Two of the most exciting and awe-striking dinosaurs of the late Jurassic period are Brachiosaurus and Brontosaurus.Brontosaurus and Brachiosaurus are two gigantic sauropod species that existed from the late Jurassic to the early Cretaceous eras, more than a hundred million years ago, and from the mid to late Jurassic periods, accordingly. They are both some of the most well-known dinosaurs ever.Brachiosaurus was a dinosaur that lived many million years ago close to North America. When it was first discovered, it was believed to be the largest dinosaur ever. However, scientists have now found other species of the Sauropod dinosaurs, such as the Dreadnoughtus and the Titanosaur. For a fully-fledged adult Brachiosaurus, there were most likely no predators or animals that could have killed them.The largest known meat-eaters of the time were giant lizard-like dinosaurs Allosaurus, Ceratosaurus, and Torvosaurus, which lived in Africa and North America. Some experts believe that larger dinosaurs, such as the Allosaurus, may have eaten some Brachiosaurus. They could have preyed on the weaker and the younger members of a Brachiosaurus herd. The Brontosaurus, or as currently called Apatosaurus, was a giant sauropod, a genus of dinosaurs known for its long necks and tails. Its name means ‘Thunder Lizard’ in Greek. This giant lizard-like dinosaur lived between 156 and 145 million years ago during the late Jurassic Period. The earliest examples of Brontosaurus were found in the United States in the 1870s. Experts utilize the first title given to an animal; therefore, the Thunder Lizard has been renamed Apatosaurus as it was the first. Elmer Riggs, a paleontologist at the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago, proposed in 1903 that Apatosaurus was an adolescent Brontosaurus, so the two names alluded to the very same genus. One of the sauropods that have a close relation to the Brontosaurus or the Apatosaurus is the Diplodocus. However, its long neck and tail were longer than that of the Brontosaurus. Both these sauropods were herbivorous, and their primary source of food was plants and vegetation. Because they were herbivores, the sauropods probably did not face much food scarcity.To read more interesting articles, check out brachiosaurus size and gopher snake vs. rattlesnake here on Kidadl.Key Differences Between Them BothThe look of Brontosaurus and the Brachiosaurus is the most significant distinction among the two. The Brontosaurus was an elephant-like sauropod dinosaur that lived throughout the late Jurassic period and early Cretaceous periods of the Earth’s history. The sauropod was a giraffe-like sauropod dinosaur that inhabited the Earth’s mid-to late-Jurassic period.The Brachiosaurus were sauropods that were 20 ft (6.09 m) higher and weighed more than Brontosaurus. In addition, there was a considerable discrepancy in their limb widths. The forelimbs of the Brachiosaurus were bigger and longer than the hind limbs. The Brontosaurus, on the other hand, had significantly shorter forelimbs than hind limbs. Furthermore, Brachiosaurus had a huge nare on its cranium, but Apatosaurus had not. The Brontosaurus is one of the world’s longest dinosaurs ever, while the Brachiosaurus is one of the tallest dinosaurs to be discovered.Who went extinct first?The Brontosaurus or the Apatosaurus mostly went extinct at the end of the Jurassic period. The reason for the same has not yet been discovered.On the other hand, the Brachiosaurus most probably went extinct along with the rest of the dinosaur population when the huge meteorite crash killed a majority of the dinosaurs and left the Earth uninhabitable for the ones that survived. According to this information, the Brontosaurus probably went extinct first.Did they have any predators?As mentioned before, the Brachiosaurus did not have many predators due to their large size and long neck. Despite this, their herds’ older and younger citizens were sometimes targeted and killed by dinosaurs like the Allosaurus.Some of the Brontosaurus or the Apatosaurus predators were dinosaurs like the Allosaurus, Torvosaurus, and Saurophagnax. Adults were presumably too big to take down regularly; therefore, kids were possibly the primary prey. In the late Jurassic period, the Apatosaurus or the Brontosaurus defended its long neck and shoulders from predators by having a head that reached above the greatest of carnivores. As previously mentioned, the large bullwhip-like tail acted as a potent weapon for defending oneself from predator assaults. Both the two dinosaurs did not have many predators is a commonality that they share, most likely due to their large size and long necks.Do their fossils exist?Othniel Charles Marsh, an American paleontologist at Yale University, found the very first Brontosaurus or Apatosaurus specimen in 1874 and classified it in 1879. Apatosaurus fossils from the center of Kimmeridgian were also discovered. This dinosaur fossil has been discovered in Wyoming’s Nine Mile Quarry and Bone Cabin Quarry and in Colorado, Oklahoma, and Utah.Elmer S. Riggs, an American paleontologist, originally described the Brachiosaurus fossil in 1903. Both the Brachiosaurus and the Brontosaurus were majestic dinosaurs that roamed the Earth. They truly were a giant next to most other creatures on the Earth. A comparison study between them would show many similarities between these massive creatures, such as their size and that they were herbivores. However, it is these similarities that make the differences between them even more fascinating.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for our article on Brachiosaurus vs. Brontosaurus, then why not take a look at the largest reptile or Otter Civet.
Two of the most exciting and awe-striking dinosaurs of the late Jurassic period are Brachiosaurus and Brontosaurus.
