’n Kunstenaarsvoorstelling van *Diplodocus*.

**Diplodocidae**, of die **diplodosides**, was ’n familie souropode-dinosourusse wat van die langste diere ingesluit het wat ooit die aarde bewoon het, soos *Diplodocus* en *Supersaurus* – hulle kon dalk tot 34 meter lank geword het.

Beskrywing
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Hoewel hulle enorm en baie lank was, was die diplodosides relatief slank in vergelyking met die Titanosauria en Brachiosauridae. Hulle het kort pote gehad en dit het hulle ’n worshondagtige voorkoms gegee; hul agterpote was ook langer as die voorpote en hul rug het dus afgeloop na die nek toe.

In 1992 is ’n fragment ontdek met horingagtige stekels. Dit lyk of die stekels ’n aaneenlopende lyn op die rug gevorm het. Dit kon ’n algemene verskynsel onder diplodosides gewees het, of onder souropodes as ’n geheel.

Die kopbeen van ’n ongeïdentifiseerde diplodoside, voorwerp CM 11255.
Hul nekke was ook besonder lank en moes te swaar gewees het om in bome by te kom; hulle het waarskynlik op die grond langs gevreet of aan kort plante. Hul kop was klein, nes dié van ander souropodes, en die neusopeninge was aan die bokant daarvan. Hul tande was net voor in die mond aanwesig en is waarskynlik gebruik om kos af te byt, sonder om dit te kou. Gastroliete (klippe in die maag) is moontlik gebruik om die kos fyn te maal.

Diplodosides het ook lang, sweepagtige sterte gehad wat dik by die basis was en dan dunner na die punt geword het. Dit lyk of hulle dit soos ’n sweep kon geklap het, dalk as waarskuwing of om ’n maat te lok.

Klassifikasie
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Diplodocidae is die derde naam wat gegee is aan wat vandag beskou word as ’n enkele familie dinosourusse met lang nekke en sweepagtige sterte. Voorheen is sommige spesies geklassifiseer as **Amphicoeliidae** of **Atlantosauridae**. Die verwantskap tussen verskillende spesies binne-in Diplodocidae is ook al dikwels hersien. 

’n Kladogram van Diplodocidae volgens Tschopp, Mateus en Benson (2015):

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| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
|  Diplodocidae  | 

|  |  |
| --- | --- |
|  | *Amphicoelias altus* |
|  |
|  | 

|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
|  | 

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| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
|  Apatosaurinae  | 

|  |  |
| --- | --- |
|  | Spesie sonder naam |
|  |
|  | 

|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
|  | 

|  |  |
| --- | --- |
|  | *Apatosaurus ajax* |
|  |
|  | *Apatosaurus louisae* |
|  |

 |
|  |
|  | 

|  |  |
| --- | --- |
|  | *Brontosaurus excelsus* |
|  |
|  | 

|  |  |
| --- | --- |
|  | *Brontosaurus yahnahpin* |
|  |
|  | *Brontosaurus parvus* |
|  |

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|  |

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|  |

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|  |

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|  |
|  Diplodocinae  | 

|  |  |
| --- | --- |
|  | Spesie sonder naam |
|  |
|  | 

|  |  |
| --- | --- |
|  | *Tornieria africana* |
|  |
|  | 

|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
|  | 

|  |  |
| --- | --- |
|  | *Supersaurus lourinhanensis* |
|  |
|  | *Supersaurus vivianae* |
|  |

 |
|  |
|  | 

|  |  |
| --- | --- |
|  | *Leinkupal laticauda* |
|  |
|  | 

|  |  |
| --- | --- |
|  | *Galeamopus hayi* |
|  |
|  | 

|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
|  | 

|  |  |
| --- | --- |
|  | *Diplodocus carnegii* |
|  |
|  | *Diplodocus hallorum* |
|  |

 |
|  |
|  | 

|  |  |
| --- | --- |
|  | *Kaatedocus siberi* |
|  |
|  | *Barosaurus lentus* |
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