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Brachiosaurus

One of the largest dinosaurs, the brachiosaurus was 82 feet long and tall enough to look in a five-story building. It probably weighed as much as 62 tons. It moved slowly and ate plants, and its front legs were longer than its back ones—similar to a giraffe.

Fun Facts

  • Brachiosaurus means arm lizard.
  • This dinosaur lived in the Late Jurassic period, 155 to 150 million years ago.
  • It was found in the U.S. and Tanzania in 1903.
  • Many scientists believe the Brachiosaurus was warm-blooded. It might have had a slow metabolism to help it regulate its body temperature.
  • For many years, scientists thought the Brachiosaurus was the largest of the sauropods, in recent years, larger dinosaurs have been found.
  • Scientists also believed the Brachiosaurus lived in water. Scientists today don’t think this is true. Brachiosaurus had porous, air-filled bones, which would have made it float in water.
  • The Brachiosaurus had to eat a huge amount of food—as much as 80 tons. Its teeth could strip leaves from plants and trees, but could not shred them. The dinosaur swallowed food whole.
  • Brachiosaurus probably traveled in herds, stripping vegetation and then moving on.
  • The Brachiosaurus probably didn’t stand on its hind legs.

 

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Read about Brachiosaurus.