5 Brontosaurus Facts that Are Really Apatosuaurus Facts

A dinosaur by any other name... Looking for a dinosaur called Brontosaurus? Easily the most recognizable of the dinosaurs, the Brontosaurus has come to symbolize dinosaurs in society for years. Even a petroleum company used to have this huge Sauropod as its trademark symbol (Remember Sinclair's Dino?) The Greek word meaning "Thunder Lizard" is no longer used in describing one of the most popular dinosaurs of all. The new name, which is really an old name is Apatosaurus meaning "deceptive lizard" and pronounced a-PAT-o-SAWR-us.

Fossil skeleton remains of one of the most complete dinosaurs ever found were discovered by paleontologist O.C. Marsh in 1877. Marsh named this small dinosaur Apatosaurus. This small dinosaur had a long neck and walked on four legs. Ironically, Marsh also later found the remains of a huge dinosaur, again with a long neck, and also walking on four legs. The fossil remains, however, did not have the skull. Marsh called this animal Brontosaurus, and museums added a skull that Marsh had found several miles away from the original site of the Brontosaurus. Well, it turns out that both fossils are of the same animal: one a youngster, the other a mature specimen. However, scientists determined that Brontosaurus fossils were not from a different species, but from a dinosaur already discovered, Apatosaurus. This news circulated in only the scientific community for years, as the name Brontosaurus continued to be featured on museum labels. The name was not formally removed from the records of paleontology until 1974. So, today, finally, the dinosaur once called Brontosaurus is now called Apatosaurus, its correct name.

Apatosaurus was one of the largest land animals that ever lived on the earth. This huge prehistoric animal measured about 70-90 feet long and about 15 feet tall at the hips. It weighed somewhere between 33 and 38 tons. Its head was less than 2 feet long; it had a long skull and a very tiny brain. This extinct dinosaur had a long neck (with 15 vertebrae), a long whip-like tail (about 50 ft), a hollow backbone, peg-like teeth in the front of the jaws, and four massive, column-like legs. Its front legs were smaller than its back legs. Fossilized Apatosaurus footprints (called trackways in the fossil record) that are about 3 feet wide have been found in Colorado. This dinosaur is thought to have had about a 100 year lifespan.

Marsh originally believed that the animal lived in swampy areas, stood in the water and ate vegetation. The eating vegetation part was correct, however new research has led to the realization that this animal could not have walked in the soft ground and muddy bottoms of swamps. Debate still continues as to whether this animal could "rear up" on its hind legs to reach tree tops.

Apatosaurus, formerly known as Brontosaurus, walked the earth during the Jurassic period, roughly 157 to 146 million years ago. Most of the Sauropods went extinct during the end of the Jurassic period. No known reason has been discovered for this mass extinction.