Brachiosaurus is a dinosaur with a long neck that lived on earth around 150 million years ago. It was one of the most giant dinosaurs ever to walk the world, and for many years Paleontologists thought its the biggest dinosaur ever. This dinosaur was also one of the heaviest dinosaurs that have ever lived.
It belongs to the sauropods, a group of dinosaurs known for their long neck, massive size, and stocky build, with a diet that consisted mainly of plants.
Some other sauropods are the Brontosaurus and Diplodocus.
The Brachiosaurus was so huge that it was hard for it to run as fast as smaller dinosaurs. So its primary defense against predators (animals that hunt) was its size – if you are big, no one wants to mess with you!
It didn’t need to go anywhere quickly because of its large size. But how slow can you be when you weigh 28 tons?! Usually, this dinosaur walked slowly and steadily at an estimated 2–8 mph (3-13 km/h).
How to pronounce Brachiosaurus?
Bra – Kee – Uh – Saw – Ruhs
When and where did Brachiosaurus live?
Brachiosaurus lived 154–153 million years ago, during the late Jurassic era, in what’s now called North America, along with the stegosaurus.
What did Brachiosaurus eat?
Brachiosaurus was a herbivore, which means it only ate plants that had a long neck to reach the higher branches of treetops. It had typical herbivore teeth, helpful in cropping and chewing plant material. It was one of the most giant dinosaurs and had to eat a lot, probably over 1-ton plant matter a day. Because it had to eat that much while having a small head, likely, this dinosaur didn’t chew much and just swallowed its food.
How big is the Brachiosaurus?
It was about 21 meters (69 feet) long, and its weight was about 28 tons. By the way, its long front legs are why it was named Brachiosaurus – meaning ‘Arm Lizard.’ The name has been derived from two Greek words, Brachion (arm) and sauros (lizard).
Lifespan
Paleontologists think Brachiosaurus probably lived 80 years or longer. How do they come up with that? They compare the Brachiosaurus with giant herbivore (plant-eating) animals that are still alive, like elephants. It does make sense if you consider how much time it must have taken for an animal to get that big.
Brachiosaurus Facts For Kids - In a Nutshell
Brachiosaurus:
- Is a dinosaur with a long neck that lived on earth around 150 million years ago.
- It lived in (what is now) North America
- Belongs to the sauropods, a group of long-necked dinosaurs.
- Was one of the biggest dinosaurs to ever walk the earth.
- Was also one of the heaviest dinosaurs that have ever lived.
- Defense against predators was its size.
- Ate 1 Ton of Plants every day.
- It was about 21 (69 feet) long, and its weight was about 28 tons.
- It could become 21 meters (69 feet) long, maybe longer.