Allosaurus vs Diplodocus

A detailed side-by-side comparison of Allosaurus and Diplodocus, covering size, diet, classification, geologic period, and discovery history.

Side-by-Side Comparison

Property Allosaurus Diplodocus
Scientific Name Allosaurus fragilis Diplodocus longus
Classification Theropoda Sauropoda
Period Jurassic Late Jurassic Late
Diet Carnivore Herbivore
Length 9.7 m 25.0 m
Height 3.5 m 5.0 m
Weight 2.3 t 14.0 t
Discovery Year 1877 1878
Discovery Location Garden Park, Colorado, USA Canon City, Colorado, USA
Named By Othniel Charles Marsh Othniel Charles Marsh

Size Comparison

Allosaurus 9.7 m

roughly the length of a large SUV

Diplodocus 25.0 m

about as long as 5 cars end-to-end

Weight Comparison

Allosaurus 2.3 t

comparable to 2.3 small cars

Diplodocus 14.0 t

about the weight of 2.3 elephants

Timeline Comparison

Allosaurus
161.5 Mya Jurassic Late (Mesozoic) 145.0 Mya
Diplodocus
161.5 Mya Jurassic Late (Mesozoic) 145.0 Mya

Allosaurus and Diplodocus both lived during the Jurassic Late period and may have shared the same habitats.

Diet Comparison

Allosaurus

Carnivore

Allosaurus was a meat-eating predator, hunting other animals for food.

Diplodocus

Herbivore

Diplodocus was a plant-eater, feeding on vegetation like ferns, conifers, and cycads.

Classification Comparison

Allosaurus

Clade: Saurischia

Group: Theropoda

(Beast feet)

Diplodocus

Clade: Sauropodomorpha

Group: Sauropoda

(Lizard feet)

Did You Know?

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Diplodocus was about 2.6x longer than Allosaurus.

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Diplodocus weighed roughly 6x more than Allosaurus.

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Allosaurus was a carnivore while Diplodocus was a herbivore.

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Both dinosaurs lived during the Jurassic Late period and may have coexisted.

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Allosaurus was discovered 1 years earlier, in 1877.

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Allosaurus belonged to Theropoda while Diplodocus belonged to Sauropoda.

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