Dinosaurs With Long Necks (Like Brachiosaurus A Sauropod) Compared to Descendants of Dinosaurs And Giraffes

“Are Giraffes Related to Long Neck Dinosaurs?” – this question tickles the curiosity of many as they gaze upon these tall, graceful mammals, conjuring images of the majestic sauropods that once roamed the Earth. The evolutionary connection between these neck-stretching giants spans millions of years, stirring a blend of wonder and scientific intrigue. While the towering giraffes amble across the African savanna, their elongated necks reaching for the treetops, they inadvertently echo the bygone era of the sauropods, whose fossils pepper the ancient landscapes across continents. Despite the apparent similarities, the evolutionary paths of giraffes and their Mesozoic counterparts diverged long ago. The quest to unravel this link takes us on a journey through the annals of paleontology, examining fossil records and genetic lineages to shed light on this captivating query.

Are Giraffes Related to Long Neck Dinosaurs?

As a general rule, giraffes and dinosaurs are not related, and giraffes did not descend from Brachiosaurus. Giraffes are gigantic mammals, while Brachiosaurus were titanic reptiles. Their plant-eating evolution equipped the distinctly modern and ancient species with long necks.

Key Takeaways

• Giraffes and long-neck dinosaurs like Brachiosaurus share superficial resemblance due to their necks.
• While giraffes are mammals, Brachiosaurus and titanosaurs were reptiles that fed on prehistoric treetops.
• Giraffes evolved from distant relatives like Samotherium major; their long necks became significant for mating.
• Sauropods had more vertebrae and unique features like pillar-like feet and robust hearts.
• Brachiosaurus and Giraffatitan were among the largest dinosaurs, using long necks to feed on treetops.
• Despite similarities in neck length, giraffes and long-neck dinosaurs differ in teeth types and digestion methods.

When on an African safari, you will likely see at some point herds of giraffes feeding on tall treetops. It was like millions of years ago when the great long-necked titanosaurs were stomping around in herds and feeding on tall prehistoric treetops. It must have been a fascinating sight. 

The fossils of long neck sauropods have been found worldwide, including the present-day continents of North America, South America, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Australia.

While it might appear that the giraffes (Giraffa Camelopardalis) and long neck dinosaurs like Brachiosaurus and Diplodocus share a common trait – their long necks – they, in fact, don’t share a direct lineage. Indications from anatomical and paleontological evaluations, coupled with extensive studies on DNA and genetic structures, confirm their distinct evolutionary paths.

Yet, their long necks portray captivating evolutionary parallels, which were likely the result of natural selection; suggesting convergent evolution, an occurrence when different species independently adapt to similar environments in a similar way.

However, giraffes being mammals and the mentioned dinosaurs being a part of the Saurischia group, highlight the primary difference in their classification despite visual resemblance. The ancestors of these species lived in dramatically divergent timelines, further affirming that these species do not have a shared familial lineage.

Presently, the subject invites more research in fields like biology, evolutionary science, genetics, and paleontology. It is crucial to understand that even if the giraffes and long-neck dinosaurs portray similar traits, it doesn’t essentially imply a direct lineage but rather reflects an excellent example of adaptation shaped by natural forces.

Let’s take a deeper look at giraffes and sauropods, looking to understand what makes them different and also if there are any clear similarities. 

Read on to find out!

Why Do Giraffes Look Like Dinosaurs?

Giraffes look like sauropod dinosaurs because they are adapted to browse on grass and treetops. Thus, they have long necks like ancient, long-neck, herbivorous dinosaurs.

Giraffes belong to the deer and moose family. Its distant relative was a gigantic moose that had a long neck. The neck was adapted for browsing and grazing.

Samotherium major existed seven million years ago and had a 3.3-foot neck.

Paleontologists believe the giraffes evolved from its relative over a long period. The neck stretched outwards to reach out for food. Gradually, the neck became significant for fights and mating duels.

Thus, the species bred selectively for longer necks.

Here’s a brief overview of the differences and similarities between the Giraffidae family, Brachiosaurid dinosaurs, and humans. This information is presented in a simple, easy-to-understand table format.

Description	Giraffidae	Brachiosaurid Dinosaurs	Humans
Existence	The majority of its members went extinct. The only surviving members are African giraffes and Okapis.	Existed 150 million years ago, much before the evolution of Giraffidae species.	Currently existing
Characteristics	Ruminant artiodactyls with a four-legged stance. Long necks comprising seven vertebrae and short tails.	Four-legged stance with longer front legs than the rear ones, giving them a giraffe-like stance. Had significantly more vertebrae than modern giraffes. Long tails that could act as weapons. (Source)	Humans stand on two legs and have seven neck vertebrae.
Neck Vertebrae	The giraffe neck comprises just seven vertebrae.	Sauropods had significantly more vertebrae than modern giraffes.	Humans and giraffes have seven neck vertebrae.
Relation	Giraffes are more closely related to people than dinosaurs.	Dinosaurs are not closely related to humans or giraffes.	Humans are more closely related to giraffes than dinosaurs.

The giraffe, standing tall with its long neck, may surprisingly have something in common with the extinct members of the Brachiosauridae family, especially a noteworthy one known as Giraffatitan.

