Eucamerotus
Encyclopedia
Eucamerotus was a genus
of sauropod dinosaur
from the Barremian
-age Lower Cretaceous Wessex Formation
(Wealden
) of the Isle of Wight
, England
. It is known from vertebral remains, and a partial skeleton has been referred, although this has not been accepted. It is one of several sauropods that is part of the complicated Ornithopsis
-Pelorosaurus
taxonomic tangle of fragmentary Late Jurassic
-Early Cretaceous
-age Europe
an sauropods.
named the genus from several partial dorsal vertebrae found by William D. Fox
near Brighstone Bay
: BMNH R2522 (a neural arch), and BMNH R89 (two dorsals), BMNH R90 (two dorsal vertebrae), and BMNH R2524 (a dorsal from a juvenile
). He did not provide it with a species name nor select a holotype
, and within a few years thought that it was the same as Ornithopsis hulkei
. Other authors preferred Pelorosaurus
as a synonym.
William T. Blows resurrected the genus in 1995 as a valid brachiosaurid, added the specific name foxi, selected BMNH R2522 as the type specimen, designated the other finds as paratype
s and referred additional vertebrae and partial skeleton
MIWG-BP001 to it. This last point has not been generally accepted; unfortunately, this skeleton has never been officially described.
Naish and Martill (2001) suggested Eucamerotus was a dubious
brachiosaurid, and did not find Blows' characters convincing. Upchurch et al. (2004) considered it to be a dubious sauropod. Santucci and Bertini (2005), however, suggested it was a titanosaurian. Darren Naish
, as of July 2006, considered it to be a brachiosaurid http://darrennaish.blogspot.com/2006/07/angloposeidon-unreported-story-part-iv.html.
al herbivore
.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of sauropod dinosaur
Dinosaur
Dinosaurs are a diverse group of animals of the clade and superorder Dinosauria. They were the dominant terrestrial vertebrates for over 160 million years, from the late Triassic period until the end of the Cretaceous , when the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event led to the extinction of...
from the Barremian
Barremian
The Barremian is an age in the geologic timescale between 130.0 ± 1.5 Ma and 125.0 ± 1.0 Ma). It is a subdivision of the Early Cretaceous epoch...
-age Lower Cretaceous Wessex Formation
Wessex Formation
The Wessex Formation is an English fossil site and geological formation that dates to the Barremian stage of the Early Cretaceous. It is part of the Wealden Group and underlies the younger Vectis Formation.-Invertebrates:...
(Wealden
Wealden
For the stone, see Wealden GroupWealden is a local government district in East Sussex, England: its name comes from the Weald, the area of high land which occupies the centre of its area.-History:...
) of the Isle of Wight
Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight is a county and the largest island of England, located in the English Channel, on average about 2–4 miles off the south coast of the county of Hampshire, separated from the mainland by a strait called the Solent...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It is known from vertebral remains, and a partial skeleton has been referred, although this has not been accepted. It is one of several sauropods that is part of the complicated Ornithopsis
Ornithopsis
Ornithopsis was a medium-sized Early Cretaceous sauropod dinosaur, from England. It has been considered a synonym of the wastebasket taxon Pelorosaurus, but recent research suggests that this is not as clear-cut as supposed...
-Pelorosaurus
Pelorosaurus
Pelorosaurus was a huge plant-eating dinosaur. Pelorosaurus was one of the first sauropod dinosaurs ever discovered. Pelorosaurus lived during the Early Cretaceous period, about 138-112 million years ago. Fossils referred to Pelorosaurus have been found in England and Portugal...
taxonomic tangle of fragmentary Late Jurassic
Late Jurassic
The Late Jurassic is the third epoch of the Jurassic Period, and it spans the geologic time from 161.2 ± 4.0 to 145.5 ± 4.0 million years ago , which is preserved in Upper Jurassic strata. In European lithostratigraphy, the name "Malm" indicates rocks of Late Jurassic age...
-Early Cretaceous
Early Cretaceous
The Early Cretaceous or the Lower Cretaceous , is the earlier or lower of the two major divisions of the Cretaceous...
-age Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an sauropods.
