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The first juvenile specimens of Plateosaurus engelhardti from Frick, Switzerland: isolated neural arches and their implications for developmental plasticity in a basal sauropodomorph
- Published
- Accepted
- Received
- Academic Editor
- Jérémy Anquetin
- Subject Areas
- Paleontology
- Keywords
- Late Triassic, Norian, Switzerland, Basal Sauropodomorpha, Plateosaurus engelhardti , Juvenile, Neurocentral suture closure, Bone histology
- Copyright
- © 2014 Hofmann and Sander
- Licence
- This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, reproduction and adaptation in any medium and for any purpose provided that it is properly attributed. For attribution, the original author(s), title, publication source (PeerJ) and either DOI or URL of the article must be cited.
- Cite this article
- 2014. The first juvenile specimens of Plateosaurus engelhardti from Frick, Switzerland: isolated neural arches and their implications for developmental plasticity in a basal sauropodomorph. PeerJ 2:e458 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.458
The dinosaur Plateosaurus engelhardti is the most abundant dinosaur in the Late Triassic of Europe and the best known basal sauropodomorph. Plateosaurus engelhardti was one of the first sauropodomorph dinosaurs to display a large body size. Remains can be found in the Norian stage of the Late Triassic in over 40 localities in Central Europe (France, Germany, and Switzerland) and in Greenland. Since the first discovery of P. engelhardti no juvenile specimens of this species had been described in detail. Here we describe the first remains of juvenile individuals, isolated cervical and dorsal neural arches from Switzerland. These were separated postmortem from their respective centra because of unfused neurocentral sutures. However the specimens share the same neural arch morphology found in adults. Morphometric analysis suggests body lengths of the juvenile individuals that is greater than those of most adult specimens. This supports the hypothesis of developmental plasticity in Plateosaurus engelhardti that previously had been based on histological data only. Alternative hypotheses for explaining the poor correlation between ontogenetic stage and size in this taxon are multiple species or sexual morphs with little morphological variance or time-averaging of individuals from populations differing in body size.
The basal Sauropodomorpha are a presumably paraphyletic assemblage (Yates, 2003a; Yates & Kitching, 2003; Yates, 2004; Upchurch, Barrett & Galton, 2007) and form successive sistergroups to the largest terrestrial animals ever known, the Sauropoda, with which they form the Sauropodomorpha (von Huene, 1932). Basal sauropodomorphs were the dominant high-browsing herbivores from the late Norian until the end of the Early Jurassic, when they were replaced in dominance by sauropods (Barrett & Upchurch, 2005). The basal sauropodomorph Plateosaurus was one of the first larger-bodied dinosaurs. The first fossil remains of this taxon were found in 1834 at Heroldsberg near Nuremberg by Johann Friedrich Philipp Engelhardt. The first to describe the material was Herman von Meyer in 1837 naming it Plateosaurus engelhardti (Moser, 2003).
Basal Sauropodomorpha are important for understanding the unique gigantism of sauropod dinosaurs (Sander et al., 2004; Sander & Klein, 2005; Upchurch, Barrett & Galton, 2007; Cerda, Pol & Chinsamy, 2013) because they inform us about the plesiomorphic condition from which sauropod gigantism evolved. One such plesiomorphic condition may be the developmental plasticity seemingly present in Plateosaurus engelhardti, expressed in a poor correlation of ontogenetic stage and size (Sander & Klein, 2005). Developmental plasticity was initially hypothesized based on long bone histology (Sander & Klein, 2005), but in this paper we corroborate its presence based on body size at neurocentral suture closure, as documented by the first juvenile remains of P. engelhardti from Frick, Switzerland. Apart from the Plateosaurus bonebed in Frick, juveniles of Plateosaurus had already been mentioned from Greenland (Jenkins et al., 1994), but a detailed description of this material was not published.
Systematics of Plateosaurus
A premise of any hypothesis of developmental plasticity is that the sample in question is derived from a single species. This necessitates a review of the systematics of Plateosaurus. The remains of Plateosaurus occur in the middle to the late Norian of Germany (von Huene, 1926; von Huene, 1932; Galton, 2001), France (Weishampel, 1984), Switzerland (Sander, 1992), and Greenland (Jenkins et al., 1994). The type species of Plateosaurus is P. engelhardti (von Meyer, 1837). Several more species have been described from other localities in Germany such as P. trossingensis (Fraas, 1913) from Trossingen and P. longiceps (Jaekel, 1914) from Halberstadt, and P. gracilis (von Huene, 1908) from the Löwenstein Formation of Stuttgart. Currently the Plateosaurus finds from Halberstadt, Trossingen and Frick are assigned to one species: P. engelhardti. However, nomenclatorial controversy still surrounds this name (Galton, 1984a; Galton, 1984b; Galton, 1985a; Galton, 1985b; Galton & Bakker, 1985; Weishampel & Chapman, 1990; Galton, 1997; Galton, 1999; Galton, 2000; Galton, 2001; Moser, 2003; Yates, 2003b; Prieto-Márquez & Norell, 2011; Galton, 2012).
A massive abundance of Plateosaurus material found in Plateosaurus bonebeds (Sander, 1992) can be found at three localities: Halberstadt (Central Germany), Trossingen (Southern Germany) and Frick (Switzerland) (see Fig. 1). The locality in Switzerland is in an active clay quarry, the Gruhalde quarry, the Keller AG in Frick (Canton Aargau, Switzerland), where the first dinosaur fossils were discovered in 1963.
Plateosaurus from Frick: geological setting
Since the focus of this study lies on recently discovered juvenile Plateosaurus material, a review of this and other Plateosaurus bonebeds is necessary. The Gruhalde quarry exposes a section representing 20 million years of geological time, from the entire Middle Keuper (Upper Triassic) up to the late Sinemurian Obtusus clays (Early Jurassic) (Sander, 1990). The Middle Keuper sediments are about 20 m thick, the upper 19 m of this section are the Upper Variegated Marls (Rieber, 1985; Sander, 1992). Plateosaurus remains are embedded in the Upper Variegated Marls (Norian), which is partially equivalent in stratigraphy, lithology and clay mineralogy to the Knollenmergel and Feuerletten beds in Southern and Central Germany (Finckh, 1912; Matter et al., 1988), and Eastern France (Weishampel & Westphal, 1986). The Upper Variegated Marls at Frick mainly consist of reddish, grayish or greenish marls commonly containing carbonate concretions or layers (Sander & Klein, 2005). There are three horizons producing dinosaur remains (B Pabst, pers. comm., 2012), the lowermost of which represents the Plateosaurus bonebed and was the subject of the study by Sander (1992). The lowermost horizon is also the source of the material sampled histologically (Sander & Klein, 2005) and of the juvenile material described in this study.
The miring hypothesis of Plateosaurus bonebed origin
Mass accumulations of basal sauropodomorph remains in Frick, but also Halberstadt and Trossingen in Germany, share the same taphonomy, resulting in their description as Plateosaurus bonebeds (Sander, 1992). The sediments encasing the bones in all three localities are alluvial mudstones overprinted by pedogenesis, representing a floodplain in a semiarid climate. Apparently, Plateosaurus individuals as the heaviest animals in the environment were preferentially mired in shallow depressions when the mud was wet, acting as a deadly trap. Once the animal got stuck in the soft ground, trying to pull itself out, the mud liquified and the resulting undertow made it impossible to get out. This process happened several times over a long period, explaining the mass accumulations (Sander, 1992), which cannot be shown to represent mass death events, however. Sander (1992) noted the lack of animals of less than 5 m total body length and of juveniles in all Plateosaurus bonebeds. He suggested that this lack was due to smaller body size and the resultant negative scaling of the load on the juvenile feet, reducing the risk for animals of less than 5 m in body length to become mired. The miring hypothesis of Sander (1992) predicted that no juveniles would be found in Plateosaurus bonebeds. Until 2010 this prediction was not violated, although the discovery by Sander & Klein (2005) of developmental plasticity opened up the possibility that juveniles exceeding 5 m in body length would be found.
Nevertheless, it came as a surprise that juvenile remains of Plateosaurus were found in the locality Frick in 2010 and particularly 2011. The 2011 material represents the remains of at least two individuals and primarily consists of isolated neural arches found in a bone field catalogued as MSF 11.3. in the lowermost bone layer. The term 'bone field' had been introduced by Sander (1992).
Ontogenetic studies of sauropodomorph dinosaurs: bone histology and suture closure
In general, there are only two methods to ascertain the postnatal ontogenetic stage in a dinosaur individual: bone histology and suture closure patterns, particularly in the skull and the vertebral column.
The long bone histology of Plateosaurus engelhardti from the localities of Trossingen and Frick has been studied in more detail (Sander & Klein, 2005; Klein & Sander, 2007) than any other basal sauropodomorph including Massospondylus carinatus (Chinsamy, 1993; Chinsamy-Turan, 2005). The primary bone of Plateosaurus engelhardti consists of fibrolamellar bone tissue, indicating fast growth, but also reveals growth cycles demarcated by LAGs (lines of arrested growth). The histological sample (Sander & Klein, 2005; Klein & Sander, 2007) included individuals that were not fully grown, but specimens showing morphological indicators of skeletal immaturity were lacking at the time of these histological studies. More importantly, the histological ontogenetic stage of similar sized individuals shows great variation (Sander & Klein, 2005), indicating a poor correlation between body size and age, suggesting developmental plasticity (Sander & Klein, 2005) with growth probably being influenced by environmental factors. The basal sauropodomorphs Massospondylus carinatus and Mussaurus patagonicus do not seem to show such plasticity (Chinsamy, 1993; Chinsamy-Turan, 2005; Cerda, Pol & Chinsamy, 2013).
On the other hand, the histology of sauropod long bones received a great deal of attention (Curry, 1999; Sander, 1999; Sander, 2000; Sander & Tückmantel, 2003; Curry & Erickson, 2005; Sander et al., 2006; Klein & Sander, 2008; Sander et al., 2011). Sauropods revealed a fast-growing bone tissue, described as laminar fibrolamellar bone and a generally uniform histology. They grew along a genetically determined growth trajectory with a certain final size. Sauropods display a good correlation between body size/ontogentic stage and age with little individual variation in rate of growth and final size (Sander, 2000; de Ricqlès, Padian & Horner, 2003; Sander & Klein, 2005; Sander et al., 2011).
Yet another vertebral feature is important to determine osteological maturity: the stage of closure in the neurocentral suture between the neural arch and its centrum. Brochu (1996) observed different maturity stages in extant and extinct crocodilians by studying the neurocentral suture closure as an size-independent maturity criterion. He pointed out the presence of three different stages of neurocentral suture closure: open, partially closed and completely closed. The pattern of neurocentral suture closure plays another important role. In different groups and also within the same group different patterns of closure can be found.
