Basic info Taxonomic history Classification Included Taxa
Morphology Ecology and taphonomy External Literature Search Age range and collections

Diplodocus

Reptilia

Taxonomy
Diplodocus was named by Marsh (1878).

It was synonymized subjectively with Amphicoelias by Galiano and Albersdörfer (2010) and Galiano and Albersdörfer (2010).

It was assigned to Atlantosauridae by Marsh (1881) and Sauvage (1882); to Sauropoda by Dollo (1885), Gadow (1898) and Gadow (1901); to Sauropoda by Marsh (1878), Gadow (1897) and Huene (1914); to Sauropoda by Williston (1878) and Joleaud (1922); to Cetiosauridae by Baur (1891) and Tatarinov (1964); to Titanosauridae by Romer (1966); to Diplodocoidea by Xing et al. (2015); to Diplodocinae by Romer (1956), Steel (1970), Swinton (1970), Coombs and Molnar (1981), McIntosh (1990), McIntosh (1990), Hunt and Lucas (1993), Curtice (1995), Bakker (1996), Salgado (1999), Wilson (2002), Taylor and Naish (2005), Salgado et al. (2006), Remes (2006), Royo-Torres et al. (2007), Ruiz-Omeñaca et al. (2008), Mannion et al. (2012), Tschopp and Mateus (2013) and Foster and Peterson (2016); to Diplodocinae by Tschopp et al. (2015), Mannion et al. (2019) and Mannion et al. (2021); and to Diplodocidae by Vetter (1884), Dollo (1884), Marsh (1884), Marsh (1885), Zittel (1890), Winkler (1893), Marsh (1895), Marsh (1896), Marsh (1898), Nopcsa (1901), Hay (1902), Joubert (1908), Huene (1908), Huene (1908), Huene (1909), von Zittel (1911), Tornier (1913), Lull (1924), Huene (1927), Huene (1927), Nopcsa (1928), Huene (1929), Hay (1930), Galton (1977), Madsen and Miller (1979), Charig (1980), McIntosh (1981), Russell (1984), Bonaparte (1986), Bonaparte (1986), Carroll (1988), Miller et al. (1991), Salgado and Bonaparte (1991), Mcintosh et al. (1992), Salgado (1993), Britt and Naylor (1994), Upchurch (1995), Upchurch (1995), Calvo and Salgado (1995), Wilson and Smith (1996), McIntosh (1997), Padian (1997), Ryan and Vickaryous (1997), Dodson (1997), Sereno (1997), Dong (1998), Sereno (1998), Wilson and Sereno (1998), Bonaparte (1999), Upchurch et al. (2004), Harris and Dodson (2004), Apesteguía (2005), Foster (2005), McIntosh (2005), Gallina and Apesteguía (2005), Rauhut et al. (2005), Chure et al. (2006), Suteethorn et al. (2010), Ksepka and Norell (2010), Whitlock (2011), Ibiricu et al. (2012), Mocho et al. (2014), Erickson (2014) and Paulina-Carabajal and Calvo (2021).

