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plated dinosaur
Stegosaurus
Say it like this: “STEG-o-SAWR-us”
Stegosaurus stenops
Stegosaurus ate plants and walked on four legs. It lived in the Late Jurassic. Bones have been found in the United States.
- When
- Late Jurassic (Kimmeridgian · Tithonian) · roughly 154.8 to 143.1 million years ago
- Named in
- 1877 · Marsh, O. C.
- Hip height
- Not established
- Length
- 7–9 m · 23–30 ft
- Weight
- 3–5 tonnes
- Found in
- the United States · Morrison
- Food and walking
- Herbivore · Four legs
- Kind
- plated dinosaur · Stegosaur
- Family branch
- Stegosaurinae
The story in short
Stegosaurus was formally named in 1877 by O. C. Marsh. The name means “roof lizard.”
It lived in the Late Jurassic (Kimmeridgian · Tithonian), roughly 154.8 to 143.1 million years ago. Finds come from the United States, including the Morrison Formation. It was a herbivore and walked on four legs.
Published estimates put Stegosaurus at a length near 7–9 m and a body mass around 3–5 tonnes.
On the family tree it sits in Stegosaurinae, among the plated dinosaurs.
This entry is the whole genus. The type species is Stegosaurus stenops. Other named species include Stegosaurus ungulatus.
Other species with this name
- Stegosaurus stenops
- Stegosaurus ungulatus
Close relatives
Hesperosaurus
Hesperosaurus mjosi
Late Jurassic · Early Cretaceous (Oxfordian–Berriasian) · roughly 161.5 to 137.1 million years ago
Jiangjunosaurus
Jiangjunosaurus junggarensis
Middle Jurassic · Late Jurassic (Callovian · Oxfordian) · roughly 165.3 to 154.8 million years ago
Loricatosaurus
Loricatosaurus priscus
Middle Jurassic (Callovian) · roughly 165.3 to 161.5 million years ago