Figure 18. This Diplodocus has a false kink in the neck.

The Denver Museum of Nature and Science mount of Diplodocus longus DNMS 1494 has a sharp upward bend that appears intrinsic since the vertebrae in the vicinity of C13–C15 appear undeflected. The curvature, however, is an artifact of the restoration of the fragmentary neural spines, and not exhibited by any other diplodocid specimen including the Carnegie Museum of Natural History Diplodocus carnegii CM 84, a cast of the first 10 cervicals of which were used for the Denver mount. Those cervicals caudal to C10 are heavily restored and induced the misleading suggestion of an upturned neck. Taylor, Wedel and Naish [12] claim that “… computerized studies are not as objective as they may appear, since seemingly Stevens and Parrish could not replicate the flexibility of actual specimens” presuming that the entire neck of DMNS 1494. In fact, the flexibility estimates from [30] would have permitted the head to have reached such heights (see [32] and C). The specimen they refer to (A) has a sculpted bend that is not representative of other, more complete specimens of Diplodocus that emerged straight from the shoulders (D). Photographs by the author, access courtesy Kenneth Carpenter. Supplemental material: Figure S1, Figure S2.