Diplodocus vertebra?

[Fossil Collect]

Hello! I am wondering is this caudal vertebra is from a diplodocus. I have learned over the years that sellers just slap a ‘Diplodocus’ label on anything that looks remotely diplodocid like. It is 22 cm long and 19 cm high and collected from Dana quarry Wyoming. Thanks. 

[Meatasaurus93]

It definitely looks diplodocid.

 

Here's a section of "Dippy" the Diplodocus' tail for comparative purposes:

 

 

Is it important for you that it belonged to Diplodocus? I think, regardless, the vert is very nice and of high quality.

[Troodon]

A more distal string of csudal vertebrae from a Diplodocus you can compare against, looks good..  Other Diplodocidae can be similar but not an expert to distinguish between the many different ones in the Morrison.

 

[jpc]

NIce vert.  While I collect a fair bit in the Morrison, I am not good at IDing these things.  

[Flx]

There are many sauropod species in Morisson Fm and I don't think you can tell for sure that it is Diplodocus. Anyway, 2 points:

- A lot of diplodocus material has been found in Dana quarry. This makes the ID plausible.

- A palentologist once told be that if in Morisson Fm. a caudal vertebra centrum is long compared to its diameter (length = 2 times the diameter or even longer) it most likely belongs to a diplodocoidea and not a macronarian sauropod.  -> So at least you can rule out Camarasaurus and Brachiosaurus for the vert in the picture.

 

 

 

 

[Fossil Collect]

48 minutes ago, Flx said:

There are many sauropod species in Morisson Fm and I don't think you can tell for sure that it is Diplodocus. Anyway, 2 points:

- A lot of diplodocus material has been found in Dana quarry. This makes the ID plausible.

- A palentologist once told be that if in Morisson Fm. a caudal vertebra centrum is long compared to its diameter (length = 2 times the diameter or even longer) it most likely belongs to a diplodocoidea and not a macronarian sauropod.  -> So at least you can rule out Camarasaurus and Brachiosaurus for the vert in the picture.

 

 

 

 

Thank you!

[Fossil Collect]

On 3/11/2023 at 11:32 PM, Meatasaurus93 said:

It definitely looks diplodocid.

 

Here's a section of "Dippy" the Diplodocus' tail for comparative purposes:

 

 

Is it important for you that it belonged to Diplodocus? I think, regardless, the vert is very nice and of high quality.

It looks almost identical but all diplodocid vertebra's could be like that.