Fun Facts about Galeamopus

In 1902, William H. Utterback discovered the fossils, which included a partial skeleton of a dinosaur, in North America’s Morrison Formation. It wasn’t until 1924 that William J. Holland identified the find as Diplodocus hayi, however there were enough variations from Diplodocus to warrant a separate species classification even then.

The term Galeamopus also refers to the fragile braincase that was the only portion of the holotype skeleton described. In 2015, Emanuel Tschopp, Octávio Mateus, and Roger Benson published a scientific assessment of several diplodocid taxa in which they designated the skeleton as a distinct genus in Renamed Galeamopus hayi.

This dinosaur’s genoholotype is a skeleton known as HMNS 175 (formerly CM 662). It was discovered in a stratum of the lower Morrison Formation that geologists believe dates back to the Late Jurassic period ( Kimmeridgian ). This species also serves as the holotype for Galeamopus hayi.

Other species in the genus Galeamopus have been identified, but not Galeamopus hayi. These are an almost entire skull (AMNH 969), discovered in 1903 at the Bone Cabin quarry by Peter Kaisen, and an incomplete skull (USNM 2673), discovered in 1884 in Garden Park, Colorado by Marshall P. Felch. The species also includes a well-preserved, nearly complete skeleton dubbed “Max” (holotype designation SMA 00011), discovered in 2005 at Howe-Stephens Quarry by Ben Pope.

Find out more facts about Galeamopus.

1: Galeamopus quick facts:

Name: Galeamopus (Greek for “Want Helmet‭”); pronounced Ga-lay-aa-mo-pus
When it lived: Late Jurassic, 155 to 152.9 million years ago
Type of dinosaur: Sauropod
Location: USA
Habitat: Terrestrial habitat.
Length/Weight: 27 Meters/15000kg
Diet: Herbivorous
Distinguishing Characteristics: It has a lengthy body and enormous legs.
Named by: Tschopp et al.(2015)

2: How do you pronounce ‘Galeamopus’?

The name Galeamopus  should be pronounced “Ga-lay-aa-mo-pus.”

3: What does the name Galeamopus mean?

The generic name Galeamopus comes from the Latin words galeam (helmet) and opus (need, require). In relation to the first names of the two explorers, Utterback and Holland, the combination is intended as a translation of the names Wilhelm or William, respectively, literally translated “want Helmet “.

4: What Did Galeamopus Look Like?

Galeamopus resembles the dinosaur Diplodocus, but with its own distinguishing characteristics. This dinosaur had an exceptionally long body and enormous legs. Similar to other sauropods, it possessed a long neck and a tiny, triangular-shaped skull. Along the entirety of its body was a sequence of neural spine-like structures composed of keratinous tissue.

Comparisons with Diplodocus longus and Diplodocus carnegii reveal that the skull and caudal vertebrae of D. carnegii are shorter than those of D. longus (similar to D. longus ). Its more robust limbs bring it closer to Apatosaurus. Tschopp et al. (2015) determined that these distinctions were sufficient for the HMNS 175 specimen to be deemed a different genus; thus, the name Galeamopus was coined.

Sources:Wikipedia