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Name: Diplodocus
Pronunciation: DIP-law-DOC-us (alt. DIP-low-DOUGH-cus) Translation: Double Beam Lizard Diet: Herbivore Height: 18 - 20 feet (50.4 - 6 meters) Length: 100 - 120 feet (30 - 36 meters) Weight: 10 - 25 tons Location: Colorado, Utah, New Mexico Time: Late Jurassic, 154 to 152 million years ago |
While not as tall as many of the other sauropods, Diplodocus was by far the longest; in fact, it was the longest animal to ever walk the Earth. Because of its horizontal posture, Diplodocus was not suited to eat from the canopies like Brachiosaurus, and instead was a grazer, eating from ferns,
undergrowth, and small trees. Diplodocus’ teeth were aligned in such a way that it likely stripped all the leaves from a plant at once, allowing it to consume large amounts of food in a single bite.
Despite its colossal size, Diplodocus still had to protect itself. Diplodocus’ main defense was its tail, which paleontologists theorize could have been swung like a whip. The muscles in Diplodocus’ tail were extremely powerful, and the tip of the tail could have possibly been swung fast enough to break the sound barrier. In addition, some scientists think the keratinous spines that ran down its back were stronger towards the end of the tail, which could have made for an incredibly deadly weapon against any carnivore, namely the fearsome Allosaurus, Diplodocus’ main predator.
undergrowth, and small trees. Diplodocus’ teeth were aligned in such a way that it likely stripped all the leaves from a plant at once, allowing it to consume large amounts of food in a single bite.
Despite its colossal size, Diplodocus still had to protect itself. Diplodocus’ main defense was its tail, which paleontologists theorize could have been swung like a whip. The muscles in Diplodocus’ tail were extremely powerful, and the tip of the tail could have possibly been swung fast enough to break the sound barrier. In addition, some scientists think the keratinous spines that ran down its back were stronger towards the end of the tail, which could have made for an incredibly deadly weapon against any carnivore, namely the fearsome Allosaurus, Diplodocus’ main predator.