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Journal of the Geological Society; 2007; v. 164; issue.1; p. 61-65;
DOI: 10.1144/0016-76492006-019
© 2007 Geological Society of London

Original Article

Super sizing the giants: first cartilage preservation at a sauropod dinosaur limb joint

Daniela Schwarz1, Oliver Wings2 & Christian A. Meyer1

1 1Naturhistorisches Museum Basel, Augustinergasse 2, CH-4001 Basel, Switzerland (e-mail: Daniela.Schwarz@bs.ch)
2 2Institut für Geowissenschaften, Universität Tübingen, Sigwartstrasse 10, D-72076 Tübingen, Germany

Re-examination of the sauropod dinosaur Cetiosauriscus greppini von Huene 1922 (Reuchenette Formation; Kimmeridgian, Late Jurassic) from northwestern Switzerland has revealed a well-preserved cartilage capsule at the distal extremity of the right humerus. The capsule represents hyaline cartilage together with fibrocartilage and can be distinguished by colour, surface structure and histology from the periosteum of the bone. This is the first fossil evidence for articular cartilage in a sauropodomorph dinosaur. It indicates the presence of a large articular capsule on sauropod forelimbs, which was only hypothesized until now, and shows that the forelimb length of sauropods was larger than previously assumed.