Diplodocus

Diplodocus (dih-PLOH-doc-us) meaning "double beam" in reference to its double-beamed chevron bones (Greek diplos = double + dokos = beam) is a type of dinosaur of subgroup Sauropoda. Diplodocus lived during the Jurassic period. more...

Scientists gave the dinosaur its name due to the way part of its skeleton was formed.

The first Diplodocus skeleton was found at Como Bluff, Wyoming in 1878 and was named Diplodocus longus ("long double-beam") by paleontologist Othniel Charles Marsh. Other species include D. carnegiei (named after Andrew Carnegie) and D. hayi.

Diplodocus remains have been found in the Western United States of Colorado, Utah, Montana and Wyoming. Fossils of this animal are common, except for the skull, which is often missing from otherwise complete skeletons. The skull was very small compared to the huge size of the animal, which could reach up to 27 m, although some suggest that the Diplodocus could reach a full length of 45 metres. Instead of the way Diplodocidae were formerly portrayed, with their necks high up in the air, it is now believed by some that the animal could only keep its head very low to the ground (for grazing), and that the very long tail served as a counterbalance for the long neck. Others think the animal could stand on its hind legs.

So far Diplodocus is the longest dinosaur found with a complete skeleton at 27m (90 feet).

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