Brontosaurus excelsus Marsh 1879 (diplodocid)

Reptilia - Saurischia - Diplodocidae

Alternative combinations: Apatosaurus excelsius, Apatosaurus excelsus, Atlantosaurus excelsus, Camarasaurus excelsus

Synonyms: Apatosaurus amplus Marsh 1881, Atlantosaurus amplus Marsh 1881, Brontosaurus amplus Marsh 1881

Full reference: O. C. Marsh. 1879. Notice of new Jurassic reptiles. American Journal of Science and Arts 18:501-505

Belongs to Brontosaurus according to E. Tschopp et al. 2015

See also Anonymous 1905, Anonymous 1931, Anonymous 1937, Apesteguía 2005, Apesteguía 2005, Apesteguía et al. 2021, Bakker 1996, Blows 1995, Bonaparte 1978, Bonaparte 1999, Boule 1891, Breithaupt 1990, Breithaupt 2013, Carpenter and McIntosh 1994, Chure et al. 2006, Filla and Redman 1994, Forster and Spamer 1986, Foster and Peterson 2016, Fraas 1908, Gadow 1901, Gaudry 1890, Gaudry 1896, Gilmore 1936, Goodknight et al. 1991, Harris 2006, Hay 1902, Hay 1930, Herne and Lucas 2006, Huene 1927, Jain et al. 1979, Janensch 1937, Knight 1899, Knight 1900, Lull 1926, Mansel-Pleydell 1902, Marsh 1879, Marsh 1881, Marsh 1893, Marsh 1896, Marsh 1897, Mateus 2006, McIntosh 1981, McIntosh 1990, McIntosh 1990, McIntosh 1995, Mcintosh et al. 1992, Mocho et al. 2019, Mook 1916, Mook 1917, Nopcsa 1901, Osborn 1904, Osborn 1915, Perrier 1928, Riggs 1901, Riggs 1903, Salgado 1999, Salgado et al. 2006, Sauvage 1880, Schwarz et al. 2007, Steel 1970, Stovall 1943, Swinton 1934, Tatarinov 1964, Tschopp et al. 2019, Turner 1997, Upchurch et al. 2004, Upchurch et al. 2004, Vetter 1884, von Zittel 1911, Wedel et al. 2000, Winkler 1893, Woodward 1885, Woodward 1898 and Zittel 1890

Sister taxa: Brontosaurus giganteus, Brontosaurus parvus, Brontosaurus yahnahpin

Type specimens:

  • Brontosaurus excelsus: YPM 1980, a partial skeleton. Its type locality is Quarry 10, Como Bluff (YPM), which is in a Kimmeridgian/Tithonian wet floodplain claystone in the Morrison Formation of Wyoming.
  • Brontosaurus amplus: YPM 1981, a partial skeleton. Its type locality is Quarry 11, Como Bluff (YPM), which is in a Kimmeridgian/Tithonian wet floodplain mudstone in the Morrison Formation of Wyoming.

Ecology: ground dwelling herbivore

Average measurements (in mm): femur circumference 730.0, tibia circumference 480.0

Estimated body mass: 47.1 tons based on femur circumference

Distribution:

• Jurassic of United States (13: Colorado, Wyoming collections)

Total: 13 collections each including a single occurrence

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Specimen images are retrieved through the ePANDDA API.


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