Brachiosaurus Fossil range: Late Jurassic - Early Cretaceous
Brachiosaurus brancai
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Sauropsida Superorder: Dinosauria Order: Saurischia Suborder: Sauropodomorpha Infraorder: Sauropoda Family: Brachiosauridae Genus: Brachiosaurus Riggs, 1903
Species
B. The Late Jurassic (or Malm) Epoch of the Jurassic Period is the unit of geologic time from 161 The Early Cretaceous ( timestratigraphic name or the Lower Cretaceous ( logstratigraphic name is the earlier of the two major divisions of the Cretaceous Chordates ( Phylum Chordata) are a group of Animals that includes the Vertebrates together with several closely related Invertebrates Reptiles, or members of the class Reptilia are air-breathing Cold-blooded Vertebrates that have skin covered in scales as opposed to hair or feathers Saurischia (sɔːˈrɪskiə, from the Greek sauros ( σαυρος) meaning 'lizard' and ischion ( ισχιον) meaning 'hip joint' The Sauropodomorpha (sɔˌrɒpədəˈmɔrfə were a group of long-necked herbivorous Dinosaurs that eventually dropped down on all fours and became Sauropoda (sɔˈrɒpədə or the sauropods (/ˈsɔroʊpɒd/ are a suborder or infraorder of the Saurischian ("lizard-hipped" Brachiosauridae are a family of Dinosaurs whose members are known as brachiosaurids. altithorax Riggs, 1903 (type) B. In Taxonomy, a type species is the species that originally defined a genus. brancai Janensch, 1914 ?B. Werner Ernst Martin Janensch ( November 11, 1878 in Herzberg (Elster - October 20, 1969 in Berlin) was a German nougaredi de Lapparent, 1960
Synonyms
Giraffatitan Paul, 1988

Brachiosaurus (pronounced /ˌbrækiəˈsɔrəs/), meaning "arm lizard", from the Greek brachion/βραχιων meaning "arm" and sauros/σαυρος meaning "lizard", was a genus of sauropod dinosaur that lived during the Late Jurassic Period. Albert-Félix de Lapparent (1905 – 1975 was a French palaeontologist. In Scientific nomenclature, synonyms are different Scientific names used for a single Taxon. Gregory S Paul (born 1954) is a Freelance Paleontologist, Author and Illustrator. The Ancient Greek language is the historical stage in the development of the Hellenic language family spanning the Archaic (c Sauropoda (sɔˈrɒpədə or the sauropods (/ˈsɔroʊpɒd/ are a suborder or infraorder of the Saurischian ("lizard-hipped" The Jurassic is a geologic period and system that extends from about Ma (million years ago to  Ma that is from the end of the Triassic to the beginning It was named thus because its forelimbs were longer than its hind limbs. One of the largest animals ever to walk the earth, it has become one of the most famous of all dinosaurs and is widely recognised worldwide.

For many decades, Brachiosaurus was the largest dinosaur known. The largest organism found on earth can be measured using a variety of methods It has since been discovered that a number of giant titanosaurians (Argentinosaurus, for example) surpassed Brachiosaurus in terms of sheer mass. Titanosaurs (members of the groups Titanosauria and/or Titanosauroidea) were a diverse group of sauropod Dinosaurs which included Saltasaurus Argentinosaurus (meaning " Argentina lizard" was a herbivorous Sauropod Dinosaur Genus that was among the largest More recently, another brachiosaurid, Sauroposeidon, has also been discovered; based on incomplete fossil evidence, it too is likely to have outweighed Brachiosaurus. Brachiosauridae are a family of Dinosaurs whose members are known as brachiosaurids. Sauroposeidon (pronounced SAWR-o-po-SIE-don meaning " Earthquake - Lizard God " is a Genus of Sauropod FOSSIL is a standard protocol for allowing serial communication for Telecommunications programs under the DOS Operating system.

