Brontosaurus
Othniel Charles Marsh discovered and named the Brontosaurus (Greek “thunder lizard”), a four-legged dinosaur in 1879. With at least three known species, this dinosaur lived in the Morrison Formation of present day Western US, during the late Jurassic Period and became extinct by the end of the period. Perhaps one of the most controversially classified dinosaurs, paleontologists have reclassified the Brontosaurus several times since its discovery to an extent that some quarters believed that it did not exist entirely. As one of the most known dinosaurs, it continues to feature prominently in films, postal stamps, and advertisements as well as other uses.
Scientific Classification
Brontosaurus belonged to the family Diplodocidae whose members constitute some of the longest creatures in the history of the world like Diplodocus, Supersaurus, and Barosaurus. In-depth classification placed this creature into a subfamily, Apatosaurinae. Belonging to the genus of Sauropod dinosaur, there are three different species of the Brontosaurus, that …show more content…
With the long neck, this herbivore browsed tall trees for food and held its neck high in the air when alert. Due to this dinosaur’s size, muscle movement, and recoil after each stride, it moved slowly and probably covered between 12 and 25 miles in a single day in an average 12-19 miles per hour speed. The claws were probably for defense, feeding, or grasping. There exist several theories referring to Brontosaurus’ respiratory system that aims to explain its metabolic rates, including, a reptilian and avian respiratory systems. Brontosaurus was a solitary animal and lived for a long time as evidence in the Morrison Formation suggest that it lived from the mid to late Kimmeridgian age. During this period the ecosystem included forests, savannas, conifers, fungi, and green algae among
Othniel Charles Marsh discovered and named the Brontosaurus (Greek “thunder lizard”), a four-legged dinosaur in 1879. With at least three known species, this dinosaur lived in the Morrison Formation of present day Western US, during the late Jurassic Period and became extinct by the end of the period. Perhaps one of the most controversially classified dinosaurs, paleontologists have reclassified the Brontosaurus several times since its discovery to an extent that some quarters believed that it did not exist entirely. As one of the most known dinosaurs, it continues to feature prominently in films, postal stamps, and advertisements as well as other uses.
Scientific Classification
Brontosaurus belonged to the family Diplodocidae whose members constitute some of the longest creatures in the history of the world like Diplodocus, Supersaurus, and Barosaurus. In-depth classification placed this creature into a subfamily, Apatosaurinae. Belonging to the genus of Sauropod dinosaur, there are three different species of the Brontosaurus, that …show more content…
With the long neck, this herbivore browsed tall trees for food and held its neck high in the air when alert. Due to this dinosaur’s size, muscle movement, and recoil after each stride, it moved slowly and probably covered between 12 and 25 miles in a single day in an average 12-19 miles per hour speed. The claws were probably for defense, feeding, or grasping. There exist several theories referring to Brontosaurus’ respiratory system that aims to explain its metabolic rates, including, a reptilian and avian respiratory systems. Brontosaurus was a solitary animal and lived for a long time as evidence in the Morrison Formation suggest that it lived from the mid to late Kimmeridgian age. During this period the ecosystem included forests, savannas, conifers, fungi, and green algae among