Question

Which of the following is the largest known fossil of reptiles?
(a) Dinosaurs
(b) Diplodocus
(c) Stegosaurus
(d) None of the above

Answer 1

Hint: Its first fossil was found near Cañon City, in Colorado and was named Marsh. It is known to be the longest dinosaur to ever exist with an approximate length of about 88 feet that mainly fed on trees and ferns.

Complete answer:
Diplodocus belongs to the genus of Sauropod dinosaurs in which sauropod means lizard footed. Its fossil was first discovered by SW Williston in 1877.
They generally had very long necks and tails with a relatively smaller head and four pillar-like legs which also made them one of the longest reptiles to ever walk on the surface of the Earth. The generic name of this animal was coined by Othniel Charles Marsh in 1878. The fossil remains of Diplodocus were mainly found in North America. A detailed study of the fossil indicated that they belonged to the late Jurassic period which extended from 161 million to 146 million years ago. It is also one of the most commonly displayed dinosaurs.
Diplodocus along with other sauropods like Apatosaurus belonged to a subgroup called Diplodocids and were some of the longest living reptiles on earth at that time.

Additional information:
Let’s learn some facts about Diplodocus:
-Diplodocus were plant-eaters or herbivores and grazed in huge herds.
-The meaning of diplodocus is a double beamed lizard
-They originally belong to the late Jurassic period.
-They are one of the longest known dinosaurs.
-They measured up to 27 meters and weighed about 12 tons.
-Their long and heavy tails acted like weapons that lashed out at predators.
-Their backbone contained 70-80 vertebrae.
-The back legs were usually bigger than the front ones to balance their huge body.

So, the correct answer is ‘Diplodocus’.

Notes:
Diplodocus remains one of the best-studied dinosaurs due to the skeletal remains or fossils. Therefore many aspects of its lifestyle have been studied. One of them includes a study of the scleral rings of diplodocus along with birds and reptiles which tell that they may have been cathemeral which means that they sleep both during day and night and are only active when they need to find food or water source.