Dicraeosaurus - Meaning: Forked Lizard

Dicraeosaurus (die-KRAY-oh-SORE-us) was a small diplodocid that had many physical differences from the rest of the family. It was named for the spines on the back of the neck. Diplodocids were sauropods with long necks and tails, skinny bodies and limbs, and tiny brains and heads.

They were light in relevance to the brachiosaurs, because their vertebrae were a lattice of bony struts, used to reduce weight and take maximum stress.They lived worldwide in the Late Jurassic and Cretaceous.

Unlike most diplodocids, Dicraeosaurus had a large head since its neck was shorter and wider. It also lacked the whiplash tail that diplodocids had. Its size was also different. It only reached 41 feet in length. It gets its name, which means two-forked lizard, from the spines that came from the vertebrae. They were not straight as in some members of the family. Each one was “Y” shaped, like a fork. These spines also provided muscle attachment points.

Dicraeosaurus was a herbivorous dinosaur.