Diplodocus
| Diplodocus Fossil range: Upper Jurassic |
|||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
|||||||||||||||||||
| Diplodocus carnegiei skeleton from the Museum für Naturkunde, on temporary display at the Berlin Hauptbahnhof while the museum was renovated in 2007 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Scientific classification | |||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||
| Species | |||||||||||||||||||
|
D. carnegiei Hatcher, 1901 |
|||||||||||||||||||
| Synonyms | |||||||||||||||||||
|
Seismosaurus Gillette, 1991 |
|||||||||||||||||||
Diplodocus was a huge dinosaur from the same time as the Allosaurus. It lived during the late Jurassic Period, about 145 to 155 million years ago. It was a vegetarian, meaning it ate no meat.
Contents |
[change] Size
The Diplodocus was a long-necked, whip-tailed giant and could grow up to 27 m long. It had an 8 m long neck and 14 m long tail. Its weight was approximately 22,680 kg. It had a short 6 ft long head. Its size helped protect it from other dinosaurs. It used its long neck to poke into forests because it’s body was too big. It is also believed to have knocked the trees down.
[change] Fossils
Diplodocus skeletons are among the longest dinosaur skeletons ever found. Fossils were discovered in Western North America, particularly in the Rocky Mountains of the western USA. A complete tail has never been found.
[change] Seismosaurus
Seismosaurus (Seismosaurus hallorum) was thought to be its own species of dinosaur. In 2004 and 2006 it was decided to be a large species of Diplodocus .[1][2] It is now known as Diplodocus hallorum.
[change] References
- ↑ Lucas S, Herne M, Heckert A, Hunt A, and Sullivan R. Reappraisal of Seismosaurus, A Late Jurassic Sauropod Dinosaur from New Mexico. The Geological Society of America, 2004 Denver Annual Meeting (November 7–10, 2004). Retrieved on 2007-05-24.
- ↑ Lucas, S.G., Spielman, J.A., Rinehart, L.A., Heckert, A.B., Herne, M.C., Hunt, A.P., Foster, J.R., and Sullivan, R.M. (2006). "Taxonomic status of Seismosaurus hallorum, a Late Jurassic sauropod dinosaur from New Mexico". In Foster, J.R., and Lucas, S.G.. Paleontology and Geology of the Upper Morrison Formation. New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science (bulletin 36). pp. 149–161. ISSN 1524-4156.
