8th September 2009
This page contains unofficial supplementary information for the paper:
The Nexus file used to generate the cladistic analysis in the Brachiosaurus paper is available to anyone who wants to re-run or extend the analysis.
My thanks to Jerry Harris, who gave me a copy of the Nexus file from his (2006) analysis. My file is based on his, changed only in splitting the compound "Brachiosaurus" OTU.
The following high-resolution versions of the figures from the Brachiosaurus paper are for the benefit of scientists and reporters. Feel free to reproduce or modify these for use in scientific (i.e. peer-reviewed) literature, or in reporting on this paper in the popular media. Please do not reproduce these in other non-scientific contexts without explicit permission from the author. (I'll probably give permission, but you need to check.)
| FIGURE 1. Dorsal vertebrae of Brachiosaurus altithorax and Brachiosaurus brancai in posterior and lateral views, equally scaled. A, B, E, F, I, J, M, N, B. altithorax holotype FMNH P 25107, modified from Riggs (1904:pl. LXXII); C, D, G, H, K, L, O, P, B. brancai lectotype HMN SII, modified from Janensch (1950a:figs. 53, 54, 56, 60-62, 64) except H, photograph by author. Neural arch and spine of K sheared to correct for distortion. A, D, E, H, I, L, M, P, posterior; B, F, G, J, N, right lateral; C, K, O, left lateral reflected. A, B, dorsal 6; C, D, dorsal 4; E-H, dorsal 8; I-L, dorsal 10; M, N, P, dorsal 12; O, dorsals 11 and 12. Corresponding vertebrae from each specimen are shown together except that dorsal 4 is not known from B. altithorax so dorsal 6, the most anterior known vertebra, is instead shown next to dorsal 4 of B. brancai. Scale bar equals 50 cm. |
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| FIGURE 2. Sacra of Brachiosaurus altithorax and Brachiosaurus brancai, equally scaled. A, B, B. altithorax holotype FMNH P 25107; C, B. brancai referred specimen HMN Aa; D, juvenile B. brancai referred specimen HMN T. A, C, right lateral; B, D, ventral. A, B modified from Riggs (1904:pl. LXXIII); C, D modified from Janensch (1950a: figs. 74 and 76). Scale bar equals 50 cm. |
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| FIGURE 3. Second caudal vertebrae of Brachiosaurus altithorax and Brachiosaurus brancai, equally scaled. A, B, B. altithorax holotype FMNH P 25107; C-G, B. brancai referred specimen HMN Aa. A, C, posterior; B, D, F, right lateral; E, G, anterior. A-B modified from Riggs (1904:pl. LXXV); C-E modified from Janensch (1950a:pl. 2), F-G modified from Janensch (1929:fig. 15). Scale bar equals 50 cm. 3 |
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| FIGURE 4. Limb girdle bones of Brachiosaurus altithorax and Brachiosaurus brancai, equally scaled. A, C, right ilium of B. altithorax holotype FMNH P 25107; B, D, left coracoid of same, reflected; E, right ilium of B. brancai referred specimen Aa 13, scaled to size of restored ilium of B. brancai lectotype HMN SII as estimated by Janensch (1950b:99); F, right coracoid of B. brancai lectotype HMN SII. A modified from FMNH neg. #GEO-16152, showing poor preservation and absence of public peduncle; B modified from Riggs (1903:fig. 3); C, D modified from Riggs (1904:pl. LXXV); E modified from Janensch (1961:Beilage E, fig. 1a); F modified from Janensch (1961:fig. 1a). Scale bar equals 50 cm. |
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| FIGURE 5. Right limb bones of Brachiosaurus altithorax and Brachiosaurus brancai, equally scaled. A-C, humerus of B. altithorax holotype FMNH P 25107; D-F, femur of same; G-K, humerus of B. brancai lectotype HMN SII; L-P, femur of B. brancai referred specimen HMN St 291, scaled to size of restored femur of HMN SII as estimated by Janensch (1950b:99). A, D, G, L, proximal; B, E, H, M, anterior; C, K, P, posterior; J, O, medial; F, I, N, distal. A, B, D, E modified from Riggs (1904:pl. LXXIV); C modified from Riggs (1904:fig. 1); F modified from Riggs (1903:fig. 7); G-K modified from Janensch (1961:Beilage A); L-P modified from Janensch (1961:Beilage J). Scale bar equals 50 cm. |
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| FIGURE 6. Phylogenetic relationships of Brachiosaurus and Giraffatitan, produced using PAUP* 4.0b10 on the matrix of Harris (2006) modified by splitting the composite "Brachiosaurus" OTU into two separate OTUs for the two species, having 31 taxa and 331 characters. Strict consensus of 72 most parsimonious trees (length = 791; CI = 0.5196; RI = 0.6846, RC = 0.3557). Three clades forming a node-stem triplet are highlighted: the node-based Titanosauriformes, and the branch-based sister clades Brachiosauridae and Somphospondyli. |
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| FIGURE 7. Skeletal reconstruction of Brachiosaurus altithorax. White bones represent the elements of the holotype FMNH P 25107. Light grey bones represent material referred to B. altithorax: the Felch Quarry skull USNM 5730, the cervical vertebrae BYU 12866 (C?5) and BYU 12867 (C?10), the "Ultrasauros" scapulocoracoid BYU 9462, the Potter Creek left humerus USNM 21903, left radius and right metacarpal III BYU 4744, and the left metacarpal II OMNH 01138. Dark grey bones modified from Paul's (1988) reconstruction of Giraffatitan brancai. Scale bar equals 2 m. |
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