Episode 275 is all about Dicraeosaurus, the first discovered sauropod with paired spines running down its neck.
Big thanks to all our patrons! Your support means so much to us and keeps us going! If you’re a dinosaur enthusiast, join our growing community on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/iknowdino.
You can listen to our free podcast, with all our episodes, on Apple Podcasts at: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/i-know-dino/id960976813?mt=2
In this episode, we discuss:
News:
- A pair of noasaurid bones from Australia expand the known range to nearly all of Gondwana source
- The first case of LCH (Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis) was found in a dinosaur source
- The Utahraptor Project has moved their massive sandstone block to a new location source
- A new article ranks the US states in order of most dinosaur fossils discoveries source
- The Illinois Burpee Museum of Natural History’s PaleoFest is coming up on March 6–8 source
- Mobile, Alabama celebrated Mardi Gras with a parade that included a Velociraptor puppeteer source
- Giant Screen Films recently released the film Dinosaurs of Antarctica source
- LucasFilm is launching Star Wars; The High Republic, and may include dinosaurs source
- Jurassic World 3 is now officially Jurassic World: Dominion source
The dinosaur of the day: Dicraeosaurus
- Diplodocoid sauropod that lived in the Late Jurassic in what is now Tanzania (Tendaguru Hill)
- About 39 ft (12 m) long
- Small for a sauropod
- Estimated to weigh 8800-11000 lb (4000-5000 kg); around same weight as an elephant
- Did not have a whiplash tail
- Did not have has much pneumaticity in the vertebrae as other sauropods, such as Brachiosaurus
- Replaced teeth quickly, around every 20 days for the prexmaillary and rostral maxillary teeth and 50 days for the rostral dentary teeth
- Had a large head, and a relatively short, wide neck
- Neck had 12 short vertebrae
- Probably a low browser (could eat food on the ground and leaves up to about 10 ft or 3 m off the ground)
- Had a double row of neural spines on its back
- Spines on the vertebrae were “Y” shaped, like a fork (which led to its name)
- Spines also had muscle attachment points
- Type species is Dicraeosaurus hansemanni
- Genus name means “bifurcated” or “double-headed” or “two forked lizard”
- Described in 1914 by Werner Janensch
- Second species is Dicraeosaurus sattleri
- Not much info on the different species, but looks like there were both named in 1914, and may have been found in a 1909 excavation
- Other dinosaurs that lived around the same time and place include Giraffatitan and Kentrosaurus (ate vegetation at different heights, so they could all live together)
Fun Fact: Dinosaurs (at least Oviraptorids) eggs hatched sporadically like some modern birds, not all at once like modern crocodiles.
Sponsors: Join our patreon to get a copy of Sabrina’s new dinosaur art. Every patron also gets access to our discord server and premium content, as well as the ability to request a Dinosaur of the Day. Higher tier members can also get shout outs, ad-free episodes, and more. www.patreon.com/iknowdino