Brontosaurus

Yes, Brontosaurus is a real dinosaur. Scientists once thought it was the same as Apatosaurus, but a 2015 study showed it is a separate genus.12

The largest species, Brontosaurus excelsus, reached up to 21 to 23 metres (69 to 75 ft) long and weighed 15 to 20 tonnes (17 to 22 short tons). The smaller species Brontosaurus parvus was about 19 metres (62 ft) long.1

Brontosaurus was a herbivore that ate plants like ferns, cycadeoids, seed ferns, and horsetails. It likely fed at ground height as a nonselective browser.1

Brontosaurus lived during the Late Jurassic period, about 156 to 146 million years ago.1

Brontosaurus fossils have been found in the Morrison Formation of what is now Utah and Wyoming in the United States.1

The name Brontosaurus means 'thunder lizard' in Greek, from the words brontē (thunder) and sauros (lizard).1

Young Brontosaurus grew very fast, reaching adult size in as little as 15 years. One study found they could grow up to 5,000 kg (11,000 lb) in a single year.1

No, Brontosaurus did not have feathers. It was a sauropod dinosaur with scaly skin, like other large long-necked dinosaurs.1

Brontosaurus is generally less massive and has a thinner, higher-set neck than Apatosaurus. A 2015 study found enough differences to make them separate genera.12

Scientists are not sure if Brontosaurus could swim. It lived on land and its body was built for walking on four legs, but some dinosaurs may have been able to swim.1