Diplodocus vs Tyrannosaurus Rex

A detailed side-by-side comparison of Diplodocus and Tyrannosaurus Rex, covering size, diet, classification, geologic period, and discovery history.

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Side-by-Side Comparison

Property Diplodocus Tyrannosaurus Rex
Scientific Name Diplodocus longus Tyrannosaurus rex
Classification Sauropoda Tyrannosauridae
Period Jurassic Late Cretaceous Late
Diet Herbivore Carnivore
Length 25.0 m 12.3 m
Height 5.0 m 3.7 m
Weight 14.0 t 8.4 t
Discovery Year 1878 1905
Discovery Location Canon City, Colorado, USA Montana, USA
Named By Othniel Charles Marsh Henry Fairfield Osborn
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Size Comparison

Diplodocus 25.0 m

about as long as 5 cars end-to-end

Tyrannosaurus Rex 12.3 m

about as long as 2 cars end-to-end

Weight Comparison

Diplodocus 14.0 t

about the weight of 2.3 elephants

Tyrannosaurus Rex 8.4 t

about the weight of 1.4 elephants

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Timeline Comparison

Diplodocus
161.5 Mya Jurassic Late (Mesozoic) 145.0 Mya
Tyrannosaurus Rex
100.5 Mya Cretaceous Late (Mesozoic) 66.0 Mya
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Diet Comparison

Diplodocus

Herbivore

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

Tyrannosaurus Rex

Carnivore

Tyrannosaurus Rex was a meat-eating predator, hunting other animals for food.

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Classification Comparison

Diplodocus

Clade: Sauropodomorpha

Group: Sauropoda

(Lizard feet)

Tyrannosaurus Rex

Clade: Theropoda

Group: Tyrannosauridae

(Tyrant lizards)

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Did You Know?

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Diplodocus was about 2.0x longer than Tyrannosaurus Rex.

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Diplodocus was a herbivore while Tyrannosaurus Rex was a carnivore.

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Diplodocus lived during the Jurassic Late while Tyrannosaurus Rex lived during the Cretaceous Late, separated by roughly 44 million years.

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Diplodocus was discovered 27 years earlier, in 1878.

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Diplodocus belonged to Sauropoda while Tyrannosaurus Rex belonged to Tyrannosauridae.

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