Within Sauropodomorpha basal sauropodomorphs like Thecodontosaurus caducus (Yates, 2003a) and Unaysaurus tolentinoi (Leal et al., 2004) seem to show a pattern consistent with a posterior-anterior pattern of suture closure. Unfortunately the study on a close relative to Plateosaurus, Massospondylus carinatus, does not give a reliable pattern of a neurocentral suture closure due to the incompleteness of the material of also different specimens (Cooper, 1981). Recently described material of a juvenile basal sauropodomorph Yunnanosaurus robustus (Sekiya et al., 2013) indicates a roughly posterior-anterior pattern of suture closure. Within Sauropoda diverse patterns of suture closure can be recognized with suture closure spreading from more than one vertebral position and in some cases with no visible order (Ikejiri, 2003; Ikejiri, Tidwell & Trexler, 2005; Gallina, 2011).
Objectives of study
The current study has the major objective to describe and compare juvenile neural arch morphology of Plateosaurus. In addition, we want to evaluate the implications of the finds of juveniles for the miring hypothesis and for the hypothesis of developmental plasticity. We first give a detailed morphological description of neural arch morphology (laminae and fossae) of the immature isolated neural arches found in bone field 11.3. and compare it with the neural arch morphology of osteologically mature specimens of Plateosaurus. To address developmental plasticity, we need to determine individual body size. Since no femora from bone field 11.3. can be reliably associated with the isolated neural arches, morphometric analysis of the neural arches was used to calculate femur length of the juveniles as a proxy of body size. Femur length of the juveniles was then added to the Frick dataset on which the hypothesis of developmental plasticity was based. We thus tested if developmental plasticity is also reflected by the morphology of Plateosaurus engelhardti and not only in its histology. Finally, we evaluate the implications of the finds of juveniles for the miring hypothesis.
Material and Methods
The juvenile specimens of Plateosaurus were excavated in the Gruhalde clay quarry of the Tonwerke Keller AG in Frick (Switzerland) as part of a bone field in 2011. The discovery was part of systematic paleontological excavations preceding clay mining each year since 2004. Already in 2010, a seemingly juvenile individual had been discovered but this specimen remains unprepared. Since the bone field yielding the 2011 juveniles was the third bone concentration encountered in the 2011 field season, the bones received consecutive collection numbers starting with "MSF 11.3.". The site was destroyed by mining but the exact position of the bonefield was recorded (Swiss State Coordinates: 642 953.5/261 961, lowermost bone layer, 80–90 cm above base of the gray beds). Bone field 11.3. yielded several different juvenile bones besides the studied juvenile neural arches, namely isolated centra. These were not used for further analyses because they lack diagnostic features, making a reliable determination of the position within the vertebral column impossible. Vertebrae belonging to the caudal vertebral series were not included in this study because the neurocentral sutures were closed in all specimens. In addition, tail vertebrae can only be assigned to a general region in the tail and not to an exact position. Caudal vertebrae, however, will be considered in terms of morphological change during ontogeny later on.
The girdle skeleton of the juvenile individuals is represented by a right scapula, right coracoid, a right pubis, a left ischium, and the appendicular skeleton is represented by a left femur, a tibia, a fibula, a left humerus, and a radius. These bones probably derive from immature individuals since the length of the bones is much smaller than in adults. The articular surfaces at proximal and distal ends of appendicular bones still show an immature stage of ossification. A host of ribs and haemapophyses may also derive from the juveniles. This study focuses on the isolated neural arches from bone field 11.3. The sample includes 17 specimens of isolated neural arches belonging to the cervical and dorsal vertebral series (Table 1).
|Specimen number
|Position in vertebral column
During the excavation, bone field 11.3. was covered with transparent foil to document the position of the bones found. This map shows that all bones were distributed over the whole area with no recognizably articulation or connection to each other (Fig. S1). The next step was to ascertain how many animals are represented and if specimens of different ontogenetic stage are recognizable. There are at least one adult and two juvenile animals represented by bonefield 11.3.
Assignment of the juveniles to P. engelhardti
Plateosaurus specimen SMNS 13200 from Trossingen (Fraas, 1913; von Huene, 1926; Yates, 2003b) is the standard for the morphological description of the juvenile specimens. The plateosaurs from Trossingen are assigned to P. engelhardti (Galton, 1997; Galton, 2000; Galton, 2001; Galton, 2012). The neural arch morphology of the Frick material described in this study is consistent with the morphology found in SMNS 13200. All of the Plateosaurus specimens found in Frick show the same variance related to sexual dimorphism, intraspecific variation and the final size found in the Trossingen specimens (Sander & Klein, 2005; Klein & Sander, 2007).
Preservation of the neural arches
The preservation of the bones in bone field 11.3. is characterized by various degrees and directions of diagenetic compaction, making the description of the neural arches sometimes challenging. The preservation ranges from no obvious compaction to slight dorsolateral distortion and heavily dorsolateral distortion with three dimensional preservation (see description of neural arches). The most obvious feature are fractures, going through the bones. Some of the neural arches and other bones like the ischium show another new feature, which has not been seen before in material from Frick: tectonic cracks originating from regional deformation, which are filled in with a ferrous mineral during diagenetic processes (see Figs. 2D, 2E, 4A, 5A, 9A–9C, 10B, 10C, 11A–11C, 13B, 13C and 18).
Adult specimens studied for comparison
A morphological comparison of the studied juvenile specimens to other specimens, especially osteologically mature individuals, is important. This may reveal ontogenetic morphological variation (Carballido & Sander, 2013). We studied three Plateosaurus vertebral columns in detail for comparison. Two of these are from Frick (MSF 5, MSF 23) and one is from Trossingen (cast of SMNS 13200), see Fraas (1913), von Huene (1926), Galton (1985a), Galton (1986) and Sander (1992) on this material.
Specimen MSF 5 consists of a block with two incomplete individuals of Plateosaurus, with the smaller animal lying on the top of a larger one. The larger animal (MSF 5B) preserves the anterior half of the skeleton with a partial and partially disarticulated skull, articulated vertebrae from the first cervical to the fifth dorsal vertebra and several other disarticulated elements as shown in Fig. S2 (Rieber, 1985; Galton, 1986; Sander, 1992). The smaller individual (MSF 5A) is represented by a left humerus being smaller compared to the right humerus of the big animal lying on the right side of the block. The remains are prepared right-side up and still remain in the sediment (Sander, 1992). The specimen is exhibited in situ at the Sauriermuseum Aathal (SMA) on permanent loan from the MSF. For this study the complete cervical and partly preserved dorsal vertebrae series of MSF 5B is of interest. MSF 5B represents the most complete and best preserved articulated cervical and partial dorsal series from the second cervical vertebra (C2) to the fifth dorsal vertebra (D5) found in Frick, anterior body regions being underrepresented due to the specific taphonomy of the locality (Sander, 1992). The bones did not suffer much distortion compared to the bone field 11.3. specimens and are well preserved in three dimensions. All of the vertebrae of MSF 5B show completely closed neurocentral sutures. The neural arches show well and fully developed laminae and fossae throughout the vertebral series with no feature missing.
MSF 23 is a nearly complete and essentially articulated skeleton of a Plateosaurus from Frick, on display at the Sauriermuseum Frick (Sander, 1992) (Fig. S3). The morphology of the skeleton has not yet been described in detail, but it was figured by Sander (1992, Fig. 3) as well as in the non-technical literature (Sander, 1993; Sander, 2012). The segment of C2–C7 is articulated but separated by a fault from C8 to D15 that follow in full articulation. At a first glance, D15 may be considered to belong to the sacrum, being a dorsosacral, because it seems to be fused with the ilia on both sides. However no other Plateosaurus revealed more than three sacrals (Jaekel, 1914; Galton, 1999; Galton, 2001). The diapophyses of D15 also are not as massive in their morphology as those of the sacrals. So the adhesion of D15 to the anteriormost part of the sacrum may be due to the age of the animal. The neural arches in MSF 23 generally experienced strong dorsolateral pressure from the right side during diagenesis. This led to extreme deformation of the vertebrae in the specimen. Nevertheless MSF 23 shows fully developed vertebral morphology with all laminae and fossae being present. All of the neurocentral sutures are completely closed.
The third specimen is a cast of a complete skeleton from Trossingen (SMNS 13200, Fig. S4), exhibited at the Naturama (NAA) in Aarau (Switzerland). SMNS 13200 was excavated as a nearly complete articulated skeleton in 1911 in the Knollenmergel Beds of Trossingen at the Obere Mühle (Fraas, 1913) and forms the basis of the osteological description by von Huene (1926). The left forelimb distal to the humerus is missing, and the tail is incomplete as well, missing some vertebrae. However, the presacral vertebral column is complete and well preserved. SMNS 13200 shows good three dimensional preservation with no or little influence of compaction on the vertebral column. All vertebrae display well developed laminae and fossae with all neurocentral sutures being closed.
The morphological description of the neural arches follows the nomenclature of Wilson (1999) and Wilson et al. (2011). Because of their complex morphology and because morphological characters change sequentially throughout the axial skeleton (Carballido et al., 2012; Carballido & Sander, 2013), sauropodomorph neural arches can be assigned to specific positions in the vertebral column with a margin of error of one position or less. In sauropods, not only do vertebral characters change within one animal but also during the ontogeny of the same animal (Carballido et al., 2012). Before a sauropod reached osteological maturity, its vertebrae pass developmental stages, often displaying more primitive characters known in more basal taxa. To determine the stage of osteological maturity of the juvenile Plateosaurus a direct comparison of morphological characters to osteologically mature (completely closed neurocentral sutures) plateosaurs is necessary.
Terminology of laminae and fossae
The morphological description of the neural arches of this study follows the nomenclature of Wilson (1999) for the laminae and Wilson et al. (2011) for the fossae of sauropod dinosaurs which can be applied to basal sauropodomorphs as well (Wilson, 1999; Wilson et al., 2011). The nomenclature for laminae developed by Wilson (1999) is based on landmarks on the vertebra, namely the connections a lamina establishes, whereas the nomenclatures previously used by other scientists were mainly based on the origin the laminae have. The fossae's names are defined by the surrounding laminae (Wilson et al., 2011). Anatomical abbreviations are listed at the end of the text.
