Barosaurus lentus

NPS/Bob Walters Tess Kissinger

 

Barosaurus is a plant eater and the least common of all the sauropods (long-necked dinosaurs) found in the Carnegie Quarry. It is similar to Diplodocus, but has a longer neck and shorter tail. The forelimbs of Barosaurus are longer and more slender than those of the Diplodocus. Unfortunately, no one has ever found a Barosaurus skull so those on display are based on the skulls of other sauropods.

 

Barosaurus Facts

The Barosaurus from Carnegie Quarry is among the most complete in the world.
Barosaurus is Greek for “heavy lizard."
Adult Barosaurus grew up to lengths over 85 feet and weighed over 20 tons.
Barosaurus has a longer neck and shorter tail than its relative Diplodocus.

 

Although we may never know what color dinosaurs were, this cast of Barosaurus skin shows us what the texture was like. The scale bar is 6 inches.

The most complete real Barosaurus skeleton on display is at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was also found in the Carnegie Quarry and acquired as part of a trade between museums. One of the boxes contained a surprise: an eight inch square imprint of Barosaurus skin attached to a limb bone! Dinosaur skin imprints are extremely rare but helpful in determining how dinosaurs might have looked. You can see the original skin imprint with the skeleton on display at the Royal Ontario Museum.

 

Jurassic Fact

The bones of the Barosaurus currently on display at the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) were once scattered across three institutions. The AMNH traded with those institutions to get the entire skeleton.

 

For More Information

Visit the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto, Ontario, Canada where a Barosaurus lentus skeleton and skin imprint from Dinosaur National Monument are on display, or the American Museum of Natural History in New York, NY. 

A cast of the skin impression is on display at the Quarry Exhibit Hall.