A sauropod was a type of enormous plant-eating dinosaur with four thick legs, a long neck, a long tail, and a relatively small head. The most famous sauropods include Brachiosaurus, Diplodocus, and Apatosaurus (once often called Brontosaurus). These creatures were among the largest land animals that ever lived, with some species reaching over 100 feet long and weighing as much as several elephants.

Sauropods used their long necks to reach high into trees for leaves, much like giraffes do today, though they could reach far higher. Despite their massive size, their heads were surprisingly tiny compared to their bodies. Scientists believe they spent much of their time eating, since their enormous bodies required huge amounts of plant matter for fuel.

Sauropods lived during the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods, between about 200 and 66 million years ago. Their fossils have been found on every continent, including Antarctica, showing just how successful these giants were at surviving in different environments across millions of years.