Brachiosaurus altithorax for Kids Ages 6-8

Brachiosaurus altithorax

I am a Brachiosaurus altithorax, a giant dinosaur from the Late Jurassic Period. My name means 'arm lizard' because my front legs were longer than my back legs. As an herbivore, I used my long neck like a crane to eat hundreds of pounds of leaves from the tops of tall trees every day. My huge size kept me safe from most predators, but I still watched out for the Allosaurus. My bones were discovered in 1900 by Elmer S. Riggs, and they help people today learn about the amazing giants who lived long ago.

Lived During c. 154.0 Million Years Ago - 153.0 Million Years Ago (circa)

Fossil Discovery (Holotype) 1900

Named and Described 1903

A Giant's Story: My Life as a Brachiosaurus

Hello there. My name is Brachiosaurus altithorax, and I am a dinosaur who lived a very, very long time ago. My name is special because it means 'arm lizard'. I was given this name because my front legs were much longer than my back legs, which made my back slope downwards from my shoulders. It was a unique way to be built. I roamed the Earth during what scientists now call the Late Jurassic Period. That was around 163.5 to 145 million years ago. The world looked very different back then, and my home was in a place that people today call North America, which was filled with lush forests and tall trees.

Every day for me was about eating. I was an herbivore, which is a fancy word for a plant-eater. My enormous body needed a lot of fuel, so I spent most of my time munching away on leaves. My neck was super long, and it worked just like a crane, helping me reach the freshest, tastiest leaves at the very tops of tall trees like conifers. I had to eat hundreds of pounds of plants every single day just to keep my big body going. Being so huge had its benefits. I was one of the biggest animals around, so I did not have to worry about too many predators trying to bother me. Even so, I was always careful. I made sure to keep an eye out for other dinosaurs who might be a danger, especially the sharp-toothed Allosaurus that sometimes wandered through my forest home.

Even though my time on Earth was millions of years ago, my story did not end there. In the year 1900, a person who studies dinosaurs, called a paleontologist, found my bones. His name was Elmer S. Riggs, and he made his discovery in a part of America called Colorado. Three years later, in 1903, he officially gave my species its name, Brachiosaurus altithorax. My fossilized bones help scientists today understand what the world was like when I was alive. I lived in the Jurassic era. My fossils are like a storybook from a time long before people, reminding everyone of the amazing giants who once walked the Earth and the incredible history of our planet.