Dinosaurs have long captured the imaginations of children and adults alike. These giant lizard-like creatures lived between 245 and 66 million years ago before going on extinct for reasons scientists still don’t fully understand. The Stegosaurus is one of the most popular of these ancient creatures. These are a few interesting facts about this fascinating animal.
1. It Made Its Home in Western North America
Stegosaurus enthusiasts, such as Dan Avidan of Game Grump, can be found around the world. The Stegosaurus; however, mostly lived in Western North America.
2. It Was Really Big
The average Stegosaurus grew to be about 30 feet tall and 21 feet long and weighed about 11,000 pounds. The double row of bony plates that give the dinosaur its distinctive look made it appear even larger.
3. The Stegosaurus Is a Movie Star
The Stegosaurus’s distinctive appearance has made it a favorite of many movie producers. The dinosaur has made appearances in the movies King Kong and Fantasia and four of the Jurassic Park films. It was also one of three dinosaurs that served as inspiration for the famous movie monster Godzilla.
4. Stegosaurus’s Brain Is Not As Small As Once Believed
For a long time, scientists believed that Stegosaurus had a brain the size of a walnut, which would have given it one of the lowest brain-to-body ratios of all the dinosaurs. However, experts now believe that its brain was actually similar in size and shape to a bent hotdog. Scientists also used to think that the dinosaur had a bundle of nerves located above its rear legs that served as a secondary brain and helped the dinosaur control its movements. However, modern scientists no longer believe this is true.
5. Stegosaurus Was Misnamed
19th-century paleontologists chose the name Stegosaurus, which means roofed lizard, because they thought that its distinctive backplates were positioned flat along its back resembling the shingles on a roof. However, after examining the evidence, scientists determined that the plates probably grew in two rows and were situated with the pointed sides facing up.
6. The Plates May Have Served a Purpose
The plates on the Stegasaurus’s back, which are called scutes, probably helped the dinosaur control its body temperature. Scientists believe that the blood vessels inside the plates helped the animal dissipate body heat. However, some scientists disagree. This group believes that the primary function of the plates was to show off for potential mates, similar to how some species of birds have brightly colored tail feathers that they display to attract mates.
7. It’s Spikey Tail Was Probably a Defense Mechanism
The Stegosaurus was an herbivore, so it didn’t need big teeth or wicked claws for catching prey. However, it did need to be able to defend itself. Scientists believe that the spikes on its tail were used to ward off predators.
The Stegosaurus’s distinctive features have made it one of the most popular and widely recognized dinosaur types. While there is a lot that scientists have discovered about this extinct animal, there is likely a lot they still don’t know.