Scutellosaurus
Scutellosaurus was one of the earliest armoured dinosaurs. It had hundreds of bony plates along its back and tail, like a tiny walking shield. It could run on its hind legs and used its long tail for balance.1
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Fun facts
Scutellosaurus had over 300 bony plates called osteoderms on its neck, back and tail.1
It lived about 196 million years ago during the Early Jurassic Period.1
This dinosaur was only about 1.3 metres long, about the size of a large dog.1
Scutellosaurus could walk on two legs, unlike later armoured dinosaurs that walked on all fours.1
Its closest relatives include Emausaurus and Scelidosaurus, which were also early armoured dinosaurs.1
The first fossil was found by David Lawler on the Navajo Nation in Arizona.1
Its name means 'little-shielded lizard' because of the many small shields on its body.1
Most asked questions about Scutellosaurus
?How big was Scutellosaurus?
About 1.3 metres (4.3 ft) long and weighed around 3 kg (6.6 lb). That is about the size of a large dog.12
?What did Scutellosaurus eat?
It was an herbivore, meaning it ate plants. Its leaf-shaped cheek teeth were good for feeding on plants.13
?When did Scutellosaurus live?
It lived during the Early Jurassic Period, about 196 million years ago.12
?Where was Scutellosaurus found?
Its fossils were found in Arizona, USA, on the land of the Navajo Nation.13
?Did Scutellosaurus have feathers?
No, it did not have feathers. It had hundreds of bony plates called osteoderms on its back and tail for protection.1
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Myth buster
Myth: Some people think Scutellosaurus was a slow, heavy dinosaur like later ankylosaurs.
Truth: Scutellosaurus was lightly built and could probably run on its hind legs, making it much faster.1
For dino experts
- Scientific name
- Scutellosaurus
- Named by
- Colbert 19814
- Group
- Armoured dinos
- Family / clade
- Thyreophora4
- Classification
- Ornithischia > Thyreophora4
- Age of the rocks
- 201 to 184 million years (Hettangian / Pliensbachian)4
- Rock formations
- Kayenta4
- Countries
- USA4
- Fossil records
- 23 in the Paleobiology Database4
- Discovery
- Scutellosaurus was named by Edwin Colbert in 1981. The first fossils were collected by David Lawler in the Kayenta Formation of Arizona.14
- Still debated
- Scientists are not sure exactly how the bony plates were arranged on its body, because the fossils are incomplete.1
Where the facts come from
- Scutellosaurus (en.wikipedia.org)
- Scutellosaurus | Natural History Museum (nhm.ac.uk)
- Scutellosaurus | Genus, Features & Fossil Sites | Britannica (britannica.com)
- Scutellosaurus in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.
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