JUVENILE APATOSAURUS. 'Junior', a juvenile, plant-eating Sauropod, Apatosaurus, is a significant and scientifically valuable find in a relatively small package. This unprepared specimen is estimated to be 80-85% complete and is fully excavated, jacketed and in secure storage.
At approximately 25 feet long, the juvenile dinosaur is only 25%-30% of the length of an adult, which could come in between 70-90 feet (21-27 m) in length. Bone quality is excellent.
The only areas of the skeleton that may be missing are parts of one or two of the feet and a good chunk of the distal end of tail. See the bone map.
Mystery Teeth. In addition to finding skull parts nestled under a radius (arm bone), many teeth were also discovered in close proximity to what may be the jaw bones. It is the teeth that made this specimen quite interesting! Less peg-like than Diplodocus teeth and less spatulate than Camarasaurus teeth, the the juvenile dinosaur’s teeth are narrow and more “almond”-shaped.
While scientists who visited the digsite were able to verify that we had a Sauropod, the shape of the teeth made it hard to definitively identify the Jurassic dinosaur in the ground as Apatosaurus. A few months later, several vertebrate paleontologists reviewed close-up images of the juvenile Sauropod’s teeth and told us that we likely have – with a good degree of certainty – a tremendous, young Apatosaurus specimen.
Scientific Importance. There is a lot to learn from this specimen! One comment we received is that this dinosaur may verify what some scientists have been exploring: as with other animals – including humans - the morphology of a dinosaur’s teeth may alter as the animal ages into maturity. If Junior Apatosaurus is only a juvenile, then this specimen may be offering science an invaluable look at “baby teeth”.
Is this specimen a juvenile Apatosaurus, or a new species? Junior Apatosaurus in currently unprepared, allowing scientists to discover more about the dinosaur and its taxon as jackets are opened and the bone are prepared. The skull parts and the cervical vertebrae and ribs will be particularly important in determining whether the specimen is truly an Apatosaurus or not. See the in situ field map.
JUVENILE APATOSAURUS. 'Junior', a juvenile, plant-eating Sauropod, Apatosaurus, is a significant and scientifically valuable find in a relatively small package. This unprepared specimen is estimated to be 80-85% complete and is fully excavated, jacketed and in secure storage. 
Mystery Teeth. In addition to finding skull parts nestled under a radius (arm bone), many teeth were also discovered in close proximity to what may be the jaw bones. It is the teeth that made this specimen quite interesting! Less peg-like than Diplodocus teeth and less spatulate than Camarasaurus teeth, the the juvenile dinosaur’s teeth are narrow and more “almond”-shaped..jpg)
A few months later, several vertebrate paleontologists reviewed close-up images of the juvenile Sauropod’s teeth and told us that we likely have – with a good degree of certainty – a tremendous, young Apatosaurus specimen. 
