Image: Diplodocus longus Chicago

Description: Diplodocus longus Marsh, 1878 sauropod dinosaur skull (cast of specimen CM 11161, Diplodocinae indet.) from the Upper Jurassic Morrison Formation of the Colorado Plateau, USA (public display, FMNH P 26228, Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, Illinois, USA). Classification: Animalia, Chordata, Vertebrata, Dinosauria, Sauropodomorpha, Diplodocidae Sauropod dinosaurs were the largest terrestrial animals ever. They all have the same basic body plan: large body with four walking legs, very long neck & tail, and a small head relative to body size. Sauropods were herbivores, and are often perceived as holding their heads & necks up high to reach vegetation normally out of reach to other organisms. Modern reconstructions of many sauropod species depict them with heads and necks held close to the horizontal, or at low angles above the horizontal.
Title: Diplodocus longus Chicago
Credit: Diplodocus longus sauropod dinosaur (Morrison Formation, Upper Jurassic; Colorado Plateau, USA) 1
Author: James St. John
Usage Terms: Creative Commons Attribution 2.0
License: CC BY 2.0
License Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0
Attribution Required?: Yes