Ericdlr Posted May 31, 2020 Share Posted May 31, 2020 Hi! I recently got 4 vertebras from Morocco (Kem-Kem beds). They told me that one of them (the smallest one, nº4) is a theropod vertebra but I don't know what kind of theropod it comes from (or even if it is possible to know). And I'm completely lost with the other 3 (number 1 - 3), I don't know if they are Spinosaurus, crocodile or even a mosasaur... Can anyone help me? Thanks in advance! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troodon Posted May 31, 2020 Share Posted May 31, 2020 I would lean towards all of these being Crocodyliformes 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LordTrilobite Posted May 31, 2020 Share Posted May 31, 2020 The first two are croc cervical verts. The last one I'm pretty sure is croc caudal. 1 Olof Moleman AKA Lord Trilobite Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ericdlr Posted May 31, 2020 Author Share Posted May 31, 2020 Thank you very much!! And which characteristics you look for to know it? Thanks again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LordTrilobite Posted May 31, 2020 Share Posted May 31, 2020 Oh and I overlooked that you were showing 4 vertebrae, not 3. The nr3 looks like a dorsal vertebra of some type. Possibly croc as well, but not sure. The nr4, croc caudal is fairly complete, so thats nice. The little prezyapopheses and postzyapopheses or "hands" as they are sometimes informally called are rather wide and as far as I know this is more common in Kem Kem crocs than it is in Kem Kem theropods where I have not seen it once. The lateral processes on this vertebra show it to be from the front half of the tail since verts on the other end don't have these lateral processes. The cervical vertebrae are quite distinctive with the pointed process on the bottom front. I'm pretty sure this is fairly common for crocs. The processes on the side are for the attachment of cervical ribs. Also no pneumatic foramen can be seen, which is something most theropods have fairly prominently on their cervical vertebrae. Olof Moleman AKA Lord Trilobite Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ericdlr Posted June 1, 2020 Author Share Posted June 1, 2020 13 hours ago, LordTrilobite said: Oh and I overlooked that you were showing 4 vertebrae, not 3. The nr3 looks like a dorsal vertebra of some type. Possibly croc as well, but not sure. The nr4, croc caudal is fairly complete, so thats nice. The little prezyapopheses and postzyapopheses or "hands" as they are sometimes informally called are rather wide and as far as I know this is more common in Kem Kem crocs than it is in Kem Kem theropods where I have not seen it once. The lateral processes on this vertebra show it to be from the front half of the tail since verts on the other end don't have these lateral processes. The cervical vertebrae are quite distinctive with the pointed process on the bottom front. I'm pretty sure this is fairly common for crocs. The processes on the side are for the attachment of cervical ribs. Also no pneumatic foramen can be seen, which is something most theropods have fairly prominently on their cervical vertebrae. Wow, thaks a lot!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now