Western University of Health Sciences

Matt Wedel

[![](https://svpow.files.wordpress.com/2010/03/klamelisaurus-cervicals.jpg?w=480&h=298 "Klamelisaurus cervicals"){.aligncenter
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On the off chance that the [postparapophyses of
*Shunosaurus*](http://svpow.com/2010/03/08/whats-the-deal-with-your-wacky-postparapophyses-shunosaurus/)
weren't enough to sate your appetite for Sino-pod rib-related weirdness,
here are a couple of fused cervicals of *Klamelisaurus*, from the Middle
Jurassic of China (from Zhao 1993:plate 1). These are weird for a couple
of reasons. First, although fused caudals are pretty common in sauropods
(see [here](http://svpow.wordpress.com/2009/02/02/ahead-by-a-tail/)),
and fused dorsals turn up a lot (see discussion
[here](http://svpow.wordpress.com/2009/02/09/sauropods-of-2008-eomamenchisaurus/)),
and the fusion of the atlas to the axis is not unheard of (see
[here](http://svpow.wordpress.com/2009/02/19/a-fused-atlas-and-axis-in-apatosaurus/)
and
[here](http://svpow.wordpress.com/2009/06/16/yet-more-uninformed-noodling-on-the-future-of-scientific-publishing-and-that-kind-of-thing/)),
fusion of the middle or posterior cervicals is rare. Which makes
intuitive sense--presumably fusing up your food-reaching organ is
counterproductive. The only other example I know of is the pair of fused
posterior cervicals in the AMNH 5761  *Camarasaurus supremus* (which,
oddly enough, I don't think we've covered yet on SV-POW!). If you know
of others, please let me know.

Anyway, what's really weird about the *Klamelisaurus* verts is not the
fusion but the bar of bone connecting the cervical rib of the first
vertebra back to one or more of the centra. I think that the weird
pseudo-parapophysis-thingy is not the parapophysis of the second vert,
which is hanging down just behind, but some kind of extra ossification
off the postero-ventro-lateral corner of the first vert's centrum.
Admittedly, that's a lot of interpretation to hang on one grainy photo
of a specimen I've never seen. But I've seen something similar in some
bird cervicals, where there is sometimes  a prong or hook of bone from
that corner of the centrum sweeping down and out to brace against the
longus colli ventralis tendon that comes  off the cervical rib. One of
the *Apatosaurus* cervicals on the wall at Dinosaur National Monument
has a similar pair of hooks on its posterior centrum. Irritatingly, I
don't have any digitized photos of the *Apato* vert, and I can't find
any photos at all that show what I'm talking about in birds. Sorry to
tantalize, I learned it from Darren. When I get pix, I'll post 'em.

In the meantime, you can amuse yourself by pondering the strangeness of
the fused *Klamelisaurus* verts, and by watching the Dinosaur National
Monument Quarry Visitor Center get demolished
[here](http://qvcproject.blogspot.com/).

**Reference**  
Zhao X. 1993. A new mid-Jurassic sauropod (*Klamelisaurus gobiensis*
gen. et sp. nov.) from Xinjiang, China. Vertebrata PalAsiatica
31(2):132-138.


On the off chance that the postparapophyses of
<em>
 Shunosaurus
</em>
weren’t enough to sate your appetite for Sino-pod rib-related weirdness, here are a couple of fused cervicals of
<em>
 Klamelisaurus
</em>
, from the Middle Jurassic of China (from Zhao 1993:plate 1). These are weird for a couple of reasons.

Rogue Scholar Beiträge

Um, dude, there’s a thing on your neck