brachiosaurus

Common Name: Brachiosaurus
Scientific Name: Brachiosaurus altithorax

Time Period: Late Jurassic
Lived: ~154–150 million years ago

Location: North America (primarily present-day western United States)

Environment: Forest / Plains

Diet: Herbivore

Length: ~25 meters (82 feet)
Height: ~12–13 meters (40–43 feet) at the head
Estimated Weight: ~28–50 metric tons

Locomotion: Quadrupedal
Average Speed: ~5–10 km/h (3–6 mph), estimated

Distinguishing Features:

• Extremely long neck held upright
• Front legs longer than hind legs (giving a giraffe-like stance)
• Large, barrel-shaped body
• Small head relative to body size

Behavior: Likely Herd
Reproduction: Egg-laying

Fossil Evidence: Partial (mostly limb bones, vertebrae, ribs)

First Described: 1903, Elmer S. Riggs