Brontomerus

Brontomerus had a hip bone that was very deep and had a front part much larger than the back part. This gave it the largest leg muscles of any sauropod.1

Scientists think Brontomerus used its powerful thigh muscles to kick predators or to walk over rough, hilly ground.1

The fossils were found in 1994 and 1995, but some bones had been stolen by private collectors. The remaining bones were even used to hold down a plastic tarp.1

Only two partial skeletons are known: one from a juvenile and one from a much larger adult. The adult may have been the mother of the juvenile.1

Brontomerus lived during the Early Cretaceous period, about 110 million years ago, in what is now Utah.1

The species name Brontomerus mcintoshi honors John Stanton McIntosh, a physicist and expert on North American sauropods.1