Apatosaurus

(Jrt)

Apatosaurus
The Apatosaurus ( "deceptive lizard") was previously known brontosaure (from the Greek meaning literally: "saurien of thunder")

This herbivorous animal related to the dinosaurs in Jurassic saurischiens lived between 156 and 150 million years before our era.

Famous for its long spine, its tapered tail bone had 82. It weighed 30 tons and measuring 20 meters long, 8 meters high. It is among the largest animals that the Earth has ever brought, with other major sauropodes as diplodocus or brachiosaure. It differs notably the diplodocus by his neck and members larger and more robust.

When attacked, apatosaure used its tail to give broad strokes. He also came to stand on its hind legs to repel the enemy. However, despite its huge size, was a dinosaur apatosaure peaceful.

The apatosaures moved in herds grazed the tops of trees and ferns also ate. To maintain their body, they had to ingurgiter a huge amount. Like other sauropodes they avalait of gastrolithes to digest. We found a dozen skeletons in North America (Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, Oklahoma and also in northern Mexico).

He had, like many sauropodes, nostrils on top of his skull, not to be embarrassed when he ate.

Classification and history
In 1877, Othniel Charles Marsh has published his notes to study the Apatosaurus. In 1879, he discovered another dinosaur more comprehensive, brontosaure. But it took until 1903 to understand that apatosaure was brontosaure other than a juvenile.

As the first publication was returning to the Apatosaurus is it that we chose the official name and the term brontosaure has been relegated to the role of synonymous (probably better known than the official name). Nevertheless, the term brontosaure has remained formally in the annals of paleontology until the 1970's.

Fossils of this extinct animal have been found in relatively large quantities to the USA at Nine Mile Quarry and Bone Cabin Quarry Wyoming, and at sites in Colorado, Oklahoma, Utah.

Rectification important (I will not change the dates and total): The Brontosaurus never existed. It was actually a head Camarasaurus posed by mistake on the body of an Apatosaurus.

Read also Dinosaur

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