Dinosaur vertebrae

[José Roberto Morales Piato]

Hello all

I am a new member here.As I don´t have experience in this field,I would appreciate if someone could tell if this vertebrae is original.If so,is it possible to say that it belonged to an Allosaurus?

Best Regards,

José 

[Troodon]

Your specimen does not compare well with the illustrations I attached of caudal vertebrae from an Allosaurus.  Other issues, the label says from Utah the online site says Wyoming and its impossible to determine which allosaurus species it is from an isolated vertebra.  Looks more like a vertebra from a sauropod.

 

[José Roberto Morales Piato]

Thank you very much for your reply and photos,Mr Troodon.

So probably not an Alossaurus,but is it possible to know for sure that it´s real and not a fake based on these photos?

Thanks a lot

[Troodon]

Its real, but difficult to say if any restoration has been done without examining it by hand.  Seller does not address this point other than saying its VERY complete which begs the question how complete.  I see the possibility of some repair but cannot be sure.  I would not trust any comments on repair/restoration based on the inconsistencies with location and ID.

[José Roberto Morales Piato]

Thanks again for your knowledgeable information.

Cheers from Brazil!!

[Meatasaurus93]

Hi Jose,

 

Allosaurus material, especially complete vertebrae, is very rare, so you made the right decision to ask here before purchasing. That's a nice vertebra, but it doesn't look like it's from a theropod. Here is an Allosaurus caudal from my collection for comparison to Troodon's images:

 

 

Here is a link to a high resolution picture of "Big Al" the Allosaurus, where you can get a good view of the vertebrae in its tail:

 

The vertebra in your pictures looks like it's a mid-distal caudal from a sauropod, possibly Camarasaurus. Here is an articulated Camarasaurus tail section for reference:

 

 

Hope this helps!

 

[José Roberto Morales Piato]

Hi Meatasaurus93

Helped a lot,thanks for your comments and photos.Very nice vertebrae you have,congratulations!

Best,

Jose

[José Roberto Morales Piato]

 

 

Hi there all.I missed that vertebra which started the thread,but found this one elsewhere.Any comments regarding originality and restauration would be very welcome.

Best Regards.

 

[José Roberto Morales Piato]

 A larger photo.

[Troodon]

On the surface you vertebra looks good but its very difficult to see good restoration/repairs with photos without holding the specimen in your hand and examining it in person.  The seller needs to tell you what areas have been restored or repaired, why its important to know/trust who you are buying from.  Its unusual to find any Jurassic vertebrae without some repair being done to it and its usually to the processes so you should ask the seller.  What is the locality of where this is from?

[José Roberto Morales Piato]

Hello Mr Troodon,

This vertebrae comes from fossil Avenue own quarry in Colorado.As I was afraid of loosing this one also, I bought It already.He mentions some minor restoration on fractures and the neural Spine.

So, do you think It is real?

Would you recommend to post more photos when It arrives?

He also said It is from a Camarasaurus.

Thanks again for your help.

Kind Regards,

José

[Troodon]

Okay it looks nice and its definitely real like I said above .  My recommendation to you and others reading this is when sellers say there is some minor restoration on fractures and the neural spine ask for specifics.  Suggest he marks up a photo showing exactly where the repair is and how much.  My experience is that "MINOR" has a different meaning to sellers and buyers.  

 

You can post closeups of all the processes with good lighting of both sides and we can take a look

 

Possible areas of restoration

[Troodon]

Looks like its a Camarasaurus sp. here are some vertebrae to compare against. 

Sorry for the poor photos images on the technical paper.

 

 

one on the right is pretty close its Caudal # 31

 

 

[Haravex]

Just seen this now camarasaurus is also my thinking based upon previous vertebrae I have seen for sale, and looked at through journals.

 

Thanks Matt

[TyBoy]

12 minutes ago, Haravex said:

vertebrae I have seen for sale

Not a good practice.   Most like to follow other listings since its follow the leader and easy. .   Journals should be a key source.

[Haravex]

The people who's specimens I have seen have had years of experience and have numerous fossils in museums including sophie the stegosaurus and you missed the point of and journals. And this is the second point point most journals are paywalled so is impossible for a non academic to get access too without spending a lot of money thank you.

[José Roberto Morales Piato]

Dear Mr Troodon,

Thank you very  much for your comments and advice.As soon as it arrives here in Brazil I will take the photos you suggested.I'm Very happy to know it's original, since It is the first dinosaur specimen in my small collection.

Kind Regards,

José

[Flx]

 

@ Haravex @ Troodon @ José Roberto Morales Piato

 

If you are interested in the anatomy of Camarasaurus I recommend "Camarasaurus, Amphicoelias, and other sauropods by Cope" by Osborn and Mook.

This is a truly epic document containing hundreds of illustrations. I have never seen a more complete discription of a dinosaur and it helped me a lot with prepping my Camarasaurus.

A digital copy can be downloaded free of charge (174MB): 

http://digitallibrary.amnh.org/handle/2246/5724