See Also: diplodocus(dictionary)
Diplodocus(encyclopedia)

Diplodocus (sh)




genus of sauropod dinosaur found as fossils in Late Jurassic rocks of North America and related to Apatosaurus.

Diplodocus and its relatives (diplodocids) were some of the longest land animals that ever lived, some approaching 100 ft (30 m). It had a long neck and extremely small brain and skull. Most diplodocids weighed about 30 tons, and some as much as 80 tons. It was formerly thought that Diplodocus may have spent a good deal of time in water, but fossil evidence indicates it moved freely on land, where it apparently fed on soft vegetation. It may be the most commonly displayed dinosaur.