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Herbivores

Stegosaurus

Species
Stegosaurus
Size
16 feet (5 meters) tall, 33 feet (10 meters) long, 7 tons
Defense/weaponry/ability
Plated hide
Tail spikes
Strength
Roar
Turf
USA, North America, UK, Scotland, Portugal
Timespan
Late Jurassic 155-144 Ma
Appearances
First appearance: "Bloodiest Battle"

Stegosaurus ("roof lizard") is the largest genus of armored stegosaurid dinosaur, that lived during the Late Jurassic period, some 152-144 million years ago in what is now western North America and Europe Portugal and Scotland, UK.

Stegosaurus appears in the episode "Bloodiest Battle".

Description[]

Standing 16 feet (5 meters) tall, measuring up to 10 meters (33 feet) long, and weighing up to 7 tons, Stegosaurus had much shorter limbs in front than in back, so its back--which was lined with large bony triangular plates--appeared arched from the neck to the hip. Instead of claws, its hands and feet had evolved into broad, blunt-hoofed feet.

Fighting style[]

Based on the relative length of its front and back legs, it's clear that Stegosaurus was not a fast runner, but used its most distinctive feature--its plated hide--as armor to protect itself from attack. Evidence suggests that Stegosaurus was not merely a passive victim of attacks but used its spiked tail, known as a thagomizer, to fight back.

Diet[]

As shown by its leaf-shaped teeth, Stegosaurus ate only plants. Possible predators include any number of larger carnivorous dinosaurs of the period, including Allosaurus and Ceratosaurus.

Trivia[]

  • In a 1982 Far Side comic strip, cartoonist Gary Larson drew a caveman professor telling his students that the spiky tail of a Stegosaurus was known as a "thagomizer" in honor of "the late Thag Simmons." Thanks to paleontologist Ken Carpenter, who liked the name and used it in his 1993 presentation of the most complete Stegosaurus skeleton ever found, the name has stuck.
  • The Stegosaurus CGI Model in the episode Bloodiest Battle is also known as a female Stegosaurus
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