Re: vertebrae connections

[AM Yates <Adam.Yates@bristol.ac.uk>]

On 27 Oct 2000, Caleb wrote:

>    I was looking at some of the vertebrae illustrations in the Ostrum 1969
> paper on Deinonychus, and found a problem. I can't figure out how the
> vertebrae lock together. Do the prezygophyses click in underneath or over the
> postzygophyses? Help! Is there a site that is more detailed than the
> Dinosauria.com's Omnipedia anatomical section (with illustrations to, because
> my brain doesn't work with three dimensional objects very well.) Thank you
> all. 

Postzygapophyses always face down, so the prezygapophyses go underneath,
it is the classic way to tell which way round an isolated vertebra is.
Of course the articulation surface is not always horizontal, but there
is always at least a slight downward component to face of the
postzygapophysis.

Hope this helps

Adam Yates