The Stegosaurus walked on four legs. Its backlegs were twice the size of the front legs. The made its head close to the ground. This caused them to walk very slowly. They had a very small head with a tiny brain the size of a walnut. They had a tootless beak and small weak cheek teeth. The Stegosaurus's heavy spiked tail was used for protection against preditors and could be up to four feet long. It is believed that the large, flat, bony triangular plates along its back were not attached to bones, and were used to help regulate heat, or its body temperature. Its skull was long and narrow.

The Stegosaurus was a plant eater or herbivore. They had to eat a large amouts to sustain their bulk. It is thought that since their legs were different lengths, they possibly would stand on their hind legs to reach vegetation that was up higher.

There are two different species of Stegosaurus. They have different number of tail spikes. The Stegosaurus ungulatis had eight spikes on its tail, where the Stegosaurus stenops had only four spikes on its tail.

The Stegosaurus was from the Ornithischian class. The Suborder was the Thyreophora Or dermal armor. The Family class was the Stegosauridae. The Stegosaurus were a Stegosaurian whose intelligence was low among the dinosaurs.

The first Stegosaurus fossils wer found in 1876 by M. P. Felch. There were named in 1877 by Paleontologist Othniel C. March. Fossils have been found in West North America (Colorado, Utah, & Wyoming), West Europe, South India, China and South Africa. There lived during the Late Jurassic Period, about 156-140 Million years ago.

Our Stegosaurus Activities

• Stegosaurus Dinosaur Math Puzzle
• Stegosaurus Crossword Puzzle

Other Stegosaurus Links

• Children's Museum of Indianapolis - Stegosaurus
• Royal Tyrrell Museum - Stegosaurus

Stegosaurus Class
Ornithischian	Bird-hipped, or hipped similar to birds Herbivorous Dinosaurs - Plant eaters
Suborder	Thyreophora dermal armor
Stegosauridae Family

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