It is one of the three main groups of the clade Titanosauriformes, which also includes the Euhelopodidae and the Titanosauria. īrachiosauridae has been defined as all titanosauriforms that are more closely related to Brachiosaurus than to Saltasaurus. It is still unclear whether this reduction is due to local extinctions or to the limited nature of the Early Cretaceous fossil record. In the Early Cretaceous the distribution of the group is dramatically reduced. The broad distribution of Brachiosauridae in both northern and southern continents suggests that the group originated prior to the breakup of Pangaea. They first appear in the fossil record in the Late Jurassic Period (possibly even earlier in the Middle Jurassic) and disappear in the late Early Cretaceous Period. Brachiosaurids thrived in the regions which are now North and South America, Africa, Europe, and Asia. īrachiosaurus is one of the best-known members of the Brachiosauridae, and was once thought to be the largest land animal to ever live. They have also been characterized by a few unique traits or synapomorphies dorsal vertebrae with 'rod-like' transverse processes and an ischium with an abbreviated pubic peduncle. In addition, they possessed thick spoon-shaped teeth which helped them to consume tough plants more efficiently than other sauropods. Brachiosaurids had long necks that enabled them to access the leaves of tall trees that other sauropods would have been unable to reach. The Brachiosauridae ("arm lizards", from Greek brachion (βραχίων) = "arm" and sauros = "lizard") are a family or clade of herbivorous, quadrupedal sauropod dinosaurs. Mounted Brachiosaurus skeleton cast, Field Museum of Natural History
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