Stegosaurus is a dinosaur that lived around 155 million years ago—during the Jurassic Period—in the Western portion of North America and parts of Europe. It was an herbivorous quadruped known for its rounded back and its double row of back plates that end with a a double pair of spikes on this dinosaur’s tail. This dinosaur was first discovered in 1877 by Othniel Charles Marsh during the Great Dinosaur Rush—also known as the Bone Wars. Because this dinosaur had armored plates that seemed shingled, it was given the name Stegosaurus, which means “roofed lizard”.
An interesting fact to note is that of all of the dinosaurs, Stegosaurus had one of the smallest brains. Although the actual anatomy of this dinosaur’s brain is currently unknown, it is known that it only weighed approximately 3 ounces—which is extraordinarily small for a creature that weighed over 5 tons. As such, it is believed that this dinosaur was very simple and slow moving.
Quick Stegosaurus Facts
• Stegosaurus had the brain of a Walnut
• Scientists call the Stegosaurus’s spiked tail a thagomizer
• It swallowed rocks to aid in digesting plant matter
• Stegosaurus means “roofed lizard”
• This dinosaur’s bite was weaker than a human’s bite
