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Brontosaurus Facts

Brontosaurus Facts
The Brontosaurus is a dinosaur that had a long, large neck, a large body, short limbs, and a tail that was similar in shape to a whip. It could weigh as much as 50,000 pounds and measure up to 74 feet from its head to its tail. The Brontosaurus is believed to have lived 150 million years ago during the Jurassic Period. The first bones were discovered in the 1870s by Othniel Charles Marsh, who gave the dinosaurs their name Brontosaurus (meaning thunder lizard). For many years it was believed that the Brontosaurus was the adult version of the Apatosaurus, but recent research has suggested that the brontosaurus is indeed its own species. Not all scientists agree and there is much debate about this.
Interesting Brontosaurus Facts:
The Brontosaurus' scientific name is Brontosaurus excelsus. It was a member of the sauropod family.
In 1903 a paleontologist determined that Marsh's discovery of the Brontosaurus was not a new species but was instead just the adult version of the Apatosaurus.
By the time the observation was made that the Brontosaurus was really a grown up Apatosaurus the name had already become very popular and most people continued to refer to it by that name.
The Brontosaurus is believed to have been one of the largest dinosaurs to have ever roamed the earth. It walked on all four legs.
The Brontosaurus was a plant eater, considered to be an herbivore. It is believed they had stones in their guts that they ingested that helped to digest the large amount of plants they consumed but didn't chew.
It is believed that the Brontosaurus may have spent a great deal of time holding its neck parallel to the ground to help ensure a constant blood pressure.
Scientists believe that the Brontosaurus' tail was likely used as a whip to help deter natural predators. The sound of the tail when it cracked like a whip may have been their only defense.
The Brontosaurus has sturdy but short legs. Some scientists believed that they may have lived in swamps and other bodies of water to help support their massive weight, but further research contradicted these ideas.
It is believed that because of its large size and body composition the Brontosaurus likely moved fairly slowly when compared to many other dinosaur species.
Othniel Charles Marsh found the first Brontosaurus bones in Wyoming in the 1870s.
The Brontosaurus may have had a lifespan as long as 100 years.
The eggs of the Brontosaurus are believed to have been about a foot long. It is believed the young Brontosaurus' took roughly ten years to reach their full size.
Brontosaurus fossils have been found in Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, and Oklahoma.
Most of the Brontosaurus fossils that have been found did not have skulls. It is believed that they had small heads and small brains and were likely not highly intelligent.
The Flintstones was a popular cartoon that had a pet named Dino that was supposed to be a Brontosaurus. Bronto-burgers were also a popular menu item in the cartoon.


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