Stegosaurus

This is a picture of a Stegosaurus, one of the dominant animals in the Jurassic Period (205Ma-138Ma) known as dinosaurs. The Jurassic Period, in the Mesozoic Era, began with Earth being warm and dry. Soon after heavy rains soaked the Earth creating a greener, more heavily vegetated Earth. Also, during the Jurassic, Pangea began to breakup which formed more seaways. Dinosaurs, in particular Stegosaurs, evolved rapidly in the Jurassic. Stegosaurs evolved in the late Jurassic about 156 Ma to 145 Ma years ago. This dinosaur was immense, weighing about four tons and was about seven meters long. It was four-legged with short front legs and much taller back legs. The Stegosaurus had armor plates on its back and a spiky tail thought to be used for protection. However, it is now known that only the spiky tail was used for protection. The armor plates were used to control body temperature, similar to an air conditioner (check out the Permian Dimetredon for an analogous feature). Unfortunately, Stegosaurus along with the other dinosaurs became extinct around 65 Ma years ago.

This page submitted to WebDoGS by:

Stephanie Tharp
GLY 102 Historical Geology student, University of Kentucky