Brachiosaurus was one of the biggest dinosaurs that ever existed. This sauropod (long-necked plant eater) had to feed all the time, and it weighed so much it shook the ground with every thunderous footstep. It consumed entire Jurassic forests by tearing down trees and stripping them clean of vegetation.
Top Shelf: Unlike other sauropods, brachiosaurus' front legs were longer than its hind legs. This made the creature's long neck arch upwards so it could chomp leaves in tall trees that other plant-eaters couldn't reach; the modern giraffe has a similar build.
Nostril Head: One of this dinosaur's mysterious features was that its nostrils were at the top of its head. Scientists once thought they acted as snorkels when the beast was in water, but they now believe that the air from its nasal passages kept its brain from overheating.
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This massive shoulder blade fossil was uncovered in Africa.
Brachiosaurus was such a huge animal that scientists believe it needed to eat up to 440 pounds of food every single day to fuel its massive body. The dinosaur's problem, however, was that its mouth was so small and couldn't swallow large mouthfuls of leaves and fruits. The only way a full-grown brachiosaurus could survive and stay full of energy was to forage and eat during every waking moment of its life.
Crunch Time: This tall beast easily knocked down tall threes that had leaves it could not reach. Brachiosaurus could rear up and push the trees over with its front legs, then bend its neck down to eat.
The Claw: Brachiosaurus had a sharp claw on the inner toe of each foot. This helped uproot plants from the ground, any may have even been used as a defensive mechanism against enemies that attacked its young.
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A mother brachiosaurus walks through the forest with her young, showing the inexperienced dinosaur how to find the softest pieces of vegetation that it will be able to digest easily. The mother also keeps an eye out for predators, such as allosaurus, that might try to make a meal out of the youngster. The adult is so big that no attacker would stand a chance against it in battle.
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Trivia[]
- The African Brachiosaurs are now a separate genus, Giraffatitan. The illustrations here indeed look more like Giraffatitan than Brachiosaurus.
- The brachiosaurus is mentioned as a descendant of the Mussaurus on the smaller dino's knowledge card.
- The brachiosaurus is featured in Timeline Tracker on Monster Mania 57.
- The brachiosaurus shares its card number with said card in their respective groups.