Apatosaurus
The Apatosaurus was an extinct Dinosaur that lived about 156 to 150 million years ago, in the late Jurassic Period. It is a herbivorous sauropod (dinosaurs with very long necks, tails, small heads, and very thick pillar-like legs) dinosaur. It lived in the USA, North America.
Name
The name “Apatosaurus” came from the Greek words “apate” and “sauro”, and together they mean “deceptive lizard”. Some people call the Apatosaurus “Brontosaurus”, but the different name was actually the result of a fossil mix-up. Most people these days call the dinosaur “Apatosaurus”, which is the correct and Scientific name for it.
Diet
The dinosaur was a herbivore (eats plants), and swallowed stones in order to grind up its tough plant food. However, it did not chew them. The Apatosaurus ate low-lying plants, usually, but it possibly could’ve also ate soft leaves on trees, thanks to its neck, which let it to do so. It probably had to eat up to 880 pounds (400 kg) of plant food every single day in order for it to live.
Physical Features
The Apatosaurus was believed to be one of the biggest Animals to have ever walked on earth. It's length is about 70 to 90 feet (21–27 m), it was about 10 to 15 feet tall (3-4.6 m) and weighed about 33 to 38 tons. The animal was widely famous for its long neck. It also had an incredibly long tail and it was slim, like a bullwhip, which was unusual. It also had a really small skull and due to its plant diet, and the skull contained chisel-like teeth.
Sources
- Live Science. “Apatosaurus: Facts about the ‘deceptive lizard’.”Live Science:Apatosaurus Retrieved 2015-01-06.
- Enchanted Learning. “Apatosaurus/Brontosaurus Fact Sheet”. All About Dinosaurs! Retrieved 2015-05-22.
- About Education. “Apatosaurus”. About Education: Brontosaurus/Apatosaurus Retrieved 2015-05-21.
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