Page 25 - The Dinosaur Book and Other Wonders of the Prehistoric World (DK-Smithsonian)

Upper Spines jutting from the
hip bone top of the vertebrae
provided anchor points
for the back muscles.

Diplodocus The vertebrates
All large land animals are vertebrates,
because a heavy land animal needs a
Framework ❯ The backbone between
the shoulders and hips supported this sturdy internal skeleton to support its
weight. During the age of giant dinosaurs,
plant-eater’s head, neck, and tail, as strong bones enabled land animals like
well as the ribs. The backbone was Diplodocus to grow to colossal size. The
made up of interlocking bones that only animals that weigh more are whales,
were light but strong. but their weight is supported by the water.

Leg bones ❯ The immense
weight of this giant dinosaur
was supported by massive leg
bones, linked to the backbone
by strong, mobile joints.

Reptile Archosaur

Fish
Mammal

Types of vertebrate
We usually think of the vertebrates as fish, amphibians,
reptiles, birds, and mammals. But the birds can also be
seen as the most successful and diverse living group of
archosaurs, a branch of the reptiles that also included Amphibian
their closest relatives—the extinct dinosaurs.
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