Granger, of the limbs of alligators and other
reptiles, and the position, size and action of the principal muscles
were carefully worked out. Then the corresponding bones of the
Brontosaurus were studied, and the position and size of the
corresponding muscles were worked out, so far as they could be
recognized from the scars and processes preserved on the bone. The
Brontosaurus limbs were then provisionally articulated and posed, and
the position and size of each muscle were represented by a broad strip
of paper extending from its origin to its insertion. The action and
play of the muscles on the limb of the Brontosaurus could then be
studied, and the bones adjusted until a proper and mechanically
correct pose was reached. The limbs were then permanently mounted in
these poses, and the skeleton as it stands is believed to represent,
as nearly as study of the fossil enables us to know, a characteristic
position that the animal actually assumed during life....
"In proportions and appearance the Brontosaurus was quite unlike any
living animal. It had a long thick tail like the lizards and
crocodiles, a long, flexible neck like an ostrich, a thick short,
slab-sided body and straight, massive, post-like limbs suggesting the
elephant, and a remarkably small head for the size of the beast. The
ribs, limb-bones and tail-bones are exceptionally solid and heavy; the
vertebrae of the back and neck, and the skull, on the contrary are
constructed so as to combine the minimum of weight with the large
surface necessary for the attachment of the huge muscles, the largest
possible articulating surfaces, and the necessary strength at all
points of strain.
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