Apatosaurus vs Nigersaurus

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

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Side-by-Side Comparison

Property Apatosaurus Nigersaurus
Scientific Name Apatosaurus ajax Nigersaurus taqueti
Classification Sauropoda Sauropoda
Period Jurassic Late Cretaceous Early
Diet Herbivore Herbivore
Length 22.0 m 9.0 m
Height 4.5 m 2.0 m
Weight 22.7 t 4.0 t
Discovery Year 1877 1999
Discovery Location Morrison Formation, Colorado, USA Elrhaz Formation, Niger
Named By Othniel Charles Marsh Paul Sereno et al.
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Size Comparison

Apatosaurus 22.0 m

about as long as 4 cars end-to-end

Nigersaurus 9.0 m

roughly the length of a large SUV

Weight Comparison

Apatosaurus 22.7 t

about the weight of 3.8 elephants

Nigersaurus 4.0 t

comparable to 4.0 small cars

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Timeline Comparison

Apatosaurus
161.5 Mya Jurassic Late (Mesozoic) 145.0 Mya
Nigersaurus
145.0 Mya Cretaceous Early (Mesozoic) 100.5 Mya
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Diet Comparison

Apatosaurus

Herbivore

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

Nigersaurus

Herbivore

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

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Classification Comparison

Apatosaurus

Clade: Sauropodomorpha

Group: Sauropoda

(Lizard feet)

Nigersaurus

Clade: Sauropodomorpha

Group: Sauropoda

(Lizard feet)

Both dinosaurs share a common ancestor within the Sauropoda clade.

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Did You Know?

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Apatosaurus was about 2.4x longer than Nigersaurus.

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Apatosaurus weighed roughly 6x more than Nigersaurus.

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Both Apatosaurus and Nigersaurus were herbivores.

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Apatosaurus lived during the Jurassic Late while Nigersaurus lived during the Cretaceous Early, separated by roughly 0 million years.

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Apatosaurus was discovered 122 years earlier, in 1877.

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Both belong to the Sauropoda clade, making them relatively close relatives.

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Compare With Other Dinosaurs

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