Questions and Answers About Apatosaurus Q: How big is a brontasaurus? from Dillan, Billings , Montana , Yellowstone ; July 19, 2001 A: Brontosaurus (now called Apatosaurus ) was about 70-90 feet long (21-27 m) and about 15 feet (4.6 m) tall at the hips. It weighed roughly 33-38 tons (30-35 tonnes). Its head was less than 2 feet long. Q: What information do you have on the brontosarus from Lily May, ?, ?, ?; May 8, 2001 A: Brontosaurus is now called Apatosaurus. Q: was apatosaurus smart compared to most other dinosaus from kelly ramos, ?, ?, ?; June 14, 2001 A: Apatosaurus was a sauropod, a type of plant-eating dinosaur that was not particularly intelligent when compared to other dinosaurs. Q: How did the Brontosaurus protect himself from other dinosaurs? from Samantha Manson, Ranfurly, Central Otago , NZ; May 28, 2001 A: Brontosaurus (now called Apatosaurus ) was huge - that was its primary defense. It also had a whip-like tail that may have been used for defense and some foot claws. Q: was allosaurus a good mother? from alex n., tewksbury , mass, u.s.a; May 28, 2001 A: In order to determine whether or not a fossilized animal nurtured its young, fossil evidence of this must be found. On good type of evidence is finding fossilized eggs in nests with adults and hatchling nearby. This has not been found for Allosaurus , so it is not known whether or not it cared for its young. Q: Is the brontosaurus made of bones from two dinosaurs? from Michelle C., Palm Beach Gardens , FL , USA ; May 4, 2001 A: Brontosaurus (now Apatosaurus) was originally displayed with the wrong skull. Q: WHAT DOES THE NAME APATOSAURUS MEAN AND OR WHERE DID IT GET ITS NAME FROM. THANK YOU JESSICA from jessica, houston , texas, UNITED STATES; April 7, 2001 A: Apatosaurus was called Apatosaurus, which means "deceptive lizard," because its fosisls were so similar to those of other sauropods . It was named in 1877 by US paleontologist Othniel C. Marsh . Q: Did the Apatosuarus go extinct before the time of the T Rex? from Ben T, Hobbs , New Mexico , USA ; April 7, 2001 A: Yes, Apatosaurus died out many millions of years before T. rex evolved. Apatosaurus lived from 57-146 million years ago; T. rex lived from 85 to 65 million years ago. Q: Where was brontasaurus found from FRank g, az, ?, ?; March 25, 2001 A: Brontosaurus (now called Apatosaurus ) fossils have been found in Colorado , Oklahoma , Utah , and Wyoming , in the USA . Q: Have Apatosaurus footprints ever been found? from cory, narragansett, RI, USA ; March 19, 2001 A: Yes, for more information, click here . Q: what does the name brontosauros mean? from tee c, ?, ?, ?; March 6, 2001 A: Brontosaurus means "thunder lizard." Q: i am doing a report on my favorite dinosaur. want to do one on the longneck variety, not sure what they are called. can you help? from mariah b, joplin , mo, usa ; February 17, 2001 A: The long-necked dinosaurs, like Brachiosaurus , Apatosaurus , and Diplodocus , are called sauropods . Q: I need a map of where the Brontosaurus fossils have been found if you know a place where I can get I would appreciate it. from Brittny H., ?, ?, ?; February 11, 2001 A: Click here for more infromation on Brontosaurus (now called Apatosaurus) . Q: Where can I get a classification chart of the Brontosaurus order, suborder, infraorder, family, genus and species? Or if you have it can you give it to me I need it for a project. ASAP. from Brittny H., ?, Ga, U.S. ; February 10, 2001 A: Apatosaurus (which used to be known as Brontosaurus) belonged to the: Kingdom Animalia (animals) Phylum Chordata (having a hollow nerve chord ending in a brain) Class Archosauria ( diapsids with socket-set teeth, etc.) Order Saurischia - lizard-hipped dinosaurs, the ancestors of birds Sauropodomorph - long-necked, long-tailed plant-eaters who walked on four legs Suborder Sauropoda (sauropods) - very large herbivores Neosauropoda - advanced sauropods Family Diplodocidae - whip-tailed, peg-toothed sauropods with high spines on the vertebrae. These included Amargasaurus , Diplodocus , Barosaurus, Seismosaurus , Supersaurus , and others Genus Apatosaurus Species A. Ajax (the type species). Other species of Apatosaurus include A. excelsus , A. louisae , and perhaps A. montanus . . Q: I am a teacher, and one of my students asked me about controversial brontosaurus fossils that have been found. He suggested that they may have been put together to be a brontosaurus, but really were bones of other dinosaurs or other animals altogether. I told him I would check into it. Thank You!! from Jaime C, Midwest City ,, OK , USA ; January 23, 2001 A: Yes, the original Brontosuarus (now called Apatosaurus) had the wrong head put on it. The original Brontosaurus fossil, found in 1879, lacked a skull (as many fossils do). Othniel Marsh added a skull found miles away (this skull did not belong to the Brontosaurus, but to a Camarasaurus ). In 1900, Henry Osborn assembled another skull-less Brontosaurus at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City , adding a cast of Marsh's skull. In 1915, Earl Douglass of the Carnegie Museum found a Brontosaurus fossil that included the skull, but because of Osborn's influence, the Carnegie displayed the fossil skull-less. When Douglas died in 1932, the incorrect skull was put on display! It wasn't until 1975 that the proper skull was mounted on Brontosaurus/Apatosaurus fossils in museums. Q: what did the brontasaurus eat from fetz f., lebanon , pa, united states ; January 4, 2001 A: Brontosaurus (now called Apatosaurus ) was a plant-eater. Apatosaurs' main food was probably conifers, which were the dominant plant when this large sauropod lived.