Dicraeosaurus

Dicraeosaurus Temporal range: Late Jurassic, 155–150 Ma PreЄ Є O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓
Dicraeosaurus skeleton
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Superorder:	Dinosauria
Order:	Saurischia
Suborder:	Sauropodomorpha
Family:	Dicraeosauridae
Genus:	Dicraeosaurus Janensch, 1914
Species
D. hansemanni Janensch, 1914 (type) D. sattleri Janensch, 1914

Dicraeosaurus (Gr. δικραιος, dikraios "bifurcated, double-headed" + Gr. σαυρος, sauros "lizard") is a genus of small diplodocoid sauropod dinosaur. It was named for the spines on the back of the neck. The first fossil was described by paleontologist Werner Janensch in 1914.

Unlike most diplodocoids, Dicraeosaurus had a large head with a relatively short and wide neck. It also lacked the whiplash tail that other diplodocids had. It was smaller, at only reached 41 feet (12 m) in length. It gets its name, which means two-forked lizard, from the spines that came from the vertebrae. They were not straight as in some members of the family. Each one was “Y” shaped, like a fork. These spines also provided muscle attachment points.^[1]

Dicraeosaurus lived in the Late Jurassic. It was herbivorous; however, it didn’t compete with other dinosaurs for vegetation. Fossils have been discovered in the rocks of Tendaguru Hill in Tanzania. The rocks also yield fossils of Giraffatitan and Kentrosaurus. As there was a distinct difference in size between these animals, they would probably have browsed for vegetation at different levels, allowing them to co-exist without significant competition.^[1]

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  Artist's reconstruction of Dicraeosaurus

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  Head reconstruction

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  Pair of D. hansemanni

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Palmer, D., ed (1999). The Marshall Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Animals. London: Marshall Editions. p. 132. ISBN 1-84028-152-9. 

External links

• Quick facts on Dicraeosaurus
• Stub on Dicraeosaurus at The DOL Dinosaur Omnipedia

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