APATOSAURUS
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| When people hear the word "dinosaur", many think
of the long-necked Sauropods. The most famous of these
was called "Brontosaurus", but it was discovered that
brontosaurus fossils were the same as those of a previously
named dinosaur: APATOSAURUS. Apatosaurus was
heavy, with a long muscular neck and elephant-like
legs. It had a long whiplike tail that may have been
used as a defense against large predators. It also
had a sharp claw on each thumb that may have deterred
attackers. Possibly traveling in herds, these dinosaurs
had to eat a lot of food to keep their massive bodies
going. They may have swallowed plant matter whole
and ground it up with a gizzard, much as birds do
today.
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STATS
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| ORDER |
Saurischia |
| SUBORDER |
Sauropodomorpha |
| FAMILY |
Diplodocidea |
| DIET |
Herbivorous |
| SIZE |
70 feet long, 14 feet
at the shoulder, 25 tons |
| PERIOD |
Late Jurassic |
| RANGE |
Western North America |
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BACK
Copyright ©2000 Neil Riehle
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