Stegosaurus: Learn about Stegosaurus

Learn about Stegosaurus , a dinosaur with distinctive plates and spikes on its back and tail. See photos, drawings, models and size comparisons of this Jurassic herbivore. Stegosaurus , one of the various plated dinosaurs (Stegosauria) of the Late Jurassic Period (159 million to 144 million years ago) recognizable by its spiked tail and series of large triangular bony plates along the back. The forelimbs were much shorter than the hind limbs, which gave the back an arched appearance. Learn about the Stegosaurus , a herbivorous dinosaur with distinctive back plates and spiked tail. Discover its evolutionary history, physical description, diet, behavior, and fossil discoveries. Stegosaur is the common name for any of the various extinct, plated tetrapods (four-legged vertebrates) comprising the taxonomic group Stegosauria, a suborder, or infraorder, of herbivorous dinosaurs of the Jurassic and Early Cretaceous periods. Stegosaurs are characterized by a double row of bony plates or spikes along the back, hind legs much longer than the front legs, a short neck, and a relatively small head. The genus Stegosaurus , from which the group acquires its name, is by far the ...