History and Taxonomy
John HulkeJohn Hulke
John Whitaker Hulke FRCS FRS FGS was a British surgeon, geologist and fossil collector. He was the son of a physician in Deal, who became a Huxleyite despite being deeply religious....
named the genus from several partial dorsal vertebrae found by William D. Fox
William Fox (palaeontologist)
William D. Fox was an English clergyman and palaeontologist who worked on the Isle of Wight and made some significant discoveries of dinosaur fossils....
near Brighstone Bay
Brighstone Bay
Brighstone Bay is a bay on the south west coast of the Isle of Wight, England. It lies to the south and west of the village of Brighstone from which it takes its name. It faces south west towards the English Channel, its shoreline is 7 km in length and is gently curving...
: BMNH R2522 (a neural arch), and BMNH R89 (two dorsals), BMNH R90 (two dorsal vertebrae), and BMNH R2524 (a dorsal from a juvenile
Juvenile (organism)
A juvenile is an individual organism that has not yet reached its adult form, sexual maturity or size. Juveniles sometimes look very different from the adult form, particularly in terms of their colour...
). He did not provide it with a species name nor select a holotype
Holotype
A holotype is a single physical example of an organism, known to have been used when the species was formally described. It is either the single such physical example or one of several such, but explicitly designated as the holotype...
, and within a few years thought that it was the same as Ornithopsis hulkei
Ornithopsis
Ornithopsis was a medium-sized Early Cretaceous sauropod dinosaur, from England. It has been considered a synonym of the wastebasket taxon Pelorosaurus, but recent research suggests that this is not as clear-cut as supposed...
. Other authors preferred Pelorosaurus
Pelorosaurus
Pelorosaurus was a huge plant-eating dinosaur. Pelorosaurus was one of the first sauropod dinosaurs ever discovered. Pelorosaurus lived during the Early Cretaceous period, about 138-112 million years ago. Fossils referred to Pelorosaurus have been found in England and Portugal...
as a synonym.
William T. Blows resurrected the genus in 1995 as a valid brachiosaurid, added the specific name foxi, selected BMNH R2522 as the type specimen, designated the other finds as paratype
Paratype
Paratype is a technical term used in the scientific naming of species and other taxa of organisms. The exact meaning of the term paratype when it is used in zoology is not the same as the meaning when it is used in botany...
s and referred additional vertebrae and partial skeleton
Skeleton
The skeleton is the body part that forms the supporting structure of an organism. There are two different skeletal types: the exoskeleton, which is the stable outer shell of an organism, and the endoskeleton, which forms the support structure inside the body.In a figurative sense, skeleton can...
MIWG-BP001 to it. This last point has not been generally accepted; unfortunately, this skeleton has never been officially described.
Naish and Martill (2001) suggested Eucamerotus was a dubious
Nomen dubium
In zoological nomenclature, a nomen dubium is a scientific name that is of unknown or doubtful application...
brachiosaurid, and did not find Blows' characters convincing. Upchurch et al. (2004) considered it to be a dubious sauropod. Santucci and Bertini (2005), however, suggested it was a titanosaurian. Darren Naish
Darren Naish
Darren Naish is a vertebrate palaeontologist and science writer. He obtained a geology degree at the University of Southampton and later studied vertebrate palaeontology under British palaeontologist David Martill at the University of Portsmouth, where he obtained both an M. Phil...
, as of July 2006, considered it to be a brachiosaurid http://darrennaish.blogspot.com/2006/07/angloposeidon-unreported-story-part-iv.html.
Paleobiology
The vertebrae are around twenty centimetres long. If a brachiosaurid, Eucamerotus may have been around 15 m (49.2 ft) long, small for a sauropod. As any kind of sauropod, it would have been a quadrupedQuadruped
Quadrupedalism is a form of land animal locomotion using four limbs or legs. An animal or machine that usually moves in a quadrupedal manner is known as a quadruped, meaning "four feet"...
al herbivore
Herbivore
Herbivores are organisms that are anatomically and physiologically adapted to eat plant-based foods. Herbivory is a form of consumption in which an organism principally eats autotrophs such as plants, algae and photosynthesizing bacteria. More generally, organisms that feed on autotrophs in...
.