Morphometrics and 3D visualization
Simple morphometric analysis was applied to estimate the body length of the juvenile Plateosaurus from measurement that can be taken on neural arches. In dinosaurs, femur length is a reliable proxy for body mass (Carrano, 2006). In the case of Plateosaurus, femur length equals approximately 1/10 of body length (Sander, 1992). Since our material only consists of isolated neural arches, we had to establish a new proxy which is suitable for determining the body lengths of the juveniles. We decided to use the zygapophyseal length of the neural arches for developing a proxy. Due to the extreme dorsolateral compression of some specimens and the better preservation of the pre- and postzygapophyses compared to the transerve processes of the neural arches, measuring zygapophyseal length appears to be the most reliable size proxy. The zygapophyseal length of the neural arches of all specimens studied was measured from the tip of the prezygapophysis to the tip of the postzygapophysis, thus representing the maximum anteroposterior length of a neural arch. For the calculations of body lengths of the juveniles, femur length of specimens MSF 5B, MSF 23 and SMNS 13200 was measured (Table 2) as maximal length on the medial side. The femur of specimen MSF 5B is not preserved, but its scapula is. Based on the scapula/femur ratio (76%) of specimen MSF 23 and on measured scapula length of MSF 5B, we were able to calculate the femur length of MSF 5B.
|Adult (osteologically mature) specimens
|Femur length (mm)
The ratio between zygapophyseal length and femur length of MSF 5B, MSF 23, and SMNS 13200 were measured to calculate the femur lengths of the juvenile specimens of bone field 11.3. (Table S2). Our limited sample size of three adult specimens for comparison to the juvenile material is due to the taphonomy of Plateosaurus bonebeds, leading to incomplete and in most cases disarticulated finds. For the calculation of the femur length of the juveniles in percentage, we only used the data of specimen SMNS 13200, where the material is the most complete and best preserved, compared to all other specimens studied.
The main problems during measurements of zygapophyseal length in neural arches of all specimens studied were caused by poor preservation in some bones, with the tips of pre- or postzygapophyses missing. Sometimes heavy deformation, e.g., in MSF 23 in the region of the posteriormost dorsal vertebrae, made measurements impossible. In articulated specimens like MSF 5B and MSF 23, bones like dorsal ribs and gastralia obscure parts of the vertebral column.
Morphometric measurements were taken with a sliding caliper for distances between 0 and 150 mm. If the distance was greater than 150 mm, or the measurement was not accessible with the sliding caliper, a measuring tape was used. The measurements were taken to the nearest 0.1 mm (calliper) and to the nearest millimeter (measuring tape).
In terms of visualization of the isolated neural arches, we created three-dimensional digital models of four representative specimens (Files S1–S4). These specimens are two anterior cervical neural arches (MSF 11.3.317 and MSF 11.3.258), one middle dorsal neural arch (MSF 11.3.339), and the posteriormost dorsal neural arch (MSF 11.3.303). We computed these models with the photogrammetry software Agisoft PhotoScan using sets of professional-grade photographs of the specimens.
Among the juvenile bones, there are six isolated neural arches (specimens are listed in Table 1 and Supplemental Information) that can be assigned to the cervical vertebral column. This is based on their low and elongated appearance in comparison to the taller and shorter proportions of the dorsal neural arches (von Huene, 1926). We identified eleven dorsal neural arches from the bone field 11.3. sample (specimens are listed in Table 1 and Supplemental Information). The specimens can be further subdivided into anterior (C1–C5) and posterior (C6–C10) cervical neural arches and into anterior (D1–D5), middle (D6–D10) and posterior (D11–D15) dorsal neural arches. The identification of the position of the neural arches are performed with the help of characters and features of diapophyses (d), prezygapophyses (prz), postzygapophyses (poz), parapophyses (pa), and the neural spines, as described by von Huene (1926) and Bonaparte (1999). The laminae and fossae play an important role in the morphology of the neural arch (Bonaparte, 1999; Wilson, 1999; Wilson et al., 2011). Furthermore the processes of the neural arch change gradually along the vertebral column, e.g. in length, shape, size, location on the arch and angle at which these stand out from the vertebra (Wilson, 1999).
The complete vertebral column of Plateosaurus engelhardti consists of a rudimentary proatlas, 10 cervical vertebrae, 15 dorsal vertebrae, three sacral vertebrae, and at least 50 caudal vertebrae (von Huene, 1926; Bonaparte, 1999; Upchurch, Barrett & Galton, 2007). Specimens MSF 11.3.388 (cervical neural arch) and MSF 11.3.169 (dorsal neural arch) displayed the worst preservation and were not described in detail. We were unable to reliably determine the position of these two arches within the vertebral column since all of the important characters were not preserved.
Cervical neural arches
Axis, MSF 11.3.317 (Figs. 2A–2C, File S1)
The axis is the anteriormost neural arch identified in the bone field. With the diapophysis and parapophysis missing, the diapophyseal and parapophyseal laminae are not present in the axis. The prezygapophyses show much smaller and shorter facets than the postzygapophyses. The prezygapophysis is ventrally supported by a single cprl. The tprl connecting both prezygapophyses is missing. Short sprl's line up dorsally to the neural spine. As a counterpart the cpol holds up the postzygaphysis, and the spol runs up dorsally from the postzygapophysis towards the neural spine. A poorly developed tpol connecting the postzygapophyses is present. The only fossa is the spof, but it does not extend deeply into the neural arch. In ventral view, the pedicels show the zipper-like surface of the neurocentral suture, which is typical for morphologically immature bones originating from the open neurocentral suture (Brochu, 1996; Irmis, 2007). Furthermore, the articular surfaces of the postzygapophyses in ventral view are rough and were only partly ossified at the time of death. The morphology of the axis arch does not differ from the adult.
Third cervical, MSF 11.3.258 (Figs. 2D–2F, File S2)
The neural arch can be assigned to the third position within the vertebral column. No diapophysis or parapophysis is present, therefore the arch is missing any diapophyseal and parapophyseal laminae. Postzygapophysis and prezygapophysis are both small and form a low angle, indicating that this neural arch is an anterior cervical one. The tprl (the connecting lamina between the prezygapophyses) and tpol are well developed. The sprl is hardly developed in contrast to the spol being quite present. The cprl and cpol are well developed. Like in the axis, the spof is present and becomes deeper. Though less developed, the sprf is present now. Zipper-like suture surfaces on the pedicels are recognizable in ventral view.
Fourth cervical, MSF 11.3.371 (Figs. 3A–3E)
The arch shows a partly preserved diapophysis on the right lateral side, but still no parapophysis is present. Nevertheless, diapophyseal as well as parapophyseal laminae do not extend onto the arch. The prezygapophyses of MSF 11.3.371 are much more elongated compared to prezygapophyses in more anterior neural arches and the postzygapophyses of the same arch. The articular surfaces have a quite low angle of less than 45°. While the cpol remains short in length, the cprl is a thick elongated lamina. Sprl and spol are well developed along with the sprf and the spof, with the spof being the deeper and broader fossa. Other fossae are not present.
Sixth cervical, MSF 11.3.074 (Figs. 4A and 4B)
The partly preserved diapophysis fully moved dorsally onto the neural arch and is situated at the midlength of the neural arch. No parapophysis is present. The prezygapophysis and postzygapophysis seem to be very steeply angled, and the surface of the articular facets is rough, suggesting a cover by cartilage. This is unlike in adults, where zygapophyseal articular facets are well ossified and smooth. Intense lateral compaction of the arch with a sligthly ventral to dorsal shift is recognizable. The acdl emerges as a thin lamina going anterodorsally up from the anterior part of the junction between centrum and neural arch to the tip of the prezygapophysis, recognizable on both the left and right lateral side; concomitant with the presence of a small and shallow prcdf. The pcdl is not present. The neural spine is higher than in the anterior cervicals. Sprl, spol, tprl and tpol are present. Both cprl and cpol seem to be shorter than in the more anterior cervical arches. The sprf is not well developed whereas the spof is deeper. The pedicels lack the zipper-like structures due to poor preservation.
Tenth cervical, MSF 11.3.366 (Figs. 5A and 5B)
In the tenth cervical neural arch the cervicodorsal transition is visible. Posteriormost cervical neural arches show strong reduction in centrum and zygapophyseal length in comparison to the previous arches. The neural spine gets higher. The size, shape and functions of diapophyses change due to dorsal ribs which have to be supported. The ribs are supported from below by parapophyses which migrate onto the dorsal neural arches (Wilson, 1999). Though the diapophysis of the specimen is not complete with the tip missing, the diapophysis arises fully from the neural arch. As a consequence, all of the diapophyseal laminae are present and well developed. These include the acdl, which is a thin lamina in the sixth cervical (MSF 11.3.074), but which is thickened and well established in specimen MSF 11.3.366. The diapophysis is well supported ventrally by the pcdl, being the stronger and broader lamina, and the acdl. The cdf is still simple and not deep. On the contrary, the prcdf and pocdf are deep and extensive. The surface of the prezygapophyses and postzygapophyses are much more extensive, which is not the case for zygapophyses of anterior cervicals. Still, a parapophysis is not visible, but the laminae connecting the diapophysis with the prezygapophysis (prdl) and the diapophysis with the postzygapophysis (podl) are distinctly developed. All the other laminae like sprl, spol, tprl, tpol, cprl and cpol as well as sprf and spof are well developed. In contrast to the neural spine of more anterior cervicals, the neural spine of this specimen is much thicker. Specimen MSF 11.3.366 is the anteriormost specimen in the cervical series to exhibit a hyposphene and hypantrum for further support of the vertebral column.
Dorsal neural arches
Anterior neural arches from the first to the seventh dorsal are most abundant in bone field 11.3., and only two posterior dorsal neural arches can be recognized. Some positions are represented twice like the third, the fifth, the sixth and the tenth/eleventh dorsal. All of the dorsal neural arches show well developed hyposphenes and hypantra if this region is preserved. Zipper-like sutural surfaces are preserved for the dorsals MSF 11.3.360, MSF 11.3.167, MSF 11.3.095, MSF 11.3.107 and MSF 11.3.339.
Third dorsal, MSF 11.3.360 (Figs. 6A–6D)
This specimen is one of the most anterior dorsal neural arch in the dorsal series. With the shortest and thickest neural spine within the whole vertebral series, being nearly square in shape in dorsal view and sticking out from the arch at a right angle, the neural arch can be identified as a third dorsal (von Huene, 1926). The diapophysis is slightly oblique and gently posteriorly directed. Furthermore, three very deep fossae are well recognizable below the diapophysis (prcdf, pocdf and cdf). A first sign of a slight parapophysis articular facet is recognizable on both sides of the bone. The parapophysis still seems to have been located more on the centrum than on the neural arch. The much broader facets of the prezygapophyses in comparison to small ones of the postzygapophyses are remarkable. Nonetheless, both show rough articular sufaces like all the cervical neural arches. All laminae (acdl, pcdl, prdl, podl, sprl, spol, cprl and cpol) are fully developed.
