Jurassic
Barosaurus
Barosaurus lentus
The catalogue presents Barosaurus as a herbivore member of Diplodocidae that lived during the Jurassic, between 150 Ma. Its estimated range is 27.0 m in length and 20 t in mass, giving a practical sense of scale. Reference material comes from South Dakota, USA. Size and mass are approximations and may change with new fossils or methods.
Evidence-backed summary
For Barosaurus, the PBDB records the taxonomic attribution as Marsh (1890).
The PBDB places it in Diplodocinae, and the catalogue record assigns it to the family Diplodocidae.
- PBDB · taxon.parent
- Diplodocidae
The PBDB catalogues 3 occurrences, with material from the Morrison Formation (3). Provenance: United States.
The catalogue records the holotype as YPM 429 and the type locality as “South Dakota, USA”.
- YPM 429
- South Dakota, USA
The catalogue's reference measurements are 27.0 m in length and 20 t in mass — estimates, which vary with specimen and method.
- 27.0 m
- 20 tons
The record gathers 93 bibliographic references registered in the PBDB, listed below.
Where it lived
Fossil occurrences on today’s map and in the tectonic reconstruction.
Positions reconstructed by PBDB/GPlates, not observed; this is not an exact habitat map.
Artistic 3D reconstruction
There is no approved species-specific 3D model yet. Generic anatomy will not be presented as if it were evidence.
Physical Specifications
- Length
- 27.0 m
- Weight
- 20 t
- Period
- Jurassic
- Time range
- 150 Ma
Discovery Information
- First Discovery
- 1890
- Described by
- Othniel Charles Marsh
Taxonomic Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Reptilia
- Order
- Saurischia
- Family
- Diplodocidae
- Genus
- Barosaurus
- Species
- B. lentus
Data status
Taxonomic name matched to PBDB and checked on 2026-08-08.
Taxonomic linkage does not automatically validate size, mass, behaviour or appearance.
- Type specimen
- YPM 429
- Type locality
- South Dakota, USA