FACT FILE: Diplodocus

Name origin: Greek diplos (double) and dokos (beam)  [a reference to double-beam structure of the specimen’s chevron bones in the tail]

Short Description: Massive herbivorous sauropod dinosaur

Height (adult): 6 metres

Length (adult): 24-26 metres

Weight (adult):  32 metric tons

Temporal range: 154-152 Mya

Distribution: North America
Sexual maturity (in years): 12

Description: Diplodocus was a massive herd animal that cleared the forests of the Jurassic.  They were massive animals and at full-size, have no natural predators, not even the mighty Allosaurus, though the odds of a hatchling surviving that long are remote.