Third dorsal, MSF 11.3.376 (Figs. 7A–7C)
Specimen MSF 11.3.376 can also be identified as a D3 due to the same diagnostic characters. However, there are some striking differences in comparison to the previous specimen. The prezygapophyses are much smaller and seem to be elongated instead of being broad. This may be due to preservation, though the shape of MSF 11.3.360 appears to be little affected by diagenetic deformation. MSF 11.3.376 experienced dorsoventral crushing. In addition, the parapophysis articular area has clearly developed and is situated on the neural arch while the parapophyses of MSF 11.3.360 still articulate with the centrum, because they are hardly visible. All laminae are fully present and developed, whereas the acdl is slightly truncated by the parapophysis articular facet.
Fourth dorsal, MSF 11.3.049 (Figs. 8A and 8B)
In the fourth dorsal neural arch, the thickness of the spine decreases a little and the spine gets longer. Unfortunately the tip of the diapophysis is missing on both sides. No parapophysis is visible. In all likelihood, the parapophysis articular facet is situated on the centrum. This may lead to the assumption that we deal with a cervical, but the neural spine indicates the specimen to be a dorsal. The appearance of the prezygapophyses and the very short postzygapophyses also argue for a dorsal neural arch. Fossae and accompanying laminae are well developed. All three fossae below the diapophysis are very deep and well visible (prcdf, cdf and pocdf). No parapophysis influences the laminae and fossae. Tough the cdf seems to be not as deep as in the third dorsals. The well established laminae and fossae indicate the neural arch belongs to a fourth dorsal. Cprl and cpol distinctly arise from the prezygapophysis and postzygapophysis, increasing the general height of the neural arch.
Fifth dorsal, MSF 11.3.067 (Figs. 9A–9C)
The fifth dorsal neural arch shows partly preserved diapophyses, but no parapophysis articular facet due to poor preservation. The neural spine shows that a posterior inclination is seen from now on backwards in the vertebral column. The left lateral side of the arch shows that all the laminae and fossae are well developed in this specimen. As expected, the prcdf begins to diminish in size and extent due to the parapophysis articular facet moving dorsally onto the neural arch, also slowly closing the acdl, separating the lamina into acpl and ppdl in posterior dorsal neural arches. In addition, the parapophysis articular facet also influences the prdl to the extent that it recedes. This process takes place stepwise, visibly beginning in the fifth dorsal and being complete in the eighth dorsal in which there are only two fossae left below the diapophysis (pocdf and cdf).
Fifth dorsal, MSF 11.3.167 (Figs. 10A–10C)
This is another neural arch belonging to a fifth dorsal vertebra. The specimen is heavily crushed on the left side, leaving the right side for the description. All laminae are well developed beneath the diapophysis with deep fossae (pcdl, acdl, prdl, podl, sprl, spol, cprl and cpol). A parapophysis articular facet is present interrupting the acdl. The appearance of the zygapophyses conforms with those of specimen 11.3.067.
Sixth dorsal, MSF 11.3.095 (Figs. 11A–11C)
Specimen MSF 11.3.095 is assigned to the sixth position in the dorsal vertebral column. The diapophyses are posteriorly oriented, suggesting a middle dorsal neural arch. The prezygapophyses are elongated in contrast to the postzygapophyses being shorter and smaller in expanse. Furthermore all laminae are fully developed. At the anterior end of the arch, dorsal of the neurocentral suture, a distinctive parapophysis articular facet is present on both sides. The parapophysis articular facet displaces the acdl, giving rise to the ppdl, connecting the parapophysis from ventral to dorsal with the diapophysis, and the acpl and the prpl. The prpl connects the parapophysis anterodorsally with the prezygapophysis. The prdl is still well visible. All the rest of the laminae are well developed, like in the arches described before. The same applies to all of the fossae. Further evidence for the identification of the specimen as a sixth dorsal is that the prcdf becomes narrower and decreases in depth compared to the prcdf in more anterior neural arches.
Sixth dorsal, MSF 11.3.107 (Figs. 12A–12C)
This specimen can also be identified as a sixth dorsal neural arch. All features seen in this specimen coincide with those of specimen MSF 11.3.095. The bone is complete although the diapophysis is broken off on the left side and is diagenetically recemented to the arch.
Seventh dorsal, MSF 11.3.339 (Figs. 13A–13C, File S3)
Although being the most complete and best preserved specimen of all, this neural arch is strongly influenced by anteroposterior compaction. This implies an extremely posteriorly directed diapophysis and a constrained elongation of the prdl on the right lateral side. Aside from the preservation, the prdl is much shorter and more inconspicuous than in the more anterior neural arches which argues for a position around the seventh dorsal, where the prdl is fused with the ppdl, the acdl is consumed by the acpl, and the cprl is disrupted by the prpl, connecting the parapophysis anterodorsally with the prezygapophysis. Unfortunately, no parapophysis articular facet is preserved. Furthermore, the specimen impressively shows the rough and only partly ossified zygapophyseal articular surfaces.
Tenth/Eleventh dorsal, MSF 11.3.241 (Figs. 14A–14C)
This is the posteriormost position represented by the neural arches found in bone field 11.3., being the tenth or eleventh dorsal neural arch. The arch has broad and extensive diapophyses, oriented nearly at right angles to the arch. The partly preserved neural spine does not show any indication of a bifurcation in the posterior part, which is mainly the reason why the neural arch cannot be assigned to the 12th up to the 15th dorsal. A sure indicator for a posterior dorsal position are the presence of only two fossae below the diapophyses. The prdl has fully vanished from the arch in this position. A parapophysis articular facet is well preserved on the left lateral side of the specimen. Prezygapophyses and postzygapophyses are both short compared to prezygapophyses and postzygapophyses in the middle dorsal neural arches (i.e., the fifth, sixth, and seventh dorsal). In all middle and posterior dorsal neural arches, the articular surfaces of the zygapophyses are horizontal. At the same time, the hyposphene and hypantrum are very distinctive.
Tenth/Eleventh dorsal, MSF 11.3.303 (Figs. 15A–15C, File S4)
This posterior dorsal neural arch can also be assigned to a position around the tenth dorsal. The diapophyses are not well preserved, missing the tip on the right lateral side and not being preserved on the left lateral side, to which a partly preserved bone (MSF 11.3.304) is cemented. Presumably this bone is a posterior caudal vertebra. Again the diapophysis is directed laterally at a 90-degree angle like in specimen MSF 11.3.241. The shape and appearance of the prezygapophyses and postzygapophyses also coincide with those of the previously described specimen. In contrast to specimen MSF 11.3.241, the postzygapophyses show completely ossified articular surfaces. All laminae and fossae are well developed.
Minimal number of individuals (MNI)
The assignment to the position of the neural arches indicates the minimum number of juvenile individuals (MNI) represented in bone field 11.3. In the dorsal series, some positions are represented twice, such as the the third dorsal (MSF 11.3.360 and MSF 11.3.376), the fifth dorsal (MSF 11.3.067 and MSF 11.3.167), the sixth dorsal (MSF 11.3.095 and MSF 11.3.107), and the tenth/eleventh dorsal (MSF 11.3.241 and MSF 11.3.303). The MNI of juvenile Plateosaurus from bone field 11.3. is thus two.
Morphometric analysis
Neural arch size measured as zygapophyseal length
The values of zygapophyseal length of the isolated neural arches pertaining to juveniles and described here and of the specimens MSF 5B, MSF 23 and SMNS 13200 were measured for morphometric analysis (Table S1). The trend of zygapophyseal lengths along the cervical and dorsal series shows a clear pattern in all adult specimens studied (MSF 5B, MSF 23 and SMNS13200) (Fig. 16). This pattern is roughly followed by the disarticulated neural arches from bone field 11.3 as well. The anterior cervical neural arches show a rapid increase in zygapophyseal length, with C4/C5 showing the maximal length. Posteriorly, a decrease in the length of the cervical neural arches takes place, with the anterior dorsals (D3) showing the lowest value of zygapophyseal length. Subsequently the zygapophyseal length again increases, though at a much lower rate than in the anterior cervicals. The comparison of neural arches at the same positions suggests that the two juvenile individuals are of a slightly different size. The maximal size difference is approximately 20%.
Specimen SMNS 13200 with the greatest femur length (685 mm) generally possesses the greatest zygapophyseal lengths. Except for a few outliers, its lengths are clearly greater in comparison to the other specimens. Though specimen MSF 23 is the second largest individual on the basis of a femur length of 610 mm, the zygapophyseal lengths of the slightly smaller MSF 5B (calculated femur length of 565 mm), overlap with those of MSF 23. Throughout the vertebral series, the zygapophyseal lengths of the isolated neural arches are less than those of the adult specimens. The zygapophyseal lengths of the juveniles only overlap with those of specimen MSF 23 in the cervical series which may be due to the strong deformation in MSF 23.
Zyg/Fe ratios
Zygapophyseal length was calculated as a percentage of femur length (Table S2) to estimate femur length from the isolated neural arches (Table 3). With the help of these ratios, it is possible to estimate femur length of the juvenile specimens, which is documented in Table 3. Though the Zyg/Fe ratios of MSF 5B, MSF 23 and SMNS 13200 show a wide range between 12.5 and 28.3% (Table S2), they all reflect a pattern, following the regular change in zygapophyseal length throughout the vertebral column visible in all specimens. The pattern of increase and decrease of zygapophyseal lengths explains the wide range in the Zyg/Fe ratios in these individuals. The calculated femur lengths of the two 11.3. individuals range from 478.9 to 594.9 mm, depending on position of the neural arch and size of the individual. Again the variation in zygapophyseal length, which can be seen in all specimens studied, accounts for the relatively large variation in estimated femur length. Based on the vertebral positions that are represented twice, the femur length estimate for the larger juvenile is between 539 mm and 595 mm and that for the smaller juvenile is between 479 mm and 593 mm.
