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Information about Supersaurus

Supersaurus
Fossil range: Late Jurassic

Scientific classification
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Chordata
Class:Sauropsida
Superorder:Dinosauria
Order:Saurischia
Suborder:Sauropodomorpha
Infraorder:Sauropoda
Family:Diplodocidae
Genus:Supersaurus
Jensen, 1985
Species


S. vivianae Jensen, 1985 (type)
Synonyms
Supersaurus (meaning "super lizard") was a diplodocid dinosaur discovered in a rock formation in the U.S. state of Colorado in 1972, alongside bones of a Brachiosaurus.

Supersaurus yielded only a few bones; the shoulder girdle (type specimen BYU 5500) and a few neck vertebrae. The shoulder girdle (scapulocoracoid) stood some eight feet (2.4 m) tall, if placed on end. Supersaurus may have been up to 40 meters (130 feet) long, making it the one of the largest members of the diplodocid family.

At the time, the combination of bones found was thought to belong to a single dinosaur, named "Ultrasaurus" macintoshi (later renamed Ultrasauros). The type specimen (the specimen used to define a new species) of Ultrasauros, being a backbone (dorsal vertebra, labeled BYU 9044), actually belongs to a Supersaurus. In fact, it probably belongs to the original Supersaurus, which was discovered in the same quarry in 1972. Since Supersaurus was named slightly earlier, the name Ultrasauros has been discarded in favor of Supersaurus. Dr. Jim Jensen named both animals in 1985. The name Ultrasauros thus became a junior synonym for Supersaurus.

Other bones found at the same location and originally considered Ultrasauros, like a shoulder girdle (scapulocoracoid, BYU 9462), belong to Brachiosaurus, possibly a large specimen of Brachiosaurus altithorax (Curtice, 1996).

Another diplodocid dinosaur of which a backbone (dorsal vertebra type specimen BYU 5750) was found nearby and which was named Dystylosaurus is now also considered to be a specimen of Supersaurus. Hence, Dystylosaurus has also become a junior synonym of Supersaurus.

A new and much more complete specimen of Supersaurus, nick-named 'Jimbo', has been found in Converse County, Wyoming. It is currently being excavated and its bones are being held at the Wyoming Dinosaur Center.[1]

Originally it was thought that Supersaurus was related to the long-necked diplodocid Barosaurus, but the new specimen makes it clear that Supersaurus is actually more closely related to Apatosaurus.

References

  • "Three new sauropod dinosaurs from the Upper Jurassic of Colorado", by James A. Jensen (1985). Great Basin Naturalist, issue 45, pages 697 to 709.
  • "A re-assessment of Ultrasauros macintoshi (Jensen, 1985)", by Brian Curtice, Ken Stadtman, and Linda Curtice (1996). The Continental Jurassic: Transactions of the Continental Jurassic Symposium, Museum of Northern Arizona Bulletin number 60, pages 87 to 95, edited by M. Morales.
1. ^ Supersaurus at the Wyoming Dinosaur Center">Supersaurus at the Wyoming Dinosaur Center
Late Jurassic (or Malm) Epoch of the Jurassic Period is the unit of geologic time from 161.2 ± 4.0 to 145.5 ± 4.0 million years ago, which is preserved in Upper Jurassic strata.
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Scientific classification or biological classification is a method by which biologists group and categorize species of organisms. Scientific classification also can be called scientific taxonomy, but should be distinguished from folk taxonomy, which lacks scientific basis.
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Chordata
Bateson, 1885

Typical Classes

See below

Chordates (phylum Chordata) are a group of animals that includes the vertebrates, together with several closely related invertebrates.
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Sauropsida*
Goodrich, 1916

Subclasses
  • Anapsida
  • Diapsida
Synonyms
  • Reptilia Laurenti, 1768
Reptiles are tetrapods and amniotes, animals whose embryos are surrounded by an amniotic membrane, and members of the class
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Dinosauria *
Owen, 1842

Orders & Suborders
  • Ornithischia
  • Cerapoda
  • Thyreophora
  • Saurischia

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Saurischia
Seeley, 1887

Suborders
  • Theropoda
  • Sauropodomorpha


Saurischia (from the Greek sauros (σαυρος) meaning 'lizard' and ischion (
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Sauropodomorpha
von Huene, 1932

Infraorders

Prosauropoda
Sauropoda

The Sauropodomorpha were a group of long-necked, herbivorous dinosaurs that eventually dropped down on all fours and became the largest animals that ever walked the earth.
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Sauropoda
Marsh, 1878

