Re: Refurbished Berlin Brachiosaurus Mount

["Kent A. Stevens" <kent@cs.uoregon.edu>]

Mike,

> me that Stevens and Parrish's ultra-low neck posture of Brachiosaurus

"ultra low" ???  <insert indignant puffing sounds here>

Is 6-7 m "ultra low"?

Please check out my website (at least look at the pictures) at:

http://www.cs.uoregon.edu/%7Ekent/DinoMorph/Brachiosaurus/index.html

A range of 3D body reconstructions are show that are dimensioned  
based on what information is explicitly available in Janensch and  
Riggs.  The more curved the dorsal vertebral column, the lower the  
boom (and head way out on the end) and vice versa.  The lower the  
pectoral girdles on the ribcage, the higher the boom, and vice  
versa.  A few meters of difference in head height arise from choosing  
a "low arch" versus "high arch" to the dorsal series, in combination  
with two extremes of pectoral girdle placement.  In examining  
combinations of what hopefully are reasonable extremes for dorsal  
curvature and pectoral girdle placement, one can see that the axial  
skeleton more or less gently ascends at the cervicodorsal transition  
because of the overall body plan and long forelimbs.

Next, if one is interested in the osteology of the vertebral series  
in the cervicodorsal region, check out the composite I made of  
Janensch's illustrations (on that web page above) and compare with  
various artistic interpretations.  Or, better, just wait until new  
material with more complete neural arches becomes available to "lower  
the boom".

If it turns out the towering Berlin interpretation turns out to be  
supported by new material, that'd be so cool.  The "ultra low" 6-7 m  
head height configuration just doesn't fit our time-honored  
expectations for a proper Brachiosaurus.  Time will tell.

Kent

Incidentally, I need to update my whole website to show ongoing work;  
it has become very out of date, sorry):

http://www.cs.uoregon.edu/%7Ekent/DinoMorph/