Overview
Diplodocus was one of the longest animals ever to walk the Earth. Its enormous length was largely made up of its extraordinary neck and whip-like tail, which together measured around 14 metres each. Despite its massive size, it had a relatively small head with peg-like teeth, used to strip leaves from branches rather than chew them. It was one of the most abundant large dinosaurs of the Late Jurassic Morrison Formation.
Key fact
Could crack its tail like a bullwhip, potentially generating a supersonic sonic boom used for communication or defence.
Did you know?
- The tail may have exceeded the speed of sound when cracked — a natural sonic boom.
- Had peg-like teeth only at the front of its jaws, used to rake in vegetation.
- Despite its length, it weighed much less than Brachiosaurus due to hollow bones.
- Andrew Carnegie had a replica cast and gifted copies to museums across Europe.