Apatosaurus

Apatosaurus means “deceptive lizard”. It got this name because its bones resembled those of a different dinosaur.

Apatosaurus is a sauropod, which means it belongs to a group of long-necked dinosaurs that also includes Diplodocus and Argentinosaurus. Its long tail functioned as a counterweight to its long neck. No-one has ever found tail tracks from Apatosaurus on the ground, so it is almost certain that this dinosaur walked with its tail raised. It is also still not known how high above the ground it held its head.

Length: 20-24 m
Weight: 25-35 t

Age: Jurassic (155-150 mio years ago)

Herbivore

Did you know about Apatosaurus

that for many years, this dinosaur was known as Brontosaurus? But researchers then discovered that Brontosaurus and Apatosaurus were actually the same species! As Apatosaurus was the name it was given first, this has now become its ‘correct’ name.