Theiophytalia

Say it: THAY-oh-fy-TAL-ee-uh

Name means: “garden of the gods”1 2

Ate: PlantsBeaked plant-eatersEarly Cretaceous

Theiophytalia was a plant-eating dinosaur that walked on two legs and had a beak for snipping leaves. It lived about 112 million years ago in what is now Colorado, USA. Only one skull of this dinosaur has ever been found!1 3

Lived

121 to 100 million years ago3

Early Cretaceous

Fossils found in

Garden of the Gods park, Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA1 2

Food

Plants3

When did it live?

Triassic

Jurassic

Cretaceous

252 million years ago20114566, the asteroid

cool stuff

Fun facts

For over a hundred years, scientists thought the Theiophytalia skull belonged to a Camptosaurus dinosaur. In 2006, researchers realized it was a completely new dinosaur.1 2

The skull was found in 1878 by a college professor named James Kerr. He thought he had found parts of 21 different sea monsters!2

Theiophytalia's skull is different from Camptosaurus in several ways: it has a longer, heavier snout, a smaller skull opening, and a stronger jaw joint.1

The dinosaur's name means 'garden of the gods' because it was found at Garden of the Gods park in Colorado.1

Theiophytalia is a type of iguanodontian dinosaur, a group that also includes the famous Iguanodon.1

The skull is about 112 million years old, from the Early Cretaceous period. Scientists know this because of the rocks it was found in.1 3

AI-made picture of Theiophytalia — An AI-made picture of how Theiophytalia 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 Theiophytalia

?How big was Theiophytalia?

Nobody knows for sure, because only one skull has ever been found. Scientists estimate it was a medium-sized dinosaur, but no exact size is known.1 2

?What did Theiophytalia eat?

It was a plant-eater. It had a beak for snipping leaves and walked on two legs to reach low vegetation.1 3

?Is Theiophytalia a dinosaur?

Yes, it is a dinosaur. It is an ornithischian dinosaur, a type of iguanodontian that lived during the Early Cretaceous period.1 3

?Where was Theiophytalia found?

The only fossil, a skull, was found in 1878 at Garden of the Gods park in Colorado, USA. It is now at the Yale Peabody Museum.1 2

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Myth buster

Myth: People once thought the Theiophytalia skull belonged to a dinosaur called Camptosaurus.

Truth: In 2006, scientists proved it was a different dinosaur, naming it Theiophytalia kerri.1 2

For dino experts

Scientific name: Theiophytalia
Named by: Brill and Carpenter 20073
Group: Beaked plant-eaters
Family / clade: Styracosterna3
Classification: Ornithischia > Ornithopoda > Iguanodontia3
Age of the rocks: 121 to 100 million years (Aptian / Albian)3
Rock formations: Purgatoire3
Countries: USA3
Fossil records: 1 in the Paleobiology Database3
Discovery: A college student named James Kerr found the only known skull in 1878 at Garden of the Gods in Colorado. Dinosaur expert O.C. Marsh took it to Yale in 1886. In 2006, paleontologists Kathleen Brill and Ken Carpenter finally identified it as a new dinosaur species.1 2
Still debated: Since only a skull has been found, scientists are not sure about the rest of Theiophytalia's body. They debate how it is related to other dinosaurs like Hippodraco.1 3

Where the facts come from

Theiophytalia (en.wikipedia.org)
See the Theiophytalia Kerri Dinosaur at Garden of the Gods (gardenofgods.com)
Theiophytalia 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.

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