Brachiosaurus vs Plateosaurus

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

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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
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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

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Timeline Comparison

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

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Classification Comparison

Brachiosaurus

Clade: Sauropodomorpha

Group: Sauropoda

(Lizard feet)

Plateosaurus

Clade: Saurischia

Group: Sauropodomorpha

(Lizard-footed forms)

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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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