Jurassic
Brontosaurus
Brontosaurus excelsus
The catalogue presents Brontosaurus as a herbivore member of Diplodocidae that lived during the Jurassic, between 152 Ma. Its estimated range is 22.0 m in length and 15 t in mass, giving a practical sense of scale. Reference material comes from Wyoming, USA. Size and mass are approximations and may change with new fossils or methods.
Evidence-backed summary
For Brontosaurus, the PBDB records the taxonomic attribution as Marsh (1879).
The PBDB places it in Apatosaurinae, and the catalogue record assigns it to the family Diplodocidae.
- PBDB · taxon.parent
- Diplodocidae
In the PBDB record, the reported stratigraphic range runs from the Kimmeridgian to the Tithonian.
The PBDB catalogues 13 occurrences, with material from the Morrison Formation (13). Provenance: United States.
The catalogue records the holotype as YPM 1980 and the type locality as “Wyoming, USA”.
- YPM 1980
- Wyoming, USA
The catalogue's reference measurements are 22.0 m in length and 15 t in mass — estimates, which vary with specimen and method.
- 22.0 m
- 15 tons
The record gathers 64 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
- 22.0 m
- Weight
- 15 t
- Period
- Jurassic
- Time range
- 152 Ma
Discovery Information
- First Discovery
- 1879
- Described by
- Othniel Charles Marsh
Taxonomic Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Reptilia
- Order
- Saurischia
- Family
- Diplodocidae
- Genus
- Brontosaurus
- Species
- B. excelsus
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 1980
- Type locality
- Wyoming, USA