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

Eigenschaft Apatosaurus Triceratops
Wissenschaftlicher Name Apatosaurus ajax Triceratops horridus
Klassifikation Sauropoda Ceratopsia
Zeitraum Jurassic Late Cretaceous Late
Ernährung Herbivore Herbivore
Länge 22.0 m 9.0 m
Height 4.5 m 3.0 m
Gewicht 22.7 t 6.8 t
Entdeckungsjahr 1877 1889
Fundort Morrison Formation, Colorado, USA Denver, Colorado, USA
Benannt von Othniel Charles Marsh Othniel Charles Marsh

Size Comparison

Apatosaurus 22.0 m

about as long as 4 cars end-to-end

Triceratops 9.0 m

roughly the length of a large SUV

Weight Comparison

Apatosaurus 22.7 t

about the weight of 3.8 elephants

Triceratops 6.8 t

about the weight of 1.1 elephants

Timeline Comparison

Apatosaurus
161,5 Mya Jurassic Late (Mesozoic) 145,0 Mya
Triceratops
100,5 Mya Cretaceous Late (Mesozoic) 66,0 Mya

Diet Comparison

Apatosaurus

Herbivore

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

Triceratops

Herbivore

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

Classification Comparison

Apatosaurus

Clade: Sauropodomorpha

Group: Sauropoda

(Lizard feet)

Triceratops

Clade: Ornithischia

Group: Ceratopsia

(Horned faces)

Did You Know?

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Apatosaurus was about 2.4x longer than Triceratops.

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Apatosaurus weighed roughly 3x more than Triceratops.

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Both Apatosaurus and Triceratops were herbivores.

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Apatosaurus lived during the Jurassic Late while Triceratops lived during the Cretaceous Late, separated by roughly 44 million years.

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Apatosaurus was discovered 12 years earlier, in 1877.

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Apatosaurus belonged to Sauropoda while Triceratops belonged to Ceratopsia.

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