EasyStegosaurus
Stegosaurus stenops
STEG-oh-SORE-us· “roofed lizard”
🕰️ Jurassic🌿 herbivore🦴 Stegosauridae
9 m
Length
4 m
Height
3.5 t
Weight
Instantly recognisable by the two rows of big bony plates along its back and the four long tail spikes it swung at attackers. Its brain was famously tiny — about the size of a walnut.
When
Late Jurassic, ~155–150 million years ago
Found in
United States
Discovered
Othniel Charles Marsh, 1877
Did you know?
- The spiky tail weapon is nicknamed the 'thagomizer'.
- Its back plates may have flushed with blood to change colour.
- An Allosaurus fossil has a wound matching a Stegosaurus tail spike.
Artwork: TotalDino, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0.