Brachiosaurus brancai is not Brachiosaurus Michael P. Taylor Palaeobiology Research Group

1. Brachiosaurus brancai is not Brachiosaurus Michael P. Taylor Palaeobiology Research Group School of Earth and Environmental Sciences University of Portsmouth Burnaby Road, Portsmouth PO1 3QL ENGLAND dino@miketaylor.org.uk Brachiosaurus altithorax skeletal reconstruction (Taylor in press)‏

2. Brachiosaurus at O'Hare Airport, Chicago Brachiosaurus at O'Hare Airport, Chicago

3. Brachiosaurus at O'Hare Airport, Chicago Brachiosaurus at O'Hare Airport, Chicago

4. Brachiosaurus at O'Hare Airport, Chicago Brachiosaurus at O'Hare Airport, Chicago

5. Brachiosaurus at O'Hare Airport, Chicago Brachiosaurus at O'Hare Airport, Chicago

6. Brachiosaurus at O'Hare Airport, Chicago Brachiosaurus at O'Hare Airport, Chicago

7. Brachiosaurus at O'Hare Airport, Chicago Brachiosaurus at O'Hare Airport, Chicago

8. Brachiosaurus at O'Hare Airport, Chicago Brachiosaurus at O'Hare Airport, Chicago But we don't have the head Or the neck Or the scapula and anterior dorsals Or most of the tail Or the lower forelimbs and forefeet Or the lower hindlimbs and hindfeet But we don't have the head Or the neck Or the scapula and anterior dorsals Or most of the tail Or the lower forelimbs and forefeet Or the lower hindlimbs and hindfeet

9. Brachiosaurus brancai at the Humboldt Museum Brachiosaurus brancai at the Humboldt Museum

10. Brachiosaurus brancai at the Humboldt Museum Brachiosaurus brancai at the Humboldt Museum Most of what we think we know about Brachiosaurus, we really know about Brachiosaurus brancai.

11. Brachiosaurus brancai at the Humboldt Museum Brachiosaurus brancai at the Humboldt Museum Most of what we think we know about Brachiosaurus, we really know about Brachiosaurus brancai. But is it Brachiosaurus?

12. Brachiosaurus altithorax Riggs 1903 Elements from Riggs (1904)‏

13. Brachiosaurus brancai Janensch 1914 Elements from Janensch (1922, 1929, 1935-1936, 1950, 1961)‏

14. Migeod's Tendaguru brachiosaur (at the BMNH)‏ Migeod (1931: fig. 1)‏

15. The Potter Creek humerus (found 1943)‏ Jensen (1987: fig 3E)‏ Photographs by M. Brett-Surman

16. Subsequent Potter Creek material (1971-1975)‏ Jensen (1987: fig 3E)‏

17. Dry Mesa (“Ultrasauros”) scapulocoracoid Curtice et al. (1996: fig. 1A)‏ Referred to B. altithorax by Paul (1988)‏

18. Felch Quarry skull Modified from Carpenter and Tidwell (1998: fig. 2)‏ Carpenter and Tidwell (1998: fig. 1)‏

19. Jensen/Jensen rib (Jensen 1987: fig. 6B)‏ Other bits and pieces OMNH 01138 (Bonnan and Wedel 2004:fig. 1)‏ BYU 12866 and 12867

20. NONE of the referred Brachiosaurus altithorax material is convincing. NONE of the referred Brachiosaurus altithorax material is convincing. All we really have to go on is the holotype FMNH P25107

21. B. brancai compared with Brachiosaurus holotype Janensch mostly noted general similarity: “[Brachiosaurus brancai] is so close to the genus Brachiosaurus, so far as a the present state of preparation allows a judgement, that there was no recognisable reason to hold [it] separate from Brachiosaurus.” – Janensch (1914:83)‏ “The dorsal vertebrae of the African Brachiosaurus brancai correspond extensively to those of Brachiosaurus altithorax” – Janensch (1950:72)‏ “The humerus of the type species of the genus Brachiosaurus altithorax Riggs (1904) from the Morrison Formation, is in broad terms so similar in outline to Br. brancai that a detailed comparison is unnecessary.” – Janensch (1961:187)‏

22. Janensch's 13 putative synapomorphies

23. Janensch's 13 putative synapomorphies

24. Janensch's 13 putative synapomorphies

25. Janensch's 13 putative synapomorphies OK OK OK OK

26. Janensch's 13 putative synapomorphies OK OK Four synapomorphies Four synapomorphies OK OK

27. The subgenus Brachiosaurus (Giraffatitan)‏ Erected by Paul (1988) for “Brachiosaurus” brancai Separation asserted but not demonstrated. “The caudals, scapula, coracoid, humerus, ilium and femur of B. altithorax and B. brancai are very similar ... it is in the dorsal column and trunk that the significant differences occur.” Comparisons based in part on the dorsal BYU 9044 And on the scapulocoracoid BYU 9462

28. The subgenus Brachiosaurus (Giraffatitan)‏ Erected by Paul (1988) for “Brachiosaurus” brancai Separation asserted but not demonstrated. “The caudals, scapula, coracoid, humerus, ilium and femur of B. altithorax and B. brancai are very similar ... it is in the dorsal column and trunk that the significant differences occur.” Comparisons based in part on the dorsal BYU 9044 ... which belongs to the diplodocid Supersaurus. And on the scapulocoracoid BYU 9462

29. The subgenus Brachiosaurus (Giraffatitan)‏ Erected by Paul (1988) for “Brachiosaurus” brancai Separation asserted but not demonstrated. “The caudals, scapula, coracoid, humerus, ilium and femur of B. altithorax and B. brancai are very similar ... it is in the dorsal column and trunk that the significant differences occur.” Comparisons based in part on the dorsal BYU 9044 ... which belongs to the diplodocid Supersaurus. And on the scapulocoracoid BYU 9462 ... which is (bad) circular reasoning

30. Element-by-element comparisons Mostly based on personal examination. But Riggs's and Janensch's images are better than my photographs.

31. Anterior dorsal vertebrae

32. Anterior dorsal vertebrae

33. Anterior dorsal vertebrae

34. Anterior dorsal vertebrae

35. Anterior dorsal vertebrae

36. Anterior dorsal vertebrae

37. Anterior dorsal vertebrae

38. Anterior dorsal vertebrae

39. Anterior dorsal vertebrae

40. Posterior dorsal vertebrae

41. Posterior dorsal vertebrae

42. Posterior dorsal vertebrae

43. Dorsal ribs

44. Dorsal ribs

45. Dorsal ribs

46. Dorsal ribs

47. Dorsal ribs Variation: serial and individual and asymmetrical

48. Sacrum

49. Sacrum ? ?

50. 2nd caudal vertebra