Giraffatitan vs Brachiosaurus

[Don B.]

In reading reviews of various "Brachiosaurus" figures, the reviewer has frequently taken great pains to point out that they were not Brachiosaurus but Giraffatitan figures. OK, I don't doubt that they are correct, at least if Giraffatitan is eventually proven to be a valid genus. My question is, in looking at the figures, what is it about them that screams Giraffatitan rather than Brachiosaurus? Maybe screams is a bit harsh but how, based upon plastic figures, do you tell the difference?

[Gwangi]

Because Brachiosaurus (Giraffatitan) brancai was the more well known and popular of the two it can be assumed I guess that most reconstructions of Brachiosaurus actually represent Giraffatitan. Especially if those reconstructions are older models such as the Invicta and Carnegie. But honestly yes, they look a lot alike to my untrained eye. Brachiosaurus seems to be a beefier animal, and Giraffatitan more gracile. It also appears that Brachiosaurus has a longer tail to body ratio, and in the below illustration you'll notice the neck vertebrae are quite different as well. Again, Brachiosaurus having the beefier look to it. It's easy to see the difference when their skeletons are side-by-side like this but with toy reconstructions I'm not sure how anyone could know for certain.

[DinoLord]

When Brachiosauru altithorax was first discovered it was from rather fragmentary remains. Later when Giraffatitan brancai was discovered in Tanzania, some of the bones looked quite similar to those of B. altithorax so the discoverer described it as a species of Brachiosaurus (hence 'Brachiosaurus brancai') and that B. altithorax would have looked quite similar to its African relative. In the late 1980s, Greg Paul and others noticed that the appearance and proportions between the animals differed to enough of a degree to split them into separate genera (considering how fond Greg Paul is of lumping genera together this is quite sigificant), which was confirmed by the further description of a more complete B. altithorax skull in the late 1990s and a recent analysis by Mike Taylor. The main differences are that Giraffatitan has a more gracile skull and overall build, while Brachiosaurus has a longer torso (by around 25%).

Given that Giraffatitan is generally more well-known (with multiple specimens, some almost complete) and the recency of the taxonomic split's widespread acceptance, most unspecified Brachiosaurus depictions (toys included) portray 'Brachiosaurus' brancai.

[Don B.]

Thanks to both of you for your responses. The reviewers seemed to have no problem in distinguishing between the two but in looking at the diagrams provided by Gwangi, I see little if anything in the outline that would definitively state one or the other. I believe that the reviewer of the newer Carnegie Brachio indicated that he thought that it was the Brachiosaurus alithorax while other reviewers of other figurines were quite definitive that the animal was Gifaffatitan. I am just wondering if there is a clue for a casual observer to look at the Brachiosaurae and pronounce unequivocally that the figure is one or the other.

[amargasaurus cazaui]

Thanks to both of you for your responses. The reviewers seemed to have no problem in distinguishing between the two but in looking at the diagrams provided by Gwangi, I see little if anything in the outline that would definitively state one or the other. I believe that the reviewer of the newer Carnegie Brachio indicated that he thought that it was the Brachiosaurus alithorax while other reviewers of other figurines were quite definitive that the animal was Gifaffatitan. I am just wondering if there is a clue for a casual observer to look at the Brachiosaurae and pronounce unequivocally that the figure is one or the other.

I think something that would be useful in your quest here is first to do a bit of studying and digging, and understand how little we have for material from alithorax. Due to the paucity of remains that exists for that species, most models were made using the Berlin mount as its inspiration.(girafatittan) Also understanding the point in time when the split was made, and what models were made before or after is useful. The majority you will find are based on the material from Tanzania and the Berlin mount.

[Gwangi]

Thanks to both of you for your responses. The reviewers seemed to have no problem in distinguishing between the two but in looking at the diagrams provided by Gwangi, I see little if anything in the outline that would definitively state one or the other. I believe that the reviewer of the newer Carnegie Brachio indicated that he thought that it was the Brachiosaurus alithorax while other reviewers of other figurines were quite definitive that the animal was Gifaffatitan. I am just wondering if there is a clue for a casual observer to look at the Brachiosaurae and pronounce unequivocally that the figure is one or the other.

Since no model it 100% accurate, and art is subjective and you can't look at the bones of the model, I don't think you can ever tell with 100% certainty unless the company gives you the species name. Like I said before, you can probably assume most "Brachiosaurus" models are actually Giraffatitan due to it being the more well known animal. And yeah, you'll have people who will claim the model is one or the other but they don't REALLY know unless the company or artist specifies it or you find out more about the research process behind the model.

[DinoLord]

Thanks to both of you for your responses. The reviewers seemed to have no problem in distinguishing between the two but in looking at the diagrams provided by Gwangi, I see little if anything in the outline that would definitively state one or the other. I believe that the reviewer of the newer Carnegie Brachio indicated that he thought that it was the Brachiosaurus alithorax while other reviewers of other figurines were quite definitive that the animal was Gifaffatitan. I am just wondering if there is a clue for a casual observer to look at the Brachiosaurae and pronounce unequivocally that the figure is one or the other.

As I mentioned before, the torso length and skull appearance give it away. The new Carnegie Brachiosaurus has the proportionately longer torso and the more robust skull with a less pronounced crest (especially when compared to the Wild Safari Giraffatitan).

[Don B.]

Thank you all for your insight. I was a "dino-nerd" back in my youth (back when they were reptiles, were cold-blooded and before they evolved to feathers) but, as it is my grandson that has rekindled my interest, I find that most of my knowledge is now outdated. This dog can learn new tricks but it is not an instantaneous process.