Brontosaurus

Brontosaurus is a genus of large, long-necked herbivorous sauropod dinosaurs from the Late Jurassic period of western North America.

Brontosaurus is a genus of large, long-necked herbivorous sauropod dinosaurs from the Late Jurassic period of western North America. The name means “thunder lizard,” and the genus has a complicated taxonomic history, including a long period when it was treated as part of Apatosaurus before later studies argued it was distinct again.

Discovery and naming

Brontosaurus fossils were first found in western North America in 1874 and formally described in 1879 by Othniel Charles Marsh. The genus name is derived from Greek roots meaning “thunder lizard.”

Classification and taxonomic history

Brontosaurus is a sauropod in the family Diplodocidae. Its taxonomic status changed over time: many sources note it was long considered the same as Apatosaurus, but later analyses revived Brontosaurus as a separate genus.

Size and anatomy

Brontosaurus was a very large quadrupedal dinosaur with a long neck and tail. Estimates in the supplied sources vary, but it is commonly described as about 22 metres long and among the largest dinosaurs of its time.

Habitat and age

Fossils are associated mainly with the Morrison Formation in what is now the western United States, especially Utah and Wyoming. The genus lived during the Late Jurassic rather than the Cretaceous.