How Big Was A Brontosaurus ?
The Brontosaurus was one of the largest living dinosaurs which were herbivores. Initially, this species was called "Apatosaurus" which literally meant "deceptive lizard". When the massive size of the animal was deciphered, it was named "Brontosaurus" which translates to "thunder lizard". Scientists actually believed that when this animal walked, the ground beneath trembled due its weight. |
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The discovery of this species has an interesting history. When the first remains were found in 1877, this dinosaur initially got its name as Apatosaurus. These were the specimens of a juvenile animal. Two years later, when the adult specimens were found, scientists initially thought that they were two different species. Hence, this dinosaur is generally popular with both the names.
Most paleontologists estimated that Brontosaurus could grow as long as 70 feet! This is almost the size of a tennis court! The weight of an adult was estimated to be about 33 tons! The animal had an extremely long neck in order to reach the tree leaves. Four legs and whip like tail are other typical characteristics of this species. The forelimbs were comparatively larger than the hind limbs. Claws were found in each forelimb and also on the first three toes of the hind limb. The size of the brain and skull were small considering the massive size of the dinosaur.
Initially, scientists believed that Brontosaurus lived submerged in the water partly during their lives. However, this belief has changed widely and the revised conclusion is that the Brontosaurus was a grazing animal and moved in herds and spent most of the time only in dry lands.
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