Zyg/Fe ratio (%)
length (mm)
Estimated femur
length (mm)
|C2 (axis)
|77.1 (86.7)
|478.9 (538.5)
|94.2 (101.1)
|108.5 (109.2)
|550.5 (554.0)
|110.8 (121.6)
|542.1 (594.9)
Ontogenetic changes in vertebral morphology
Morphological changes through ontogeny in sauropodomorphs are poorly known because juveniles are rarely found and are mainly represented by late juveniles to subadult specimens (Ikejiri, Tidwell & Trexler, 2005; Tidwell & Wilhite, 2005). Until now there are just four basal sauropodomorphs and two sauropods with embryos or very young specimens known: Massospondylus carinatus (Reisz et al., 2005; Reisz et al., 2012), Mussaurus patagonicus (Bonaparte & Vince, 1979; Otero & Pol, 2013), Lufengosaurus (Reisz et al., 2013), the basal sauropodomorph Yunnanosaurus robustus (Sekiya et al., 2013), a baby titanosauriform closely related to Brachiosaurus (Carballido et al., 2012), and Europasaurus (Sander et al., 2006; Marpmann et al., 2011; Carballido & Sander, 2013). The most detailed study of ontogenetic changes in vertebral morphology has been done on Europasaurus holgeri, with different ontogenetic stages being recognized and defined (Carballido & Sander, 2013). Though in most cases isolated bones and incomplete specimens of vertebral column remains exacerbate studies on morphological changes through ontogeny (Carpenter & McIntosh, 1994; Foster, 2005).
Based on neural arch morphology, Carballido & Sander (2013) recognized five morphological ontogenetic stages: early immature, middle immature, late immature and two stages of maturity. In the early and middle immature stage, laminae and/or fossae of a neural arch are not fully developed. In the late immature stage all morphological characters of adults are already present, but the neurocentral suture remains open. The ontogenetic stage of the juvenile MSF 11.3. specimens equals the late immature stage found in Europasaurus holgeri.
The comparison of the morphology of cervical and dorsal neural arches between the juvenile MSF 11.3. specimens and the mature Plateosaurus did not reveal any differences at all. Laminae as well as fossae are all well developed in all osteologically mature individuals as well as in the juvenile Plateosaurus of bone field 11.3. The only distinction which can be made are the fully open neurocentral sutures in the 11.3. juveniles and the fully closed and invisible neurocentral sutures in the mature individuals (MSF 5B, MSF 23 and SMNS 13200).
The series of ontogenetic changes in the neural arch morphology as detected for Tazoudasaurus (Allain & Aquesbi, 2008), the brachiosaurid SMA 0009 (Carballido et al., 2012), Phuwiangosaurus (Martin, 1994) and especially the camarasauromorph Europasaurus holgeri (Carballido & Sander, 2013) cannot be observed in Plateosaurus. While this may be due to the late immature stage of the juveniles from bone field 11.3., it may be a plesiomorphy of basal sauropodomorphs. Basal sauropodomorphs are more plesiomorphic in their neural arch morphology than more derived sauropods and may have been more plesiomorphic in having less ontogenetic change in vertebral morphology. The function of laminae in sauropodomorphs was in the structural support of the neck and trunk region (Osborn, 1899; McIntosh, 1989), but also evolved as a correlate of axial pneumaticity (Seeley, 1870; Wilson, 1999; Taylor & Wedel, 2013). Most probably laminae can be explained by both factors.
Size and ontogenetic stage in Plateosaurus
The fully open neurocentral sutures of the neural arches described in this study are a reliable indicator for immaturity (Brochu, 1996). However, the calculated femur length for both juvenile individuals ranges between 479 mm and 595 mm, indicating that these were not smaller than many mature individuals from the Frick Plateosaurus bonebed. Histologically mature animals from Frick and Trossingen studied in Sander & Klein (2005) display a femur length between 480 mm and 990 mm. The femur lengths of osteologically immature, as well as osteologically mature, specimens and histologically mature animals merge into one another (Fig. 17). Furthermore, comparing the osteologically mature specimen MSF 5B (femur length: 565 mm) with the juveniles we assume that the immature animals would have become larger than MSF 5B. Our justification is the bone histology of a newly discovered (2012) associated skeleton (MSF 12.3.) with open neurocentral sutures in the cervical and dorsal column. Femoral histology of this individual indicates that it was still growing rapidly (see histological criteria in Sander & Klein, 2005; Klein & Sander, 2007) and was far from final body size. Importantly, both the current study and Sander and Klein's study in 2005 show no correlation between age and size. Developmental plasticity is not only observable in histology of Plateosaurus, but also corroborated by its morphology.
However, as discussed in the introduction, alternative explanations to developmental plasticity such as the presence of several Plateosaurus species represented at the locality of Frick cannot be excluded, and a combination of several hypotheses (developmental plasticity, different species, populations separated in time, and/or sexual dimorphism) still remain possible and cannot be tested without further detailed study of the material from the Plateosaurus bonebeds and the taphonomy of the bonebeds.
Patterns of neurocentral suture closure
The isolated neural arches from bone field 11.3. contribute little to our understanding of the pattern of neurocentral suture closure in Plateosaurus. Circumstantial evidence consists of the lack of isolated posterior dorsals and caudal arches compared to the large number of caudal vertebrae preserved in the bone field (Fig. 18). This is suggestive of suture closure beginning in the tail and the posterior dorsal region. Further we lacked most of posterior cervical neural arches (C7–C9) in our sample. Those, as well as posterior dorsals (D12–D15), may have had completely closed neurocentral sutures and, despite being present in bone field 11.3, were not assignable to because the only reliable character for immaturity in our specimens (open neurocentral sutures) is not present. This observation might suggest a pattern of suture closure spreading from more than one vertebral position.
Implications for taphonomic hypothesis
As noted, the taphonomic hypothesis for the origin of the Plateosaurus bonebeds of Central Europe proposed by Sander (1992) predicted a size threshold for animals below which animals did not become mired. According to Sander (1992), this would explain the lack of juveniles because of their small size. While the discovery of juveniles in the lowermost bone horizon seemingly contradicts the hypothesis of Sander (1992), this is not the case. The juvenile Plateosaurus individuals described in this study are as large or even larger than the smallest fully grown Plateosaurus present at Frick, upholding the view that a size threshold existed that kept animals smaller than a 5-m Plateosaurus from becoming mired in the mud traps. This conclusion was implicit in the work of Sander & Klein (2005) and Klein & Sander (2007), but it was not expressed because histological immaturity could not be properly correlated with skeletal immaturity because isolated neural arches were not known from Frick at the time.
This study focuses on the first remains of juveniles of the basal sauropodomorph Plateosaurus engelhardti in Frick, Switzerland. P. engelhardti can be found in over 40 localities in Central Europe (Sander, 1992). The juveniles studied come from the locality of Frick, one of three localities preserving abundant remains of Plateosaurus and sharing the same taphonomy. These localities were described as Plateosaurus bonebeds by Sander (1992). The juveniles were found in a bone field in the lowermost bone horizon in the Gruhalde clay quarry of the Tonwerke Keller AG, revealing a concentration of several juvenile and adult bones. The most interesting specimens were isolated neural arches, representing an MNI of two juveniles that slightly differed in size. The juvenility and osteological immaturity of the remains can reliably be linked to the lack of fusion of the neural arches to the centra (Brochu, 1996). The ventral surface of the pedicel reveals the characteristic zipper-like surface of the suture, but the morphology of the immature neural arches does not differ from the morphology of the osteologically mature specimens (MSF 5B, MSF 23 and SMNS 13200) studied for comparison. Thus, the juvenile specimens of P. engelhardti seem to represent late immature individuals. Patterns of abundance in the bone field hint at a suture closure pattern in Plateosaurus from posterior to anterior. However, a pattern of suture closure spreading from more than one vertebral position is possible.
Morphometric analysis based on the ratio of zygapophyseal length to femur length indicates the femur length of the juvenile specimens to have been between 479 and 595 mm. Thus these animals were larger than the smallest histologically fully grown individual with a femur length of 480 mm from Frick (Sander & Klein, 2005) and most probably would have become larger than another individual with a femur length of 565 mm. The morphometric analysis thus independently confirms the poor correlation between age and size in the finds from Frick assigned to P. engelhardti, most likely reflecting pronounced developmental plasticity of Plateosaurus (Sander & Klein, 2005). However, alternative explanations such as the presence of several Plateosaurus species at the locality Frick cannot be excluded, and a combination of several hypotheses (developmental plasticity, different species, populations separated in time, and/or sexual dimorphism) still remain possible and cannot be tested without further detailed study of the material from the Plateosaurus bonebeds and the taphonomy of the bonebeds. Our study also failed to falsify the taphonomic miring hypothesis of Sander (1992) explaining the origin of the Plateosaurus bonebeds. While juvenile, the newly described individuals are not smaller than some adults and above the size threshold for miring.
Sauriermuseum Frick, Frick, Canton Aargau, Switzerland
Naturama, Aarau, Canton Aargau, Switzerland
Sauriermuseum Aathal, Aathal, Canton Zurich, Switzerland
Staatliches Museum für Naturkunde, Stuttgart, Germany
Institutional abbreviations
- acdl
anterior centrodiapophyseal lamina
- acpl
anterior centroparapophyseal lamina
- c
- Cd?
caudal of indeterminate position
- cdf
centrodiapophyseal fossa
- cpol
centropostzygapophyseal lamina
- cprl
centroprezygapophyseal lamina
third cervical
fourth cervical
sixth cervical
seventh cervical
eighth cevival
tenth cervical
cervical of indeterminate position
- d
third dorsal
fourth dorsal
fifth dorsal
sixth dorsal
seventh dorsal
tenth dorsal
eleventh dorsal
fifteenth dorsal
dorsal of indeterminate position
- hypa
- hypo
- pa
- pcdl
posterior centrodiapophyseal lamina
- pocdf
postzygapophyseal centrodiapophyseal fossa
- podl
postzygodiapophyseal lamina
- poz
- ppdl
paradiapophyseal lamina
- prcdf
prezygapophyseal centrodiapophyseal fossa
- prdl
prezygodiapophyseal lamina
- prz
- spol
spinopostzygapophyseal lamina
- sprl
spinoprezygapophyseal lamina
- tpol
intrapostzygapophyseal lamina
- tprl
intraprezygapophyseal lamina
Anatomical abbreviations
Supplemental Information
Zygapophyses lengths of the juvenile specimens MSF 11.3., MSF 5B, MSF 23 and SMNS 13200
Zygapophyses lengths in mm of the juvenile specimens MSF 11.3., MSF 5B, MSF 23 and SMNS 13200 with their respective position in the vertebral column. As noted in the description some positions can be recognized twice. The zygapophyses lengths in parentheses belong to the longer neural arch of those to be found twice in the sample. The specimen numbers of the 11.3. specimens is listed in Table 1. D3 (MSF 11.3.376/77.1 mm and MSF 11.3.360/86.7 mm). D5 (MSF 11.3.167/94.2 mm and MSF 11.3.067/101.1 mm). D6 (MSF 11.3.095/108.5 mm and MSF 11.3.107/109.2 mm). D10/D11 (MSF 11.3.241/110.8 mm and MSF 11.3.303/121.6 mm). Gaps are left, where data is missing due to preservation or the accessibility is was not given.
