Comments on: Gigantspinosaurus – the ‘lost’ Chinese stegosaur

By: G is for Gigantspinosaurus | Dinosaur Tracking

G is for Gigantspinosaurus | Dinosaur Tracking — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 15:04:24 +0000

[...] As yet, we know relatively little about the natural history of Gigantspinosaurus. The dinosaur has a name, and skin impressions have helped researchers restore what the stegosaur looked like, but many aspects of the spiky herbivore’s biology remain mysterious. In the grand scheme of stegosaur evolution, though, the ornamentation of Gigantspinosaurus has sometimes been taken as evidence that similar forms had shoulder spikes. In addition to paired spikes along its tail, the Late Jurassic stegosaur Kentrosaurus possessed an extra pair of spikes along its side. These were originally placed over the hips, but, due to the discovery of Gigantspinosaurus, some researchers have argued that the spikes truly belong at the shoulders. [...]

By: Tim Williams

Tim Williams — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 07:00:49 +0000

Is the _Gigantspinosaurus_ type specimen the same stegosaur skeleton that was mentioned by Gao et al. (1986) and assigned by them to _Tuojiangosaurus_? Galton and Upchurch (p.355 in the Dinosauria II volume) use this specimen to justify the presence of parascapular spines in _Tuojiangosaurus_ – but might these just be _Gigantspinosaurus_?

BTW, what a weird stegosaur!

By: Jim Kirkland

Jim Kirkland — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 00:50:45 +0000

I got to spend some quality time with thith beast in Zigong last spring. It is certainly impressive and the fact, that the spines were found in near life position is a pretty critical piece of information about parascapula spines. I mean picture this beast having to walk through a thicket of vegetation if those spines were directed anteriorly.

By: Guest Post: Miragaia longicollum: a new stegosaur from Portugal « Dave Hone’s Archosaur Musings

Wed, 04 Mar 2009 07:41:24 +0000

[...] authors who produced the original work. Susie Maidment returns to the Musings (her previous post is here) to bring some extra information on the new stegosaur that has got dinosaur researchers so [...]

By: David Hone

David Hone — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 10:36:57 +0000

Well there is certainly some research that suggests stegosaurs could rear up in this manner. As I have discussed before on here, there are plenty of animals capable of things that one might never expect from their anatomy alone. Elephants for example can rear up onto their hindlegs quite happily and these would be far more front heavy than stegosaurs.

By: Dark Hero

Dark Hero — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 08:27:56 +0000

Can a stegosaurian standing on 2 feet like that?
Nah I dont think so!
But you know what!
This is one of my favorite dinosaur!

By: Brad McFeeters

Brad McFeeters — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 20:22:55 +0000

I think it’s neat how the museum itself looks a little like a dinosaur.

By: Susie Maidment

Susie Maidment — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 17:08:02 +0000

hmmm… maybe the hands are a perspective thing… otherwise that is quite weird…

By: Darren Naish

Darren Naish — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 09:36:51 +0000

Great post Susie. The mount was originally in a more conventional quadrupedal pose, judging from older photos. I like the way its hands are about three times broader than its arm. Sigh.

By: Susie Maidment

Susie Maidment — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 03:39:43 +0000

The spines were found lying along side the specimen, apparently in place. They have previously been illustrated so that they projected from the top of the basal plate, like an upside down comma rather than the right way up comma, as they are mounted here. But it seems that this was their orientation, from how the specimen was found. What we don’t have any information about is whether they projected posteriorly, as shown here, or whether they projected posterodorsally, since the specimen was of course flattened by the burial process. It’s an interesting question and one we need more information to answer.

As for the mount – very weird. It had a nest of eggs under it when I saw it too – although that may not be clear from the photo. Still, quite a strange way of mounting it… it’s sort of squatting to lay eggs. Weird idea. There’s not much information about whether stegosaurs could have reared up bipedally. Modelling has shown that their centre of gravity was just anterior to the hips, but their forelimbs are so much shorter than their hindlimbs my gut feeling is that it would have been quite difficult for them. My next research project, if I ever get any funding to do it, is to look at the change from bipedalism to quadrupedalism in ornithischians, and the associated muscle changes that accompany it. I want to do some modelling to narrow down the selective pressures that contributed to the move to quadrupedality in several ornithischian groups. Hopefully that research would lead to a better understanding as to whether animals like Gigantspinosaurus could have reared up like this.

By: Zach Miller

Zach Miller — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 01:38:08 +0000

I’m with Christopher. Upon seeing the photograph, my mind instantly went to, “they’re oriented the wrong way!” Very strange, but awesome, stegosaur.

By: David Hone

David Hone — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 00:40:53 +0000

That’s true Tom. When I saw it, it was in the same position but had been moved away from that background, and then they had put a nest of eggs underneath as if it as rearing up whilst laying. Made it looks slightly less wiers, but not by much.

By: Thomas R. Holtz, Jr.

Thomas R. Holtz, Jr. — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 13:54:01 +0000

Easily the weirdest stegosaur mount I’ve ever seen…

By: David Hone

David Hone — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 12:01:18 +0000

I can’t answer that unfotunately as although I have seen the specimen, I couldn’t get past the barriers to have a good root around (and probably would not know what I was looking for in any case). Susie it turns out is away this weekend so may not be able to tell you (or answer any other queries) for a few dyas but she will get back on here later.

By: Christopher Collinson

Christopher Collinson — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 05:55:01 +0000

Do we know for certain the correct orientation of Parascapular spines? Tracy Ford has illustrated them on the opposite shoulders so that they are directed up and over the back.