Families

See text

Sauropoda, the sauropods, are a suborder or infraorder of the saurischian ("lizard-hipped") dinosaurs. They were the largest animals ever to have lived on land.
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Diplodocidae
Marsh, 1884

Genera
  • ?Amphicoelias
  • Australodocus
  • Dinheirosaurus
  • Cetiosauriscus
  • Subfamily Apatosaurinae
  • Supersaurus

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James A. Jensen (August 2nd, 1918 - December 14th, 1998) was trained as a paleontologist by Alfred Sherwood Romer at Harvard University (1956 to 1961), and then worked at Brigham Young University)until he retired (1961 to 1984).
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species is one of the basic units of biological classification. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring.
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In biology, a type is that which fixes a name to a taxon. Depending on the nomenclature code which is applied to the organism in question, a type may be a specimen, culture, illustration, description or taxon.
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In scientific nomenclature, synonyms are different scientific names used for a single taxon. Usage and terminology are different for zoology and botany.

Zoology

In zoological nomenclature, synonyms are different scientific names that pertain to the same taxon, for example
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Ultrasauros (once known informally as "Ultrasaurus") is deprecated genus of sauropod dinosaur, with a complicated history. When a collection of bones from an apparently hitherto undiscovered dinosaur was found in 1979 at the Dry Mesa Dinosaur Quarry in Colorado
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Diplodocidae
Marsh, 1884

Genera
  • ?Amphicoelias
  • Australodocus
  • Dinheirosaurus
  • Cetiosauriscus
  • Subfamily Apatosaurinae
  • Supersaurus

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Dinosauria *
Owen, 1842

Orders & Suborders
  • Ornithischia
  • Cerapoda
  • Thyreophora
  • Saurischia

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United States of America

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State of Colorado

Flag of Colorado Seal
Nickname(s): The Centennial State
Motto(s): Nil sine numine

Official language(s) English

Capital Denver
Largest city Denver

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19th century - 20th century - 21st century
1940s  1950s  1960s  - 1970s -  1980s  1990s  2000s
1969 1970 1971 - 1972 - 1973 1974 1975

Year 1972 (MCMLXXII
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Brachiosaurus
Riggs, 1903

Species

B. altithorax Riggs, 1903 (type)
B. brancai Janensch, 1914
?B. nougaredi de Lapparent, 1960

Synonyms

Giraffatitan Paul, 1988
Abdallahsaurus
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scapula, or shoulder blade, is the bone that connects the humerus (arm bone) with the clavicle (collar bone).

The scapula forms the posterior part of the shoulder girdle. In humans, it is a flat bone, roughly triangular in shape.
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Diplodocidae
Marsh, 1884

Genera
  • ?Amphicoelias
  • Australodocus
  • Dinheirosaurus
  • Cetiosauriscus
  • Subfamily Apatosaurinae
  • Supersaurus

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Ultrasauros (once known informally as "Ultrasaurus") is deprecated genus of sauropod dinosaur, with a complicated history. When a collection of bones from an apparently hitherto undiscovered dinosaur was found in 1979 at the Dry Mesa Dinosaur Quarry in Colorado
..... Click the link for more information.
species is one of the basic units of biological classification. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring.
..... Click the link for more information.
The Vertebral Column (singular: vertebra) are the individual irregular bones that make up the spinal column (aka ischis) — a flexuous and flexible column.
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James A. Jensen (August 2nd, 1918 - December 14th, 1998) was trained as a paleontologist by Alfred Sherwood Romer at Harvard University (1956 to 1961), and then worked at Brigham Young University)until he retired (1961 to 1984).
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20th century - 21st century
1950s  1960s  1970s  - 1980s -  1990s  2000s  2010s
1982 1983 1984 - 1985 - 1986 1987 1988

Year 1985 (MCMLXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link displays 1985 Gregorian calendar).
..... Click the link for more information.
scapula, or shoulder blade, is the bone that connects the humerus (arm bone) with the clavicle (collar bone).

The scapula forms the posterior part of the shoulder girdle. In humans, it is a flat bone, roughly triangular in shape.
..... Click the link for more information.
Brachiosaurus
Riggs, 1903

Species

B. altithorax Riggs, 1903 (type)
B. brancai Janensch, 1914
?B. nougaredi de Lapparent, 1960

Synonyms

Giraffatitan Paul, 1988
Abdallahsaurus
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