Brachiosaurus is often considered to be the largest dinosaur known from a relatively complete fossilized skeleton. However, the most complete specimens, including the Brachiosaurus in the Humboldt Museum of Berlin (excavated in Africa, the tallest mounted skeleton in the world), are members of the species B. The Museum für Naturkunde (in English, the Museum of Natural History) widely known as the Naturkundemuseum, occasionally as the Humboldt Museum Berlin is the capital city and one of sixteen states of Germany. brancai which some scientists consider to be part of a separate genus, Giraffatitan. A genus (plural genera from Γένος Latin genus "descent family type gender" is a low-level Taxonomic The holotype material of the type species, B. altithorax. includes a sequence of seven posterior dorsal vertebrae, sacrum, proximal caudal vertebra, coracoid, humerus, femur and ribs: enough from which to estimate size. Based on a complete composite skeleton, Brachiosaurus attained 25 metres (82  feet) in length and was probably able to raise its head about 13 metres (42 ft) above ground level. The metre or meter is a unit of Length. It is the basic unit of Length in the Metric system and in the International A foot (plural feet or foot; symbol or abbreviation ft or sometimes &prime – the prime symbol) is a non-SI unit Fragmentary material from larger specimens indicates that it could grow 15% longer than this. Such material includes an isolated fibula HMN XV2 1340 cm in length and the brachiosaurid scapulocoracoid referred to Ultrasauros. Supersaurus (meaning "super lizard" is a Genus of Diplodocid Sauropod Dinosaur discovered in the Upper Jurassic

Historically, Brachiosaurus has been estimated to have weighed as little as 15 tonnes (16 short tons) (Russell et al. This article is about the tonne or metric ton For other tons see Ton. The short ton ( S/T) is a unit of mass equal to 2000 lb (around 907 Dale A Russell (April 2 1947 is a Canadian geologist/palaeontologist currently Research Professor at The Department of Marine Earth and Atmospheric Sciences (MEAS of North Carolina , 1980) and as much as 78 tonnes (86 short tons). ^[1] However these extreme estimates are now considered unlikely; that of Russell et al. was based on limb-bone allometry rather than a body model, and Colbert's was based on an outdated and overweight model. More recent estimates based on models reconstructed from osteology and inferred musculature are in the range 32 tonnes (35 short tons)^[2] to 37 tonnes (41 short tons) (Christiansen 1997). The 15% longer specimens hinted at above would have massed 48 to 56 tonnes (53 to 62 short tons).

Discovery and species

The first Brachiosaurus was discovered in 1900 by Elmer S. Riggs, in the Grand River Canyon of western Colorado, in the United States.

Brachiosaurus species

Brachiosaurus includes at least two known species, and possibly a third:

Brachiosaurus altithorax.

• B. altithorax Riggs, 1903: The type species is known from two partial skeletons recovered in Colorado and Utah in the United States. In Taxonomy, a type species is the species that originally defined a genus. The State of Colorado ( or chiefly by nonresidents) is a state located in the Rocky Mountain region of the United States of America. The State of Utah (ˈjuːtɔː or) is a western state of the United States. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the It lived from 145 to 150 million years ago, during the Kimmeridgian to Tithonian ages. The Tithonian is the final stage of the Late Jurassic Epoch. It spans the time between 150
•  ?B. nougaredi de Lapparent, 1960: While it may not be a distinct species (nomen dubium?) it is known from set of fused bones over the hip (sacrum) and parts of a forelimb, which were recovered in Wargla, Algeria in Africa. The sacrum is a large triangular bone at the base of the spine and at the upper and back part of the Pelvic cavity, where it is inserted like a wedge between Ouargla ( Arabic: وَرڤلة) is a capital city of Ouargla province, southern Algeria. Algeria ( ar [[Arabic]] الجزائر, Al Jaza'ir ælʤæˈzæːʔir Amazigh: ⴷⵥⴰⵢⴻⵔ Dzayer) officially the People's It lived 100 to 110 million years ago, during the Albian to Cenomanian ages of the middle Cretaceous period. The Cretaceous (kriːˈteɪʃəs, usually abbreviated 'K' for its German translation "Kreide" is a geologic period and system, reaching from the end of
• B. brancai Janensch, 1914 is known from five partial skeletons, including at least three skulls and some limb bones, which were recovered near Lindi, Tanzania, in Africa in the early 1900s. Werner Ernst Martin Janensch ( November 11, 1878 in Herzberg (Elster - October 20, 1969 in Berlin) was a German Lindi is a coastal town located at the far end of the Lindi Bay on the Indian Ocean in southeastern Tanzania. Tanzania ˌtænzəˈniːə officially the United Republic of Tanzania (Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya It lived from 145 to 150 million years ago, during the Kimmeridgian to Tithonian ages of the Late Jurassic period.

Giraffatitan

Illustration of a Giraffatitan (Brachiosaurus brancai).

Skeleton of Brachiosaurus brancai in Berlin. Berlin is the capital city and one of sixteen states of Germany.

