About Brontosaurus
Brontosaurus is a herbivore dinosaur that lived around 150 years ago—during the Jurassic period—in the Western part of the Northern Hemisphere. It was first discovered in 1879 by Othniel Charles Marsh. This dinosaur is best known for its large neck, which serves as sort of a counter balance for its long tail. Which means that the tail and the neck work in conjunction to keep this dinosaur from falling over.
Today, there is some controversy surrounding the word Brontosaurus. When Marsh discovered some partial remains of this dinosaur in 1877 he named it Apatosaurus ajax. However, when he discovered a more complete skeleton in 1879 he named it Brontosaurus excelsus. In 1903, it was discovered that these two specimens were actually the same type of dinosaur. With that being the case, according to the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature, the oldest name would be the correct one. However, the Brontosaurus name struck a chord with the imagination of the public and continues to be used in nonscientific circles to this day.
