Giraffatitan

Type Species: Giraffatitan brancai

Classification: Dinosauria – Saurischia – Sauropoda - Gravisauria - Eusauropoda - Neosauropoda – Macronaria – Titanosauriformes – Brachiosauridae

Time Period: Late Jurassic 

Location: Africa

Diet: Herbivore

Giraffatitan was originally thought to be a species of Brachiosaurus but has since been given freedom to stand on its own. It was one of the largest sauropods of the Late Jurassic, averaging between 72 and 74 feet in length but capable of reaching up to 85 feet snout-to-tail. Its neck, held vertical, reached up to forty feet in length. It had a giraffe-like build (hence its name) with long forelimbs and a long neck. It had chisel-like ‘spatulate’ teeth and the first three toes on its hind feet were clawed. Its distinctive high-crested skull was once thought to be characteristic of the brachiosaurids, to which Giraffatitan originally belonged; however, it’s possible that many brachiosaurs didn’t have this feature, since this feature is known only from African specimens now assigned to Giraffatitan – all this to say that the classic portrayal of Brachiosaurus may actually not represent Brachiosaurus at all, at least as far as the skull design goes. Like other sauropods, Giraffatitan had a sacral enlargement above the hip; scientists of an earlier age thought this housed a ‘second brain,’ given that sauropods had pretty small brains to begin with, but it’s know believed to be the location of glycogen bodies. Giraffatitan likely roamed the sweeping conifer forests of the Tendaguru Formation, avoiding the coastal environments of brackish coastal lakes, ponds, and pools where vegetation would be harder to come by. 

Giraffatitan’s nostrils were once thought to be located on the top of its head, lending earlier scientists to speculate that it was a water-dweller, snorkeling in the burgeoning North Atlantic. However, studies have shown that the water pressure placed on the rib cage would make it extremely difficult for a submerged Giraffatitan to breathe; extended time submerged would undoubtedly lead to drowning. Studies of the skull in 2001 suggested that while the nasal openings in the skull were above the eyes, this didn’t mean that the nostrils wouldn’t emerge at the tip of the snout. In this case, Giraffatitan’s tall ‘crests’ may have housed a fleshy resonating chamber.