Apatosaurus vs Triceratops
A detailed side-by-side comparison of Apatosaurus and Triceratops, covering size, diet, classification, geologic period, and discovery history.
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Property | Apatosaurus | Triceratops |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Apatosaurus ajax | Triceratops horridus |
| Classification | Sauropoda | Ceratopsia |
| Period | Jurassic Late | Cretaceous Late |
| Diet | Herbivore | Herbivore |
| Length | 22.0 m | 9.0 m |
| Height | 4.5 m | 3.0 m |
| Weight | 22.7 t | 6.8 t |
| Discovery Year | 1877 | 1889 |
| Discovery Location | Morrison Formation, Colorado, USA | Denver, Colorado, USA |
| Named By | Othniel Charles Marsh | Othniel Charles Marsh |
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
about the weight of 1.1 elephants
Timeline Comparison
Diet Comparison
Apatosaurus
HerbivoreApatosaurus was a plant-eater, feeding on vegetation like ferns, conifers, and cycads.
Triceratops
HerbivoreTriceratops was a plant-eater, feeding on vegetation like ferns, conifers, and cycads.
Classification Comparison
Apatosaurus
Triceratops
Did You Know?
Apatosaurus was about 2.4x longer than Triceratops.
Apatosaurus weighed roughly 3x more than Triceratops.
Both Apatosaurus and Triceratops were herbivores.
Apatosaurus lived during the Jurassic Late while Triceratops lived during the Cretaceous Late, separated by roughly 44 million years.
Apatosaurus was discovered 12 years earlier, in 1877.
Apatosaurus belonged to Sauropoda while Triceratops belonged to Ceratopsia.
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