The dinosaur with the long neck is a sauropod dinosaur. Sauropods are a group of plant-eating dinosaurs that have long necks, thick legs, and small heads. They used their long necks to reach high vegetation and consume plant life high in trees. Some of the most well-known sauropods with long necks include:
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Brachiosaurus: This dinosaur lived in the Jurassic period and is one of the largest animals to ever exist. It was around 26 meters long, 12-16 meters high, and weighed around 89 tons. Its forelimbs were much longer than its hind limbs, giving it a unique appearance.
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Diplodocus: This herbivorous dinosaur lived during the late Jurassic period and had four large, sturdy legs to support its long neck and whip-like tail. It measured around 98 feet in length and weighed around 16 tons. Its neck could reach over 6 meters (20 feet) and its long tail had 80 vertebrae.
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Mamenchisaurus: This dinosaur is known as the longest-necked dinosaur ever found in the fossil record. Its neck is 50 feet long or about six times the length of a giraffe’s neck. It survived by standing in one place for long periods while munching on vegetation high up in the tree canopy. Its neck likely also helped the species shed heat, similar to an elephant’s ears.
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Omeisaurus: This dinosaur lived in Asia during the Late Jurassic period and was among the largest herbivores of its time. It had a relatively short tail and a long neck that it could use to reach high vegetation. It also had a pair of long claws on each front limb, which it may have used to grasp branches while feeding.
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Sauroposeidon: This dinosaur had an incredibly long neck, often compared to a giraffes. Its neck was so long that it was often compared to a Giraffe’s! Sauroposeidon lived during the Late Cretaceous period and was one of the tallest dinosaurs.
Other long-necked dinosaurs include Isisaurus, Camarasaurus, Anchisaurus, Haplocantosaurus, Diplodocus, Dreadnoughtus, and Argentinosaurus.