SauropodomorphaDiplodocinaeDiplodocusCM 84

Diplodocus carnegii

Diplodocus carnegii skeletal reconstruction, left lateral view, specimen CM 84, reconstructed length ~26 m.
Scale bar = 1 meter
Taxon
Diplodocus carnegii Hatcher, 1901
Specimen
CM 84
Reconstructed length
~26 m (85 feet)
View
Left lateral
Drawing
© Scott Hartman
Drawn
2006, revised 2026
Clade
  1. Sauropodomorpha
  2. Sauropoda
  3. Neosauropoda
  4. Diplodocoidea
  5. Diplodocidae
  6. Diplodocinae

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Outside of the United States, Diplodocus is usually seen as the classic Late Jurassic sauropod of the Morrison Formation. This is in part because Andrew Carnegie ordered replications of the exceptionally complete specimen CM 84 (“Dippy”) to be made available to museums around the world in the early 20th century. As a result, Diplodocus was often the first large dinosaur displayed in countries with fewer fossils (or that got a later start on digging their own). Many of these copies continue to be displayed in museums worldwide.

While not as heavily built as the Apatosaurus or Brontosaurus, Diplodocus had quite a long neck, and an especially long tail, so individuals that may have weighed “only” 15 tonnes would have stretched 26 meters (85 feet) in length. While the heavily-muscled tails were surely of help in defense against marauding theropods, the long whip-tail at the end may have had some other function in display or communication.

The evidence

What the specimen actually preserves

Known skeletal material of Diplodocus carnegii CM 84 — elements preserved in the specimen drawn in white against a black body silhouette.
Known material of CM 84: elements preserved in the specimen are shown in white; unpreserved regions are left as black silhouette. Drawn 2006, revised 2026