Although some have suggested that they were for self-defence, it is more likely that the dinosaurs used their claws to help grasp trees to reach high up foliage, or dig scrapes in the ground to make nests and search for water.īut by comparing the dinosaurs to living animals, scientists have come up with a few potential reasons for their extremely long necks.
The group of dinosaurs called sauropods all had long necks and tails.īrontosaurus and some other sauropods had large claws on their hands. 'I think it's because it's easy to remember in comparison with many other dinosaur names, it rolls easily off the tongue, and who wouldn't like the idea of a "thunder lizard"?' Was Brontosaurus adapted for battle? ' Brontosaurus is one of those iconic names that never went away, despite the best efforts of palaeontologists,' says Paul. While palaeontologists may not all agree with the revival of the genus, those who have long loved Brontosaurus may be glad to see this iconic dinosaur be given back its official status. They suggest that if other traits were chosen, the two dinosaurs might appear less distinct, as there is no standard way of picking significant characteristics. Others argue that determining differences between the dinosaurs is subjective. There has been concern that the fossils that Apatosaurus is based on haven't been described in detail, and without this, comparing this dinosaur with Brontosaurus is problematic. Some experts have been more hesitant, however. 'I am happy to accept their conclusions for now, though of course the discovery of new skeletons might force us to change our minds if new evidence comes to light.' They do seem to differ in consistent ways and seem to occupy separate branches of the sauropod tree. Paul says, 'The authors of this study make a convincing case for regarding them as different animals. Some cite that there are just as many differences between Apatosaurus and Brontosaurus as there are between other closely related genera, and many more differences than there often is between species of the same genus. Many palaeontologists are ready and willing to welcome Brontosaurus back. 'These differences are only clear when you're able to examine a large number of different skeletons to see how these features vary from animal to animal.' Is Brontosaurus back for good? Prof Paul Barrett, a dinosaur researcher at the Museum, says, 'The skeletons of Apatosaurus and Brontosaurus are very similar to each other in many ways, and other than their general proportions are mainly distinguished by detailed differences in the neck and back, and shoulder bones. This research, published in 2015, was only possible because a number of new diplodocid dinosaurs had been found in recent decades.
In their intense rivalry they resorted to tactics like spying, theft and even the destruction of bones. This was a period of time when two American palaeontologists - Othniel Charles Marsh and Edward Drinker Cope - competed to discover and name the most dinosaurs. The discovery and discarding of Brontosaurusīrontosaurus and Apatosaurus were discovered at a time in the late 1800s known as the Bone Wars or the Great Dinosaur Rush. That was until a study in 2015 unexpectedly found evidence that Brontosaurus was distinct from Apatosaurus all along, signalling the reinstated status of this iconic dinosaur.
But by the early 1900s, scientists had started to question whether the fossils used to name Brontosaurus actually came from another dinosaur, the remarkably similar Apatosaurus.ĭue to the rules of scientific naming - the first name published gets priority - Brontosaurus was relegated to scientific history and the fossils reassigned to Apatosaurus. The first recorded evidence of Brontosaurus was discovered in the 1870s in the USA. It lived during the Late Jurassic Period, from about 156 to 145 million years ago. Brontosaurus was a large sauropod, a group of typically large dinosaurs with long necks and long tails.
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