Camarasaurus Vertebrae

Who do these vertebrae belong to?

These are caudal vertebrae, or tail bones, from Camarasaurus—a type of sauropod dinosaur. A full skeleton of a small, juvenile Camarasaurus is mounted on the wall at the far end of the exhibit hall. These bones were collected in southeastern Colorado in the 1990s.

It is uncommon to find articulated (connected) vertebrae, but these were a lucky find! In addition to the tail vertebrae, this specimen contains chevrons, which are “Y” shaped bones that hang below the vertebrae to protect the artery and anchor muscles. Almost all animals with vertebrae and tails have chevrons.