In 1988, Gregory S. Paul noted that the African form (on which most popular depictions of Brachiosaurus are based) showed significant differences from the North American form (B. Gregory S Paul (born 1954) is a Freelance Paleontologist, Author and Illustrator. altithorax), especially in the proportions of its trunk vertebrae and in its more gracile build. Paul used these differences to create a subgenus he named Brachiosaurus (Giraffatitan) brancai. In 1991, George Olshevsky asserted that these differences are enough to place the African brachiosaurid in its own genus, simply Giraffatitan. Although this name has frequently appeared on the Internet, it has rarely been used in the scientific literature outside of Paul (1988) and Olshevsky (1991). B. brancai has withers over its shoulder and a rounded crest over its nostrils. Wither redirects here For the comic character see Wither (comics.

Possibly adding further differences between the two species was the description in 1998 of a North American brachiosaurid skull (Carpenter & Tidwell, 1998). This skull, which had been found nearly a century earlier (it is the skull Marsh used on his early reconstructions of Brontosaurus), is identified as "Brachiosaurus sp. Othniel Charles Marsh ( October 29, 1831 &ndash March 18, 1899) was one of the pre-eminent Paleontologists of the 19th century who " and may well belong to B. altithorax. The skull is more camarasaur-like than the distinctive high-crested skull of B. Camarasaurus (ˌkæmərəˈsɔrəs KAM-uh-ruh-SAWR-us meaning 'chambered lizard' referring to the holes in its Vertebrae ( Greek καμαρα brancai/Giraffatitan, so if it does belong to Brachiosaurus, it would lend a great deal of support to the existence of Giraffatitan as a distinct genus.

Removed species

B. alataiensis de Lapparent & Zbyszewski, 1957 has been referred to the new genus Lusotitan (Antunes and Mateus 2003). Albert-Félix de Lapparent (1905 – 1975 was a French palaeontologist. Lusotitan is the name given to a genus of Dinosaur from the Late Jurassic Period. It is known from back bones (vertebrae), and parts of the hip and limbs, which were recovered in Estremadura, Portugal. A vertebra (plural vertebrae) is an individual Irregular bone in the spinal or Vertebral column ( aka ischis a flexuous and flexible column Estremadura ((ɨʃtɾɨmɐˈðuɾɐ is a historical Province of Portugal. Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic (República Portuguesa is a country on the Iberian Peninsula. It lived about 150 million years ago, during the Kimmeridgian age of the Late Jurassic period. Annum is one form of the Latin noun meaning Year, not a form normally used for derivatives in modern languages the accusative singular The Kimmeridgian is a stage of the Late Jurassic Epoch. It spans the time between 155 The Jurassic is a geologic period and system that extends from about Ma (million years ago to  Ma that is from the end of the Triassic to the beginning

Description and environment

Size comparison between Brachiosaurus and a human

Brachiosaurus was a sauropod, one of a group of four-legged, plant-eating dinosaurs with long necks and tails and relatively small brains. Sauropoda (sɔˈrɒpədə or the sauropods (/ˈsɔroʊpɒd/ are a suborder or infraorder of the Saurischian ("lizard-hipped" Quadrupedalism (from Latin meaning "four legs" is a form of land animal locomotion using four legs. Herbivory is a form of Predation in which an Organism, known as a herbivore, consumes principally Autotrophs ref name=Campbell>Campbell The neck is the part of the Body on many limbed Vertebrates that distinguishes the head from the Torso or trunk The tail is the section at the rear end of an Animal 's Body; in general the term refers to a distinct flexible Appendage to the Torso. The brain is the center of the Nervous system in animals All Vertebrates and the majority of Invertebrates have a brain Unlike other families of sauropods, it had a giraffe-like build, with long forelimbs and a very long neck. In Biological classification, family ( Latin The giraffe ( Giraffa camelopardalis) is an African Even-toed ungulate Mammal, the tallest of all land-living Animal Species Brachiosaurus had spatulate teeth (resembling chisels), well-suited to its herbivorous diet. Its skull featured a number of holes, probably aiding weight-reduction. The first toe on its front foot and the first three toes on its hind feet were clawed. Toes are the digits of the Foot of an animal Many animal species such as Cats walk on their toes and are described as being Digitigrade A claw is a curved pointed appendage found at the end of a toe or finger in most Mammals, Birds, and some Reptiles.

Skull

Skull of Brachiosaurus brancai, Naturkundemuseum Berlin.