Synonymy list
YearName and author
1878Diplodocus Marsh p. 412
1878Diplodocus Williston p. 45
1881Diplodocus Marsh
1882Diplodocus Sauvage p. 35
1884Diplodocus Dollo p. 298
1884Diplodocus Marsh p. 68
1884Diplodocus Vetter p. 351
1885Diplodocus Dollo p. 37
1885Diplodocus Marsh p. 764
1890Diplodocus Zittel p. 716
1891Diplodocus Baur p. 450
1893Diplodocus Winkler p. 101
1895Diplodocus Marsh
1896Diplodocus Marsh p. 241
1897Diplodocus Gadow p. 204
1898Diplodocus Gadow p. 22
1898Diplodocus Marsh p. 158
1901Diplodocus Gadow p. 418
1901Diplodocus Nopcsa p. 207
1902Diplodocus Hay p. 486
1908Diplodocus Huene p. 297
1908Diplodocus Joubert p. 270
1909Diplodocus Huene p. 14
1911Diplodocus von Zittel p. 288
1913Diplodocus Tornier p. 370
1914Diplodocus Huene p. 157
1922Diplodocus Joleaud p. 61
1924Diplodocus Lull p. 236
1927Diplodocus Huene p. 125
1928Diplodocus Nopcsa p. 184
1929Diplodocus Huene p. 118
1930Diplodocus Hay p. 197
1956Diplodocus Romer p. 624
1964Diplodocus Tatarinov p. 545
1966Diplodocus Romer p. 370
1970Diplodocus Steel p. 80
1970Diplodocus Swinton p. 180
1977Diplodocus Galton p. 230
1979Diplodocus Madsen and Miller p. 5
1980Diplodocus Charig p. 239
1981Diplodocus Coombs, Jr. and Molnar p. 356
1981Diplodocus McIntosh p. 17
1984Diplodocus Russell p. 23
1986Diplodocus Bonaparte p. 253
1988Diplodocus Carroll
1990Diplodocus McIntosh p. 56
1991Seismosaurus Gillette
1991Diplodocus Miller et al. p. 40
1991Diplodocus Salgado and Bonaparte p. 343
1992Diplodocus Mcintosh et al. p. 164
1993Diplodocus Hunt and Lucas p. 73
1993Seismosaurus Hunt and Lucas p. 73
1993Diplodocus Salgado p. 269
1994Diplodocus Britt and Naylor p. 260
1995Diplodocus Calvo and Salgado p. 30 fig. 18
1995Diplodocus Curtice p. 25A
1995Diplodocus Upchurch p. 253
1995Seismosaurus Upchurch p. 253
1995Diplodocus Upchurch p. 382
1995Seismosaurus Upchurch p. 382
1996Diplodocus Bakker p. 44
1996Diplodocus Wilson and Smith p. 73A
1997Diplodocus Dodson p. 11
1997Diplodocus McIntosh p. 656
1997Seismosaurus McIntosh p. 657
1997Diplodocus Padian p. 532
1997Diplodocus Ryan and Vickaryous p. 172
1997Diplodocus Sereno p. 453
1998Diplodocus Dong p. 84
1998Diplodocus Sereno p. 63
1998Diplodocus Wilson and Sereno p. 17
1999Diplodocus Bonaparte p. 141
1999Diplodocus Salgado p. 204
2002Diplodocus Wilson p. 240 fig. 13
2002Seismosaurus Wilson p. 249
2004Diplodocus Harris and Dodson p. 207 fig. 4
2004Diplodocus Upchurch et al. p. 264
2004Seismosaurus Upchurch et al. p. 265
2005Diplodocus Apesteguía p. 256
2005Diplodocus Foster p. 145
2005Diplodocus Gallina and Apesteguía p. 159 fig. 5
2005Diplodocus McIntosh p. 69
2005Diplodocus Rauhut et al. p. 672 fig. 2
2005Diplodocus Taylor and Naish pp. 3-4
2006Diplodocus Chure et al. p. 236
2006Seismosaurus Chure et al. p. 236
2006Seismosaurus Herne and Lucas p. 139
2006Diplodocus Remes p. 664 fig. 9
2006Diplodocus Salgado et al. p. 704 fig. 9
2007Diplodocus Royo-Torres et al. p. 184
2008Diplodocus Ruiz-Omeñaca et al. p. 191
2010Diplodocus Ksepka and Norell
2010Diplodocus Suteethorn et al.
2011Diplodocus Whitlock
2012Diplodocus Ibiricu et al. p. 226
2012Diplodocus Mannion et al.
2013Diplodocus Tschopp and Mateus p. 877 fig. 11
2014Diplodocus Erickson p. 19
2014Diplodocus Mocho et al.
2015Diplodocus Tschopp et al.
2015Diplodocus Xing et al.
2016Diplodocus Foster and Peterson p. 439
2019Diplodocus Mannion et al.
2021Diplodocus Mannion et al.
2021Diplodocus Paulina-Carabajal and Calvo p. 5

Is something missing? Join the Paleobiology Database and enter the data

RankNameAuthor
kingdomAnimalia()
Bilateria
EubilateriaAx 1987
Deuterostomia
phylumChordataHaeckel 1874
subphylumVertebrata
superclassGnathostomata
Osteichthyes()
subclassSarcopterygii()
subclassDipnotetrapodomorpha(Nelson 2006)
subclassTetrapodomorpha()
Tetrapoda
Reptiliomorpha
Anthracosauria
subclassAmphibiosauriaKuhn 1967
Cotylosauria()
Amniota
Sauropsida
classReptilia
subclassEureptilia()
Romeriida
Diapsida()
RankNameAuthor
Archosauromorpha(Huene 1946)
Crocopoda
ArchosauriformesGauthier 1986
Eucrocopoda
Archosauria()
informalAvemetatarsalia
Ornithodira
Dinosauromorpha
Dinosauriformes
Dinosauria()
Saurischia()
Sauropoda()
Gravisauria
Eusauropoda
Neosauropoda
Diplodocoidea()
Diplodocimorpha
Flagellicaudata
Diplodocidae()
Diplodocinae(Janensch 1929)
genusDiplodocus

If no rank is listed, the taxon is considered an unranked clade in modern classifications. Ranks may be repeated or presented in the wrong order because authors working on different parts of the classification may disagree about how to rank taxa.

