"Brontosaurus amplus"

[Mike Limonite <taradosgon@yahoo.com>]

 I'm looking through "Remarks on the North American
Sauropod Apatosaurus Marsh" (McIntosh, 1995), and I'm
interested about "Brontosaurus amplus." Just exactly
what was compared when determining this animal is the
same thing as A. excelsus? 
  
      "The limb and girdle  bones were superbly
preserved, but the vertebrae were not and furthermore
badly broken up during collection."

     As I have previously stated, I feel that the
vertebrae contain the main characteristics that can
separate each species. When comparing anything else.
For example, in the paper, Dr. McIntosh compares the
limb and pelvic bones of YPM 1840 to YPM 1860 to
"show" the similarities. Also to "show" that it is
likely YPM 1840 is another A. ajax. Though when you
compare other Apatosaurus limbs and pelvic bones to
those of YPM 1840 (AMNH 460 and AMNH 222 as examples)
they are very similar-identical. Some of these limbs
from other species may even have more in common with
the limbs of YPM 1840 than YPM 1840 has with YPM 1860
(YPM 1860 is a juvenile and there are some differences
in its limbs).
      Marsh also noted that some of "B. amplus's"
anterior caudals lack certain cavities and the dorsals
are "less massive." According to McIntosh this is
questionable because of the poor preservation, and, at
most, these differences are due to "individual
variation." Now, looking back at the limbs
(measurements), alot of the measurements of YPM 1980
follow a closer pattern to the measurements of YPM
1840's limbs than YPM 1981 (B. amplus).

                                  -Michael Lima       

 

__________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
The New Yahoo! Search - Faster. Easier. Bingo.
http://search.yahoo.com