60 Interesting Facts About Diplodocus

Facts About Diplodocus: Diplodocus or diplodocus is a genus with three known species of diplodocid sauropod dinosaurs, which lived in the late Jurassic period, approximately 155.7–145 million years ago, in the Kimmeridgian and Tithonian, in what is now North America. The first fossils were discovered in 1877 by SW Williston.

It lived in what is now western North America during the Late Jurassic period. Diplodocus is one of the most common dinosaurs from the upper Morrison Formation, a sequence of alluvial and marine sediments deposited approximately 152 million years ago. The Morrison Formation shows an environment dominated by gigantic sauropods such as Camarasaurus, Barosaurus, Apatosaurus, and Brachiosaurus, in addition to Diplodocus.

Interesting Facts About Diplodocus

These creatures were quadrupedal.
Diplodocus had lived and traveled in herds.
They were one of the longest dinosaurs ever.
The name Diplodocus means: “Long Double Beam”.
They had small, forward-pointing delicate teeth.
The Diplodocus lived in mid-western North America.
The name Diplodocus is pronounced: “dih-PLOD-uh-kus”.
They did not chew their food, they just gulped it down.
They walked really very slowly with a speed of 7-9 mph.
Diplodocus belonged to the Saurischia order of dinosaurs.
On an average, they replaced their teeth in every 35 days.
These fossils were named as Diplodocus by Othniel C. Marsh.
Diplodocus could start reproduction at the age of 10 years.
Diplodocus had small spines on the skin of neck, body and tail.
They had a long whip like tail with approximately 80 vertebrae.
Diplodocus was 90 to 175 feet long and it weighed 10 to 12 tons.
Diplodocus had splayed limbs that made its posture more lizard-like.
Diplodocus could reach 115 feet in length and weighed around 12-15 tons.
The Diplodocus is one of the longest known dinosaurs to walk on our planet.
Diplodocus was slow animal. It walked at the speed of 5 to 9 miles per hour.

Mind-Blowing Facts About Diplodocus

Diplodocus had 15 elongated vertebrae in the neck and 80 vertebrae in the tail.
The Diplodocus was part of a group of dinosaurs known as Sauropods (Diplodocid).
Paleontologists estimate the Diplodocus could reach a maximum length of 80 feet.
Paleontologists estimate the Diplodocus could reach a maximum weight of 16 tons.
Paleontologists believe the Diplodocus traveled and fed together in large herds.
They lived in the Late Jurassic Period between 146.8 and 156.3 million years ago.
Their nasal openings were on their forehead instead of at the end of their snouts.
The Diplodocus had an extremely long neck that could reach up to 21 feet in length.
The Diplodocus was a herbivore that ate foliage it stripped from the upper top of trees.
They had four broad feet with five toes on each. Their hind limbs were extremely strong.
The Diplodocus got its scientific name Diplodocus longus in 1878, from Othniel Charles Marsh.
Diplodocuses were picky eaters as they had narrower snouts. They ate only high quality plants.
There are two other species of Diplodocus besides D. longus and they are D. carnegii and D. hallorum.
In 1878, Benjamin Mudge and Samuel Wendell Williston found the first diplodocus fossil at Como Bluff, Wyoming.
Scientists believe that Diplodocus was laying eggs in communal areas, in the shallow pits covered with vegetation.
The Diplodocus was first discovered in 1877, by Benjamin Mudge and Samuel W. Williston in Canon City, Colorado, USA.
Paleontologists estimate the Diplodocus grew at a rapid rate and could reach sexual maturity in as little as 10 years.

Wierd Facts About Diplodocus

Diplodocus was growing its entire life. At the age of 10 years, Diplodocus was sexually mature and ready to reproduce.
The Diplodocus had an extremely long whip-like tail that contained around 80 vertebrae and could reach up to 45 feet in length.
Fossilized remains of the Diplodocus have been discovered inside of the Morrison Formation in Colorado, Montana, Utah and Wyoming.
These huge herbivorous dinosaurs grazed in large herds together. They consumed both low-lying plants and soft leaved of tall trees.
Diplodocus was quadrupedal animal. It walked on all four legs, placing its broad feet straight to the ground, just like the modern elephant.
Diplodocus had numerous small, slender, peg-like teeth, located in the front part of the mouth. Teeth were designed for stripping leaves from the trees.
Diplodocus was a herbivore. It consumed both low-laying plants and soft leaves from the tall trees. Its diet was based on moss, ferns, conifers and ginkgos.
Name "Diplodocus" means "strange beam". It refers to two rows of bones in the tail, whose main role was to support the weight and ensure greater mobility of tail.
The massive size of the Diplodocus was an excellent predator deterrent. Once they reached sexual maturity, it’s possible they didn’t have to worry about predators.
Diplodocus used its long, whip-like tail to intimidate predators and competitors. Some researchers believe that tail was also used for communication and during the courtship.
Due to high content of silica in the plants and consumption of stones to facilitate digestion, teeth of Diplodocus didn't last long. An average lifespan of tooth was around 35 days.
Based on the nearly complete fossils, Diplodocus was the longest dinosaur on the planet. Some other species, such as Supersaurus, were probably longer, but their skeletons are not complete and their exact body length is still unknown (it is calculated based on the rest of the skeleton).
Diplodocus had long neck (up to 21 feet in length) and very long tail which served as counterbalance for the rest of the body. It had very small head with nostrils positioned on top of it. Its legs were sturdy. Front legs were shorter than hind legs. Diplodocus had 5 fingers on the feet and single large claw on the first finger ("big toe") on the hind feet.

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