Genus · Diplodocidae · Jurassic
Brontosaurus
Named by Marsh 1879
Brontosaurus lived 149.2–145 million years ago, during the Tithonian stage of the Late Jurassic. The Paleobiology Database lists 23 fossil records for it from 1 country (United States) — the 55th most of the 99 genera on this site.
Where it sits in time
Key facts from the records
- Most of what is known comes from one rock unit: 100% of its records are from the Morrison Formation.
- Every record is from United States; Wyoming alone has 17 of them.
- Stegosaurus appears in 57% of the collections that hold Brontosaurus; Camarasaurus in 43%.
- Its stage range spans about 4.2 million years (98th longest of 99); it is the 11th best-recorded of the 19 sauropodomorphs here.
3 accepted species
| Species | Named by | Records |
|---|---|---|
| Brontosaurus excelsus | Marsh 1879 | 13 |
| Brontosaurus parvus | Peterson and Gilmore 1902 | 4 |
| Brontosaurus yahnahpin | Filla and Redman 1994 | 3 |
Where it was found
23 records with coordinates.
Found alongside
Rock formations
States & provinces
| Region | Records | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Wyoming | 17 | 74% |
| Colorado | 4 | 17% |
| Utah | 1 | 4% |
| Oklahoma | 1 | 4% |
Depositional settings
Rock settings recorded for its fossil sites, where known.
Other sauropodomorphs of its time
Same group, overlapping stage range, not found in the same collections.
| Genus | Age | Country | Records |
|---|---|---|---|
| Giraffatitan | 154.8–145 Ma | Tanzania | 42 |
| Cetiosaurus | 168.2–125.77 Ma | United Kingdom, Morocco | 30 |
| Mamenchisaurus | 165.3–145 Ma | China, Mongolia | 24 |
| Barosaurus | 154.8–145 Ma | United States, Zimbabwe | 19 |
| Dicraeosaurus | 154.8–145 Ma | Tanzania, Zimbabwe | 19 |
| Omeisaurus | 165.3–145 Ma | China | 13 |
Also from these formations
Data: PBDB taxon 52983 · method