Zyg/Fe ratios of MSF 5B, MSF 23 and SMNS 13200
Table S2 shows the calculated ratio in percent between the zygapophyses length and the femur length of the referred specimens. The ratios within on specimen and compared to each other specimen follow a determined scheme of zygapohyseal length explaining the wide range between 12.5 and 28.3%. With the help of the ratios we were able to define a new proxy for the determination of a range of femur lengths for the juvenile MSF 11.3. specimens.
Foil plan of bone field 11.3
The foil plan shows the isolated neural arches found in bone field 11.3. The neural arches are colored in green. The plan clearly shows that the neural arches were distributed over the whole area with no recognizable connection to each other and no centra lying next to them. The yardstick measures 1 m.
Specimen MSF 5 on exhibition in the SMA
Specimen MSF 5B reveals a complete articulated cervical series from vertebrae C2 to C10 and articulated dorsal vertebrae from D1 to D5. MSF 5B. All zygapophyseal lengths were available for measurements. MSF 5B being an osteologically mature specimen of Plateosaurus engelhardti shows completely closed neurocentral sutures with all morphological characters being well developed. Scale bar measures 5 cm.
Specimen MSF 23 on exhibition in the MSF
Specimen MSF 23 is a nearly complete and in most parts articulated P. engelhardti. The cervical vertebrae series is complete from C2 to C10. The dorsal series is complete from D1 to D15. The vertebrae of this specimen are heavily deformed, especially in the posterior dorsal series making measurements difficult. This specimen shows completely closed neurocentral sutures and all morphological characters are well developed. Scale bar measures 20 cm.
Specimen SMNS 13200: a cast exhibited in the NAA
A complete mounted skeleton cast of SMNS 13200 from Trossingen, Germany. The cervical as well as the dorsal vertebrae series is well preserved. All neurocentral sutures are completely closed and all morphological characters are well developed. For scaling: the left femur length of specimen SMNS 13200 measures 68.5 cm.
Three-dimensional model of specimen MSF 11.3.317 (axis)
Plateosaurus engelhardti from Frick, Switzerland. Three-dimensional model of an anterior neural arch of a late juvenile. Specimen MSF 11.3.317 shows prezygapophyses facets being smaller and shorter than those of the postzygapophyses. The spof is the only fossa developed. Note the zipper-like structures on the pedicels in ventral view. For scale bar refer to Fig. 2.
Three-dimensional model of specimen MSF 11.3.258 (C3)
Plateosaurus engelhardti from Frick, Switzerland. Three-dimensional model of an anterior neural arch of a late juvenile. The spof in MSF 11.3.258 gets deeper and the sprf developed. Note the zipper-like structures on the pedicels in ventral view. Furthermore the specimen shows tectonic cracks in dorsal view allover on the neural arch. For scale bar refer to Fig. 2.
Three-dimensional model of specimen MSF 11.3.339 (D7)
Plateosaurus engelhardti from Frick, Switzerland. Three-dimensional model of a middle dorsal neural arch of a late juvenile. The prcdf is extremely diminished in comparison to anterior dorsal neural arches. The articular surfaces of the prezygapophyses, postzygapophyses, and diapophyses display very rough articular surfaces once being covered by cartilage. Rough surfaces are an indicator of osteological immaturity. Specimen MSF 11.3.339 shows tectonic cracks in ventral view on the left lateral prezygapophysis. For scale bar refer to Fig. 13.
Three-dimensional model of specimen MSF 11.3.303 (D10/D11)
Plateosaurus engelhardti from Frick, Switzerland. Three-dimensional model of a middle/posterior dorsal neural arch of a late juvenile. In ventral view a partly preserved posterior caudal vertebrae (MSF 11.3.304) is cemented to specimen MSF 11.3.303. For scale bar refer to Fig. 15.


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The CoR-EU Conversation Tables
For members and selected guests
With a view to stimulating cross-fertilisation of thoughts, knowledge and expertise among the members of the Club of Rome EU-Chapter, the Board of directors launched conversation tables over a topical issue on 3 February 2016, at the congress centre Amazone in Brussels.
Subject: "VEER-UP – Values for Earth Ecosystems & Resilience –Uniting People". Facilitator: Dr. Anne Snick, Member of the Board.
Past tables
Wednesday 2 March:
" What value can the CoR-EU add to the debate of the Sustainable Development Goals?"
Facilitator: Martina Bianchini, Member of the Board
Wednesday 5 April:
" The Quest for Values: spirituality in a shifting paradigm."
Facilitator: Guido-Henri De Couvreur, Vice-President
Wednesday 4 May:
"The Man-Nature Relationship and Environmental Ethics"
Facilitator: Prof. em. Philippe Bourdeau, PhD, Full member
Wednesday 8 June:
"L'Europe: un phare d'humanisme pacifiant?"
Facilitator : Dr. Jean-Philippe Cornélis, Full member
Wednesday 6 July :
"Staying Human"
Facilitator : Alain Ruche, Full Member Wednesday 7 September:
"From Faith to Fate"
Facilitator: Dr. Marc van der Erve, Full member
Planned tables
Wednesday 7 September:
"From Faith to Fate"
Facilitator: Dr. Marc van der Erve, Full member
Wednesday 5 October :
«Basculement générationnel dans nos sociétés »
Facilitator : Patrick Corsi, Full member
The enriching experience of these past 10 tables incited us to review the concept and format. From February 2018 they are built around one or a few outsiders, who kick off the debate based on a brief functional presentation. A concrete and well-defined topic should produce a usable output adding to our thinking and leading to further concrete activities.
Though remaining within the overall legacy of the Club of Rome they will largely relate to the goals and targets of Agenda 2030.
Time for meeting must allow members and guests to easily participate considering their professional activities. Therefore, the tables will still take place midday, from 12:00 to 14:00, with a sandwich lunch. They should be a welcome break on a working day.
Number of participants - drawn from EU officials, business leaders, academics and CoR-EU members - never exceed 12 to 15 to ensure effective interactivity and dialogue.
In addition to these midday Conversation tables there will be more in-depth meetings of a different format: half day meetings starting or ending with a convivial meal, but with the same concept of cross fertilization between members and authoritative outsiders.


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Set Free! (Galatians 5:1-12)Rev J Middleton, 7th August 2018
Part of the No Longer Slaves series, preached at a Tuesday Lunchtime service
No Longer Slaves
Set Free!
Galatians 5:1-12
Rev Jerry Middleton
Lunchtime Service, Tuesday 7 August 2018
|Same day:
|« I Gladly Bow The Knee
|Raised To New Life »
Galatians 5:1-12
1Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. 2Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing. 3For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law. 4Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace. 5For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. 6For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love. 7Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth? 8This persuasion cometh not of him that calleth you. 9A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump. 10I have confidence in you through the Lord, that ye will be none otherwise minded: but he that troubleth you shall bear his judgment, whosoever he be. 11And I, brethren, if I yet preach circumcision, why do I yet suffer persecution? then is the offence of the cross ceased. 12I would they were even cut off which trouble you. (KJV)


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Language Review
Julia is a dynamic programming language for technical computing. It provides distributed parallel execution, numerical accuracy, and an extensive library. Julia's is an interpreted language like Python but it has a JIT compiler that enable high-performance.
Julia is designed for parallelism and cloud computing. It does not impose any particular style of parallelism on the user. Instead, it provides a number of key building blocks for distributed computation, making it flexible enough to support a number of styles of parallelism.
Learning Julia
Learning Julia do not require any previous programming experience. This can be your first computer language. Julia has an interpreter so it can be learn as fast as Python. I have found this website https://juliacomputing.com/ very useful.
Julia team is working hard to promote Julia. They use a special web application for tutorials called Jupiter. I have manage to connect to Jupiter using my GitHub account and LinkedIn account. Here is the link: https://www.juliabox.com/ After you connect to Jupiter you can check several "notebooks" organized by "folders".
Each notebook has an extension *.ipynb and I think is a kind of file. These kind of files can be also stored on GitHub and rendered automatically in browser like a wiki page. You may find this very new approach to present documentation. A Julia "notebook" has several examples on juliabox. Interesting is that you can modify and run these examples and see the result in the browser.
Tutorial Articles
In next tutorials we will show examples use simple CSS not Jupiter. This is much faster to load but is not interactive. You can't change the code to see the results. Therefore I will present just briefly the syntax highlights and point you to some YouTube videos that may be of interest for faster learning. Then you need to connect yourself to the Juliabox and start experimenting.
External References
Rating Exam
This exam is based on simple syntax questions. Each question has at least one correct answer. Some questions have multiple correct answers. We try to be as fare as possible so you can learn from the exam. We even provide hints to some questions so pay attention to press the hint button.
Leaderboard: Programming Julia
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The state Minister for lands Persis Namuganza has appealed to the committee on rules privilege and discipline to urge the Speaker to desist from interfering in Busoga Royal matters.
Namuganza was Wednesday summoned by the committee to give testimony in a probe the committee is conducting into her alleged verbal attack against the speaker Rebecca Kadaga.
Namuganza in her statement accused the Speaker of spearheading the illegal installation of the Bukono chiefdom where Namuganza is a princess, Namuganza adds that this was part of a wider plot by the speaker to use the coronation of the Kyabazinga Gabula Nadiope to install illegitimate chiefs across Busoga.
Namuganza also claims that the speaker threatened her life.
She says that the succession wrangles in her Bukono chiefdom even attracted president Museveni who on the 28th of Feb ordered for the staying of any installation until he had intervened.
Despite this order she accuses Kadaga of hastily proceeding the next day to install an illegitimate chief, an action that has ignited violence and bloodshed across the chiefdom.
Namuganza has also denied ever being part of the Busoga caucus and denounced the grouping as a clique of disgruntled MPs with no credibility.
She says the group has been illegally deducting a membership fee from her salary for which she demands a reimbursement with 100% interest.


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Monday, June 13, 2016
Cutting Machines: Cricut Explore vs. Silhouette Cameo
4 comments:
Thanks for sharing nice information with us. i like your post and all you share with us is uptodate and quite informative, i would like to bookmark the page so i can come here again to read you, as you have done a wonderful job.ReplyDelete
cameo silhouette
I have a question for you. I am looking into purchasing a new machine, I am starting my own small tshirt business and need to figure out which machine would work better for that. What would your opinion be? I want something I can go online with and find an image and then use that image for a shirt design, which one would allow that to happen? Thanks NikkiReplyDelete
thank you for tutorial couldn't figure why the cdc file i just downloaded wasn't working..... on my silhouette. because i was trying to download the .svg file.ReplyDelete
Thanks for providing recent updates regarding the concern, I look forward to read more. Best Vinyl Cutting Machines in 2018ReplyDelete


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Vertical Shaft Impact Crusher
As we all know, the machines for artificial sand making are various, such as all kinds of sand making machines, sand washing machines as well as vibrating screen machines and so on. For example, the vertical shaft impact crusher machine is one of the important sand making machines for processing all kinds of stones into small size. Also, the sand washer machine is main equipment in the sand making plants as well. Hammer crusher machines are the common sand making machines as well.
