Rapid City in Pennington County, South Dakota — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)

Apatosaurus

(Apatosaurus louisae)

— Then and Now —

Apatosaurus Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., September 20, 2026

1. Apatosaurus Marker

Inscription.

SIZE: 75 feet long & 19 feet tall
WEIGHT: Up to 20 tons
DIET: Herbivore
NAME MEANING: Deceptic Lizard
DINOSAUR CLASSIFICATION: Sauropoda
TIME PERIOD: Late Jurassic (155-145 million years ago)
MOVEMENT: Quadrupedal

QUICK FACTS:
① Incomplete fossil finds led to a century of dispute and uncertainty about the Apatosaurus' true classification, so many may still confuse this sculpture with a Brontosaurus.

② Even though they are related they are not the same dinosaur. It is only since 2015 that Brontosaurus has been considered distinct from Apatosaurus, though there is still not universal agreement on the matter.

③ Sauropod vertebrae may look large and heavy, but they actually are lighter than you think! They had a system of hollow pockets or air sacs, similar to birds today.

④ The Apatosaurus laid eggs up to one-foot long. Hatchlings weighed 5-10 lbs, about the size of a house cat.

⑤ It is estimated an adult would need to eat 880 pounds of food every day to survive, gulping large chunks of plants without chewing and swallowing stones to help with digestion.

⑥ Researchers

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calculated that Apatosaurus and other sauropods produced about 520 million tons of methane per year. That's a lot of gas.

⑦ Apatosaurus had a life span of up to 100 years!

THEN [Early photo of the sculpture]

NOW [Modern artist rendition of the dinosaur]

Erected by City of Rapid City.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Paleontology • Parks & Recreational Areas.

Location. 44° 4.676′ N, 103° 14.751′ W. Marker is in Rapid City, South Dakota, in Pennington County. Marker and sculpture are in Dinosaur Park. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 940 Skyline Drive, Rapid City SD 57701, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in West River

and in the Badlands.

It is also in the American Black Hills,

in the Lewis & Clark Corridor,

on the prairies,

and on the Northern Plains.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once Rupert’s Land

and also the Louisiana Purchase.

Other nearby markers. At

Apatosaurus Marker and Sculpture image. Click for full size.

Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., September 20, 2026

2. Apatosaurus Marker and Sculpture

least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Stegosaurus (a few steps from this marker); Tyrannosaurus Rex (within shouting distance of this marker); The Inconvenient Truth (within shouting distance of this marker); Triceratops (within shouting distance of this marker); Trachodon (within shouting distance of this marker); Local Lakota: Osh Kosh Camp (within shouting distance of this marker); The Great Race/Black Hills Geology (within shouting distance of this marker); Hangman's Hill (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Rapid City.

Apatosaurus Sculpture image. Click for full size.

Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., September 20, 2026

3. Apatosaurus Sculpture

Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., September 20, 2026

4. Apatosaurus Sculpture

King of the Hill

Credits. This page was last revised on October 10, 2026. It was originally submitted on October 10, 2026, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio. This page has been viewed 3 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on October 10, 2026, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.