Editing Barosaurus (section)

==Description==
[[File:Barosaurus lentus1.jpg|thumb|left|Life reconstruction of an individual rearing up to defend itself against a pair of ''[[Allosaurus]]'']]
''Barosaurus'' was an enormous animal, with some adults measuring about {{cvt|25|-|27|m|ft}} in length and weighing about 12–20&nbsp;[[metric ton]]s (13–22&nbsp;[[short ton]]s).<ref name=seebacher2001>{{cite journal |last=Seebacher |first=Frank. |year=2001 |title=A new method to calculate allometric length-mass relationships of dinosaurs |journal=Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology |volume=21 |issue=1 |pages=51–60 |doi=10.1671/0272-4634(2001)021[0051:ANMTCA]2.0.CO;2|citeseerx=10.1.1.462.255 |s2cid=53446536 }}</ref><ref name="Henderson2013">{{cite journal |last=Henderson |first=Donald |year=2013 |title=Sauropod Necks: Are They Really for Heat Loss? |journal=PLOS ONE |volume=8 |issue=10 |pages=e77108 |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0077108|pmid=24204747 |pmc=3812985 |bibcode=2013PLoSO...877108H |doi-access=free }}</ref><ref name=G.S.Paul2016>Paul, G.S., 2016, ''The Princeton Field Guide to Dinosaurs 2nd edition'', Princeton University Press p. 213</ref> The estimated tail length of ''Barosaurus'' makes up about half the total body length.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Baron |first=Matthew G. |date=October 3, 2021 |title=Tactile tails: a new hypothesis for the function of the elongate tails of diplodocid sauropods |url=https://doi.org/10.1080/08912963.2020.1769092 |journal=Historical Biology |volume=33 |issue=10 |pages=2057–2066 |doi=10.1080/08912963.2020.1769092 |bibcode=2021HBio...33.2057B |s2cid=219762797 |issn=0891-2963}}</ref> According to [[Michael P. Taylor|Mike Taylor]], the {{cvt|1.37|m|ft}} long vertebra BYU 9024, previously identified as part of the type individual of ''[[Supersaurus vivianae]]'',<ref name=lovelaceetal2007/> may actually belong to ''Barosaurus''. He suggested that, interpreted as belonging to ''Barosaurus'', the vertebra suggests an animal that was {{cvt|48|m|ft}} long and around {{cvt|66|t|ST}} in weight making it one of the largest known dinosaurs, with a neck length of at least {{cvt|15|m|ft}}.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://svpow.com/2019/06/16/supersaurus-ultrasaurus-and-dystylosaurus-in-2019-part-2b-the-size-of-the-byu-9024-animal/|title=The size of the BYU 9024 animal|date=June 16, 2019|website=svpow.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220416135446/https://svpow.com/2019/06/16/supersaurus-ultrasaurus-and-dystylosaurus-in-2019-part-2b-the-size-of-the-byu-9024-animal/|archive-date=April 16, 2022|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2020 Molina-Perez and Larramendi estimated it to be slightly smaller at {{cvt|45|m|ft}} and {{cvt|60|t|ST}}.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Molina-Perez & Larramendi |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=d-HFDwAAQBAJ&dq=Barosaurus&pg=PA36 |title=Dinosaur Facts and Figures: The Sauropods and Other Sauropodomorphs |publisher=Princeton University Press |year=2020 |location=New Jersey |page=36 |isbn=9780691190693 }}</ref> However, research presented by Brian Curtice at the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology conference has supported the previous interpretation of BYU 9024 as a ''Supersaurus'' vertebra.<ref>{{cite conference | title = New Dry Mesa Dinosaur Quarry Supersaurus vivianae (Jensen 1985) axial elements provide additional insight into its phylogenetic relationships and size, suggesting an animal that exceeded 39 meters in length | first1 = Brian | last1 = Curtice | book-title= The Society of Vertebrate Paleontology Virtual Meeting conference Program |date=November 1–5, 2021 |page=92 |url=https://vertpaleo.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/SVP_2021_VirtualBook_final.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221008180700/https://vertpaleo.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/SVP_2021_VirtualBook_final.pdf|archive-date=October 8, 2022|url-status=live}}</ref> Despite this, there are other specimens that provide evidence of gigantic ''Barosaurus'' individuals which may have been among the longest dinosaurs. One of these is a series of three cervical vertebrae (BYU 3GR/BYU 20815) and the third vertebra is 1110 mm to 1220 mm in length. Dr Mike Taylor and Dr Matt Wedel compared the size of this bone to the same bone in smaller ''Barosaurus'' specimens, such as AMNH 6341, and estimated the neck length of the BYU 3GR/20815 ''Barosaurus'' at {{cvt|12.07|-|15.1|m|ft}}, which would make it one of the longest necks of any dinosaur and indicate a total body length of around {{cvt|40|m|ft}}.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.miketaylor.org.uk/dino/pubs/svpca2016/abstract.html#gsc.tab=0/|title=How big did ''Barosaurus'' get?|date=August 30, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.miketaylor.org.uk/dino/pubs/svpca2016/TaylorWedel2016-how-big-did-barosaurus-get.pdf|title=How big did ''Barosaurus'' get?|date=2016}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://svpow.com/2019/06/15/supersaurus-ultrasaurus-and-dystylosaurus-in-2019-part-2-what-we-found-in-utah/|title=''Supersaurus'', ''Ultrasaurus'' and ''Dystylosaurus'' in 2019, part 2: what we found in Utah|date=June 15, 2019|website=svpow.com}}</ref> '' Barosaurus'' was differently proportioned than its close relative ''Diplodocus'', with a longer neck and shorter tail, but was about the same length overall. It was longer than ''[[Apatosaurus]]'', but its skeleton was less robust.<ref name=mcintosh2005>{{cite book |last=McIntosh |first=John S. |year=2005 |chapter=The genus ''Barosaurus'' Marsh (Sauropoda, Diplodocidae) |editor= Tidwell, Virginia |editor2=Carpenter, Ken |editor2-link=Kenneth Carpenter |title=Thunder-lizards: The Sauropod Dinosaurs |publisher=Indiana University Press |location=Bloomington |pages=38–77 |isbn=978-0-253-34542-4}}</ref> 

