Australodocus
Encyclopedia
Australodocus, meaning "southern beam" from the Latin australis "southern" and the Greek
dokos/δοκоς "beam", is a sauropod dinosaur
that lived during the Late Jurassic period
, around 150 million years ago in what was then German East Africa
(now Tanzania
). Its scientific name is derived from its originally being considered a southern (Gondwana
n) relative of Diplodocus
, though this classification is now considered unlikely. The species name honors Boheti bin Amrani, a native crew supervisor and chief preparator who was an important contributor to the German
expeditions that first excavated the Tanzanian sites.
The remains of Australodocus bohetii were recovered from the Tendaguru
beds of Tanzania, which have been a fertile ground for many Jurassic dinosaurs, including several genera of large sauropods, such as Giraffatitan
(also known as Brachiosaurus brancai
), Janenschia
, Tendaguria
, and Tornieria
. Australodocus itself is based on
two neck
vertebrae, which are less elongate than those of other diplodocids and differ in other anatomical details. These vertebrae were originally part of a series of four vertebrae collected in the 1909 expedition led by Werner Janensch
; unfortunately, like some other fossils collected by German expeditions to Africa, the other bones were destroyed in World War II
. The 2007 description of the surviving bones increases the known diversity of sauropods and diplodocids in Tendaguru.
Australodocus was originally described as a diplodocid
, due to the fact that it had double (bifurcate') neural spines on some of its vertebra, a characteristic normally associated with diplodocoid sauropods. However, several later studies by John Whitlock and colleagues found that Australodocus is actually a member of the sauropod clade Titanosauriformes, possibly closely related to Brachiosaurus. The presence of a higher number of macronaria
n sauropods in the Tendaguru environment compared to numerous diplodocoids in the Morrison Formation
may be due to previously known differences in environment, with the Tendaguru being dominated by conifer forest, and the Morrison being dominated by open plains of low-browse flora.
Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek is the stage of the Greek language in the periods spanning the times c. 9th–6th centuries BC, , c. 5th–4th centuries BC , and the c. 3rd century BC – 6th century AD of ancient Greece and the ancient world; being predated in the 2nd millennium BC by Mycenaean Greek...
dokos/δοκоς "beam", is a sauropod dinosaur
Dinosaur
Dinosaurs are a diverse group of animals of the clade and superorder Dinosauria. They were the dominant terrestrial vertebrates for over 160 million years, from the late Triassic period until the end of the Cretaceous , when the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event led to the extinction of...
that lived during the Late Jurassic period
Jurassic
The Jurassic is a geologic period and system that extends from about Mya to Mya, that is, from the end of the Triassic to the beginning of the Cretaceous. The Jurassic constitutes the middle period of the Mesozoic era, also known as the age of reptiles. The start of the period is marked by...
, around 150 million years ago in what was then German East Africa
German East Africa
German East Africa was a German colony in East Africa, which included what are now :Burundi, :Rwanda and Tanganyika . Its area was , nearly three times the size of Germany today....
(now Tanzania
Tanzania
The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
). Its scientific name is derived from its originally being considered a southern (Gondwana
Gondwana
In paleogeography, Gondwana , originally Gondwanaland, was the southernmost of two supercontinents that later became parts of the Pangaea supercontinent. It existed from approximately 510 to 180 million years ago . Gondwana is believed to have sutured between ca. 570 and 510 Mya,...
n) relative of Diplodocus
Diplodocus
Diplodocus , or )is a genus of diplodocid sauropod dinosaur whose fossils were first discovered in 1877 by S. W. Williston. The generic name, coined by Othniel Charles Marsh in 1878, is a Neo-Latin term derived from Greek "double" and "beam", in reference to its double-beamed chevron bones...
, though this classification is now considered unlikely. The species name honors Boheti bin Amrani, a native crew supervisor and chief preparator who was an important contributor to the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
expeditions that first excavated the Tanzanian sites.
