A Nearly Complete Tail of a Flagellicaudatan Sauropod and its Taxonomic Status
Open AccessA nearly complete and articulated caudal series of vertebrae from a Flagellicaudatan sauropod, was collected from the Morrison Formation deposits of southern Montana, primarily in 2019. The sauropod was preliminarily nicknamed “Suu 2” because it was discovered in a location close in proximity (no more than 50 meters) to the excavation site of the holotype of Suuwassea emilieae. The caudal series of this specimen was found nearly completely articulated in situ, and was the first portion of those elements collected to be prepared and evaluated. This thesis focuses only on that caudal series of vertebrae, and using photography, three-dimensional scans, and in-person examination, provides the first anatomical description of the specimen. In addition, phylogenetic analyses, using equal and implied weighting and building upon the matrix from Tschopp et al. (2015), assign Suu 2 as sister to a specimen referred by Tschopp et al. (2105) to Brontosaurus parvus, in a clade that does not include S. emilieae. This taxonomic status of Suu 2 should be revisited when more of the specimen is prepared, as additional non-caudal elements may produce alternative taxonomic positions for the specimen.
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Malinowski_gwu_0075M_16137.pdf | 2022-10-04 | Open Access |
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