Labels:text | font | paper | screenshot | document OCR: About twelve skeletons, representing three species, make this one of the best-known sauropods ("lizard-footed" dinosaurs). Apatosaurus ("deceptive lizard") constituted a sturdier, heavier, but somewhat shorter version of its close relative Diplodocus. The creature had a small, low, horselike head with peg-shaped teeth; a long, muscular neck; a deep, heavy body; pillarlike limbs with short, elephantine toes; and a whiplike tail containing 82 bones - even more than Diplodocus. Apatosaurus grew nearly as long as a tennis court, stood higher at the hips than an elephant, and weighed as much as four or even five elephants. WANDERING HERDS Apatosaurus herds wandered across the glades and forested riverbanks of western North America, during the Jurassic Period (208-144 million years ago). Adults probably browsed on the vegetation of high treetops. It is a puzzle how Apatosaurus' small jaws could have consumed enough nourishment to power its immense body. The creature probably had to eat almost all the time, stopping only to wallow in water to cool off and to kill skin parasites. At night, Apatosaurus might have taken catnaps. ALARM CALLS In the case of a carnivorous (flesh-eating) dinosaur attack, big, tough-skinned bulls could have lashed out with their immense, whiplike tails, knocking over and badly damaging a predator. Or they might have reared up on their powerful hind legs, to bring their clawed forefeet crashing thunderously down on the enemy. Solidly heavy as the creature was, many of its bones - especially those of the spine - were honeycombed in structure for lightness. But even so, the creature was too massive to outrun predators. Defense was a matter of staying in herds and, probably, using a system of alarm calls that alerted the big males to come to the fore and confront the danger. Females and younger dinosaurs would have congregated in a circle behind a wall of males. NAME CHANGE Apatosaurus used to be called Brontosaurus ("thunder lizard" - from the supposed sound of its heavy tread). The name was changed when fossils that had been identified as Brontosaurus were found to be identical to those of Apatosaurus, a dinosaur that had been named some time before the first evidence of Brontosaurus was found.
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