Dinosaurs

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Something really admirable is the dinosaur replicas who guard our gardens. These replicas are the creations of Mr. George Florides.

Diplodocus
Diplodocus is among the most easily identifiable dinosaurs, with its classic dinosaur shape, long neck and tail and four sturdy legs. For many years, it was the longest dinosaur known. Its great size may have been a deterrent to the predators.

One of the best-known sauropods, Diplodocus was a very large long-necked animal, with a long, whip-like tail. Its forelimbs were slightly shorter than its hind limbs, resulting in a largely horizontal posture. The long-necked, long-tailed animal with four sturdy legs has been mechanically compared with a suspension bridge.

The skull of Diplodocus was very small, compared with the size of the animal and had small, 'peg'-like teeth that pointed forward and were only present in the anterior sections of the jaws. The neck is believed to have been generally held parallel to the ground and unable to have been elevated much past horizontal. Its long tail may have served as a counterbalance for the neck. The middle part of the tail had 'double beams’, oddly shaped bones on the underside. They may have provided support for the vertebrae, or perhaps prevented the blood vessels from being crushed if the animal's heavy tail pressed against the ground.

The front feet (Manus) of Diplodocus were highly modified, with the finger and hand bones arranged into a vertical column. Diplodocus lacked claws on all but one digit of the front limb, and this claw was unusually large relative to other sauropods, flattened from side to side, and detached from the bones of the hand.

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