G. †Diplodocus Marsh 1878
show all | hide all
Diplodocus carnegii Hatcher 1901
Diplodocus hallorum Gillette 1991
Diplodocus longus Marsh 1878
Invalid names: Seismosaurus Gillette 1991 [synonym]
Diagnosis
No diagnoses are available
Body mass estimates
estimateequationreference
 20.6 tons Sauropoda femur circumferenceAnderson et al. 1985
 8.07 tons Sauropoda humerus circumferenceAnderson et al. 1985
mean: 12.9 tons
Measurements
partNmeanminimummaximummedians.d.
femur circumference3544.4510.0565.0560.030.4
fibula circumference2266.1240.0295.0267.538.9
humerus circumference4451.8438.0470.0450.015.6
radius circumference4254.4244.0265.0254.58.58
tibia circumference3388.2358.0419.0390.030.5
ulna circumference4291.2285.0295.0292.54.79

Composition: hydroxyapatiteinfrao
Entire body: yesg
Adult length: 10^4 to < 10^5g
Maximum body mass: 100000 kgg
Minimum body mass: 10000 kgg
Thickness: thickinfrao
Architecture: compact or denseinfrao
Form: sphericalinfrao
Ontogeny: accretion, modification of partsinfrao
Grouping: gregariousinfrao
Environment: terrestrialinfrao
Locomotion: actively mobileinfrao
Life habit: ground dwellinginfrao
Diet: herbivoreinfrao
Reproduction: oviparousinfrao
Dispersal: direct/internalinfrao
Dispersal 2: mobileinfrao
Created: 2005-08-24 13:39:54
Modified: 2005-08-24 15:39:54
Source: g = genus, infrao = infraorder
References: Peczkis 1995, Marsh 1875

Age range: base of the Late/Upper Kimmeridgian to the top of the Early/Lower Tithonian or 155.70000 to 145.00000 Ma

Collections (64 total)


Time interval Ma Country or state Original ID and collection number
Late/Upper Oxfordian - Early/Lower Kimmeridgian161.2 - 150.8USA (Wyoming) D. sp. (126540)
Kimmeridgian157.3 - 152.1USA (Wyoming) D. sp. (46468 46469 57903 58510 75453 176983)
Kimmeridgian157.3 - 152.1USA (Colorado) D. sp. (48171 56590)
Kimmeridgian157.3 - 152.1USA (Montana) Diplodocidae indet. (49624) Diplodocinae indet. (69890)
Kimmeridgian - Tithonian157.3 - 145.0USA (Wyoming) Diplodocidae indet. (227262) D. carnegii (13352 57897) D. longus (168056) D. sp. (13212 13214 39253 39344 39370 49627 55320 55483 58513 142334 190894 207749 230770 230774 231553 231565 231569 231572) D. sp., D. longus (22648)
Kimmeridgian - Tithonian157.3 - 145.0USA (Utah) D. sp. (58514 58518)
Kimmeridgian - Tithonian157.3 - 145.0USA (New Mexico) Diplodocinae indet. (51992) D. carnegiei (38872)
Kimmeridgian - Tithonian157.3 - 145.0USA (Montana) Sauropoda indet. (50714)
Kimmeridgian - Tithonian157.3 - 145.0USA (South Dakota) D. sp. (57904)
Kimmeridgian - Tithonian157.3 - 145.0USA (Colorado) Camarasaurus sp. (39377) D. sp. (25141 36576 39376 48169 68097)
Late/Upper Kimmeridgian - Early/Lower Tithonian155.7 - 145.0USA (Wyoming) D. sp. (47065 49577)
Late/Upper Kimmeridgian - Early/Lower Tithonian155.7 - 145.0USA (Colorado) Diplodocoidea indet. (45975) D. longus (28366)
Late/Upper Kimmeridgian - Tithonian155.7 - 145.0USA (Wyoming) D. sp. (22678 74663)
Late/Upper Kimmeridgian - Tithonian155.7 - 145.0USA (Oklahoma) D. sp. (49338 49596 49597)
Tithonian152.1 - 145.0USA (Colorado) D. sp. (48162 48163 48166)
Tithonian152.1 - 145.0USA (Wyoming) D. sp. (39347 55482)
Tithonian152.1 - 145.0USA (Utah) D. sp. (22711)
Early/Lower Tithonian150.8 - 145.0USA (Wyoming) D. sp. (56654)
Early/Lower Tithonian150.8 - 145.0USA (Utah) D. hallorum, D. sp. (21852)
Early/Lower Tithonian150.8 - 145.0USA (Colorado) D. sp. (71476)