World of Dinosaurs/Barosaurus

center|thumb|497x497px|A Barosaurus skeleton rearing on hind legs in the American Museum of Natural History. Basics Barosaurus means "Heavy Lizard". Barosaurus lived during the Jurassic Period Anatomy Barosaurus is a large plant-eating dinosaur. It had a long tail and a small head. It was about 66-88 feet long. Phylogeny Barosaurus is a sauropod. All sauropods are dinosaurs. All dinosaurs are amniotes and all dinosaurs are tetrapods. Biomechanics Based on the way Barosaurus necks are constructed, they might not have raised them, but rather swept them around the ground. Fossil Record They are found in Utah and South Dakota. Ecology Ferns, shrubs, and trees would have been common, but flowering plants, fruit trees, or grass were NOT around yet! Barosaurus co-existed with Allosaurus as well as other sauropods. center|thumb|481x481px|An artistic rendition of what predators attacking a Barosaurus might look like. Biogeography Rocks from the Jurassic period indicate hotter, wetter conditions than we experience on Earth today. Rocks do not show signs of ice caps near the poles, of traveling ice-bergs, or other signs of "ice house" conditions. Barosaurus lived in a semi-arid, seasonal floodplain. The super-continent Pangea was splitting up throughout the Jurassic Period, adding volcanic activity, particularly along the west coast, and warm, seasonally-variable habitats.