Brontosaurus
Bron-toe-sor-us
Name meaning: Thunder lizard
Time Period: Kimmeridgian (Late Jurassic) 156.3–146.8 Mya
Locations: Colorado-Morrison Formation
Taxonomy: Sauropoda-Diplodocidae-Apatosaurinae
Subspecies: B. excelsus B. parvus B. yahnahpin
Characteristics ~ ~ ~ ~
History & Fossils ~ ~ ~ ~
It’s a dinosaur everyone has heard the name of, yet for around 100 years the genus was considered an invalid genus. Brontosaurus was discovered during the Bone Wars, a rivalry between Edward Drinker Cope and Othniel Charles Marsh. The two had a fierce rivalry and sought to one-up each other constantly, leading to sloppy work and claims that later paleontologists would have to polish, debunk, and remake. Many years later, Elma Riggs re-examined the femur discovered for Brontosaurus and discovered that it was very similar to Apatosaurus, so the genus Brontosaurus B. excelsus became Apatosaurus B. excelsus. In 2015, A massive study was released on sauropods, and it was found that Brontosaurus was different enough to be a valid genus, but there may have been multiple species of them.
Media Deptictions ~ ~ ~ ~
Prehistoric Kingdom added both Brontosaurus and Apatosaurus for the best of both worlds in update 12, along with Ankylosaurus and a new California redwoods map with themed decorations. Brontosaurus has dull spikes on the underside of its neck that may have helped with fighting other sauropods. These were added to help differentiate Brontosaurus from Apatosaurus
