Brachiosaurus altithorax

Hello! My name is Brachiosaurus altithorax. It's a big name that means 'deep-chested arm lizard,' and it fits me perfectly. My story began over 154 million years ago, during the Late Jurassic period. I hatched from an egg into a warm, green world that you would now call North America. My first home was a lush paradise, filled with giant ferns that tickled my legs and towering trees that seemed to touch the sky. Everything was so big and full of life, and I was excited to start exploring it all.

As I grew, my body became truly unique. You might have seen other long-necked dinosaurs, but I was different. My front legs were much longer than my back legs, which made my back slope gently downwards from my shoulders. This special design, along with my incredibly long neck, turned me into what scientists call a 'high-browser.' That's a fancy way of saying I could reach food that no one else could touch. While other dinosaurs nibbled on low-growing plants, I stretched my neck high into the air to feast on the tender leaves at the very tops of the tallest conifers, cycads, and ginkgo trees. My diet was made up entirely of plants, and believe me, I had to eat a huge amount every single day. It took a lot of leaves to fuel a body as enormous as mine, and I spent most of my days munching away, always reaching for the highest, tastiest branches.

A typical day for me was spent with my herd, moving slowly and peacefully through the vast floodplains of the Morrison Formation. It was a busy world, and we weren't alone. We shared our home with many other dinosaurs. I would often see the plated Stegosaurus, with its spiky tail held high, and the quick little Dryosaurus, which would dart between the ferns. Life wasn't always peaceful, though. Adult Brachiosaurus altithorax likely faced little threat from predators like Allosaurus, but juveniles may have been vulnerable. But I had a powerful defense that kept me safe: my enormous size. When a predator saw how massive I was, it would usually think twice before trying to attack. Standing tall among my herd, my great height and weight were all the protection I needed to live safely in my giant world.

My time walking the Earth eventually came to an end. After my life was over, my bones were covered by layers of mud and sand. Over millions and millions of years, they slowly turned to stone, becoming fossils hidden deep within the ground. For a very long time, I slept peacefully beneath the earth. Then, one day, everything changed. On July 4th, 1900, a human paleontologist named Elmer S. Riggs and his team from the Field Museum in Chicago were exploring the mountains of western Colorado. They found my skeleton, carefully preserved in the rock. It was an amazing discovery. In 1903, after studying my bones, Elmer S. Riggs officially gave me my scientific name, Brachiosaurus altithorax, and shared my story with the world.

I lived in the Jurassic Period. Even though my kind no longer roams the planet, our story isn't over. Our fossilized bones have become incredible puzzles for humans to solve, offering clues about a lost world. My story helps scientists understand the amazing history of life on Earth. When you see my towering skeleton in a museum, I hope it inspires awe and wonder, reminding you of a time, long ago, when giants like me walked the land.