London: The iconic dinosaur Brontosaurus is set to be reinstated as its own unique genus after over 100 years of being misclassified as Apatosaurus, scientists say.
Since 1903, the scientific community has believed that the genus Brontosaurus was in fact the Apatosaurus.
Now, an exhaustive new study by palaeontologists from Portugal and the UK provides conclusive evidence that Brontosaurus is distinct from Apatosaurus and as such can now be reinstated as its own unique genus.
Brontosaurus is one of the most charismatic dinosaurs of all time, inspiring generations of children thanks to its size and evocative name.
However, it was believed that Brontosaurus was in fact a misnomer, and it should be correctly referred to as Apatosaurus.
In 1903, it was decided that the differences between Brontosaurus excelsus and Apatosaurus were so minor that it was better to put them both in the same genus.
Because Apatosaurus was named first, it was the one that was used under the rules of scientific naming.
In fact, the Brontosaurus was never really gone – it was simply treated as a species of the genus Apatosaurus: Apatosaurus excelsus.
So, while scientists thought the genus Brontosaurus was the same as Apatosaurus, they always agreed that the species excelsus was different from other Apatosaurus species.
