Suuwassea: Research Database
Diplodocidae (Sauropoda) · Late Jurassic (~155–150 MYA) · North America — USA, Utah (Morrison Formation)
Research Note: Suuwassea was a diplodocid sauropod from the Late Jurassic Morrison Formation of Utah, USA. As a Morrison Formation diplodocid, it provides important data on sauropod diversity in the Jurassic of North America.
| Research Finding | Status | Grade | Year | Method | Citation | Impact |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Harris 2006: Suuwassea and diplodocid diversity in the Morrison Formation
Harris 2006 describes Suuwassea from the Late Jurassic Morrison Formation of Utah, USA, establishing it as a diplodocid and documenting its significance for understanding sauropod diversity in the Jurassic of North America
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Confirmed | A | 2006 | Fossil | Harris, Palaeontology | Taxonomy |
|
Harris 2006: Additional data on Morrison Formation sauropods
Harris 2006 provides additional data on Morrison Formation sauropod diversity, contextualising Suuwassea within the broader evolutionary history of diplodocid sauropods
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Confirmed | B | 2006 | Fossil | Harris, Geobios | Diversity |
Active Debate: Diplodocid Systematics and Morrison Formation Paleobiogeography
Whether Morrison Formation diplodocids were part of a single fauna or isolated populations is debated.
What We Still Do Not Know About Suuwassea
- Complete skeletal morphology: Partial specimen known.
- Body mass: Estimated.
- Skin and integument: Unknown.
- Social behavior: No direct evidence.
In Depth
Although it seems to have lived towards the end of the Jurassic, Suuwassea appears to have been a basal diplodocid sauropod dinosaur that was more primitive in form than other better known sauropods such as Diplodocus and Apatosaurus. This would make Suuwassea a late surviving form. At an estimated length approaching fifteen meters, the Suuwassea holotype individual would have been considerably smaller than many other North American diplodocids, and perhaps at greater risk from predatory theroopd dinosaurs similar to genera such as Allosaurus and Torvosaurus.
Further Reading
- A new diplodocoid sauropod dinosaur from the Upper Jurassic Morrison Formation of Montana, USA. - Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 49(2):197-210 - J. D. Harris and P. Dodson - 2004.
