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Message: <blockquote data-quote="hamishspence" data-source="post: 4986586" data-attributes="member: 41555">how many kinds of sauropod?We have Generic Sauropod (probably the camerasaurs, largest prosauropods, non-armoured titanosaurs, and the chunkier diplodocids such as Apatosaurus. These can run from Large at adult stage, to high-end Gargantuan (and, if Bruhathkyosaurus exists, colossal as well) We have Tall brachiosaur-type Sauropods- which range from the only Large Europasaurus, to the Huge Euhelopus (actually a titanosaur, but looks exactly like a mini-brachiosaurus) to the Gargantuan Brachiosaurus altithorax and Giraffatitan brancai, to the borderline Colossal (at least by height) Sauroposeidon. We have the whip-tailed sauropods- some with very long necks, like Supersaurus, some with short necks and even long spines on them (Dicraeosaurus) and we have the armoured sauropods- like Saltasaurus. But are these the only ones? Should there be a "club-tailed sauropod" group- exemplified by Shunosaurus? Or a "spine-necked" group- including the aforementioned Dicraeosaurus. I think Mamenchisaurus also has a very small relative- also with a neck nearly as long as the body and tail. These could be the "long-necked" group, separate from the whip-tails. EDIT: I've checked- Omeisaurus is one example of a smaller longneck- up 50 ft long- 4 tons in weight- but with a neck up to 30 ft long. Big.  Erketu- with its 24 ft neck, may also fit- despite not being closely related: <a href="http://www.newcritters.com/2006/03/21/erketu-ellisoni-the-looooooong-necked-sauropod/" target="_blank">http://www.newcritters.com/2006/03/21/erketu-ellisoni-the-looooooong-necked-sauropod/</a> A possible listing of major groups- a bit like with the theropods: Generic Sauropod (mostly titanosaur)Tall-shouldered Sauropod (mostly brachiosaur)Armoured Sauropod (titanosaur)Spine-necked Sauropod (Dicraeosaurus and a few others)Long-necked Sauropod (Mamenchisaurus and a few others)Whip-tailed Sauropod (mostly diplodocoid)Club-tailed sauropod (Shunosaurus and a few others)</blockquote>

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