Diplodocus

Diplodocus Latest News

Fossils of the long-necked dinosaur Diplodocus have been recently discovered in Spain, marking the first time remains of this iconic Jurassic-period dino have been found outside the U.S. 

About Diplodocus

• Diplodocus belongs to a group of enormous dinosaurs called sauropods. 
  • The sauropods were large, plant-eating dinosaurs with long necks, massive bodies, and four pillar-like legs to support the body. 
• It is the longest complete dinosaur that scientists have discovered. 
• Diplodocus translates as ‘double beam’. It refers to the dinosaur’s tail bones. 
• Diplodocus lived during the Late Jurassic, 155-145 million years ago. 
• Remains of this dinosaur have been found in North America, especially in Colorado, Montana, Utah, and Wyoming. 
• Recently, fossils have been recently discovered in Europe.
• Diplodocus lived in meadows where plants grew thick and at the edges of forests and other areas where many trees grew. 

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Diplodocus Features

• Diplodocus measured up to 90 feet (27 meters) long and stood about 15 feet (4.6 meters) tall at the hips. 
• A lightweight among the sauropod dinosaurs, Diplodocus weighed only about 30 tons. 
• The unique, hollow structure of its backbones helped this animal to be so light.
• It had a long neck and a very long tail. 
• Diplodocus had a small, horselike head and a very small brain. 
• It had peg-shaped teeth in the front of its mouth. 
• Its back legs were slightly longer than its front legs, making the animal slope downward from its hips to its head. 
• Diplodocus had elephantlike feet with three claws on each back foot. 
• One section of its tail bones featured a pair of anvil-shaped projections on the underside of each bone in that section. 
• Scientists believe that these bones served as protection for the blood vessels and tissues of the tail. These are the “double beams” for which the dinosaur is named.

News: LS