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SIZE: Length 27 m (88 ft). Weight 10-11 tonnes. One of the longest land animals ever known, although now outranked by giants such as Seismosaurus, Argentinosaurus and others, Diplodocus gets its name from the middle tail bones which had fore and aft bony skids that protected the blood vessels if its tail dragged on the ground. The tail and neck made up half the length of the body. The front legs are shorter than the back legs. This may have allowed it stand on its back legs using the tail as a tripod to brows the tops of trees. The forward tilt may also given it better access to low level ferns than the mid level feeders like Camasaurus. A new 1990 find of skeleton and skin impressions indicated that it (and possibly other sauropods) had a row of fleshy spines down its back. Like most sauropods it probably traveled in herds. | |||
