Saurischian dinosaurs

Diplodocid

Diplodocus painting

Diplodocus

This name means 'double beam'. The name refers to the Y-shaped spines on the tail vertebrae of these dinosaurs. These spines may have been used for attachment of muscles or for protection of blood vessels. A plant-eating dinosaur of the Late Jurassic period, Diplodocus remains have been found in Colorado, Montana, Utah and Wyoming, USA: many skeletons being collected around the end of the nineteenth century. This very long (88ft) dinosaur had a long 'whiplash' tail which may have been used as a protective weapon and a long thin neck.


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