The advangtage of our products
In sand making plants, the sand making machines and other kinds of machines should work synchronously and continuously. In order to avoid some blocking problems in the sand making plants, operators should know the right operations of these machines very well. Machines in sand making plants should be maintained at a regular time. There are many maintenance methods for these machines and operators should be aware of them. The sand making machines are at large sale in mining industry. There are many suppliers of such machines.
Vertical Shaft Impact Crusher In Sand Making Plants
Vertical shaft impact crusher is a kind of crusher machines, which can be used for processing various stones and ores. The vertical shaft impact crusher machines are called sand making machines as well in practice. Vertical shaft impact crusher machines are equipped with advanced technology with world leading level. Such machines have widely applications in sand making industry as well as many other industries, such as construction industry and so on.
Compared with the hammer crusher machine, another common sand making machine, the vertical shaft impact crusher machine has large output capacities as well as production efficiency. But the prices of vertical shaft impact crusher machines are higher than hammer crusher machines. Hammer crusher machines are more suitable for small scale sand making. The costs of hammer crusher machines are lower.


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Motorcar Parts Of America To Present At 31st Annual Roth Conference
An updated PowerPoint presentation will be available on
The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 provides a "safe harbor" for certain forward-looking statements. The statements contained in this press release that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements based on the company's current expectations and beliefs concerning future developments and their potential effects on the company. These forward-looking statements involve significant risks and uncertainties (some of which are beyond the control of the company) and are subject to change based upon various factors. Reference is also made to the Risk Factors set forth in the company's Form 10-K Annual Report filed with the
|Gary S. Maier
|(310) 471-1288
Source: Motorcar Parts of America, Inc.


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Why Davidoff Fragrance is the best for him or her? Davidoff perfumes and colognes is Swiss brand and a family business of the Zino Davidoff Group of Switzerland. The davidoff perfumes brand provides watches, leather goods, and perfumes and fragrances among others. The company is committed to combine the best materials and ingredients for producing the finest of the products. ...Read More »
For Beauty Products
Top 42 Dolce & Gabbana Women's Perfumes – Best Men's Cologne 2017
Why Dolce and Gabbana Fragrance is the best for him or her? Dolce & Gabbana perfumes and colognes is an Italian product and the luxury fashion house was established in 1985 by Domenico Dolce Gabbana Perfumes and Stefano Gabbana. The perfumes and colognes made immediate impact as flashy as well as sexy products in the industry. The company also produces sexy ...Read More »
Top 65 Christian Dior Women's Perfumes – Best Men's Cologne 2017
Why Christian Dior Fragrance is the best for him or her? Christian Dior perfumes and colognes are manufactured by LVMH Company in France and occupy premier position in the industry today. The perfumes and colognes have been developed around the concept of new look introduced by fashion designer Christian Dior. The perfumes and colognes match the voluptuous dresses emphasizing curvy ...Read More »
Top 24 Dana Men's and Women's Perfume Reviews – Best Dana Cologne You Need To Wear All Year Long
Why Dana Fragrance is the best for him or her? Dana is a fragrance brand that initially emerged in Spain in the year 1932. It is a commonly accepted fact that since the emergence of human civilization, perfumes have played a crucial role in enriching our personality with vibrant shades. In this context, it is important to mention the name ...Read More »
Top 12 Clinique Perfumes For Women – Best Men's Cologne 2017
Why Clinique Perfumes are the best for him or her? Clinique Perfumes are figured keeping away from known allergens. Every item is tried by a gathering of 600 individuals where the detailing is connected 12 times in look for a zero responses result. Each effective recipe is routinely re-surveyed for conceivable upgrades which can bring about a definition change. As opposed to ...Read More »
Top 40 Carolina Herrera Perfumes For Women – Best Men's Cologne 2017
Why Carolina Herrera Fragrance is the best for him or her? Perfumes are getting increasingly popular not only for masking body odor, but also for enhancing mood. Fragrances also help to develop a smell signature that adds to the personality, and makes presence felt in the crowd. Whether it is a business meeting or dinning out in the evening, a ...Read More »
Top 81 Calvin Klein Perfumes – Best Men's Cologne 2017
Why Calvin Klein Fragrance is the best for him or her? It is a widely observed fact that perfumes and other fragrances have been admired by people since early Calvin Klein Perfumes. Nowadays, fragrances can be found all around the world, from scented fragrances to perfumed candles. There are numerous reasons why people apply and wear fragrances, but the underlying ...Read More »
TheTop 50 Bvlgari Perfumes – Best Men's Cologne 2017
An Italian luxury goods store that was established by Sotirios Voulgaris back in 1884, Bvlgari Perfumes is famous for manufacturing some of the best fragrances in the world. Initially established for providing luxury jewelries the firm expanded its activities to various other fields including manufacturing of fragrances and soon occupied a premier position in the industry owing to the quality ...Read More »
Top 37 Burberry Perfumes – Best Men's Cologne 2017
Why Burberry Fragrance is the best for him or her? Many define perfume as a product with the fragrance that is produced from a magical blend of substances and possesses pleasant odor. In recent years, perfume is available for all kinds of individuals in different price ranges and varieties. However, the aromas produced by Burberry Perfumes exude class and uncommonness. ...Read More »
Top 12 Alfred Sung Perfumes – Best Men's Cologne 2017
Perfumes are integral part of style statement and fashion for both men and women. There are numerous products available in the market for both men and women but some of them like the Alfred Sung Perfumes men's and women's perfume occupies a premier position in the industry. Why Alfred Sung Perfume is Best for Him or Her? Alfred Sung is ...Read More »


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Vogue Runway
No.21 S/S 2017 READY-TO-WEAR
What does femininity mean in 2016?
[...] There comes a time in every person's life when she has to face up to the fact that she will never be all things to all people. That doesn't, however, mean that her wardrobe can't do some of the heavy lifting. With his exuberant Spring collection, Dell'Acqua attempted to fill that gap, and to dress the ever-evolving modern power woman. Here were dresses both tough and feminine, sporty and delicate, light and dark. "It's a new attitude," said Dell'Acqua backstage, surveying net hems on macramé dresses and bow-topped pumps highlighted with fluorescent tape, sequined tube skirts, feather-trimmed scuba-tops, and tulle-lined anoraks.


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This year is the year of the ox. Lucy is an ox. What I mean is that she was born in the year of the ox. Happy New Year!
Monday, January 26, 2009
Happy Chinese New Year!
On behalf of Lucy and I, we would like to wish that everyone has a great year. May all of your hard work pay off. ...That kind of sounds like something you'd expect to read in a fortune cookie. That was not my intention.
Posted by Christine at 20:31 1 comment:
Labels: Random
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Laptop Having Issues
Actually, it's more like Safari is being retarded. It could be both. The thing is that I've been trying to upload a new slideshow for everyone to see, but everytime I try, Safari randomly closes on me JUST before I get the code thing. Stupid, no? I tried it twice today alone. I had all my photos uploaded and captions written both times when it closed on me. Ugh. I'm going to try it once more with Safari tomorrow and then if that doesn't work, I'll try it on Firefox. Stupid Mac...
To cheer some people up (including myself), let me post this funny picture I took in December. Check out the creepy person in front of the Spadina street car. He/she is just looking at me. At least that's what it looks like. It's kinda creepy because when I zoom up on the person, you can barely see facial features. Why is there no information on his/her face? I have no clue.
In case you aren't seeing what I'm seeing...
Still can't? Wow, someone needs glasses.. and it's not me. Let me zoom in for ya. *Cue horror music*
Hahaha.. too funny!
Saturday, January 17, 2009
The Making of Xiao Long Bao: Take Two - January 7th, 2009
Unlike the first post, I took plenty of pictures. Some are a tad bit blurry and the white balance is a bit off on some. Just a heads up.
The first time my mom and I made soup dumplings, they turned out really tasty. I was craving it since then and knew that I had to have it once more before I left for Toronto. 'The Making of Xiao Long Bao: Take Two' began on a day when my mom didn't have work...
The filling I made was the almost the same as last time (pot sticker filling with shrimp) featuring some beef balls. I noticed that we had some fresh beef balls in the fridge and thought that it might be tasty in the dumplings, so I chopped some up and threw it into the meat mixture.
I made the soup over two hours before we started to wrap the dumplings, but it didn't fully congeal. I'm not sure if it was the agar agar (gelatin made from seaweed and not err.. how should I say this.. organic material) or if I just didn't do it properly. I used a different brand of agar agar than I did the last time I made it, and well, it barely congealed. Luckily my mom remembered that we had some leftover congealed soup in the fridge. Tada!
My mom quickly whipped up the dough by adding boiled water to the flour...
Room temperature water...
And a bit of oil to bind everything together.
Here's my mom wrapping a soup dumpling.
This is a dumpling-in-the-making (without the soup).
This is a dumpling-in-the-making with soup, in a small dipping dish. (It was easier to put the soup that failed to congeal into the dumplings this way. Less of a mess.)
Steamer # 1, loaded and ready to go in the steamer. The nice ones are my mom's. The ugly ones that don't look like traditional XLB (xiao long bao) are made by yours truly. Notice how my dumplings are bulging? That's because of the cubes and cubes of soup. Muhahaa!
Steamer # 1, loaded and ready to eat.
I got really greedy when I was making these. You can tell by looking at the dumplings with the piece of green onion on top, that I tried to pack the dumplings full of soup. Unfortunately most of them leaked while in the steamer. I was trying to make bombs of soup here. I wanted to see the soup spray out, just like the 'explosive pissing beef balls' did in the God of Cookery. Watch the funny clip. (Skip to 7:09 to see it spray if you're that impatient.) I had a blast wrapping these dumplings. Just imagining how an unsuspecting victim would react when they set off the dumpling. *Cue evil laugh* Muhahaha!
Nah, my dumplings didn't explode on anyone. These were good. The other ones were better, just because we made them too large this time. The first time we made them, they were small enough to fit on your soup spoon. Those were the best soup dumplings - so far. These ones were still good though. There was about a whole spoon of soup in the biggest dumpling (that I made) and, on the other end of the spectrum, there was no soup in the dumpling because either the skin ripped when we tried to take them out of the steamer, or because I stuffed them too full and the soup leaked out when it was steamed. Note to self, oil the wax paper before putting the dumplings on.
