Apatosaurus of gigantic sauropod dinosaurs. The family includes some of the longest creatures ever to walk the earth, including "Diplodocus", "Supersaurus", and "Barosaurus". "Apatosaurus" is sometimes classified in the subfamily Apatosaurinae, which may also include "Suuwassea", "Supersaurus", and "Brontosaurus". Othniel Charles Marsh described "Apatosaurus" as allied to "Atlantosaurus" within the now-defunct group Atlantosauridae. In 1878 Marsh raised his family to the rank of suborder, including "Apatosaurus", "Atlantosaurus", "Morosaurus" (="Camarasaurus") and "Diplodocus". He classified this group within Sauropoda, a group he erected in the same study. In 1903 Elmer S. Riggs said the name Sauropoda would be a junior synonym of earlier
Alan the Dinosaur Alan the Dinosaur Alan the Dinosaur is the name given to an unidentified Sauropodomoph fossil, found in Whitby in 1995, regarded as the oldest sauropod dinosaur found in the United Kingdom. It is now in the Yorkshire Museum. The fossil was discovered in Whitby in 1995 by Alan Gurr whilst on a field trip to the site led by geologist Phil Manning. A chunk of sandstone fell from cliff face and was inspected by the finder, who spotted the fragment of vertebra. As it is not identifiable to species level, it gained the nickname 'Alan' in commemoration of its finder.