A complete titanosaur femur from West Texas with comments regarding hindlimb posture

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• 作者：Steven L. Wick^a ; ^{steven_wick@nps.gov" class="auth_mail} ; Thomas M. Lehman^b ; ^{tom.lehman@ttu.edu" class="auth_mail}
• 关键词：Late Cretaceous ; Texas ; Sauropod ; Alamosaurus ; Hindlimb
• 刊名：Cretaceous Research
• 出版年：May 2014
• 年：2014
• 卷：49
• 期：Complete
• 页码：39-44
• 全文大小：1244 K

文摘

An isolated titanosaur femur recovered from the Javelina Formation (Maastrichtian) of Big Bend National Park, Texas is the most complete example yet reported from North America. The specimen is likely referable to Alamosaurus sanjuanensis, the only titanosaur thus far known from Upper Cretaceous strata in North America, but cannot be attributed with certainty to that taxon. Compared to femora from other titanosaurs, the specimen has a relatively reduced abductor crest, a less elevated femoral head, and a distal joint surface that is orthogonal to the long axis of the shaft. These differences suggest that the Big Bend femur pertains to a species where hindlimb stance was closer to vertical, and with a comparatively narrower gait than other titanosaurids.