Location : United States

Pleurocoelus was a very small member of the same family that included the giant Brachiosaurus  It was only as big as one school bus! It was also among the first dinosaurs discovered in the U.S., way back in 1886. While most dinosaurs back then were found in the West, Pleurocoelus was uncovered on Maryland's East Coast.

Apart from its small size, Pleurocoelus seems to have been a typical sauropod. Few sauropods, however, have generated so much disagreement among scientists. Specimens originally thought to belong to this genus have variously been ascribed to Camarasaurus  Diplodocus and most recently there has been discussion that it may have been an early North American titanosaur.

Additionally, there is a famous trackway in Texas that is believed to show a Pleurocoelus being stalked by an Acrocanthosaurus  Unfortunately this can't be substantiated, however, as scientists have yet to find any Pleurocoelus fossil material in Texas. To complicate matters even, Pleurocoelus was named the Texas State Fossil based on the trackway.