Apatosaurus

Apatosaurus ajax

Apatosaurus, formerly known as Brontosaurus (now a separate genus), was a massive long-necked sauropod. Its tail may have been used as a whip for defense. It swallowed stones (gastroliths) to help grind plant material in its stomach.

Physical Description

Measurement	Value	Human Scale
Longueur	22.0 m	about as long as 4 cars end-to-end
Height	4.5 m	—
Poids	22.7 t	about the weight of 3.8 elephants

Diet & Feeding

Herbivore

Apatosaurus was a plant-eating dinosaur. Herbivores typically fed on ferns, cycads, conifers, and other vegetation available during their era. Many herbivorous dinosaurs developed specialized teeth and digestive systems for processing tough plant material.

Time Period

Jurassic Late Mesozoic Era

Apatosaurus lived during the Jurassic Late period of the Mesozoic Era, approximately 161,5 to 145,0 million years ago.

One of the most iconic periods for dinosaurs. Giant sauropods like Brachiosaurus and Diplodocus roamed alongside predators like Allosaurus. Archaeopteryx, the earliest known bird, appeared. The Morrison Formation preserves an extraordinary fossil record from this time.

Discovery & Naming

Nommé par	Othniel Charles Marsh
Année de découverte	1877
Lieu de découverte	Morrison Formation, Colorado, USA

Classification

Dinosauria → Saurischia → Sauropodomorpha → Sauropoda → Apatosaurus

Lizard feet

The giant long-necked herbivores, reaching lengths over 30 meters and weights exceeding 70 tonnes. They dominated terrestrial ecosystems for over 100 million years.

Size Comparison

At 22,0 meters long and 22700,0 kg, Apatosaurus was about as long as 4 cars end-to-end and about the weight of 3.8 elephants.

Other dinosaurs from the same period:

Caihong juji Ambopteryx longibrachium Amphicoelias altus Maraapunisaurus fragillimus Giraffatitan brancai Marshosaurus

Quick Facts

Classification	Sauropoda
Période géologique	Jurassic Late
Alimentation	Herbivore
Taille	22.0m long, 4.5m tall, 22.7t

Dinosaures associés

Argentinosaurus Cretaceous Late

Brachiosaurus Jurassic Late

Nigersaurus Cretaceous Early

Diplodocus Jurassic Late

Amargasaurus Cretaceous Early

Questions fréquentes

When did Apatosaurus live?

Apatosaurus lived during the Jurassic Late period (Mesozoic Era, 161.5–145.0 million years ago).

What did Apatosaurus eat?

Apatosaurus was a herbivore.

How big was Apatosaurus?

Apatosaurus was approximately 22.0 meters long, 4.5 meters tall, weighed around 22.7 tonnes.

When was Apatosaurus discovered?

Apatosaurus was first described in 1877 by Othniel Charles Marsh, with fossils found in Morrison Formation, Colorado, USA.

What type of dinosaur was Apatosaurus?

Apatosaurus belonged to the Sauropoda group, which is part of the larger Sauropodomorpha clade.

Where were Apatosaurus fossils found?

Fossils of Apatosaurus were found in Morrison Formation, Colorado, USA.

What is the scientific name of Apatosaurus?

The scientific name of Apatosaurus is Apatosaurus ajax.

Compare with Similar Dinosaurs

Apatosaurus vs Argentinosaurus Apatosaurus vs Brachiosaurus Apatosaurus vs Nigersaurus

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