Utah 110 Ma: Brontomerus

Brontormerus was among the last sauropods of North America. They lived in the early Cretaceous and alongside some of the deadliest predators of this area and time. They are part of the phylogenetic tree as Titanosauriformes like Brachiosaurus and Camarasaurus, as opposed to Diplodocids like Apatosaurus and Diplodocus.

It was about 46 feet long and perhaps 6 or more tons. Of special note with this genus is its hip bones indicating it would have supported the largest and strongest thigh muscles, proportionally, of any sauropod. There are a couple or theories behind this that may work in tandem. Such large leg muscles would have allowed this dinosaur to traversed hilly and rougher terrain than what is typical of sauropods. Such an adaptation and its smaller than average size for a sauropod, would allow Brontomerus to exploit an unfilled niche in the ecosystem of the time and region.

Brontomerus could have been a sole species that fed on conifers in upland areas that Sauroposeidon would not have ventured to. It's possible the width of the hips along with the muscualature would have aided Brontomerus to rear up more easily on its hind limbs to reach higher branches. Additionally this upland terrain might have been less inviting hunting ground for larger predators like Acrocanthosaurus.

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