Carnegie Museum of Natural History - Diplodocus

The Carnegie prehistoric animal model series has had one or two new additions.  The first to reach team members at Everything Dinosaur is the re-modelled and re-designed  Diplodocus.

This huge model with a length approaching 60 cms and a height at the shoulder of nearly 15cms depicts a modern interpretation of the plant eating Jurassic Sauropod Diplodocus.  The swan-like neck posture of earlier models has been replaced with a much straighter-necked animal, reflecting studies of Diplodocoid anatomy that indicate that the head was most probably held almost horizontally in front, with the long tail acting as a counterbalance.  The front legs were slightly shorter than the back legs, this meant that the hips were higher than the shoulders and the back sloped forward.  Although not able to crane their necks up to feed on the tops of trees (a point still debated by palaeontologists), the relatively stiff, long neck with a small head attached to a body with a sloping back would actually have made an efficient browsing machine able to strip plant material from ferns, horsetails and other relatively low lying vegetation with ease.

The model is hand-painted and suitable for children from 3 years and upwards.  Although this interpretation does not have the spines along the back as with other recent models, it does show scutes (armour plates) which are embedded in the skin along the back, flanks and tail of the beast.

To view the model: Carnegie Collection Diplodocus Model

The Carnegie Collection Diplodocus

Picture Credit: Everything Dinosaur