Sauropod skulls are rarely preserved, and scientists have yet to discover a ''Barosaurus'' skull.<!--(Although a jaw is being studied, that may belong to a Barosaurus.)--> Related diplodocids like ''Apatosaurus'' and ''Diplodocus'' had long, low skulls with peg-like teeth confined to the front of the jaws.<ref name=upchurchetal2004>{{cite book |last=Upchurch |first=Paul |author2=Barrett, Paul M. |author3-link=Peter Dodson |author3=Dodson, Peter |year=2004 |chapter=Sauropoda |editor= Weishampel, David B. |editor-link= David B. Weishampel |editor2=Dodson, Peter |editor2-link=Peter Dodson |editor3=Osmólska, Halszka |editor3-link=Halszka Osmólska |title=The Dinosauria |edition=2nd |publisher=University of California Press |location=Berkeley |pages=259–322 |isbn=978-0-520-24209-8}}</ref>
[[File:Barosize.svg|thumb|right|Size comparison]]
Most of the distinguishing skeletal features of ''Barosaurus'' were in the [[vertebra]]e, although a complete vertebral column has never been found. ''Diplodocus'' and ''Apatosaurus'' both had 15 [[cervical vertebra|cervical]] (neck) and 10 dorsal (trunk) vertebrae, while ''Barosaurus'' had only 9 dorsals. A dorsal may have been converted into a cervical vertebra, for a total of 16 vertebrae in the neck. ''Barosaurus'' cervicals were similar to those of ''Diplodocus'', but some were up to 50% longer. The [[Spinous process|neural spines]] protruding from the top of the vertebrae were neither as tall or as complex in ''Barosaurus'' as they were in ''Diplodocus''. In contrast to its neck vertebrae, ''Barosaurus'' had shorter [[caudal vertebra|caudal]] (tail) vertebrae than ''Diplodocus'', resulting in a shorter tail. The [[Chevron (anatomy)|chevron]] bones lining the underside of the tail were forked and had a prominent forward spike, much like the closely related ''Diplodocus''. The tail probably ended in a long whiplash, much like ''Apatosaurus'', ''Diplodocus'' and other diplodocids, some of which had up to 80 tail vertebrae.<ref name=mcintosh2005/>

The limb bones of ''Barosaurus'' were virtually indistinguishable from those of ''Diplodocus''.<ref name=mcintosh2005/> Both were quadrupedal, with columnar limbs adapted to support the enormous bulk of the animals. ''Barosaurus'' had proportionately longer forelimbs than other diplodocids, although they were still shorter than most other groups of sauropods.<ref name=mcintosh2005/> There was a single [[carpal]] bone in the wrist, and the [[metacarpal]]s were more slender than those of ''Diplodocus''.<ref name=foster1996>{{cite journal|last=Foster |first=John R. |year=1996 |title=Sauropod dinosaurs of the Morrison Formation (Upper Jurassic), Black Hills, South Dakota and Wyoming |journal=Contributions to Geology, University of Wyoming |volume=31 |issue=1 |pages=1–25 |url=http://pubs.gg.uwyo.edu/conttogeo/abstracts/CTG_31-1.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100621180213/http://pubs.gg.uwyo.edu/conttogeo/abstracts/CTG_31-1.htm |archive-date=June 21, 2010 }}</ref> ''Barosaurus'' feet have never been discovered, but like other sauropods, it would have been [[digitigrade]], with all four feet each bearing five small toes. A large claw adorned the inside digit on the [[manus (anatomy)|manus]] (forefoot) while smaller claws tipped the inside three digits of the [[pes (anatomy)|pes]] (hindfoot).<ref name=mcintosh2005/><ref name=upchurchetal2004/>