Sauropods were a diverse group of long-necked, quadrupedal dinosaurs. They ranged in size from the relatively small Brontosaurus excelsus, which was about 26 feet (8 meters) long and weighed 2.5 tons (2.3 metric tons), to the massive Patagotitan mayorum, which was 122 feet (37 meters) long and weighed 69 tons (63 metric tons). Sauropods had very long necks and tails, and most species also had very long legs. The largest sauropods could reach lengths of over 100 feet (30 meters) and weights of over 50 tons (45 metric tons).
Sauropods are some of the most recognizable dinosaurs, due to their large size and distinctive appearance. They have been featured in many movies and TV shows, including the popular Jurassic Park franchise. Despite their pop culture prominence, sauropods remain something of a mystery to science. Their great size and strange anatomy pose unique challenges for research, making them one of the least understood groups of dinosaurs.
Sauropod fossils have been found on every continent except Antarctica. The first sauropod fossils were discovered in England in 1824, but it was not until the late 19th century that they began to be studied in earnest by scientists. The largest concentration of sauropod fossils is found in South America, particularly in Argentina’s Patagonia region. This has led to the popular image of giant dinosaurs stomping through jungles – an image that is not entirely accurate, as we will see later.
Most sauropods belonged to two main groups: diplodocids and titanosaurs. Diplodocids included well-known genera such as Apatosaurus and Diplodocus; titanosaurs include genera such as Argentinosaurusand Alamosaurus . There were also a number of other less common types of sauropods , such as brachiosaurs , camarasaurs , dicraeosaurs , hainasaurs , jobarians , massospondylids , rebbachisaurids , saltasaurids ,and somphospondylans . Sauropods can be further divided into “neosauropods” – those that arose during or after the Jurassic Period –