BAROSAURUS

Barosaurus lentus

Etymology: Slow heavy lizard

Nickname: "Bar" or "Baro"

Classification: Sauropoda, Diplodocidae

Diet: Herbivore

Size: 30 meters long

Provenance: Morrison Formation, Utah, USA - Late Jurassic, Kimmeridgian stage, 152 - 150 million years ago

Movie appearances: Jurassic Park (1993); Jurassic Park III (2001); Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018); Jurassic World: Dominion (2022)

Barosaurus lentus is a species of diplodocid sauropod, being relatively well known since the late 19th century. It was at times, in the past, labeled as the largest dinosaur to ever live, but since, it has been revealed even larger sauropods existed. Barosaurus is known from North America, though remains have been attributed to this genus hailing from Africa, though they have since been assigned to other genera.

Barosaurus are surprisingly social creatures, with adults living in herds, and even juveniles are known to hang around adults and even emitting calls to attract their attention, in case they feel afflicted.

In 1980, 10 Barosaurus were successfully cloned by InGen in Isla Sorna, with the local caretakers providing care for the young sauropods. Sexual dimorphism became apparent as these dinosaurs grew, with males displaying a turquoise coloration in their crests, while females retained a plain brown crest. A collection of females from that original clutch were transported to Jurassic Park in Isla Nublar, however, in 1993, the subadult Barosaurus escaped their enclosure, after Dennis Nedry sabotaged the park's security systems. The escaped Barosaurus appeared very docile as they interacted with humans, as is observed by one instance where one sick individual accepted being fed by three survivors of the Jurassic Park incident. By 1994, 5 out of the 6 female Barosaurus from Isla Nublar were alive, one of them dying from malnutrition.

Meanwhile, in Isla Sorna, the aftermath of Hurricane Clarissa led the remaining four Barosaurus to escape their confinement, countering their lysine contingency by feeding on lysine-rich plants. It appears that, as they matured into reproductively capable adults, males developed greenish stripes on top of their beige colorations, and their crests started to transition from turquoise to a bright red. By 2001, passengers of the N622DC plane witnessed a herd of Barosaurus in Isla Sorna, confirming they were surviving in the island.

Isla Nublar was later claimed for the construction of Jurassic World, where Barosaurus were being held, however, the eruption of Mount Sibo, in 2018, caused the residents of the island to nearly go extinct, but fortunetly a few Barosaurus specimens (including also preserved embryos of the species) were taken to Lockwood Manor, in mainland California, for auction. It was also in 2018 that documents revealed that Barosaurus were subject to some form of bad care while in captivity.

By 2022, the Barosaurus (having escaped from Lockwood Manor four years prior) were roaming wild, but were by that year residing, instead, on the Biosyn Sanctuary in Italy, which was repurposed as a natural preserve by the UN, where the sauropods now roam freely.

FILM vs. REALITY

DISCLAIMER: Barosaurus does not show up in the Jurassic Park films, and it instead, here, represents a plausible substitute to the films' Brachiosaurus. The films' Brachiosaurus is sufficiently similar to the real life Brachiosaurus, however, its most iconic cinematic feature (the scene where it rears up on its hind legs to reach the top of trees) is something the real life one would be incapable of doing, due to its peculiar anatomy, where its front legs and chest were much bigger than its smaller hindlegs. In contrast, a giant sauropod with a more even leg size, and a center of gravity closer to the hip region, would be most appropriate for this action. Diplodocids fit this description, and therefore Barosaurus was chosen due to its large size for a diplodocid and also its name, which means "heavy lizard" sufficiently illustrating its role as a giant sauropod.

Barosaurus is distinguished from Brachiosaurus due to its more slender physique, with a longer neck, smaller and more slender head, and a very long whip-like tail, as well as evenly-sized legs. While the films' Brachiosaurus has nails on both feet, that would be incorrect, and they would not be elephantine in appearance. Instead, the real life Barosaurus would have front feet completely clawless (save for a large thumb claw) and a horseshoe-shaped foot pad; meanwhile the back feet would be more column-like with three very large nails. Barosaurus likely possessed a row of spikes running along its back, as it is suggested for a few diplodocids.

Brachiosaurus is depicted as an herd animal, and that feature is consistent for many sauropods, which are known to congregate. Diplodocids in particular had features for that lifestyle, with their long tails serving as social signaling tools, probably.