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Camarasaurus is a bit of an under-appreciated sauropod, not being nearly as famous as Apatosaurus, Brachiosaurus, Diplodocus, or a number of others. Still, during a recent visit to the AMNH I was struck by something about its skull that I hadn't noticed before; it has some very big holes. While it might be difficult to tell from this angle, the skull of Camarasaurus has a very large orbit and a very large nasal area, the bony struts running between the holes being relatively thin. While I'm not suggesting a direct evolutionary relationship, it did remind me of the skull construction of the recently announced Nigersaurus, although Nigersaurus took things to an extreme as far as lightness of the skeleton is concerned.
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Well, obviously, the two are about as closely related as monkeys and gorillas, but I see your point. In fact, Camarasaurus has a relatively robust skull, but you're right--there are a lot of big holes in it. What always amazes me about the genus are its teeth--huge teeth!
Posted by: Zach Miller | December 16, 2007 4:47 PM
It's photos like this that make me kill myself laughing whenever someone accuses sauropods of being "peaceful plant-eaters".
Posted by: Julia | December 16, 2007 5:21 PM
Thanks for the mug shot of the camarasaurus. When I was a child, I fell in love with a juvenile camarasaurus at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh. The specimen is the most complete sauropod dinosaur ever found, still partially embedded in original Utah sandstone. It had reached only about two-fifths the size of an adult Camarasaurus. The sandstone slab was mounted on the wall and I looked up at it in awe, just as I did as an adult. It's been my first stop on every visit in the 50 odd years since. Unfortunately I've never found a photo.
Posted by: Mary Firestone | December 16, 2007 5:34 PM
Just finally found the picture at
http://tinyurl.com/2yoyxh
Click to enlarge the photo at right. Would have been a terrific shot except for the pesky primate.
Posted by: Mary Firestone | December 16, 2007 5:45 PM
Thanks Mary; I love that skeleton, too. It's absolutely beautiful, and although I've never been to the Carnegie it definitely makes me want to make a visit. Stay tuned later today for some more sauropod goodness.
Posted by: Laelaps | December 17, 2007 9:11 AM
Isn't Camarasaurus supposed to be the most common sauropod found in the Morrison Formation?
I recall Robert Bakker hypothesising before that unlike the peg teeth of diplodocids, Camarasaurus, with its larger spoon-shaped teeth, could have munched on slightly tougher vegetation, and could have actually used those chompers in active self-defence against theropods. Hmm...... I could see that happening, but it must have been a very careless theropod or a very desperate Camarasaurus.
Posted by: Hai~Ren | December 17, 2007 1:33 PM
Reminds me of the illustration in Holtz/Rey: The *Astrodon* getting the *Utahraptor* by the tail.
Posted by: johannes | December 19, 2007 6:27 AM