"Don't stuff them too much with soup or they'll pop. Then you won't have anything to eat, so just put a bit of soup. If you want more, just warm up the soup and have it on the side." My mom is so wise. "More meat and less soup or you'll just fill up on carbs." The moral of the story, children, is that if you're greedy, you'll just end up eating carbs and getting fat.
Posted by Christine at 17:12 No comments:
Friday, January 16, 2009
First Trip to Chinatown of 2009
Like I said in the previous post, I went to Chinatown two nights ago and stuffed myself silly. We arrived at Spadina Station pretty early and decided to kill some time in Kensington Market. We went to a cute candy store (I forget the name) and a couple of cheese stores. In one particular one, the gentleman behind the counter offered us a sample of a really soft and light cheese that was made in France. The cheese was creamy but light at the same time. The flavour didn't hit you right away. It's a light cheese taste. I don't know how to describe it any other way. It isn't tangy, like cream cheese is or bold in flavour, like old cheddar is. The sad thing is that I brought the wrong cheese home. *tear*
Back to the House of Gourmet of blah, blah, blah. We ordered the same things, the braised beef noodles with wontons, my noodles and the sizzling beef in chef's special sauce. This time, my friends, I took a lot of pictures of the bowl of noodle soup.First came the bowl of braised beef noodles with wontons. I asked our waitress if we could substitute the shrimp wontons for the pork ones, because my friend disliked them, but she told us we weren't allowed. It's funny how we did last time...
The braised beef melts in your mouth, oozing with the flavour of star anise and other spices. My mom makes a dish that has the beef coming out tasting almost exactly like this. It's with hard boiled eggs and chunks of fatty beef. Anyone know what I'm talking about? Anyway, they gave us a lot more noodles than they did last time so we left some noodles and pieces of lettuce, while devouring everything else. I would like to mention that the huge shrimp wontons that I remembered have changed. These shrimp wontons were the same size as the pork ones. I was kind of sad, but then our sizzling beef tenderloin in the chef's special sauce arrived.
Just like last time, the sauce was already poured onto the cast iron plate. Booo! We noticed, right away, that there wasn't as much sauce as we had last time. They gave us more small slabs of beef this time, as opposed to the larger slabs of beef we were given last time. Despite these changes, the dish was very good.
My noodles came shortly after the sizzling plate. If you look closely at the picture, you can actually see that my noodles were made more smokey.
Strain your eyes and check out the darker bits on the noodles.
That's physical evidence that my noodles were made smokier. The disappointing thing is that they didn't give us extra sauce, even when I asked for "more sauce." (I found that when I asked for "extra sauce," the person taking my order would usually mistake it for "XO" sauce. Why? I have no clue. I make sure I enunciate every time I sauce "extra." That's my little story on why I ask for "more sauce" instead of "extra sauce.") Because the noodles itself were smokier, the flavour was stronger than the little sauce we had. That made the plate of noodles crappy. It didn't help that there wasn't a lot of sauce from the sizzling plate, either. Bah! I shouldn't complain.
484 Dundas St W
Toronto, ON
Posted by Christine at 14:28 No comments:
Labels: Chinese, My Noodles, Noodles, Restaurant, Seafood, Soup, Toronto
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Last Noodles of 2008 - December 1st, 2008
I was very excited to venture out to Chinatown this time, because I vowed to show my friend the authentic version of the nasty 'sweet and sour pork.' The last time I had this pork dish was back in the summer and I definitely missed it. I HATE the sweet and sour pork that most places serve. They use frozen pieces of battered pork, at least that's what they claim. I think that they throw in pieces of cardboard into the pork sometimes. Nasty. Okay, so the REAL version of the dish is served on a sizzling plate. There's REAL chunks of pork and ZERO traces of cardboard matter.
My friend and I went to the House of Gourmet blah blah blah restaurant, of course. It was going to be the last time I would get to have my noodles this year. We got there at the beginning of the dinner rush and were seated right away, more or less. We ordered 3 dishes to share between the two of us because we were starving. We ordered a bowl of stewed beef and wonton noodle soup, my noodles and, finally, pork in chef's special sauce on a sizzling plate. The soup came first, as it came from the front of the house. Okay, their shrimp wontons are pretty much huge siu mai. Seriously. Anyone who's had them there knows that I'm not lying. It's awesome! They're HUGE shrimp siu mai disguised as wontons. Sneaky ninja dumplings. Despite their skills, the shrimp 'wontons' failed to get ordered by us. My friend is sadly a
shrimp hater and so I just go the pork wontons which are relatively smaller. I was sad. I took a picture or two of the bowl and thought they were fine, at the time, but I found out that they were blurry when I uploaded them onto my laptop. Boo... This is a picture of my brother's bowl of stewed beef noodle soup (without the wontons). The soup is there.. somewhere. The bowl that we got had more soup. Their soup kind of tastes weird. I remember when I tried my brother's bowl of soup two years ago, I thought the soup was kinda nasty. It grew on me this time. The meat is heavenly. It melts in your mouse and is sooo tasty!
I made sure to explain that the sizzling pork dish appealed to most of the senses. You can hear it sizzling as the waitress brings it over to the table, you can smell the sweet and smokiness of the dish, you can see the steam trail of the dish as it's carried to the table, you can see the bubbly sauce and you can finally taste the tender pork with the sweet sauce.
The sizzling pork dish came next. The kitchen already poured the sauce on the beef, so there sadly wasn't a huge spectacle. It smelt sooo good and I couldn't wait to dig in. It was really good. The pork was tender and the sauce was smoky and not too sweet.
My noodles came next. The only thing I can remember about it was that it wasn'
t as smoky. Oh, my friend, who I was with, commented that there wasn't "... as much sauce as we usually get." I had to tease him about it, because at the beginning of the semester, he only ate Canadian-Chinese food. Gotta love how one semester of Chinatown trips can turn someone really white, more asian than some asians are.
I'm going with my friend tomorrow and we're probably going order the same things.. I'm excited! Woot!
Enjoy the winter everyone! Make sure you bundle up so you don't freeze.
484 Dundas St W
Toronto, ON
Monday, January 12, 2009
Photog Dim Sum Outing - December 5th, 2008
I wanted to get a bunch of us together since the middle of the semester but because we were always working on assignments, we didn't really have time to do so. Then came the first week of exams... there's an opportunity!
There were 4 dim sum noobies along with 4 dim sum pros, so there was going to be a lot of food. We needed to make sure everyone left full and happy, so we ordered a bit of everything. It was around 2:30 by the time everyone arrived at the restaurant and the dim sum ladies, rolling the carts, started to stop coming out. We just gave the manager-guy a list of what we wanted to order. The good thing about when the food came was that it didn't all come at once. I hate when that happens, cause everything gets cold so quick. We also ordered a plate of noodles with beef, soy sauce and bean sprouts. The plate of noodles were gone in no time at all, which is why they're MIA from the pics.
Anyway, nothing stood out so it made for an average dim sum outing - yummy!
888 Dundas Street East
Mississauga, ON
(905) 566-1886
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HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) – Monday morning, attorneys for Nicholas "Nick" Acklin began laying the groundwork for their claim that the death row inmate deserves a new trial. Allegations of abuse Acklin reportedly suffered as a child – which were not brought up at his 1998 trial – appear to be a prominent factor in their argument.
Acklin was convicted and sentenced to death for his role in a shooting that left four people dead and two others injured. On September 25, 1996, Acklin – along with Joey Wilson and Corey Johnson – went to a home on University Drive to find out who had filed a complaint against Wilson over a stolen cell phone. After what prosecutors described as hours of questioning and torture of those present at the home, Acklin and Wilson opened fire on the group.
Wilson was also sentenced to death. Johnson – who did not fire any shots – was sentenced to 15-years and has since been released from prison. However, attorneys for Acklin say he did not receive a fair trial and question the performance of Acklin's original counsel, Behrouz Rahmati.
Rahmati was the first witness called to testify in the hearing. William Montross, Jr, Acklin's new attorney, began with a long series of questions regarding retainer payments. Montross established Rahmati's compensation averaged less than $100 a month through the course of the case, as Acklin's mother was unable to afford the $25,000 retainer originally agreed upon. Rahmati said money was never the driving factor in his decision to take the case, adding, "I suspected strongly we were never going to get paid."
Later questioning dealt with claims that Acklin had been abused as a child by his father. Rahmati described how Acklin's mother told him in a meeting prior to sentencing, "at times…if he (Acklin's father) was mad at the kids, he would hold them down, put a gun to them, threaten to shoot them, threaten to kill them."
Rahmati said he would have liked to use that information at sentencing, in hopes a jury would find some sympathy for Acklin. However, he told Madison County Circuit Judge Chris Comer, his client's father, Theodis "Ted" Acklin, denied the claims and refused to testify to them.
In addition, Rahmati said Nick Acklin – against legal advice – asked him not to pursue that avenue of inquiry out of fear it would hurt his parents. "If I recall, Nick said something to the effect of, they didn't cause me to be here. I don't want to ruin their lives," Rahmati said. Ted Acklin is one of the witnesses subpoenaed to testify during the hearing, which is expected to take several days.


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Office Communications server 2007 Beta available for public download.
Little more to say. It's here
Documents are available separately.
So is speech server
Given our propensity to move these download URLs, Just be aware that if you search for it putting 2007 in the search terms narrows the hits down.
Technorati tags: Microsoft, office Communications Server, live Meeting, Live communications Server, communicator, betas


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Enjoy fabulous sweeping views of the countryside to the You Yangs and Geelong. For all enquiries and restaurant bookings please phone or send us a message using this contact form.
Phone (03) 5284 1227
Mobile 0418 543 844
2290 Ballan Road, Anakie
Victoria, Australia 3221
Get Directions
Business Hours
Friday Night (Dinner) 5-8:30pm.
Open on weekends.
Restaurant 12-4pm, Cellar Door 11-5pm.


text:
Don this Lux Mink Handbag in Brown on a fancy night out with a romantic partner. This woman's design is exceptional to turn into Leather strap handles shine to attach to a rich mink fur base. Cutesy pom poms can be cinched on both sides with a free standing bottom.
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- Services
Web DesignBusiness Analytics
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We excel in .NET Framework and our software application developers use the tool to build user interfaces, databases, network communicators, algorithms including a lot many web-based applications. The range of .NET based software that we devise is easy to integrate with the Internet and also supports directory services enabled to answer XML based questions. Accessing data & application is an easy task through this software and they support different levels of authentication of services such as passwords, wallets, and smart cards.
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