Apatosaurus vs Parasaurolophus
A detailed side-by-side comparison of Apatosaurus and Parasaurolophus, covering size, diet, classification, geologic period, and discovery history.
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| Property | Apatosaurus | Parasaurolophus |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Apatosaurus ajax | Parasaurolophus walkeri |
| Classification | Sauropoda | Hadrosauridae |
| Period | Jurassic Late | Cretaceous Late |
| Diet | Herbivore | Herbivore |
| Length | 22.0 m | 9.5 m |
| Height | 4.5 m | 2.8 m |
| Weight | 22.7 t | 2.5 t |
| Discovery Year | 1877 | 1922 |
| Discovery Location | Morrison Formation, Colorado, USA | Sand Creek, Alberta, Canada |
| Named By | Othniel Charles Marsh | William Parks |
Size Comparison
about as long as 4 cars end-to-end
roughly the length of a large SUV
Weight Comparison
about the weight of 3.8 elephants
comparable to 2.5 small cars
Timeline Comparison
Diet Comparison
Apatosaurus
HerbivoreApatosaurus was a plant-eater, feeding on vegetation like ferns, conifers, and cycads.
Parasaurolophus
HerbivoreParasaurolophus was a plant-eater, feeding on vegetation like ferns, conifers, and cycads.
Classification Comparison
Apatosaurus
Parasaurolophus
Did You Know?
Apatosaurus was about 2.3x longer than Parasaurolophus.
Apatosaurus weighed roughly 9x more than Parasaurolophus.
Both Apatosaurus and Parasaurolophus were herbivores.
Apatosaurus lived during the Jurassic Late while Parasaurolophus lived during the Cretaceous Late, separated by roughly 44 million years.
Apatosaurus was discovered 45 years earlier, in 1877.
Apatosaurus belonged to Sauropoda while Parasaurolophus belonged to Hadrosauridae.
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