This similarity isn’t just about their towering heights, but rather the specific elongated neck feature, a trait also observed in Sauroposeidon — another colossal dinosaur species. This recognizable pattern suggests a potentially shared lineage, leading us to the question, “Are giraffes and long-necked dinosaurs related?” The discussion becomes even more interesting when we consider the Titanosauria family, where species like Patagotitan and Paralititan exemplify the recurrent theme of a long neck.

This common characteristic gives weight to the argument that there might be some intriguing connections in this unconventional family tree. Undoubtedly, a thorough analysis of the anatomy and evolutionary traits of both Giraffatitan and Sauroposeidon, along with Patagotitan and Paralititan, is likely to offer more insights into this mysterious anatomical similarity with giraffes.

A deeper understanding of these connections could potentially rewrite the natural history books, providing a fascinating twist to what we know about the evolution of long-necked creatures.

What Is The Tallest Dinosaur?

The tallest dinosaurs were among the Brachiosaurid group of sauropods. On top of their long front legs, these top-browsers had extensive vertical necks. Thus, they could reach treetops and also grass on bottom bushes.

The most common Brachiosaurid was Brachiosaurus, which was 44.3 feet long on average. Other species like Sauroposeidon stretched to 60.7 feet in length.

In the Jurassic era, sauropods dominated herbivorous niches all over the world. They developed pillar-like feet to support their massive sizes and robust hearts to pump blood along their long necks.

These plant-eaters were successful in their regions and were abundant. However, predatory species were smaller and more numerous. Most predators had to hunt long-neck dinosaurs in packs.

The prime of sauropods was during the Mesozoic era (66-250 million years ago). Sauropods were a group of four-legged, herbivorous dinosaurs. Their tails and necks were significantly long relative to their body mass. (Source)

Brachiosaurus was considered the biggest dinosaur of all time back in 1903. This North American titan is, however, among the most famous giants in all humanity.

Brachiosaurus lived in the Late Jurassic, and its Fossils of a juvenile Brachiosaurus indicate it stretched to a length of 75.5 feet. Thus, adults could have been much larger.  

However, paleontologists found evidence of long-neck dinosaurs that were much larger than the Brachiosaurus.

Some of the tallest, longest titanosaurs include:

• Argentinosaurus (121-130 feet)
• Patagotitan mayorum (122 feet)
• Paralititan stromeri (82-100 Feet)
• Dreadnoghtus (85 feet)
• Austroposeidon (82 feet)

The sheer size of these gigantic herbivores dissuaded prey from attacking. They had different defense mechanisms, but they all included towering over predators. They probably made deep growls to scare off carnivores as they displayed their size.

Some stood on their twos when in defensive mode. Some stamped at predators and opponents in displace of dominance. Some cracked their long tails like whips to fend off threats.

Giraffe vs. Brachiosaurus

Giraffes and Brachiosaurus resemble each other to some extent. They are both quadrupeds that tower over other species of their time. Their front legs are longer than their hind legs, which boosts their standing height.

Scientists ranked Brachiosaurus as the biggest dinosaur ever found before discovering the Tanzanian Giraffatitan. Both brachiosaurids are popularly termed giraffe-like dinosaurs. Giraffatitan is significantly bigger than Brachiosaurus. (Source)

Another reason for the superficial physical resemblance of Brachiosaurus and giraffes is their long necks. Giraffes have seven elongated vertebrae for their long neck. In contrast, Brachiosaurus had way more vertebrae for its titanic neck.

With limited vertebrae, giraffe necks stretch to six feet, while Brachiosaurus necks grew over 30 feet.

Brachiosaurus fed to treetops, cutting vegetation matter with chisel-shaped teeth and gulping everything whole. They could have also swallowed small stones to aid digestion. They had muscular stomachs that were effective because of gastric milling action. (Source)

In contrast, giraffes are ruminants that chew the cud. Giraffes mostly chew on leaves, but they do reach for fruits and grass too. Unlike Brachiosaurus, these modern herbivores don’t have sharp, chisel-like teeth. They have a dental pad and hardy molars for chewing leaves and cud.

Giraffes have four stomachs, and they are always chewing. Thus, they get ample nutrition from grazing and browsing. (Source)

Unlike Brachiosaurus, giraffes are notorious for scavenging dry bones. These herbivores sustain their robust skeleton with calcium and iron in bones. Don’t be surprised to find a giraffe feasting on bony carcasses around them.

In terms of habitation, giraffes dwell on dry savannahs, while sauropods were mostly swamp dwellers. Most sauropod fossils resurface from ancient coastal flood plains.

Moreover, these flood plains preserved the footprints of long-neck dinosaurs impeccably. Brachiosaurus was even suspected to be a swamp amphibian, but fossil evidence proved otherwise. These dinosaurs were adapted to cross deep swamps, but giraffes could get fatally trapped in such environments.

Conclusion

It’s not surprising that giraffes and long-neck dinosaurs are often mistaken for being related to each other. There is, after all, the superficial resemblance of their height and length in common. However, upon closer inspection, it becomes clear that these two animals have many differences between them: they don’t share any teeth types or chewing methods; they eat different foods; their habitats differ greatly from one another, etc. 

The only thing they have in common is the size of their necks! As we have discussed above, giraffes and dinosaurs had different adaptations for long necks, and they achieved the same goal in different ways.

Given the distribution of sauropods worldwide, wouldn’t it have been an exciting safari if we could go back in time and see herds of long-neck sauropods roaming the countryside?

Frequently Asked Questions‍