Dino card No. 1585 of 2,027

Sarcolestes

Say it: sar-koh-LES-teez

Name means: “flesh robber”1

Ate: PlantsArmoured dinosMiddle Jurassic

Sarcolestes was an armoured dinosaur that lived in England about 165 million years ago. It had a bony plate fused to its jaw, which helped protect its face.2 1

Lived

165 to 162 million years ago3

Middle Jurassic

Fossils found in

Oxford Clay, England, United Kingdom3 1

Food

Plants3

When did it live?

Triassic

Jurassic

Cretaceous

252 million years ago20114566, the asteroid

cool stuff

Fun facts

Sarcolestes is one of the oldest known armoured dinosaurs from the Middle Jurassic.1

The only fossil found so far is a partial left lower jaw with a bony plate stuck to its side.2 1

When it was first discovered, scientists thought Sarcolestes was a meat-eating dinosaur. Now we know it was a plant-eater.1

Its name means 'flesh robber' because the first scientist who studied it believed it was a predator.1

Sarcolestes lived alongside other Jurassic animals in the Oxford Clay sea, which was a shallow ocean at the time.3

AI-made picture of Sarcolestes — An AI-made picture of how Sarcolestes might have looked, made by a computer from what scientists know. It is a guess: the real animal may have looked different, and nobody knows its true colours.

you asked

Most asked questions about Sarcolestes

?What did Sarcolestes eat?

It was a plant-eater (herbivore). Scientists used to think it was a meat-eater, but now they know it ate plants.1 3

?How big was Sarcolestes?

Nobody knows for sure. The only fossil found is a partial jaw, so scientists cannot estimate its full size.1

?Is Sarcolestes a dinosaur?

Yes, it is a dinosaur. It is an armoured dinosaur called an ankylosaur.1

?Why is it called Sarcolestes?

Its name means 'flesh robber' in Greek. The first scientist who studied it thought it was a meat-eating predator, so he gave it that name.1

Ask Rex about Sarcolestes

Rex only answers questions about this page. 3 questions a day.

Rex is an AI and can make mistakes. He runs on servers in the EU and questions are never saved. Never type your name or other personal things.

Myth buster

Myth: Sarcolestes was a fierce meat-eater.

Truth: Sarcolestes was actually a plant-eating armoured dinosaur, not a predator.1

For dino experts

Scientific name: Sarcolestes
Named by: Lydekker 18933
Group: Armoured dinos
Family / clade: Ankylosauria3
Classification: Ornithischia > Ankylosauria > Thyreophora3
Age of the rocks: 165 to 162 million years (Callovian)3
Rock formations: Oxford Clay3
Countries: United Kingdom3
Fossil records: 2 in the Paleobiology Database3
Discovery: Sarcolestes was named in 1893 by Richard Lydekker. The fossil was found by Alfred Nicholson Leeds in the Oxford Clay of England.1
Still debated: Scientists are not sure whether Sarcolestes belongs to the nodosaurid family of armoured dinosaurs or to another group.2 1

Where the facts come from

Sarcolestes (en.wikipedia.org)
Sarcolestes leedsi Lydekker, an ankylosaurian dinosaur from the Middle Jurassic of England - Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie - Monatshefte Jg. 1983 Heft 3, Schweizerbart science publishers (schweizerbart.de)
Sarcolestes in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.

Every fact on this page has a number that points to its source. If we got something wrong, sorry, we are dino fans, not a science journal. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.

Rex is hungry! Dino Wiki is a dad's project for his dino-loving son, free with no ads. Grown-ups can feed Rex a snack to help keep it online.Feed Rex