The Long-Necked Leaf-Muncher!
Meet Diplodocus, the incredible long-necked dinosaur that loved to snack on treetops!
Diplodocus was like a real-life giant with its super-long neck and tail, making it one of the longest dinosaurs ever.
| Meaning | Double beam [Diplo-docus] |
| Pronunciation | dih-PLOD-uh-kus |
| When: | Late Jurassic (154–152 million years ago) |
| Where: | North America (particularly in the Morrison Formation, spanning present-day Colorado, Montana, Utah, and Wyoming) |
| What: | Sauropod (long-necked, quadrupedal herbivorous dinosaur) |
| Weight: | Approximately 10–16 metric tons |
| Length: | About 24–27 meters (79–89 feet) |
| Diet: | Herbivorous (ate ferns, cycads, and conifers) |
| Discovered: | First discovered in 1877 by Samuel Wendell Williston; named by Othniel Charles Marsh in 1878 |
Imagine a creature as long as two buses lined up, with a neck that could reach the tallest trees and a tail that could swish through the air like a giant whip!
Diplodocus lived around 150 million years ago in what we now call North America, and it used its long neck to munch on leaves way up high.
Despite its size, Diplodocus was a gentle giant, wandering through lush forests and sweeping its tail to keep pesky predators away.
With its long, slender body and tiny head, Diplodocus is one dinosaur that’s easy to spot and hard to forget!
