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Apatosaurus (Brontosaurus)
The Apatosaurus, also known as the Brontosaurus, was a giant herbivore from the Jurassic period.
131 Questions
Was the apatosaurus a producer?
A producer is an organism that creates food by utilizing an energy source, for example, plants using sunlight to create sugars. Apatosaurus was an animal, though, and all animals are heterotrophs, meaning that they have to consume food for their energy. Apatosaurus was a consumer, not a producer.
How did the Brontosaurus mark its boundaries?
As it turns out, there is no such thing as a Brontosaurus. It was merely a misidentified Apatosaurus. But there is
Did the sauropod dinosaur Amphicoelias really exist?
yes it did but the type specimen is based on extremely fragmentational remains
Where did apatosaurus lived in the forest desert where?
Apatosaurus fossils come from the Morrison Formation of western North America and date to between 154 and 150 million years ago. At that time, the area was a semi-arid subtropical plain with distinct wet and dry seasons. Near rivers, there were forests of conifers, cycads, ginkgoes, ferns, and horsetails. Further from the rivers there were open areas covered in ferns with scattered trees.
In which geologic period were apatosaurus found in?
Apatosaurus lived between 154 and 150 million years ago. This was during the Kimmeridgian and Tithonian stages of the Jurassic period.
How does the size and weight of the large brontosaurus compare with man?
Brontosaurus is actually an invalid name for Apatosaurus excelsus. Apatosaurus was 15 feet tall to the highest point on its back, or about two and a half times as tall as an average American man. They were 75 feet long, or as long as twelve and a half men laying in a line. Apatosaurus weighed between 18 and 25 tons, or as much as 225 to 312 healthy 6 foot tall men.
Who was the scientist that discovered the large brontosaurus?
The brontosaurus was my favorite dinosaur, so it came as a bit of a shock to me to learn that it really didn't exist. A fellow named O.C. Marsh found a skeleton of an already-named animal called "Apatosaurus," but it was missing its head. To make a better-looking display for the Peabody Museum, he fitted it with the head of another creature called "Camarasaurus" and named the resulting chimera "Brontosaurus."
Since Apatosaurus contributed most of the skeleton, many books identify the creature as "Apatosaurus, formerly called Brontosaurus" but that's not strictly correct.
Is the brontosaurus the largest flesh eating dinosaur?
The "Brontosaurus" isn't even a real dinosaur at all. It was just a mistake. And it wasn't the largest flesh-eating dinosaur. "Brontosaurus" was an herbivore, so it ate only plants.
What time did apatosarus live?
Apatosaurus fossils date to between 154 and 150 million years ago. This was during the Kimmeridgian and Tithonian stages of the Jurassic period.
What enemies did apatosaurs have?
Adult Apatosaurus were 75 feet long and weighed 18 to 25 tons. Because they were so large, the only predator of adults would be Allosaurus, if they had any predators. Young Apatosaurus had many predators, including Ornitholestes and Ceratosaurus.
The brontosaurus was a herbivore, living on plants only. It was not a meat eater.
Based on the structure of its teeth, it probably browsed on leaves.
Note: an extensive study published in 2015 by a joint British-Portuguese research team concluded that Brontosauruswas a valid genus of sauropod distinct from Apatosaurus, but not all paleontologists agree on that yet.
What does a apatosaurus looks like?
Apatosaurus walked on four sturdy legs, had a bulky body, and a very long, narrow tail. It also had a long but thick neck and a small head. They were herbivores. They were also huge at 75 feet in length and weighing in at 18 to 25 tons.
Where are the fossils of the dinosaur apatosaurus found?
All known Apatosaurus fossils have been found in the Morrison Formation of the western USA. Fossils are known from Colorado, Wyoming, Oklahoma, and Utah.
What height is a brontosaurus dinosaur?
Brontosaurus is an invalid name for Apatosaurus excelsus. Apatosaurus excelsus was about 4.5 meters tall, or 15 feet tall, at the highest point on its back. It is unknown what angle they held their necks at, so nobody knows how high above the ground their heads were.
Do apatosaurus uses their tails for weapons?
Apatosaurus probably would have used their tails for self defense. They could have struck predators with their tails, similar to crocodiles that are being attacked. How effective their narrow tails would have been against a hungry Allosaurus or Torvosaurus is unknown.
Was the dinosouar apatosaurus a meater?
Apatosaurus was a plant eater, or herbivore. They were huge, four legged dinosaurs with long necks, tiny heads, and whip-like tails.
Who discovered the apatosaurus?
Othniel Charles Marsh discovered one species of Apatosaurus, and named it Apatosaurus ajax. When he discovered Apatosaurus excelsus, though, he assigned it to its own genus, Brontosaurus. Later it was found that both Brontosaurus and Apatosaurus ajax belonged to the same genus, so Brontosaurus was reassigned to Apatosaurus excelsus.
Why was aptosaurus used to be called brontosaurus?
Othniel Charles Marsh discovered a species of Apatosaurus in 1877, and he named it Apatosaurus ajax. Two years later, he discovered another species of Apatosaurus. Marsh didn't realize that they both belonged to the same genus, though, so he named the new species Brontosaurus excelsus. When it was determined that Brontosaurus excelsus was actually a species of Apatosaurus, its name was changed to Apatosaurus excelsus.
