana and Laurasia: Cretaceous Sauropods in an Intraoceanic Carbonate PlatformFabio M. Dalla Vecchia
19. Sauropods of Patagonia: Systematic Update and Notes on Global Sauropod EvolutionLeonardo Salgado and Rodolfo A. Coria
20. Observations on Cretaceous Sauropods from AustraliaRalph E. Molnar and Steven W. Salisbury
21. Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) Nests, Eggs, and Dung Mass (Coprolites) of Sauropods (Titanosaurs) from IndiaD. M. Mohabey
Index