Pathologic Sauropod Vertebrae

Real Fossil - Jurassic 150 Mya - Warm Springs Ranch, Thermopolis Wyoming
This single fossil is actually three tail vertebrae from a sauropod. This animal broke the bones in its tail and the injury was so severe it became infected, causing the aberrant bone growth you see surrounding the vertebrae. In a younger animal, this growth would have been absorbed - indicating this particular dinosaur was very old. This break affected up to 10 vertebrae from the same section of the tail, as seen by other pathologic deformities in the skeleton. This condition would have been painful and reduced the mobility of the tail.