Saurischia / Sauropodomorpha / Sauropoda / Macronaria / Family; Dicraeosauridae / First Discovered 1900 / Found Africa, North America / Length; 25 m / Weight; 70-80 t / Food Plants / Young Eggs / Lived Late Jurassic 161-146 mya ______________________ オーストラリア恐竜大陸 http://dinoteam.org ______________________
Brachiosaurus has been found in Tanzania, East Africa, and Colorado in the United States. This shows us that in Late Jurassic times the two continents were one. Brachiosaurus was a gigantic creature with very long front limbs and shorter back limbs. It stood 16 m high and its weight was between 70 and 80 tonnes. The upper arm bone was over 2 m long. Unlike those of Diplodocus, the sturdy, chisel-like teeth of Brachiosaurus were arranged around the edges of the jawbones. This huge animal fed on leaves and shoots from the highest branches of trees, helped by its upward-sloping body. Its skull was about 50cm long and much deeper than that of Diplodocus, and its nostrils opened at the top of the head. Brachiosaurus’s neck was made up of 14 very large bones, and there were massive tendons to enable the animal to keep its head held high. Tendons and ligaments would also have helped hold the tail straight. A lash of that great tail would have deterred most predators.