Apatosaurus vs Protoceratops
A detailed side-by-side comparison of Apatosaurus and Protoceratops, covering size, diet, classification, geologic period, and discovery history.
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| Property | Apatosaurus | Protoceratops |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Apatosaurus ajax | Protoceratops andrewsi |
| Classification | Sauropoda | Ceratopsia |
| Period | Jurassic Late | Cretaceous Late |
| Diet | Herbivore | Herbivore |
| Length | 22.0 m | 1.8 m |
| Height | 4.5 m | 0.6 m |
| Weight | 22.7 t | 83 kg |
| Discovery Year | 1877 | 1923 |
| Discovery Location | Morrison Formation, Colorado, USA | Gobi Desert, Mongolia |
| Named By | Othniel Charles Marsh | Walter Granger & W.K. Gregory |
Size Comparison
about as long as 4 cars end-to-end
about the size of a human adult
Weight Comparison
about the weight of 3.8 elephants
about 1 adult humans
Timeline Comparison
Diet Comparison
Apatosaurus
HerbivoreApatosaurus was a plant-eater, feeding on vegetation like ferns, conifers, and cycads.
Protoceratops
HerbivoreProtoceratops was a plant-eater, feeding on vegetation like ferns, conifers, and cycads.
Classification Comparison
Apatosaurus
Protoceratops
Did You Know?
Apatosaurus was about 12.2x longer than Protoceratops.
Apatosaurus weighed roughly 273x more than Protoceratops.
Both Apatosaurus and Protoceratops were herbivores.
Apatosaurus lived during the Jurassic Late while Protoceratops lived during the Cretaceous Late, separated by roughly 44 million years.
Apatosaurus was discovered 46 years earlier, in 1877.
Apatosaurus belonged to Sauropoda while Protoceratops belonged to Ceratopsia.
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