Brachiosaurus

arm lizard

• brachion · Greek · arm
• sauros · Greek · lizard

The name means "arm lizard" and comes from the Greek words for "arm" and "lizard". Riggs chose it because the forelimbs of Brachiosaurus are longer than its hind limbs. This is unusual among sauropods, and it gave the animal a steeply sloping, giraffe-like posture.

Named by

Riggs

Year named

1903

Period

Late Jurassic

Stages

Kimmeridgian – Tithonian

Found in

Morrison Formation, western USA (type species B. altithorax from Colorado)

A large sauropod. The African species once called Brachiosaurus brancai is now placed in its own genus, Giraffatitan.