Brachiosaurus vs Plateosaurus

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

Side-by-Side Comparison

Property Brachiosaurus Plateosaurus
Scientific Name Brachiosaurus altithorax Plateosaurus trossingensis
Classification Sauropoda Sauropodomorpha
Period Jurassic Late Triassic Late
Diet Herbivore Herbivore
Length 26.0 m 8.0 m
Height 13.0 m 2.5 m
Weight 56.0 t 700 kg
Discovery Year 1903 1837
Discovery Location Grand River Valley, Colorado, USA Trossingen, Germany
Named By Elmer S. Riggs Hermann von Meyer

Size Comparison

Brachiosaurus 26.0 m

about as long as 5 cars end-to-end

Plateosaurus 8.0 m

roughly the length of a large SUV

Weight Comparison

Brachiosaurus 56.0 t

heavier than 9 African elephants

Plateosaurus 700 kg

about 10 adult humans

Timeline Comparison

Brachiosaurus
161.5 Mya Jurassic Late (Mesozoic) 145.0 Mya
Plateosaurus
237.0 Mya Triassic Late (Mesozoic) 201.4 Mya

Diet Comparison

Brachiosaurus

Herbivore

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

Plateosaurus

Herbivore

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

Classification Comparison

Brachiosaurus

Clade: Sauropodomorpha

Group: Sauropoda

(Lizard feet)

Plateosaurus

Clade: Saurischia

Group: Sauropodomorpha

(Lizard-footed forms)

Did You Know?

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Brachiosaurus was about 3.2x longer than Plateosaurus.

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Brachiosaurus weighed roughly 80x more than Plateosaurus.

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Both Brachiosaurus and Plateosaurus were herbivores.

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Brachiosaurus lived during the Jurassic Late while Plateosaurus lived during the Triassic Late, separated by roughly 92 million years.

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Plateosaurus was discovered 66 years earlier, in 1837.

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Brachiosaurus belonged to Sauropoda while Plateosaurus belonged to Sauropodomorpha.

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