The major difference between Brontosaurus and Brachiosaurus is their appearance. Both are two genera of sauropod dinosaurs that existed in the Late Jurassic period. Brontosaurus is termed as ‘thunder lizard’ and Brachiosaurus as ‘arm lizard’.
Difference Between Brontosaurus and Brachiosaurus
Let us dive into the article to know more about these two species of dinosaurs.
What is a Brontosaurus?
Brontosaurus was a herbivorous dinosaur. Majorly, they were dependent on cycads, ginkgos, and conifers. It existed 150 million years ago during the Late Jurassic period in the western part of the Northern hemisphere. The remains were found in a few places: Utah, Wyoming, and Mexico. Brontosaurus had a long neck, a long tails, used as a weapon. It had the ability to produce an extremely loud sound of 200 decibels by its tail.
The genus Brontosaurus consists of three species:
- B. excelsus
- B. yahnahpin
- B. parvus
What is Brachiosaurus?
Brachiosaurus was an enormously gigantic, herbivorous dinosaur. It lived 155.7-150.8 million years ago during the mid-to-late Jurassic period. It was mostly found in North America, Africa, and Tanzania.
The key characteristic features of a Brachiosaurus are the long neck and the short hind legs. Therefore, it was called the ‘arm lizard’. In addition, as compared to the Brontosaurus, Brachiosaurus was gigantic.
Interestingly, Brachiosaurus was initially considered the largest dinosaur on the planet earth. The weight of a Brachiosaurus was equal to the weight of four elephants. But, later, some sauropods were discovered that were heavier than Brachiosaurus.
Similarities between Brontosaurus and Brachiosaurus
- They had very long necks, long tails, and small heads as compared to the rest of their body
- Their hind legs were thick, straight, and powerful, and had five toes. The inner three toes had claws
- They were herbivores
- By the late cretaceous period, both these dinosaurs were replaced by titanosaurs
- They lived 150 million years ago in the Late Jurassic period
- They belong to the order Saurischia.
Brontosaurus vs Brachiosaurus: Head-to-Head Comparison
| Brontosaurus | Brachiosaurus |
| A herbivore dinosaur with a long tail and neck | A huge herbivorous dinosaur with forelegs longer than the hind legs termed |
| Termed as thunder wizard termed | Termed as arm lizard |
| Weight 15 metric tons, length 72 feet weight | Weight more than 55 metric tons, length 85 feet |
| Ate low plants | Grazed high canopies of trees had |
| Had short forelimbs as compared to their hind legs had | Had long forelimbs as compared to their hind legs they |
| They were found in the Western part of the Northern Hemisphere | Found in areas with a high population |
Conclusion
Brontosaurus was a comparatively small dinosaur while Brachiosaurus was a giant dinosaur. Both of them existed in the Late Jurassic period. The main difference between Brontosaurus and Brachiosaurus is their appearance which includes factors such as size and the length of the forelimbs.
We hope that this article helped you to understand the difference between these two kinds of dinosaurs.
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