From fossils to fame

Hello, mighty Brontosaurus! Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your life during the Jurassic period?

Hello, to you! My full name is Brontosaurus excelsus, and I was alive 150 million years ago. I was named by paleontologist O. C. Marsh (Yale College Class of 1860) in 1879, and Brontosaurus means “thunder lizard.” I was actually the first Brontosaurus ever found. I am a sauropod, and we were grouped by our long necks and tails, our plant-based diets, and our four-legged stance. Other sauropods include the Apatosaurus, Diplodocus, and the Brachiosaurus.

What was a typical day like for you?

I traveled on land and in herds with other Brontos – we are a social bunch! We lived in floodplains and forests in what is now Wyoming and Utah, and our days were all about eating. At the start of each day, we foraged for food. Our long necks helped us reach vegetation that shorter dinosaurs couldn’t reach. Brontos were herbivores, so we mainly ate plants. Ferns and ginkgoes were my personal favorite, and while I ate conifers, they got stuck in my teeth and I found them chewy. The herd would have another fill of vegetation before settling down for the night.

Did you have predators? If so, how did you protect yourself from them?

Thanks to our size, Brontos didn’t have many predators. That said, theropod dinosaurs like Allosaurus and Ceratosaurus were formidable foes. My herd and I stuck together for safety, staying vigilant and helping to protect each other. Our long tails were strong, agile, and useful in fending off attackers. As my most recent installation at the Peabody shows, we didn’t drag our tails along the ground. Because of our considerable size, it was assumed that we must have dragged our tails around and spent most of our time in water to support our weight, but research has shown this isn’t the case.

Let’s talk about your name and the brief time you weren’t known as Brontosaurus.

As I mentioned, O.C. Marsh, gave me my name when he discovered me in 1879, believing I was a new genus. But in the early 1900s, scientists decided they had enough evidence to say that I was actually an Apatosaurus (also discovered by Marsh in 1877 in Colorado). Because the Apatosaurus was named first, I was renamed Apatosaurus. Apatosaurus’ full name is Apatosaurus ajax, which means “deceptive lizard.” You can imagine I wasn’t thrilled with this. I’m much more of a thunder lizard, but it took a while for scientists to come to that conclusion (again).

In 2015, European researchers concluded I was a distinct species, and Brontosaurus was reinstated as a valid genus. The researchers actually came to examine me as part of their research, and I was very pleased to help! They found several anatomical differences between me and the Apatosaurus. It caused quite a kerfuffle at the museum – staff had to replace a lot of labels and change my head. The Peabody even held a renaming ceremony for me!

What is your favorite part about being a part of Yale?

I’ve been hanging around here since 1931, and that is an easy question. The people are my favorite part! Many people have walked these halls to study our collections and advance human’s knowledge of everything from anthropology to botany to ornithology to minerology, and so much more. I’ve been moved around and re-posed a few times as researchers learn more about how I moved and how my body was shaped (I just had a glow-up before last year’s reopening, adding more length to my tail!). The faculty and staff here ask the best questions and work together to find answers — or find more questions!

I also love our visitors! The Peabody gets about 150,000 visitors a year, and nothing beats the moment they turn the corner in the David Burke Hall and then just stop, taking in the scene. It never gets old!

Finally, do you have a favorite dinosaur joke?

What is a Brontosaurus’ favorite sport?
Squash!