Thyreophora
Thyreophora contains two groups of medium to large sized armoured herbivores. The Stegosauria had spines or plates running down their backs. They existed mainly during the Jurassic period. The Anklosauria were heavilly armoured dinosaurs. Some were covered in spikes, some had spiked clubs on the end of their tails. They existed mainly during the Cretaceous era.
StegosaurusSTEG-oh-SAW-rus(roofed reptile) Dr O.C. Marsh (1877) Colorado Jurassic 6-8m |
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| Stegosaurus was a large herbivore from the Jurassic period. Its most striking feature was two rows of diamond shaped plates along its back. The purpose of these is not fully know, they may have been for the regulation of heat, to signal to other dinosaurs or to make the stegosaurus look bigger. It also had four huge spikes on the end of a powerful tail that would have warned off predators. This dinosaur had a small head and a tiny brain, so was probably not the most coordinated creature ever to have existed. Its front legs were also a lot shorted than its hind legs, so it must have had a rather unusual walk. Note these diagrams are for a slightly simpler model. I will try to diagram the complex one eventually! |
Difficulty ***
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AnkylosaurusAn-KY-low-SAW-rus(stiff reptile) Dr B. Brown (1908) North America Cretaceous 10-17m |
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| This huge herbivore was the size and shape of a military tank. Its powerful body was protected by plates of bone and an array of spikes. The tail was long and had a massive spiked club of bone at the end. This tail was highly muscled and the tail must have made a formidible weapon to any attacker, such as a tyrannosaur. The skull was highly armoured and covered in spikes. Ankylosaurus must have weighed a great deal too, and cannot have been a very fast moving dinosaur. |
Difficulty ****
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