Brachiosaurus has traditionally been characterised by its distinctive high-crested skull, though this may have been unique to B. brancai.

Another complete Brachiosaurus skull is known, which Marsh used for his early reconstructions of Brontosaurus. Carpenter and Tidwell studied this skull in 1998 and found that it belonged to one of the North American Brachiosaurus species. The skull of this North American Brachiosaurus is more camarasaur-like than the distinctive high-crested skull of B. Camarasaurus (ˌkæmərəˈsɔrəs KAM-uh-ruh-SAWR-us meaning 'chambered lizard' referring to the holes in its Vertebrae ( Greek καμαρα brancai.

Metabolism

If the Brachiosaurus was endothermic (warm-blooded), it would have taken an estimated ten years to reach full size, if it were instead poikilothermic (cold-blooded), then it would have required over 100 years to reach full size. In Biology, a warm-blooded Animal species is one whose members maintain thermal Homeostasis; that is they keep their body temperature at a roughly constant Cold-blooded organisms (called poikilotherms - "of varying temperature" maintain their body temperatures in ways different from Mammals and Birds As a warm-blooded animal, the daily energy demands of Brachiosaurus would have been enormous; it would probably have needed to eat more than ~182 kg (400 lb) of food per day. If Brachiosaurus was fully cold-blooded or was a passive bulk endotherm, it would have needed far less food to meet its daily energy needs. Gigantothermy is a phenomenon with significance in Biology and Paleontology, whereby large bulky ectothermic (cold-blooded animals are more easily able Some scientists have proposed that large dinosaurs like Brachiosaurus were gigantotherms. Gigantothermy is a phenomenon with significance in Biology and Paleontology, whereby large bulky ectothermic (cold-blooded animals are more easily able ^[3]

Environment and behaviour

The front leg bone of a Brachiosaurus.

Brachiosaurus was one of the largest dinosaurs of the Jurassic era; it lived on prairies filled with ferns, bennettites and horsetails, and it moved through vast conifer forests and groves of cycads, seed ferns and ginkgos. The Jurassic is a geologic period and system that extends from about Ma (million years ago to  Ma that is from the end of the Triassic to the beginning A fern is any one of a group of about 20000 Species of Plants classified in the phylum or division Pteridophyta, also known as Filicophyta Bennettites refers to an extinct genus of the order Bennettitales. Equisetum is a genus of Vascular plants that reproduce by spores rather than seeds Cycads are a group of Seed plants characterized by a large crown of compound leaves and a stout trunk. Pteridospermatophyta, also called seed ferns, is an extinct Spermatophyte group of the Plantae kingdom. Ginkgo is a genus of highly unusual non-flowering plants with one extant species G Some of its contemporary genera included Stegosaurus, Dryosaurus, Apatosaurus and Diplodocus. Stegosaurus (ˌstɛgəˈsɔrəs is a Genus of stegosaurid armoured Dinosaur from the Late Jurassic period ( Dryosaurus (ˌdraɪoʊˈsɔrəs DRY-oh-SAWR-us meaning 'oak lizard' due to the vague oak shape of its cheek teeth ( Greek δρυο/dryo Diplodocus (dɪˈplɒdəkəs /daɪˈplɒdəkəs/ Diplodocus is among the most easily identifiable dinosaurs with its classic dinosaur shape long neck While it is speculated that groups of Brachiosaurus moved in herds, fully grown individuals had little to fear from even the largest predators of the time, Allosaurus and Torvosaurus, on account of their sheer size. Allosaurus (ˌæləˈsɔrəs is a Genus of large Theropod Dinosaur that lived 155 to 145 million years ago in the Late Jurassic Torvosaurus (ˌtɔrvoʊˈsɔrəs TOR-vo-SOR-us) is a Genus of giant carnivorous Dinosaur, relatively similar in appearance to

Brachiosaurus nostrils, like the huge corresponding nasal openings in its skull, were long thought to be located on the top of the head. In past decades, scientists theorized that the animal used its nostrils like a snorkel, spending most of its time submerged in water in order to support its great mass. Snorkeling ( British spelling: snorkelling) is the practice of Swimming at the surface of a body of water while equipped with a Diving mask, a The current consensus view, however, is that Brachiosaurus was a fully terrestrial animal. Terrestrial animals are Animals that live predominantly or entirely on land as compared with Aquatic animals which live predominantly or entirely in the water (e Studies have demonstrated that water pressure would have prevented the animal from breathing effectively while submerged and that its feet were too narrow for efficient aquatic use. Fluid pressure is the Pressure at some point within a Fluid, such as water or air Furthermore, new studies by Larry Witmer (2001) show that, while the nasal openings in the skull were placed high above the eyes, the nostrils would still have been close to the tip of the snout (a study which also lends support to the idea that the tall "crests" of brachiosaurs supported some sort of fleshy resonating chamber).

