FINE SAUROPOD LIMB BONE. ...

Description

FINE SAUROPOD LIMB BONE
Diplodocidae species indeterminate
Late Jurassic
Dana Quarry, Washakie County, Wyoming, USA
This lot represents a complete and well-preserved humerus belonging to a young sauropod. Fossils like the present one belonging to immature individuals are quite rare, thereby making species identification difficult. This interesting specimen may have belonged to one of several known diplodocid species that range in the Lower Morrison, including Apatosaurus, Diplodocus, and Barosaurus. They grew to be enormous animals, the Amphicoelias conjectured to have reached up to 130 feet in length, but they are characterized by relatively short stumpy legs. This specimen was recovered from the Dana Quarry, located at the edge of the Bighorn Mountains near the town of Ten Sleep, Wyoming. Recent excavations have revealed a spectacular Morrison Formation site, preserving an enormous multi-species death assemblage of dinosaurs. Current speculation suggests that the Dana Quarry may have previously been a natural trap where herbivorous species perished together in a shrinking water hole, possibly during a catastrophic drought. The weak and dying may have been caught in the mud long enough to attract the attention of predators, who in turn were trapped while feeding on "easy pickings". The carnage preserved here is reminiscent of the conditions that existed in the Tar pits of Rancho La Brea, where Ice Age mammals were drawn to their death by just such a rare predator/prey chain reaction event. The present specimen displays the excellent quality of fossils from this quarry, with a lovely deep brown patination and superb bone texture, and measures 27 inches in length.

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