Brachiosaurus is a member of the sauropod family and one of the most well-known of all dinosaurs. It gets its name from the great height of its humerus, or upper arm bone - which is longer than most humans are tall. For almost a century, Brachiosaurus was considered the tallest of all dinosaurs, being over 13 metres tall. Since then, other dinosaurs have been discovered to have been taller.
Originally discovered in 1900 in Colorado, Brachiosaurus was named in 1903 by Elmer Riggs of the Field Museum in Chicago. Brachiosaurus was once thought to have lived in both the United States and Africa (Tanzania) in the Jurassic. Scientists believed that Africa and North America were connected during the Jurassic. However, the African species of Brachiosaurus is now thought to be a different genus called Giraffatitan.
New studies by computer specialists suggest that Brachiosaurus may not have carried its neck angle up as high as was thought once. It may have carried the neck more at a 45 - 60 degree angle.
