The Bronchiosaurus and the Riojasaurus

by, Lauren W. and Steph R.   October 10, 2014

The Bronchiosaurus
For over seven million years during the Jurassic period, between 156-145 million years ago,  the mighty brachiosaurus roamed the Earth. This fascinating creature was enormous! The average size of the brachiosaurus was 75 feet long, 41 feet tall and weighed 81 tons. In the early 1900s, Elmer Riggs gave this dino the name “brachiosaurus” which means “arm lizard,” because its front legs were longer than it’s back legs. This was a great advantage because they could easily access tree tops, a very reliable food source. Although for a long time it was believed that the brachiosaurus lived in water, this is not the truth; they lived on land! Their fossils are found in many places in North America and Africa. Despite the major advantages of the brachiosaurus’ size, it also offered challenges. For example, their blood pressure was an issue. This dinosaur had a long neck and small head, so pumping blood up to the brain was difficult, and required a large, powerful heart. This caused a tremendous blood pressure. These friendly dinosaurs traveled in herds, were hatched from eggs, and had a very long lifespan of about 100 years. 


The Riojasaurus

The Riojasaurus dates all the way back to the Jurassic period about 225-219 million years ago. It categorizes in the Saurischia, Sauropodomorpha, and the Melanorosaurida families. In 1968, the dino was founded by Jose F. Bonabarte who named it after La Rioja Province, the place where it was discovered in Argentina. When Bonabarte found it, he noticed that the ankle structure was off, therefore the Riojasaurus could not run or stand on its back legs to reach up to the trees and eat the leaves. They were herbivores (plant eaters), and they like to eat ferns, leaves, and other plants that grow on the ground. Sometimes it would swallow pebbles to help it digest. It had a very long neck (good for eating leaves off high trees), a small head, and sharp teeth. The dino was a quadrupedal (stands on 4 legs), and its back legs were a bit longer than the front. The Riojasaurus’s backbone was hollow, which made it much lighter. If you saw a Riojasaurus today, it would be about as big as a school bus.

References


1. Types of Dinosaurs. (n.d.). Retrieved from Dinosaur Jungle website:
http://www.dinosaurjungle.com/dinosaur_species.php
(this source was mainly used for identifying the dino we would use
2. Stegosaurus Facts for Kids. (n.d.). Retrieved from Science Kids website:
http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/sciencefacts/dinosaurs/stegosaurus.html
3. Stauss, B. (n.d.). Sauropods - The Biggest Dinosaurs. Retrieved from About
Education website: http://dinosaurs.about.com/od/typesofdinosaurs/a/
sauropods.htm
4. Ornithopoda. (n.d.). Retrieved from Enchanted Learning website:
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/dinosaurs/dinoclassification/
Ornithopoda.shtml
5. Dinosaur Days TM (Ed.). (n.d.). Fact Sheet: Riojasaurus. Retrieved from Dinosaur
Days website: http://www.dinosaurdays.com/fullversion/factcards/
TRI_riojasaurus_fact.pdf?loadText=100%25&bytes_loaded=7460&bytes_total=7460&getPe
rcent=1
6. Dinosaur Days TM (Ed.). (n.d.). Fact Sheet: Riojasaurus. Retrieved from Dinosaur
Days website: http://www.dinosaurdays.com/fullversion/factcards/
TRI_riojasaurus_fact.pdf?loadText=100%25&bytes_loaded=7460&bytes_total=7460&getPe
rcent=1
Images: http://img2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20140128211628/prehistoricearth/images/5/5b/Riojasaurus.jpg (riojasaurus)

http://www.dinosaurfact.net/Pictures/Brachiosaurus2.jpg (branchiosaurus)