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Ontogenetic stages in the long bone histology of sauropod dinosaurs
- Article from:
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Paleobiology
- Article date:
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April 1, 2008
- Author:
- Klein, Nicole; Sander, Martin
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Copyright informationCopyright Paleontological Society Spring 2008. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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Abstract.-
Long bones (femora, humeri) are the most abundant remains of sauropod dinosaurs. Their length is a good proxy for body length and body mass, and their histology is informative about ontogenetic age. Here we provide a comparative assessment of histologic changes in growth series of several sauropod taxa, including diplodocids (Apatosaurus, Diplodocus, indeterminate Diplodocinae from the Tendaguru Beds and from the Morrison Formation), basal macronarians (Camarasaurus, Brachiosaurus, Europasaurus), and titanosaurs (Phuwiangosaurus, Ampelosaurus). A total of 167 long bones, mainly humeri and femora, and 18 limb girdle bones were sampled. Sampling was performed by core drilling at ...