Episode description

For our second episode we take a look at the archetypal big dinosaur, Diplodocus. It has an important place in dinosaur history as one of the first very complete animals found, and the first to be cast with copies shipped around the world. As a result, Diplodocus had become lodged in the public mind as a ‘typical’ sauropod but it has plenty of features that make it unique and unusual. We cover its name which relates to its unusual whip-tail, and discuss how these huge animals held their tails and what they used them for. At the other end we talk about their long necks and remarkably little heads with their ususual feeding strategy. Then we dive into their amazing air-filled skeletons and discuss how even these 25 m and 30 m long animals are much lighter than you might think. Finally, we are joined by special guest comedian Jo Caulfield, who asks Dave about why dinosaurs like Diplodocus got so big.

Dave’s Guardian article about the removal of ‘Dippy’ from the Natural History Museum in London https://www.theguardian.com/science/lost-worlds/2015/jan/30/diplodocus-starts-a-long-goodbye

Dave’s blogpost on the original specimen on display at the Carnegie Museum. https://archosaurmusings.wordpress.com/2011/11/11/a-pair-of-giants/

If you want to get ultra-nerdy about sauropods, check out this blog dedicated to sauropod vertebrae: https://svpow.com/