Description
Stegosaurus - Age of the Behemoth - Mama and Baby - Educational, Realistic
10 Awesome Facts About the Stegosaurus!
1.) The name 'Stegosaurus' comes from the
Greek words 'stegos' meaning roof and
'sauros' meaning lizard.
2.) Researchers believe that due to the nature
of Stegosaurus legs, they had a maximum
speed of around 7kph (5mph).
3.) Along with Tyrannosaurus rex and Iguanodon,
Stegosaurus was one of three dinosaurs that
inspired the appearance of Godzilla.
4.) Stegosaurus fossils have been found in
western North America and more recently in
Portugal, indicating that they lived in
Europe as well.
5.) In terms of size, the Stegosaurus was large
and heavily built. On average, a fully grown
Stegosaurus was around 9 meters (30ft) in
length, 4 meters (14ft) in height and up to
nearly 5 metric tons in weight.
6.) The 17 plates found along the back of the
Stegosaurus arose from the skin rather than
being attached to the skeleton. The largest
plates were around 60cm (2ft) tall and 60cm
(2ft) wide.
7.) The Stegosaurus also featured tail spikes
that reached around 60cm (2ft) to 90cm (3ft)
in length.
8.) The spiked tail of Stegosaurus is called a
"Thagomizer," after a Far Side* comic
depicting a class of cavemen learning about
the sharp spikes at the end of it's tail get told,
"Now this end is called the thagomizer... after
the late Thag Simmons."
9.) The US state of Colorado lists the Stegosaurus
as its state dinosaur.
10.) The Stegosaurus was alive in the late
Jurassic Period (around 150 million years ago).