Popular culture

See also: Biological issues in Jurassic Park

Animatronic Brachiosaurus incorrectly depicted with nostrils placed on top of the head, at the Dino Jaws exhibition - Natural History Museum, London. Jurassic Park, a book by Michael Crichton, with a film version directed by Steven Spielberg, revolves around the resurrection The Natural History Museum is one of three large Museums on Exhibition Road, South Kensington, London (the others are the Science Museum London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom.

Brachiosaurus is one of the most well-known dinosaurs amongst both paleontologists and the general public. As such, the genus has appeared in many films and television programs, most notably Jurassic Park, Jurassic Park III and Walking with Dinosaurs. Jurassic Park is a Science fiction Novel that was written by Michael Crichton and published in 1990. Jurassic Park III is a 2001 and the third film of the ''Jurassic Park'' film series. Walking with Dinosaurs was a six-part Television series produced by the BBC, narrated by Kenneth Branagh, and first aired in the UK It also appeared briefly at the end of Walking With Monsters. Walking with Monsters (also distributed as Before the Dinosaurs Walking With Monsters or Walking with Monsters Life before Dinosaurs) is a three-part A main belt asteroid, 1991 GX₇, has been named 9954 Brachiosaurus in honor of the genus. The asteroid belt is the region of the Solar System located roughly between the orbits of the Planets Mars and Jupiter. Asteroids, sometimes called Minor planets or planetoids', are bodies—primarily of the inner Solar System —that are smaller than planets but 9954 Brachiosaurus is a Main belt asteroid. It orbits the Sun once every 4 ^[4][5]

In museums

A Brachiosaurus skeleton is mounted in the B Concourse of United Airlines' Terminal One in O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, courtesy of the Field Museum of Natural History of Chicago. United Air Lines Inc, trading as United Airlines ( is a major airline of the United States. Chicago (ʃɪˈkɑːgoʊ is the largest City by population in the state of Illinois and the American Midwest of the United States. The Field Museum of Natural History is located in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It is a model, not a collection of fossils.

A famous specimen of Brachiosaurus brancai mounted in Museum für Naturkunde Berlin is one of the largest mounted skeletons in the world. The Museum für Naturkunde (in English, the Museum of Natural History) widely known as the Naturkundemuseum, occasionally as the Humboldt Museum Beginning in 1909, Werner Janensch found many additional B. brancai specimens in Tanzania, Africa, including some nearly complete skeletons.

Footnotes

References

• Colbert, E. H. (1962). "The Weights of Dinosaurs". American Museum Novitiates (2076): p. 1–16.  
• Paul, G. S. (1988). "The brachiosaur giants of the Morrison and Tendaguru with a description of a new subgenus, Giraffatitan, and a comparison of the world's largest dinosaurs". Hunteria 2 (3): 1–14.  
• Kenneth Carpenter and Virginia Tidwell. (1998). "Preliminary description of a Brachiosaurus skull from Felch Quarry 1, Garden Park, Colorado. " In: The Upper Jurassic Morrison Formation: An Interdisciplinary Study. Kenneth Carpenter, Danial Chure and James Kirkland eds. James Ian Kirkland (born 1954 is an American paleontologist and geologist. Modern Geology Vol. 23 No 1-4. pp. 69-84.
• Olshevsky, George. 1991. A Revision of the Parainfraclass Archosauria Cope, 1869, Excluding the Advanced Crocodylia. Mesozoic Meanderings #2 (1st printing): iv + 196 pp.
• Brachiosaurus at DinoData
• dB Brachiosaurus (Natural History Museum)
• Maier, Gerhard. African dinosaurs unearthed : the Tendaguru Expeditions. Bloomington, Indiana : University of Indiana Press, 2003. (Life of the Past Series).

External links

• Expect awe-struck travelers, from the Field Museum. (O'Hare airport mount)
• Dinosaurier-Web, Description and printable fact-sheet with picture (in German and English)
• [1], old-fashioned illustration of Brachiosaurus, bottom left.