The remains of Australodocus bohetii were recovered from the Tendaguru
Tendaguru
The Tendaguru Beds are a fossil-rich formation in Tanzania. It has been considered the richest of Late Jurassic strata in Africa. Continental reconstructions show Tendaguru to have been in the southern hemisphere during the Late Jurassic. Tendaguru is similar to the Morrison Formation except in...
beds of Tanzania, which have been a fertile ground for many Jurassic dinosaurs, including several genera of large sauropods, such as Giraffatitan
Giraffatitan
Giraffatitan, meaning "giraffe titan", is a genus of sauropod dinosaur that lived during the late Jurassic Period . It was originally named as an African species of Brachiosaurus...
(also known as Brachiosaurus brancai
Brachiosaurus
Brachiosaurus is a genus of sauropod dinosaur from the Jurassic Morrison Formation of North America. It was first described by Elmer S. Riggs in 1903 from fossils found in the Grand River Canyon of western Colorado, in the United States. Riggs named the dinosaur Brachiosaurus altithorax,...
), Janenschia
Janenschia
Janenschia was a large sauropod from Late Jurassic Africa , and therefore the earliest known titanosaur. Originally thought to be a species of the diplodocid Tornieria/Barosaurus , it was later found to be a distantly related titanosaur. So far, it is only known from Tanzania...
, Tendaguria
Tendaguria
Tendaguria is a genus of sauropod dinosaur from the Late Jurassic of Tanzania.It was a large sauropod from the Tendaguru fossil locality in Tanzania; based on two anterior dorsal vertebrae from Nambango, 15 kilometers southeast of Tendaguru Hill, Tanzania, probably in the Upper...
, and Tornieria
Tornieria
Tornieria is a genus of diplodocid sauropod dinosaur from Late Jurassic of Tanzania. It has a convoluted taxonomic history.-Discovery and naming:...
. Australodocus itself is based on
Holotype
A holotype is a single physical example of an organism, known to have been used when the species was formally described. It is either the single such physical example or one of several such, but explicitly designated as the holotype...
two neck
Neck
The neck is the part of the body, on many terrestrial or secondarily aquatic vertebrates, that distinguishes the head from the torso or trunk. The adjective signifying "of the neck" is cervical .-Boner anatomy: The cervical spine:The cervical portion of the human spine comprises seven boney...
vertebrae, which are less elongate than those of other diplodocids and differ in other anatomical details. These vertebrae were originally part of a series of four vertebrae collected in the 1909 expedition led by Werner Janensch
Werner Janensch
Werner Ernst Martin Janensch was a German paleontologist and geologist.Janensch's most famous contributions stemmed from the expedition he led with Edwin Hennig to the Tendaguru Beds in what is now Tanzania...
; unfortunately, like some other fossils collected by German expeditions to Africa, the other bones were destroyed in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. The 2007 description of the surviving bones increases the known diversity of sauropods and diplodocids in Tendaguru.
Australodocus was originally described as a diplodocid
Diplodocid
Diplodocids, or members of the family Diplodocidae , are a group of sauropod dinosaurs. The family includes some of the longest creatures ever to walk the earth, including Diplodocus and Supersaurus, which may have reached lengths of up to .-Description:While still massive, when compared to the...
, due to the fact that it had double (bifurcate') neural spines on some of its vertebra, a characteristic normally associated with diplodocoid sauropods. However, several later studies by John Whitlock and colleagues found that Australodocus is actually a member of the sauropod clade Titanosauriformes, possibly closely related to Brachiosaurus. The presence of a higher number of macronaria
Macronaria
Macronaria is a clade of sauropod dinosaurs from the Middle Jurassic to Late Cretaceous Periods of what are now North America, South America, Europe, Asia and Africa. The name means 'large nostrils' , in reference to the large nasal openings high on the head that probably supported fleshy...
n sauropods in the Tendaguru environment compared to numerous diplodocoids in the Morrison Formation
Morrison Formation
The Morrison Formation is a distinctive sequence of Late Jurassic sedimentary rock that is found in the western United States, which has been the most fertile source of dinosaur fossils in North America. It is composed of mudstone, sandstone, siltstone and limestone and is light grey, greenish...
may be due to previously known differences in environment, with the Tendaguru being dominated by conifer forest, and the Morrison being dominated by open plains of low-browse flora.