The stegosaurus was one of the most common herbivorous dinosaurs of the Jurassic period. It was an ornishian dinosaur member of the tyreophora order (the armored herbivorous dinosaurs) and of the stegosauridae family (herbivorous dinosaurs with spiny tail and back covered with bony plates).
Main picture link: https://www.dkfindout.com/uk/dinosaurs-and-prehistoric-life/dinosaurs/stegosaurus/
Where and when the stegosaurus lived?
As we mentioned above, the stegosaurus lived in the Jurassic period: more precicely in the late Jurassic (155-150 million years ago) in what is now North America.
Its natural habitat was the forests where there were the sequoias and the vast grasslands of ferns.
Who discovered the stegosaurus's first fossils?
Its first fossil have been discovered in Colorado in 1876, more precicely in the Morrison formation by Othniel Charles Marsh.
How big was the stegosaurus?
The stegosaurus was the largest member of the stegosauridae family: it was 9 meters long, 4 meters high and weighed up to 7 tons.
Picture link: https://delphipages.live/it/scienza/scienze-della-terra-tempo-geologico-e-fossili/dinosauri/stegosaurus
What made the stegosaurus unique?
The name stegosaurus literally means "lizard with a roof": this characteristic is due to the plates arranged longitudinally on the back which were 70 cm long. There are many hypotheses about the function of these plates:
- They were a means of defense against predators.
- They were used to seduce females.
- Regulate body temperature.
In addition to the plates, the stegosaurus had 4 1.20 cm long quills used to defend itself from carnivores such as the allosaurus.
Paleontologists claim that the stegosaurus was the dumbest of dinosaurs. This hypothesis arose from the fact that the stegosaurus had a brain the size of a walnut.
It was a slow animal that could not exceed 6-7 km per hour.
Was the stegosaurus a solitary or a social animal?
The stegosaurus was believed to be a semi-social dinosaur: only females lived in small groups, while males were large and strong enough to live alone. Furthermore, the males were strongly territorial.
What did the stegosaurus eat?
The stegosaurus was herbivorous, its main foods were ferns that grew on the ground and other plants that grew on low branches.
However, the stegosaurus did not hesitate to stand up on its hind legs to reach the highest branches of the trees.
Who are the stegosaurus's natural enemies?
As already mentioned above, the stegosaurus had to fight with the allosaurus. However, this predator had little chance of defeating an adult stegosaurus.
Young stegosaurs were more exposed to attacks by predators: in addition to the allosaurus, they could also be attacked by the ceratosaurus and ornitholestes.
Picture link: https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/stegosaurus-strike-out.html
Why is the stegosaurus extinct?
Most likely, the stegosaurus failed to adapt to the climate changes that were changing the planet. This led to its extinction 99 million years ago towards the beginning of the Cretaceous.
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