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Diplodocus Facts & Worksheets

Diplodocus are gigantic dinosaurs found in North America as fossils from the Late Jurassic Period - 161 million to 145 million years ago.

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Diplodocus are gigantic dinosaurs found in North America as fossils from the Late Jurassic Period – 161 million to 145 million years ago.

See the fact file below for more information on the Diplodocus or alternatively, you can download our 26-page Diplodocus worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

DISCOVERY and APPEARANCE

  • In 1877, Benjamin Mudge and Samuel Wendell Williston discovered the first skeleton at Cañon City, Colorado. It was later named Diplodocus longus by paleontologist Othniel Charles Marsh in 1878.
  • The name is derived from the Greek words diplos (“double”) and dokos (“beam”).
  • One of the best-known sauropods or long-necked herbivorous dinosaurs, this genus of dinosaur primarily roamed western North America.
  • Four species of diplodocus are recognized – D. longus, D. carnegii, D. hayi and D. hallorum.
  • Funded by Andrew Carnegie in 1899, the most complete Diplodocus fossil was found in North America at Sheep Creek, within the Morrison Formation.
  • He had the fossils replicated and presented to King Edward VII at the British Museum, and it was also displayed at other museums in Europe and South America.
  • By July 1899, Jacob Wortman, Arthur Coggeshall, and Bill Reed had uncovered more Diplodocus fossils.
  • The most famous of its species, the D. carnegii, was about 90 feet (27.4 meters) long based on its near-complete skeleton, while the largest, D. hallorum, was about 108 feet (33 m) long.
  • The Diplodocus had about 40 teeth, all of which were pointing slightly forward, giving the dinosaur a very goofy expression.
  • The majority of the Diplodocus’ length was taken up by its neck and tail, with the latter serving as a counterbalance for its neck.
  • While defining this dinosaur’s mass can not be exact, scientists estimate that it weighed between 11 and 17.6 tons (10 to 16 metric tons).
  • This dinosaur had five-toed broad feet, with claw-like “thumb” toes that were large as compared with other sauropods.
  • According to bbcearth.com, the Diplodocus had the following features:
    • Top speed: 24.1kph (14.98mph)
    • Vision: With eyes pointing out on either side of its head, the Diplodocus had good side vision to keep a watch out for predators like the Allosaurus.
    • Skin: Diplodocus skin had a pattern of tiny, pinhead-sized bumps.
    • Brain: For its size, the Diplodocus had a tiny brain, weighing just 113g (4oz). They aren’t all brainy!
    • Prey: The Diplodocus was so huge that it would have had to consume several tons of food a day. The front limbs of the Diplodocus were shorter than its hind limbs, allowing easy access to low-lying vegetation. The Diplodocus had an extra long claw on its thumb, which was either used for fighting, raking branches, or both.
    • Bite: The teeth of the Diplodocus were not the right shape for chewing, so it would have swallowed several pounds of stone in an effort to crush undigested plants.
    • Nest: Sauropod eggs like the Diplodocus were about the size of a grapefruit, 10 centimeters (4 inches) long, and containing up to 5.5 liters (11 pints) of fluid. Some sauropod eggs were larger, though, about the size of a football.
  • The Diplodocus lived towards the end of the Jurassic period in a semi-arid area with a considerable wet season.
  • The cause of their extinction is still a mystery, but it was probably due to climatic change, diseases, changing plant communities, and geologic events.

DIPLODOCUS IN POPULAR CULTURE

  • Unlike many popular dinosaurs that we know, the Diplodocus did not receive much attention in the media compared to other titans, such as the Brachiosaurus or Argentinosaurus.
  • In the Jurassic Park movies, no living animals of this species make an appearance, but a Carnegie model and two statues juvenile of Diplodocus can be seen.
  • In the film, Fantasia, the Diplodocus is seen with other herbivorous dinosaurs. When the Tyrannosaurus rex appears on the scene, it panics and runs away. Later in the movie, they begin to struggle with finding food and water. Eventually, they got stuck in a tar pit and died of heat and exhaustion.
  • Then, in the film The Good Dinosaur, two Diplodocus along with three Parasaurolophus were seen at the beginning of the movie witnessing a meteor that supposedly caused the extinction of dinosaurs.

Diplodocus Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about the Diplodocus across 26 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use Diplodocus worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about the Diplodocus which are gigantic dinosaurs found in North America as fossils from the Late Jurassic Period – 161 million to 145 million years ago.

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

  • Diplodocus Facts
  • Paleontology
  • The Age of Dinosaurs
  • Late Jurassic Dinos
  • Word Generator
  • The Titanosaurs
  • The Diplodocus
  • The Geo Time Scale
  • Jurassic Extinction
  • The Right Path
  • Dinoland

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Link will appear as Diplodocus Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, January 3, 2021

Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.

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