Whale of a Lizard

Moving from the early days to the giants of sauropoda, we can call just about any of the large members of the group whales of the land. Obviously they are not related to whales and are rarely if ever 

discussed in terms of being whale-like, except when their weights are mentioned. However, one member of the group does exist that is often and accurately called a whale. Cetiosaurus is a genus of Jurassic sauropods of Europe consisting of 4 recognized species. In 1842 in England the first remains were recovered but were thought to belong to some kind of crocodile by Richard Owen. They were not, however, and recognizing them for what they are makes Cetiosaurus the first described sauropod in the history of paleontology. It was also a primitive sauropod as well, its neck  and tail are shorter than those of other sauropods. What is possibly the best known sauropod of England will not be a typical sauropod for the week but should prove rather unique and interesting. 

Neck vertebrae and restored skull of the Rutland C.oxoniensis