Brachiosaurus

Name: Brachiosaurus

Pronounced: BRAK-ee-oh-sore-us

Meaning: ‘Arm lizard’ due to its very long neck that could reach into the tall vegetation like an arm.

Period: Late Jurassic (155 – 140 million years ago)

Group: Sauropods (lizard feet)

Size: It was 30m long and over 15m tall. It weighed between 3000kg – 8000kg

Diet: Herbivore

Characteristics: The Brachiosaurus walked on four legs and had a very small skull on an extremely long neck. They had strong, wide jaws with chisel-shaped teeth suitable for eating leaves off high branches. Large nasal openings have been identified in remains which suggest they had an excellent sense of smell. The Brachiosaurus had 52 teeth, twenty-six along its top jaw and twenty-six along the bottom. Its front legs were longer than its back legs, but its tail was relatively short in comparison to its neck. They probably travelled in herds and may have migrated when their food supply depleted. Brachiosaurus probably hatched out of eggs, in the same way as the other sauropods.

Named by: Elmer S. Riggs in 1903

Discovery: In 1900, Elmer S. Riggs discovered the first Brachiosaurus fossils along the Colorado River in North America. Werner Janensch found more fossils in Tanzania, Africa in 1909. More fossils have been identified by Lapparent & Zbyszewski in Portugal and Algeria in 1957.