STL Science Center

STL Science Center

10 April 2015

The Much Avoided

Not for the sake of jumping on the wagon of dinosaur fame, but this week we are definitely going to discuss Brontosaurus excelsus. Long considered to be a junior synonym, but unique in ways that left doubt lingering since the 1903 lumping of Apatosaurus and Brontosaurus, an extensive recent publication has separated the herd once more. Had the Brontosaurus/Apatosaurus confusion not existed to begin with Brontosaurus would have been discussed here ages ago. However, discussing the "thunder lizard" now is appropriate given the attention that it has collected in the media. Now considered to be more derived than Apatosaurus, the enormous Brontosaurus was quite a beast at 22 m (72 ft) long and nearly 15 tons.
Marsh's Brontosaurus

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