Stegosaurus

dinosaur · Jurassic · plant-eater · armored

Plates on parade. Stegosaurus had a row of tall, kite-shaped plates standing up along its back, plus sharp spikes on its tail for defense.

Leaf lover. It was a herbivore, meaning it ate only plants, and walked around on four sturdy legs.

Super old. It lived in the Late Jurassic, between about 155 and 145 million years ago.

Found far and wide. Fossils of over 80 of these dinosaurs have been dug up in the western United States and in Portugal.

Famous neighbors. It shared its world with dinosaurs like Apatosaurus and Diplodocus, plus the hungry hunter Allosaurus that may have preyed on it.