MAMMAL NECK VERTS

[darren.naish@port.ac.uk]

Matt Bonnan wrote...
 
> All mammals have only 7 cervical vertebrae

_Giraffa_ has 8 - some sloths and sirenians have anything between 5 
and 9! However, these are like four exceptions out of at least 5000 
species (that's the 4500-odd extant mammals plus some of the better 
known fossil ones).

Regarding neck mobility in non-diplodocoid sauropods, Kent Stevens 
presented new work on _Brachiosaurus_ and a long-necked 
euhelopodid (can't remember which genus - probably _Euhelopus_) at 
the SVPCA meeting in Edinburgh last year. I briefly wrote this up for 
DML so it's in the archives somewhere. I don't know how long it is 
before this sees publication. As well as Jeff Wilson's objections 
mentioned at SVP in Denver, Paul Upchurch had a www 
communication to _Science_ about the Parrish and Stevens' study. 

DARREN NAISH 
PALAEOBIOLOGY RESEARCH GROUP
School of Earth, Environmental & Physical Sciences
UNIVERSITY OF PORTSMOUTH
Burnaby Building
Burnaby Road                           email: darren.naish@port.ac.uk
Portsmouth UK                          tel: 01703 446718
P01 3QL