page_title: Nanshiungosaurus
section_title: Vertebral column
hierarchical_section_title: Nanshiungosaurus / Description / Vertebral column
caption_attribution_description: English: Life restoration of an individual of the therizinosaurids Nanshiungosaurus brevispinus.
context_page_description: Nanshiungosaurus is a genus of therizinosaurid dinosaurs that lived in what is now Asia during the Late Cretaceous of South China. The type species, Nanshiungosaurus brevispinus, was first discovered in 1974 and described in 1979 by Dong Zhiming. It is represented by a single specimen preserving most of the cervical and dorsal vertebrae with the pelvis. A supposed and unlikely second species, "Nanshiungosaurus" bohlini, was found in 1992 and described in 1997. It is also represented by vertebrae but this species however, differs in geological age and authentic characteristics compared to the later, making its affinity to the genus unsupported.
  They were large-sized therizinosaurids that are estimated to have cover 5 m in length and to have weighed about 907 kg. Nanshiungosaurus had a very pneumatized vertebral column with the posterior cervical vertebrae of the long neck being unsually robust and slightly more elongated than the dorsals. They also were equipped with broad torsos as seen on the bulky pelvis. As for other therizinosaurids, they had a keratinous beak used when feeding, stocky feet with four weight-bearing toes and large flattened claws.
context_section_description: Most cervicals have relatively short neural arches, but in the dorsals they are more elongated. The axis is well preserved and has a length of 13.5 cm (135 mm) with platycoelus (slightly concave at both ends) centra. Its odontoid process is fused with the anterior facet of centrum and has a blunt depression to the bottom area in order to articulate with the atlas centrum. The neural arch is narrow, the neural spine has a porterior orientation, and has rounded facets that connect with the atlantal posterior articular processes (bony projections). After the axis, the next cervicals gradually increase in size. The anterior cervicals have platycoelus centra and deep, pocket-like pleurocoels (small holes) develop on the lateral sides; a small ridge-like structure is also present. On the bottom surface, the centra are flat, gently flattened to the inner sides, and two projections originate from the borders of the centra. The anterior capitular process is compressed (flattened) with some degree of thickness, and extends from the bottom to lateral sides to be fused with the capitulum on the ribs. As for most cervicals, the neural arches and spines are short, the anterior articular processes are strongly developed in that direction, and the anterior lobes of the diapophyses (bony projections to the lateral sides) extend to the bottom and lateral directions to articulate with tubercles. Seventh and eighth cervicals are the longest with 18 cm (180 mm) long centra and posterior to them, the vertebral size slightly narrows. In most posterior cervicals, the centra are opisthocoelous with shallow posterior grooves.
  The dorsal vertebrae centra, unlike in the cervicals, are narrow and platycoelous with an average length of 7 cm (70 mm). They are also pneumatic with shallow pneumatopores (pits leading to air pockets) on the lateral sides, but they reduce in size on posterior dorsals. Along with the centra, the neural arch are well pneumatized with most of the pneumatic areas filled with matrix (sediments). The capitular processes are undeveloped and replaced by poor rounded facets on the anterior surface of the centrum. In most dorsals, the neural spines are very elongated, the articular processes are located within the ligaments of the centrum, the neural spines are stocky, side to side thickened, and the top regions have stout tuberosities. A prominent spiral-like ridge is present on the bottom surface that becomes more notable to the posterior direction. Though most dorsals are completely preserved, eighth through tenth dorsals have damaged centra. On the posterior series the centra become platycoelous, approaching the sacral vertebrae structure. The sacrum is composed by six (originally five) sacral vertebrae and they are fused into a single structure, indicating that the individual was an adult at the time of death. They are lightly more longer than the dorsals and have stocky, side to ide broadened neural spines with the top surfaces bearing small depressions. A single caudal vertebra is present after the sacral series and represents the first caudal. Its neural spine is broken and the centrum is slightly amphicoelous (concave on both ends) with sub-equal height and length.
caption: Life restoration
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