diplodocus

First discovered in 1877 in Colorado, USA, by Samuel Wendell Williston, Diplodocus was a massive sauropod dinosaur that lived during the Late Jurassic. It had a long neck and an even longer, whip-like tail, with skeletons showing up to 80 tail vertebrae. Measuring 24 to 26 meters long and standing about 4 to 5 meters tall at the hips, it weighed around 12 to 15 metric tons. Fossils from places like the Morrison Formation in the western U.S. suggest it lived in open, fern-covered plains near rivers.

Part of the Diplodocidae family, Diplodocus had peg-like teeth at the front of its mouth, suited for stripping leaves off plants like ferns and soft conifers. Its skull was small compared to its body, and its neck—up to 8 meters long—could reach high or sweep low for food. The long tail might have been used for balance or defense, possibly making a loud crack like a whip. With sturdy, column-like legs, Diplodocus roamed in herds across Jurassic landscapes, a giant herbivore adapted to a life of constant grazing.